America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 892 Trembling from Fear

Dolby Theatre, Hollywood & Highland Center.

The crew of "Split" also chose this landmark theater as the venue for the world premiere.

Eight enormous posters were hung on either side of the main entrance to the Dolby Theatre, each depicting one of the protagonist's personalities.

Fans can easily distinguish their distinctive features simply from their appearance and demeanor.

Among them are cross-dressers, innocent children, grumpy young men, fashionistas, and muscular villains, etc.

Each one is vivid and three-dimensional.

Amidst screams from both sides of the red carpet, Martin Scorsese, making his grand entrance last, arrived at the media area in front of the theater. There, he joined David Fincher, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jonathan Nolan, and other key members of the creative team for a group photo in front of the backdrop.

This October, apart from "Split," there were no major commercial films released in the North American film market.

At today's premiere, Martin invited many industry colleagues to attend.

The production team also sent invitations to more than fifty professional media outlets.

Split aims not only for box office success but also for awards season awards.

Martin's Oscar campaign officially began right from the premiere.

The group entered the Dolby Theatre, and Bruce came in from the side door.

Martin stopped and waited for Bruce to approach before asking, "Was the delivery made?"

Bruce said, "Lily personally escorted him and handed him over to Robert."

Martin felt instantly relieved: "Yes, I trust Robert will handle it."

Although Bruce didn't say anything on the surface, he kept wondering to himself if sending the Best Actor Oscar to Atlanta for Robert to hold a ceremony there would really allow him to win a second Best Actor Oscar.

…………

Atlanta, Peachtree Street.

A Cadillac CT6 stopped in front of the headquarters of the Cola God Cult. Two female bodyguards got out of the car first. One of them opened the back door, and Lily got out of the car carrying a briefcase and walked quickly into the headquarters.

Robert and Elena were waiting in the front hall.

Lily said something to her sister first, then went to Robert, opened the briefcase in her hand, took out Martin's Oscar statuette, and handed it to Robert, saying, "Martin instructed that you decide what to do."

Robert accepted the Oscar statuette with both hands: "I've already planned the ceremony; it'll be simple and effective."

Lily didn't know how to comment on Martin's habit, so she could only say, "It's all up to you."

Robert nodded, took the little golden statuette, and went upstairs.

Lily wanted to follow, but a figure blocked her way.

Elena stepped in front of Lily and asked, "Idiot, you're willing to go back to Atlanta?"

"I missed you, so I came back." Lily took her sister's hand, her face full of flattery. "Don't look so stern. We haven't seen each other in so long."

Elena pulled Lily to her office here: "Come with me, it's been a long time since my sister and I had a proper chat."

Lily felt movement beneath her feet, and unconsciously pulled her head back, as if afraid that love's iron fist would fall on her head.

Elena glanced back at her and said, "Scared now? Why weren't you scared when you were doing it?"

"No, it wasn't fear at the time." Lily felt she couldn't live with herself forever, so she argued, "This isn't my fault. The main reason is you. You and that bastard Martin never pay attention to anything. You just mess around at home whenever you want. Have you ever considered my feelings?"

"Heh, is this my fault?" Elena slammed the door shut behind Lillila in her office.

Lily didn't want to be oppressed forever. Sitting on the sofa with her arms crossed, she said, "Don't you have any responsibility? I..."

Before she could finish speaking, a fist the size of a sandbag came crashing down from the sky and landed on Lily's head with a thud.

This is love from my older sister!

Absolute suppression from bloodline and genes!

The punch to the head wasn't heavy or painful at all, but Lily immediately became obedient and dared not talk back.

Elena said, "You're all grown up now, I can't control you anymore, this is your choice."

Lily kept her head down, quietly remaining silent.

While the two sisters were quietly exchanging words, Robert, dressed in Coca-Cola red, placed a 2003 glass bottle of Coca-Cola, coated with olive oil, on the wooden table at the altar on the second floor, following the usual procedure.

Then, he solemnly picked up the Oscar statuette and placed it next to the Coca-Cola.

