The Best Director

Chapter 390: Chapter 390: The Story of Danny the Loyal Dog (Vote for Monthly Ticket)

What a sigh-inducing surprise! Previously in its sixth week, “Firefly” had experienced a downward box office trend in North America by 55.7% and globally by 54%, entering its closing stage with little hope left aside from Japan. Who would have thought that at this moment, Wang Yang would suffer an accident that left him seriously injured? This led to an unusual rebound in box office trend during the last four days of “Firefly”‘s seventh week. Paul Dergarabedian, head of Exhibitor Relations, told the media, “As sad as it is, Wang Yang’s bad news is good news for ‘Firefly.'”

After raking in $7.85 million in its seventh-weekend box office in North America, the sci-fi blockbuster took in an incredible $8.12 million in the following four days, totaling $15.97 million for the full week and ranking sixth (with an average of $5,497 per cinema across 2,905 locations), elevating its North American total to $615.82 million!

Compared to last week, the box office trend was up by 3.0%! The average per cinema increased by $352! It’s no less than a supernatural phenomenon.

At the same time, former competitors “War of the Worlds,” “Batman,” and “Fantastic Four” had long vanished; the second week of “Escape from Clone Island” couldn’t stop its own tragedy, with an average per cinema of $3,018. Another bombshell was born—a fresh disaster from Sony Pictures Entertainment was a $135 million action sci-fi movie directed by Rob Cohen, starring Josh Lucas and Jessica Bell, among others. “Stealth” scored a rotten trio of 13%/6%/49% on Rotten Tomatoes, with a meager $3,791 per cinema in its opening week, rotten to the core in both word-of-mouth and box office.

On the other hand, two new films with budgets around $30 million each fared better this week. “Sky High” gathered favorable reviews and box office numbers with a score of 73% Fresh and an average per cinema of $7,919 for a total of $23 million; “Must Love Dogs” failed, scoring 34% Fresh and an average per cinema of $7,530 for a total of $18.86 million, which meant it attracted an initial crowd that mostly dissipated by the following week.

Good or bad, none of the three new films could outshine the seasoned hero “Firefly.” Firstly the movie’s level in the market had been low; secondly, the worry of it being “Wang Yang’s last masterpiece” finally made many fans and film enthusiasts determine to see the IMAX version one more time, or simply return to ordinary cinemas to show support. There were also many who, thinking the match was nearly over and carelessly got their guard down, were ultimately roped in by interest they couldn’t avoid, unable to escape from the “Firefly” fervor. Of course, being the “New Box Office Champion in North American Cinema History” is also a strikingly attractive title.

Globally, if we don’t count Japan’s box office, the trend only saw a 35.6% decline, amassing $23.87 million US dollars, also rebounding from last week’s 54% decrease! When including Japan’s performance, “Firefly” soared by 128.2% this week, crazily sweeping in $73.23 million US dollars in seven days!

Japan contributed $49.36 million (5.553 billion yen), with an average per cinema of $65,326, showcasing the Japanese audience’s tremendous enthusiasm for “Firefly”. It took the lead in Japan’s 2005 annual box office within its opening week, and it’s certain to continue racing ahead, creating a significant gap! Keep in mind that the current second place is “Star Wars: Episode III” with $48.02 million, and third place is “War of the Worlds” with $43.10 million.

“Japan’s Weekly Box Office Report: ‘Firefly’ Dominates Japanese Cinemas” — Boxofficemojo; “‘Firefly’ Sparks Movie-Watching Craze in Japan” — Yahoo Entertainment; “‘Firefly’ Assaulting Global $1.8 Billion Box Office” — …

The space cowboys have perfectly proven themselves to be at the commercial level of “Harry Potter 1,” “Titanic,” and “Spirited Away,” with predictions suggesting it might become the fourth movie in history to surpass 20 billion yen at the box office. If we use the current exchange rate of 1$= 112.5¥, that’s equal to $177 million US dollars. And now, “Firefly” has taken $615.8 million in North America, $981.3 million overseas, totaling $1.5971 billion US dollars globally, firmly holding the position as the world’s second-highest in cinematic history.

This naturally continues to attract the follow-up reports and speculations of media from various countries, wondering just how far it can go. Paul Dergarabedian’s estimate to the media was: “16 billion is definitely no problem, there’s a 90% probability it will break through the $1.7 billion mark, and I hope Wang Yang will wake up soon to see all of this.”

