America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 324 I am pursuing art

Windsor Castle Restaurant, Beverly Hills.

Next to the booth, the waiter served a variety of exquisite dishes and placed them in front of the two customers.

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles' most famous critic, tied a napkin around his neck and looked at Martin across from him: "A meal here costs quite a bit."

Martin tied his napkin as well and said, "When old friends get together, we should always eat something different."

Kenneth Turan was actually quite pleased with Martin's choice of this restaurant, where the cost per person was nearly a thousand dollars; it was at least a sign of respect.

If he were to eat barbecue at any random restaurant on the street, where would Los Angeles' top film critic's sophistication be?

Martin specifically invited Kenneth to dinner, with a very clear purpose, having done his homework: "I have always remembered your guidance and help to me."

Kenneth waved his hand: "It's not really guidance, just a few film reviews."

When Martin is shameless, his skin can be as thick as mantle rock: "When I first came to Hollywood, I was like a headless fly, with no standards for choosing films. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to have two successful films, House of Wax and The Hills Have Eyes, which allowed me to establish myself in Hollywood. I was even luckier to meet you."

Kenneth recalled carefully that he seemed to have spoken with Martin after the premiere of The Hills Have Eyes.

Martin said this: "Your words made me understand which way to go from here. Actors need to have artistic pursuits, but at that time I didn't even have a foothold, so I could only make money first."

Kenneth nodded: "That's understandable. Prioritizing basic needs and ensuring a comfortable life allows one to focus more on art."

Martin said, "I have never forgotten the artistic pursuit of an actor, so even in the face of many difficulties, I still tried my best to win the role of director Scorsese. I spent half a year practicing the Boston accent and spent nearly a month experiencing life in the Boston Police Department, following the detectives to arrest gangsters and dealers, and finally impressed director Scorsese."

Kenneth praised Martin's performance: "This is what an actor should do. You did a great job. The character in the film is so outstanding because you were well prepared."

"Yes, it was an extraordinary experience." Martin had gained a deep understanding of Kenneth Turan over the past two years, getting a good grasp of his personality and preferences: "Director Scorsese and Jack Nicholson gave me a lot of guidance on set, which helped me take my acting to the next level and improve my skills significantly..."

Kenneth watched the film and said, "Your role in The Departed is better than any of your previous films. You've improved a lot, even surpassing Leonardo DiCaprio."

At this moment, Martin was even more proactive than when he was with a beautiful woman: "I can feel the progress and advancement, so I don't want to stop. I've taken on the lead role in a pure art film, 'The Reader,' directed by Sam Mendes and starring Kate Winslet."

Kenneth had previously taken note of the information and said, "Sam is one of the best among mainstream art directors. Kate hasn't made any commercial films since Titanic and has been focusing on honing her skills in the art field. She will be recognized sooner or later."

"They are all outstanding artists." Martin also said something appropriate: "My role in 'The Reader' spans from 16 to over 50 years old, which was very challenging to portray. Sam and Kate helped me with this process."

Kenneth was somewhat surprised: "Such a wide range of roles?"

Martin nodded: "Yes, it was thanks to the guidance and help of these two outstanding artists that I was able to handle this role."

He looked on with admiration: "Being on set with Sam and Kate made me understand what it means to be an artist, what it means to perform, and what kind of effort and price outstanding artists can make for the art of film."

Kenneth heard Martin's desire to further improve his acting skills and his pursuit of cinematic art, and said, "Martin, you're not doing badly. You'll catch up with them someday."

Martin frankly admitted, "Compared to Sam and Kate, I'm really far behind, and I feel like I'll never catch up."

Kenneth felt he needed to encourage this ambitious young man: "But you keep working hard and keep improving!"

Martin simply nodded vigorously, without saying anything about whether he would actually do what Sam and Kate could.

Because of those things, he simply couldn't do them.

Too much focus and fanaticism.

Being an artist is something that not just anyone can do.

The two chatted and laughed throughout the meal, enjoying themselves immensely.

After paying the bill, Martin did not see Kenneth Turan off. Turan was very protective of his reputation and did not want to be photographed dining with celebrities during awards season.

After Kenneth Turan had been gone for about ten minutes, Martin entered the mall through another door of the restaurant, went down to the underground parking lot, and Bruce drove Thomas there on time.

Once in the car, Martin asked, "Have you eaten?"

"We finished eating a long time ago." Thomas asked with concern, "How did the talks go?"