The high priest of the Cola Cult chanted incantations: "A box office smash! And another Oscar for Best Actor!"

With prayer and worship, Robert felt inexplicably at peace, perhaps because he had truly developed a faith over the years and felt a sense of spiritual support.

…………

Hollywood, Dolby Theatre.

In the VIP lounge, Martin greeted each of the many guests who came to attend the premiere, many of whom were members of the Academy and the Screen Actors Guild.

The acting award is voted on by the actors who are members of the academy, with approximately 1200 people participating.

Martin had already done his work on the awards, conducting a detailed investigation into the past five years' Oscar winners for Best Actor.

If one-third of these 1200 people ultimately vote for him, his probability of winning Best Actor is as high as 99%.

Among them, there are about 60 judges who can have a wide impact.

The academy's membership is for life, which inevitably leads to the fact that older people have a wider network and greater influence.

Jack Nicholson, the leader of the trio of scoundrels, is now considered an Oscar mascot. Almost every Oscars brings out the old scoundrel and puts him in a prominent place.

Its influence is self-evident.

Others like Warren Beatty, Robert De Niro, and Tom Hanks all have their own circles.

Martin was on good terms with many of them, making public relations relatively easier.

Nicholson then told Martin, "I've invited everyone I could. For those who don't have time right now, we'll have the film analysis meetings in November and December."

Martin said, "I'm sorry to have troubled you again."

"You bastard, you've given me a lot of fun," Nicholson said. "The past ten years I've known you have been much easier and more enjoyable than when Malone was alive."

Martin joked, "Keep the butter you bought for Malone safe; you might need it someday."

Nicholson said, "Sometimes I really want to shove your head up my ass."

Martin then went to talk to Warren Beatty for a few more minutes.

This former Hollywood playboy, though he has stepped down from the Academy's executive committee, still wields considerable influence.

Tom Hanks then came over and said to Martin with a smile, "Have you heard that three South Korean film crews have submitted their work for this year's Oscars?"

Martin nodded: "I heard from Catherine that they're supposedly planning a major public relations campaign for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Documentary?"

Tom Hanks said, "I watched two of them. The Korean films are interesting, and they're loaded with money and willing to invest."

Martin roughly understood that this year's Oscars might give the South Koreans a few less important awards, further fueling their enthusiasm for winning the Oscars.

Money is essential for the Oscars to be a success.

Tom Hanks added, "I saw the internal screening, and your role this year is good. Keep it up."

These words seemed to carry an encouragement to win an award. Martin said, "I also hope to win another Oscar; that would be a huge honor."

After chatting for a while, Tom Hanks left and went to Catherine Kennedy's side.

The latter asked softly, "What's Martin's plan?"

As the vice president of the Academy, Tom Hanks, like Kathryn Kennedy, attaches great importance to the Oscars, saying, "Judging from what he said, he will probably invest heavily in the Oscars."

Kathleen Kennedy relaxed a bit: "It gets exciting when people are willing to invest money in the awards season, and that's when the Oscars' influence can be demonstrated."

She then asked, "How are things going with the Koreans?"

Tom Hanks said, "Three production teams have already submitted their materials; this year is going to be exciting."

"I must say, Martin always comes up with some good ideas," Catherine Kennedy said. "Although we might notice the international demand for Olympic qualification in a couple of years, Martin has at least saved us a few years of detours."

Tom Hanks lowered his voice even further: "On the Academy's executive committee side, most members have a favorable impression of Martin."

Kathleen Kennedy suddenly thought of this year's Oscar for Best Actor.

She couldn't help but sigh inwardly, realizing that Martin's preparations had actually begun back in the previous session.

It's not shameful to use every available means to try and win an Oscar.

Kathleen Kennedy was thinking of her former boss and manager, the famous Steven Spielberg. If he hadn't taken advantage of his Jewish heritage, how could he have won his first Oscar for Best Director?

The premiere screening is about to begin, and the guests are entering the venue one after another.

Martin gathered the main cast and crew, and led by David Fincher, they entered the theater last through a side door.