“Give Wang Yang a real surprise!” That’s also what the fans are thinking, as they rally people around them who haven’t yet seen “Firefly” to go experience it. In the fierce battle of IMDb’s TOP 250, supporters of the space cowboys once again injected a tenacious force. Despite being besieged by all other movies, it managed to remain unshaken at the top of the altar. Furthermore, with the relentless influx of new forces from Asia, “Firefly” continues to maintain an ultra-high 9.5 score (from 615,821 rating users), comfortably sitting at the top of the list, with “The Godfather” and “The Shawshank Redemption” trailing behind with 9.1.

“`

“Firefly” also maintains extremely high acclaim on Rotten Tomatoes, with a freshness rating of 95%/98% (211/221) and an unwavering audience approval of 98% (861,412 rating users).

However, not every movie is this formidable, many don’t even come close to half or a third as formidable. Take “Escape from Clone Island” and “Stealth” for example; this summer has seen countless action film flops, and even the box-office success “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” was riddled with rotten tomatoes. Without the “Brangelina” star power, it likely wouldn’t have fared well in ticket sales. Thus, the media and the public really can’t find a reason to be optimistic about “Assassin’s Creed,” another big-budget action film with a production cost of $100 million. Could it become another major flop?

On the other hand, Flame Movies boldly proclaims what it means to “dare to use unknowns” with “Assassin’s Creed.” The Adaptation being headed by up-and-comer Chris Morgan might not seem like much, but the success of “Furious Cars” is evident to all. With a whopping 15 producers each using their expertise to craft a pure popcorn flick, Cheung Ka Fai’s involvement was limited to planning, which seems reasonable given his recent trio of flops after years of collaboration with John Woo. That said, why choose the ill-fated John Woo as the director?

And why choose the equally unlucky Halle Berry as the female lead? The character in Mark Miller’s comic “Assassin’s Creed,” which gave rise to the FOX adaptation, was indeed based on her, but wasn’t her “Catwoman” bad enough? As for the male lead, it’s James McAvoy, an unknown nobody, and the only slightly redeeming feature of the entire cast is Morgan Freeman.

It was an unfortunate combination to begin with, and the movie has been very low-key all along, from casting to shooting, right up to its release. It hasn’t made any attention-grabbing headlines, or maybe its shine was completely overshadowed by the company’s other projects like “Kung Fu Panda” and “Firefly.” Flame Movies takes the boutique approach, and the fans’ attention is still fixated on “Firefly.” Nobody knows what Flame is playing at—could it be that they have more money than they know what to do with?

Of course not. The promotion of “Assassin’s Creed” has been unfolding systematically and never stopped; it just lacks the sensationalism of an ordinary blockbuster. Flame seems to take pride in its flop aura, even marketing the film with the slogan “It’s time.” Do you believe that John Woo and Halle Berry can stage a comeback?

Some in the media and public believe it’s possible, while others do not. However, everyone dares not overlook a significant wildcard factor in the film’s credits: Executive-Producer: Wang Yang. He’s labeled as such a factor because he seems to be under a cloud of bad luck right now…

On August 5th, Friday, as Wang Yang lay in a coma on his sixth day, “Assassin’s Creed,” bearing a streak of bad luck, officially landed in 3,105 North American Cinemas, without a simultaneous worldwide release.

“Yang, my dear, wake up! Yang, please, wake up—”

Feeling the gentle kisses on his face, that familiar touch of the lips, and the vague, affectionate voice, “Jessica!” Wang Yang’s eyes snapped open, and he quickly sat up to look around, finding the spacious living room deathly silent save for Danny curled up and sound asleep on the sofa—no one else was there. “Damn it!” He confusedly clutched his forehead, panting heavily. Over two months now! It was a miracle he was still alive.

At first, he felt that something was off. What had happened? He clearly remembered completing the “Firefly” Asia tour and then returning home. But a large chunk of his memory in-between was missing, and suddenly, the world had turned into this!

“Danny, get up! It’s time for our daily outing,” Wang Yang roused Danny by stroking its neck, then walked towards the kitchen, while the scenes of this world felt eerily familiar. “Cast Away”? He had already experienced the maddening taste of desolation, thankful he had Danny for company, sparing him the need to befriend a volleyball named “Wilson.” Then it hit him, and he was puzzled by the chunk missing from his thinking ability, realizing only sporadically that “something’s not right!”; regardless, this was a world gripped by a zombie crisis.

