The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 2085 Crossover Guest Appearance
Silence reigned, everyone was stunned.

The reporters in the coffee shop all looked at each other with strange expressions, one by one frantically trying to recall if they had just said something inappropriate.

The silence seemed strange and amusing, and almost everyone present felt uneasy; no one was an exception.

Until——

"Simon! Your espresso is ready!"

The coffee shop employee's shout broke the silence, like tearing a hole, all the sound and air bursting out and exploding in an instant.

Niles covered his cheek, sat down opposite Roger, his shoulders slumped, utterly dejected. "Roger, so what exactly happened?"

Niles works for The Hollywood Reporter. Despite his young age, he has a rich resume. He is the main film critic at Cannes this year, so he took a high position in the front of the highest-level pass line early today. He is also an old acquaintance of Roger in the industry, and his behavior reveals a sense of familiarity.

Roger chuckled. "Don't be discouraged. You're not the first person to mess up in front of Anson..."

Oh!
Niles wailed and covered his face.

"And it won't be the last one either. Haha." Roger still couldn't stop laughing. "Anyone who can become a superstar naturally has their own qualities; otherwise, there wouldn't be so few superstars in Hollywood throughout history, would there?"

"Have you forgotten, 'The Times'?"

Niles paused, "'The Times'? You mean they're planning to send a guest film critic to Cannes? That's not uncommon, but it's not rare either. I guess they think this year's Cannes lineup lacks appeal. Wait, you mean..."

The news has not been fully released yet. Although it is not a big secret in Hollywood, only a small number of well-informed people know about it for the time being.

Everything will be revealed tomorrow when The New York Times publishes Anson's film review of "Hidden Camera," which will set off a major bombshell.

Roger nodded slightly. "Yes, that's the answer you're thinking of right now."

Niles exclaimed, “Anson Wood is the guest film critic for the Times?”

Shocking!

The entire coffee shop fell silent again, as if a hurricane had passed through. Everyone stood there trembling, not daring to make a move, completely stunned.

A smile crept into Roger's eyes. "Oh, bad."

boom! Boom boom boom!
The earth shook and mountains trembled, and raging waves surged.

The 2005 Cannes Film Festival officially kicked off, and the first day was full of great shows. "Match Point" and "Hidden Camera" made their debut and received rave reviews. The latter, in particular, was hailed as a strong contender for the Palme d'Or and ignited enthusiasm. Thierry Frémaux's first step after taking office was particularly solid.

Unexpectedly, not only in the cinemas, but also in the small town of Cannes, another piece of news caused a sensation throughout the city: Anson, as a guest film critic for the New York Times, was traveling all over the city to participate in the film festival. The film fan who was overjoyed to participate in the film festival for the first time two years ago has now grown into a film critic!

No wonder!
I didn't see Anson at the "Match Point" premiere on the first day, but I did see him in the queue for the "Hidden Camera".

The real reason is actually here!

There was an uproar.

Shock! Amazing! It's generating a lot of discussion!

No one is an exception. Despite Anson's countless surprises, one after another, there's still—

Is The New York Times really not joking?
However, the wait wasn't long. The column was published, and everyone could see Anson's writing for themselves, judging for themselves whether it was true or false, good or bad. The New York Times, which had consistently led in sales, experienced a sales surge due to this unexpected situation, catching everyone off guard.

"In a way, Haneke echoes the theme Hitchcock explored in 'Rear Window': the essence of filmmaking can be understood as a form of voyeurism. We secretly peek into the lives of the protagonists in each film."

This time, Haneke went a step further because there was a hidden camera, so we had to sit in a movie theater with a complete stranger and spy on each other. While experiencing the thrill of voyeurism, we were becoming both perpetrators and potential victims.

Then, watch as their lives crumble amidst arrogance and hypocritical denial.

Undoubtedly, this is not a typical thriller, but it does manage to keep the audience on the edge of their seats, feeling like they've been thrown into flames.

A masterpiece.

—Anson Wood.

This is Anson's first film review as a guest film critic.

In fact, Anson and The New York Times emphasized that this was not a professional film review, but simply a film enthusiast representing The New York Times to watch a film in Cannes. Anson even joked that it was "a publicly funded movie trip."

But Anson is Anson after all. People are used to scrutinizing his every move under a microscope. To them, the so-called film enthusiast is just a pretense, an excuse to save face if they accidentally expose their stupidity, ignorance, and lack of aesthetic taste.

However, to everyone's surprise, people were stunned.

This short commentary is not only concise but also incisive. It does not excessively quote classics to show off its knowledge, but it grasps the essence perfectly and points out the key issues incisively.

It possesses the flair of a professional film critic, to the point that one might even suspect that someone was writing it behind the scenes.

Ultimately, Anson gave it a perfect score of "four stars" while writing his first film review, propelling "Hidden Camera" to its peak.

A small group of trolls didn't even read the film reviews carefully; they were already prejudiced and prepared to criticize and attack before even reading them. They mocked Anson for being unsophisticated and for giving inappropriate scores to the first film at the festival. They questioned what would happen to the films in the main competition.
"Amateur is amateur, it's hilarious."

However, these attacks were all extinguished before they even had a chance to materialize.

The Cannes Film Festival's official publication, "The Screen," also released the ratings for "Hidden Camera" immediately.

3.3/4, scoring 3.3 out of 4 in the rating system, easily surpassing the highest score in the past two years of the event program, and reaching a new high.

In other words, it was a resounding success, receiving rave reviews from critics in the official program, with three critics even awarding it the Palme d'Or.

Clearly, Anson is not the only film critic who has "lost his mind and showered the critic with praise."

And, what really matters is how other film critics view Anson's column?
No journalists have yet conducted interviews with film critics specifically about this, and the critics who are busy watching movies in Cannes don't have time for these tedious interviews; however, the media on the front lines in Cannes can personally experience that when people talk about Anson again, their words carry a touch of warmth.

Whether someone is professional or not is obvious at a glance; their true level of expertise cannot be hidden by boasting.

Perhaps it all started as a publicity stunt, a mere hype, with The New York Times playing its cards right; and now it seems Anson has once again lived up to expectations.

Everything seemed familiar, similar situations, the same routine, but the ending was always the same; Anson would never disappoint.

"Trustworthy".

(End of this chapter)