After the routine media event, the group took their seats in the front row.

For this premiere, hundreds of media reporters were invited, along with hundreds of guests and media critics from Hollywood. The entire VIP area of ​​the Dolby Theatre was packed.

The film opens with a horrific kidnapping of a young girl.

The story is not complicated: a kind-hearted fashion designer develops multiple personalities due to mental health issues. While undergoing treatment, his hidden criminal personality meticulously plans a kidnapping, abducting three high school girls.

The girls are trying to save themselves, while the male protagonist's different personalities are also fighting each other, ultimately leading to the birth of a terrifying personality.

The male protagonist not only killed the psychologist who wanted to help him with his treatment, but also tortured and killed the three girls he had kidnapped.

In this scene, David Fincher used a dark, religious-ritual-like atmosphere, with the male protagonist inviting the female protagonist to share a last supper through a ritual of cooking with his soul.

Martin sat before the soul-cooking ceremony, seemingly calm and collected, yet the audience could read cruelty, evil, and madness in his face.

The regular viewers in the movie theater were trembling with fear; the level of horror was at its maximum!

It was a tremor born of fear!

As the film neared its end, Tom Hanks couldn't help but say to Kathryn Kennedy beside him, "This is amazing! The biggest highlight of this film is Martin Scorsese's performance as the male lead. He plays eight different characters! Even though it's the second time I've seen it, I still have to say it's insane. Martin's acting in this role is astounding!"

Catherine Kennedy wholeheartedly agreed: "From his eyes to his body language to his personality traits, he embodies the different characteristics of different personalities. Martin is truly a genius!"

Annette Bening, who was on the other end, heard this and automatically chimed in: "That's right. The male lead's personality spans a very wide range, but there is an inner thread connecting them. Martin's performance is very skillful, blending these different characters into a series of simple yet extremely dangerous figures."

She asked her husband, Warren Beatty, "I haven't seen a better role in the last decade."

Kathleen Kennedy added, "This is probably one of the highest levels of acting that Hollywood actors have been able to deliver in the last decade."

Warren Beatty shrugged: "I'm not sure for sure, but one thing I do know is that even at my peak, I couldn't do these things."

He pointed to a close-up of the male lead on the screen: "Did you notice that, apart from his appearance, Martin didn't have any overly exaggerated acting? Instead, he achieved his goal through changes in his eyes, facial muscles, and the curve of his lips—natural and clean!"

Willem Dafoe, sitting in the same row, was also amazed.

To achieve all this, and to make it so natural and clearly discernible, is truly not easy.

In the front row where the critics were seated, each film critic was deep in thought.

Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times, who is also the president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, said to his friend Todd McCarthy, "Isn't this Martin Scorsese's best role since he came to Hollywood?"

Todd McCarthy nodded slowly: "That's right. Not only is Martin the best, but I also think it's the best character in Hollywood since 2010. It's clearly better than Daniel Day-Lewis's Lincoln and Matthew McConaughey's AIDS character."

He paused for a moment, then concluded: "This role absolutely deserves an Oscar for Best Actor."

Kenneth Turan was already writing down his personal feelings in his notebook; this was when he felt them most intensely.

The pen scratched away in his hand, and a short column commentary ready to be published was ready to be sent out at any time.

"Martin's performance in 'Split' completely overshadows the film's story and internal logic, delivering a shock that becomes the film's most outstanding quality!"

"There is a particularly brilliant scene in the film where, in just half a minute, Martin needs to express seven completely different states, without relying on prosthetics or external makeup. He transitions entirely through body language and facial expressions. What's remarkable is that he creates a unique and precise portrayal of each personality, achieving a natural and highly convincing effect that is truly breathtaking."

Just as Kenneth Turan finished writing, the credits rolled, and enthusiastic applause erupted in the theater.

Everyone around stood up and applauded.

Kenneth Turan and Todd McCarthy also stood up and applauded, saying that the film, especially Martin Scorsese's performance, deserved the loudest applause.

(End of this chapter)