America: Child stars start with The Shining

Audrey hurried through the crowd, glancing every now and then at the women's watch on her wrist.

Today is the preview screening of "The Shining," and there are less than ten minutes left before the film starts.

She was a reporter for a local entertainment newspaper in New York, and she had actually attended many such events before, so she shouldn't have felt nervous.

but......

"Fuck, it's all that bxxch's fault!"

Audrey gripped her notebook tightly and took heavier steps.

In the past few days, a flamboyant newcomer has been parachuted into the office. At first, she was very polite to Audrey, showing respect in every word, and even took the initiative to run errands for her and deliver manuscripts, appearing to be a humble junior.

Unexpectedly, in just a few days, the other party completely revealed their true colors.

Taking advantage of her ambiguous relationship with the editor-in-chief, she quickly intervened in the topics discussed, made significant changes to the newspaper layout, and even took over the entire entertainment column that originally belonged to Audrey.

What's even worse is that this guy intensified office politics and ostracized new employees who joined at the same time as her.

Audrey finally lost her temper and had a face-to-face argument with the other party a while ago.

The result was unsurprising: Audrey became a marginal figure in the office, began to be ostracized by the editor-in-chief, and lost her voice in meetings.

So now she has to personally handle the most basic business, attend various screenings, and fight for new opportunities, as if she has returned to the time when she first joined the company.

But she didn't even dare to quit her job easily because she was counting on it to pay off her student loans from college. If she quit, she would lose her source of income and would be in dire straits within a few months.

"Fuck you, you green tea b*tch! One day, I'll make you two pay!"

After venting her anger, Audrey's mood improved slightly. She walked into a movie theater; the show was about to start.

Her seat was in the back row, slightly to the right, some distance from the screen.

For a journalist of her caliber, getting an invitation to a preview screening is already considered quite lucky.

After all, the local entertainment newspaper she worked for was not well-known and could only attract readers by collecting Hollywood gossip.

As for the front row seats, they naturally belong to heavyweight film critics, production company and distributor representatives, as well as several rapidly rising television news media outlets.

In recent years, with the gradual popularization of television, the reach and influence of television news have been greatly enhanced, and their treatment in this context has surpassed that of some traditional print media.

Television reporters were busy adjusting the angles of their cameras, while several photographers moved back and forth in the corridor, searching for the best angles to capture the director and lead actors.

Audrey sat down and opened the notebook she had brought.

The director and lead actors had not yet appeared, but there were already faint whispers of discussion in the room.

"I heard Warner Bros. invested a lot of money this time, tsk tsk... Don't they know that Kubrick's films always have poor box office performance?"

"Shh, that's hard to say. This time we're shooting a mainstream horror film, and with Kubrick's filming techniques, just think about '2001: A Space Odyssey' and you'll understand. The effect shouldn't be bad."

"Hey, I heard that one of the main characters in The Shining was played by a child actor."

"Fuck, are you kidding me? Don't we know how bad those child stars in Hollywood are? They're desperate to make the next Jodie Foster, but look at them, have they ever succeeded?"

Several film critics were chatting and laughing in the front row when suddenly the lights in the entire theater went out and the Warner Bros. logo lit up on the screen.

The film officially started playing, and the discussion instantly ceased. Audrey subconsciously sat up straight and leaned forward slightly.

The aerial shots at the beginning of the film slowly unfold.

Mountains, lakes, highways, and that lone yellow car driving on the mountain road.

Audrey was about to write a few standard comments about the composition and soundtrack, but she stopped as soon as she put pen to paper.

The background music suddenly turned eerie, and the peaceful scene gave off a vague sense of unease.

She thought for a moment, then wrote:

"The way Kubrick's film immerses the viewer at the beginning is ingenious, and the soundtrack is extremely oppressive, somewhat different from the techniques used in other horror films..."

Audrey looked up and continued looking at the screen.

The first half of the film is surprisingly slow-paced. While a normal horror film would have already given the audience a fright at the beginning, "The Shining" is still laying the groundwork for an otherwise mundane family story.

Audrey unconsciously yawned, and then it was Ciel's turn to appear.

He sat at the dining table and had a conversation with his mother, followed by a monologue in front of the mirror in the bathroom...

As soon as the two clips ended, several film critics sitting in the front row simultaneously tightened their coats and swallowed hard.

This kid's acting... is terrifying. He hardly expresses any exaggerated emotions, but it still makes you feel inexplicably scared.

Audrey, sitting in the back row, also felt a sudden chill creep up her spine.

She unconsciously shrank back, her shoulders pressed against the back of the chair, and suddenly realized that she hadn't written anything in a long time.

She took a deep breath and quickly bent down to write down her impressions of the film:

"The first half of The Shining has a slow pace and can be boring, but..."

"The child actor who played the little boy in the film successfully made up for this. His outstanding acting skills made people unconsciously immerse themselves in the movie plot, follow the character's perspective, and feel uneasy and uneasy with the character."

After finishing writing, Audrey looked up and her gaze fell once again on the actor playing the little boy.

The pace of the film gradually quickens without you even realizing it.

Jack's madness, Sherry's fear, and Ciel's almost realistic acting...

A viewer sitting in the front coughed lightly, looking somewhat uneasy as he watched the scene on the screen.

This video is so damn weird. Although there isn't a single scary scene, it still gives you goosebumps.

This kind of horror, derived from real life, is most likely to send chills down one's spine.

By the time the film entered its second half, the entire theater had become completely quiet.

Everyone was completely absorbed in the plot, and even Audrey hadn't written anything in her notebook in a long time.

She gently closed her notebook, deciding to watch the entire film in one go first, otherwise she would easily miss the exciting parts when she looked down to write.

......

The two-hour film ended quickly, but Audrey still felt a little unsatisfied.

How should I evaluate my feelings just now?

The Shining is definitely not a horror film in the traditional sense, but...

Audrey murmured something under her breath:

"It's fucking perfect."

Kubrick perfectly captured that chilling feeling.

Even though this movie doesn't have any jump scares, its overwhelming eerie atmosphere completely immerses the viewer.

The film critics in the front row, who were chatting and laughing before the show started, now looked noticeably more serious.

Some remained silent, some were discussing the footage and plot, and others were hurriedly organizing their notes, preparing to send them out as soon as possible.

Just then.

From the side door next to the screen, figures emerged one after another—Kubrick and the film's main cast.

For some reason, everyone's attention immediately fell on Charles, who looked very calm and composed.

This child's acting skills have completely won them over.