“Resident Evil,” “Night of the Living Dead,” “Escape from Madtown,” “28 Days Later”…

“`

Wang Yang came into the kitchen and took a deep look at the note stuck on the refrigerator “Yang is back”, he smiled faintly, opened the fridge, and took out milk, ham, and other food. Those movies weren’t quite right, but they closely resembled Richard Matheson’s novel “I Am Legend”, which had been adapted for the big screen twice before, as “The Last Man on Earth” (1964) and “The Last Man” (1971).

Long before he went to the University of Southern California, Wang Yang had seen those two movies; however, he remembered that there seemed to be a third adaptation? Was there a third one? It wasn’t clear to him; no matter what damned reason, he found himself in a world reminiscent of “I Am Legend”, where he was the only normal human left. Was this a dream? Yet everything felt so real! He could read books, watch movies, exercise, think, but always accompanied by a sense of wrongness. What was it? He felt trapped in a place.

“Doo doo doo—” The melancholic sound of the harmonica Bruce played wafted through the air. Santa Monica Beach was quiet except for the waves, the wind, and the harmonica blending together. Wang Yang sat on the sand, intermittently playing “Castle in the Sky” on his harmonica, occasionally playing catch with Danny, who ran back and forth. A sudden surge of loneliness overcame him, then began to erode his mind and body—apart from zombies, there was no one left on the entire earth! FUCK!! He really wished for someone to talk to! He really wanted to see his family…

Sometimes, Wang Yang would think, “What would dying be like?” Would he go somewhere else? But what if his family was somewhere in this world? “Oh my God!” He suddenly propped himself up, shouting excitedly, “Right! Why don’t I leave Los Angeles? Check out other cities? San Francisco?”

“Woof! Woof woof woof woof!” All of a sudden, Danny barked frantically and rushed toward the shops by the beach. Wang Yang couldn’t stop him in time and was keenly aware that zombies could be lurking in the dark corners of the buildings. He ran after Danny in a panic, “Danny!! Stop, Danny—”

Danny bolted into a beverage store like lightning, and Wang Yang’s heart clenched tightly with a sudden jolt, “Danny…” From inside the store came the sound of a dog’s agonizing howls. Before he could even leave the beach area, Danny burst out injured and bleeding, running towards him in a panic, “Oh woof woof…” Wang Yang was dumbstruck, his mouth gaping – he knew a bite from a zombie meant certain infection! He squatted down and wrapped his arms around the trembling Danny, his eyes suddenly filling with tears, shouting in anguish, “FUCK, damn it! FUCK—Danny, oh my God!! FUCK—”

It was now August 6th, and Wang Yang’s time in a coma had extended to seven days. The likelihood of his regaining consciousness was becoming increasingly slim, one reason being that this morning’s examination showed that the activity in his cerebral cortex still showed no signs of improvement.

“Beep, beep, beep—”

In the spacious and elegant suite of the UCLA Medical Center, Jessica held a harmonica in both hands and played aimlessly. She was only half-familiar with the harmonica, which he had taught her to play. In the Asian community, if you’re not learning violin or piano, then it’s something like the harmonica that Wang Yang’s mother had bought and given to him, telling him to teach himself an instrument to develop a skill, lest they be accused of not fostering his musical talent in the future. But his natural ability was limited, and even after all these years, he remained half-skilled.

Thinking of the little moments of their life together, Jessica’s face broke into a sweet smile as she turned to look at his sleeping face and softly played the harmonica. Then she chuckled at a thought and said playfully, “Dear, if you keep ignoring me, I’m going to the amusement park to find a Prince Charming to wake you with a kiss…”

“Jessica.” Joshua walked in after knocking and made a suggestion, “How about I have Ali, Eileen, and you go out tonight to take a break? Just for an hour, while I have a talk with Yang.”

Jessica glanced at her brother and shook her head without hesitation, “That’s okay, I’m fine. I don’t want to leave his side.” She wanted to be there to see Yang wake up, to be the first person he saw, not doctors or nurses, or anyone else. She knew he would want it that way; besides, what if the moment to wake him came within that hour? She couldn’t miss any possibility.