Martin stated the result directly: "I am an actor with artistic aspirations, and Kenneth Turan greatly appreciates that."

Thomas breathed a slight sigh of relief: "Of all the film critics' association awards, the most important are the Los Angeles and New York Film Critics Association Awards. More than 70% of the Oscar voters live in Los Angeles and New York, and they pay the most attention to news from these two cities. We can't do anything about New York, but we need to take the initiative in Los Angeles."

Martin said, "You've already talked to Todd McCarthy, the columnist for The Hollywood Reporter. My reputation in the mainstream media in Los Angeles is at least not bad."

Bruce, participating in the awards for the first time, couldn't help but exclaim, "This is such a hassle. Before coming to Los Angeles, I thought the Oscars were simply a matter of voting based on the quality of the characters and the films. But it turns out it's not like that at all."

Thomas said, "Almost everyone who is interested in major Oscar awards, or even a nomination, is doing a lot of public relations and marketing. If others do it and we don't, we won't even get a nomination, let alone make it onto the nomination list."

Martin offered a more direct analogy: "Bruce, you can think of it as a Hollywood-style campaign in the Oval Office in Washington, D.C."

Bruce nodded slightly: "Fortunately, we did our work in advance."

Thomas lowered his voice: "We've dealt with them a lot over the past two years and expressed our gratitude many times. Now that the work and the role are excellent, they will naturally show their appreciation. The credibility of critics is much more important than that of celebrities."

Meanwhile, Kenneth Turan visited the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.

As a columnist for the City of Angels’ largest print media outlet and a close friend of veteran film critics such as Todd McCarthy, he is one of the most influential critics in the association.

Awards season has begun, and it's the time when these critics have the most room to shine.

Six prominent film critics from various Los Angeles media outlets gathered to discuss the Critics' Guild Awards, which will be announced next month.

Someone suggested, "Little Miss Sunshine is a good movie..."

Todd McCarthy countered, "But a film like this doesn't deserve a Best Picture award."

The others nodded in agreement. While the sunny young lady was nice, she seemed to be missing something for awards season.

Another person said, "The Departed or The Queen are both good, the former is better. Scorsese hasn't made a movie this good since Goodfellas."

Todd McCarthy said, "Martin Davis and Jack Nicholson both gave outstanding performances. The latter has stated that he will not compete in the awards season, while the former is too inexperienced and has chosen to avoid the fierce competition for Best Actor and compete for Best Supporting Actor instead."

A young film critic named Justin said, "A very wise choice. Strictly speaking, he's only been in the industry for three years. Actors who came to Los Angeles at the same time are still working as extras. He doesn't come from a family of actors, doesn't have a godfather's support, and isn't Jewish..."

Kenneth Turan coughed, reminding him that some things shouldn't be said in person.

Justin immediately changed his tune: "He's incredibly lucky to be where he is today. He's still very clear-headed and knows to take things one step at a time."

Kenneth Turan said, "As far as I know, Martin Davis has taken on an art film directed by Sam Mendes called *The Reader*, in which he plays a character spanning from age 16 to over 50—an amazing time span. I called Sam today, and Sam thought his performance was quite remarkable!"

Todd McCarthy chimed in, "Sam is an artistically accomplished director who has won an Academy Award for Best Director and has worked with many outstanding actors. He has very high standards, so for him to give such a high evaluation, Martin Davis must have delivered another convincing performance."

Another older film critic said, "Martin Davis has achieved success with his commercial films many times, and he hasn't lost his way in the commercial world, which is very rare for young people."

Kenneth Turan summed it up with these words: "It's a good thing that young people have artistic aspirations. We've been holding back Hollywood and related professionals to prevent them from becoming overly commercialized. These ambitious young people should be encouraged."

Todd McCarthy said, "I agree."

The two bigwigs spoke, and no one else had any objections.

The Critics' Circle Awards are different from others; there isn't much publicly disclosed information. The results are decided by internal voting, and then announced.

Kenneth Turan said, "The tickets have been distributed to all members of the association. You should communicate well and try to get results by next week. We have always been ahead of other film critic associations, and we can't let the New Yorkers beat us to it."

There are three major film critics' association awards in the United States, and only the third one is confirmed; the first and second places are still undecided.

In late November, following the Gotham Independent Awards, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association announced its awards in the Los Angeles Times.

The Departed won two awards: Scorsese won Best Director and Martin Scorsese won Best Supporting Actor.

(End of this chapter)