“I understand but… we all wish you’d allow yourself to relax for just one hour! Jessica, hey!” Joshua scratched his head in worried exasperation, looking at her like she was happy all the time, but it was just a brave front. This past week, apart from necessary bathroom breaks, she hadn’t strayed more than ten meters from Wang Yang! Joshua didn’t know how else to persuade her; he gave a wry smile and said, “Maybe Yang will wake up tomorrow, but you can’t stay cooped up all day today. Look at yourself, how many pounds have you lost this week? You can’t keep this up.”

Jessica’s gaze instantly turned icy, and not a trace of a smile could be seen on her face. The frostiness of her demeanor made Joshua shiver as he heard her quiet voice, “What do you think I can do? You don’t understand, none of you do. The most relaxed and happy I ever feel is when I’m with Yang. I don’t want to leave him for even a minute, do you know that?” When she couldn’t see him, all she felt was suppressed discomfort and a sense of panic. Relax? Jessica’s voice grew even colder, “Maybe you think he will wake up tomorrow, but I feel he will wake up right now! I’m calling to him at this moment, please leave.”

“OK…” Joshua’s main concern was that she might sink into depression. Since she believed this was best for now… He nodded, then silently left the hospital room.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

As she caressed Wang Yang’s somewhat emaciated cheeks, Jessica was resolute. The episodes of last year when she had acute nephritis were vivid in her mind: his meticulous care, his everyday efforts to cheer her up—how could she forget? From childhood, their reunion at the cinema, dating, living together, getting married, having a baby… Thinking of everything, Jessica’s tears suddenly began to fall onto the harmonica. She would stay with him forever, striving to wake him up. This was her life.

After silently reflecting for a while, Jessica clenched her fists and mustered her strength, “Come on!” She put the harmonica down and continued to try various other sounds, shaking wind chimes, rattle drums, and other instruments; she also played classic movie scenes on the television from some of his favorites, including “Cinema Paradiso,” “Forrest Gump,” and so on, “How about this one?” “Then how about this?” “Still not working, huh? Then this!” Following that, she played some of the everyday life DV clips that he had filmed.

“Stay still, don’t move… Can you make Danny roll over?”

In the television screen propped against the hospital room wall, Jessica crouched under a plane tree, smiling as she teased Danny lying belly-up, “Of course! I can even make him dance. I’ve taught him how to breakdance! Right, Danny?” Laughter from Wang Yang came from off-camera, “Then make him dance. Maybe Danny could star in a dog dance movie! Danny, dance!” Jessica clapped her hands in encouragement, urging the lazy Danny on the ground, “Dance!” Wang Yang elongated his voice, “I’m the director… buddy, you’re auditioning! If you miss this chance to become a big star, it’s your last chance, dance?”

“Dear, how should we be as mom and dad?” Seeing Danny disobey, Jessica stood up excitedly, and Wang Yang asked, “What?”

Jessica said with a laugh, “Babies! Look how naughty Danny is; we spoil him too much! I wonder if either of us should be more authoritative with the baby. GOOD-COP, BAD-COP?” She switched between a toothy smile and a feigned fierce glare. At that moment, Wang Yang turned the DV camera towards himself, frowning and biting his lip in thought before quickly settling on an answer, “I’ll be the good cop!” Jessica looked at him incredulously, “No! Why should it be you? I want to be the good cop!”…

“Haha!” “No, back off!” “I’ll kill you!” “Domestic violence, HELP!”…

“Whimper, ah…” Outside the television screen, Jessica tightly held her aching nose, holding back the tears she could hardly contain, and her eyes, brimming with tears, flowed like fountains. If he was being too lazy to wake up, then she would do the work of both the good cop and the bad cop.

Just then, the television still playing the DV clip suddenly emitted a bark from Danny, “Woof—woof woof—” At the time, Wang Yang and Jessica, who were engrossed in their playful tussle, had ignored it. And so Danny kept barking, “Woof woof woof, woof woof woof—” Upon hearing these barks, Wang Yang, lying on his back in the hospital bed, suddenly moved his lips, “Woof woof, woof woof—” His eyebrows furrowed and, without warning, he let out a painful sigh, “Ohhrm…”

“Yang!!” Jessica’s heart pounded, and she quickly turned her head, She heard his voice! Was it an illusion? Or… (