Los Angeles Times: "I was invited to the premiere of MGM's new movie, 'happy death day.' As someone who isn't a fan of horror films, I didn't have high expectations for it."
"Although the Russo Brothers aren't new directors, their previous works aren't particularly noteworthy. The only label I know for Gal Gadot is 'transformers,' which unfortunately hasn't been released yet."
"As for Benjamin McKenzie, he's a newcomer among newcomers; I have absolutely no impression of this actor."
"But once the movie started, I gradually became immersed. It was a time loop similar to 'Groundhog Day,' combined with continuous death and rebirth."
"Finally, the female lead gradually unraveled the mystery to find the killer and made peace with her past, terrible self."
"This is a horror film that isn't scary, but it's full of fun. I recommend watching it with your significant other or friends; you'll enjoy these hundred minutes."
San Francisco Post: "'happy death day' is an excellent chick flick. Unlike another horror film currently showing from MGM, 'get out,' 'happy death day' masterfully blends elements of horror, suspense, and humor."
"It doesn't have the same depth as 'get out,' but its entertainment value surpasses the latter. I recommend girls take their best friends to the cinema; it's worth the ticket price."
ABC Entertainment Online: "Entering September, I was looking for excellent films in the cinema, and then 'happy death day' caught my eye."
"I admit I was attracted by Gal Gadot's appearance on the poster, wanting to see what this transformers girl was capable of."
"The movie hasn't even ended, and my review is already out. I must praise Gal Gadot; her performance is completely unlike a novice."
"She can seamlessly switch between the image of a 'green tea bitch' and a good girl, and even showed a scene of firm courage during her struggle with the killer."
"It's rare to see an actress exhibit so many qualities. I probably understand why she was chosen to be the female lead for 'transformers.'"
"I give 'happy death day' a score of 75, an excellent horror masterpiece."
CBS Entertainment News: "'happy death day' is a movie you don't expect much from, but it surprises you."
"Its clever cinematic concept and sound logical reasoning allow it to be self-consistent without significant plot holes."
"All the actors' performances met expectations. As a first-time lead, Gal Gadot, I must say, this girl conquered me."
Early in the morning, Eric and Gadot were still sleeping in bed.
After an exhausting night, Gadot had climaxed at least 8 times.
She had a special physique; the first time was difficult, and it took Eric over half an hour to reach the peak.
But after that, it was easy; sometimes it was a few minutes, sometimes a dozen seconds, until she was completely like a puddle of ice cream.
Even though she followed Eric's request to keep exercising, she was still dazed by wave after wave of climaxes.
Knock knock knock
A knock on the door sounded, and Eric slowly opened his eyes and patted Gadot.
She twisted her body, let out a dissatisfied hum from her nose, her eyes still tightly shut, and instead, hugged Eric even tighter.
"Who is it?"
"It's me!" Judy's voice came from outside the door.
"Come in."
Rubbing his eyes, Eric didn't avoid her. Judy didn't even knock during college; everything that could be seen, or shouldn't be seen, had already been seen.
Click!
The door was pushed open, and Judy walked in holding a stack of newspapers.
Shaking her head, she saw the two of them naked and intertwined, and a smile immediately appeared on her lips.
"Hehe, it seems you two had a pleasant night."
"Please, can you not smile so lewdly? That expression is really disgusting. How did you know I was here?"
Judy showed two rows of white teeth: "You should ask yourself. Refaeli couldn't stand your noises last night, so she went to my place."
"She said the noises were like someone being murdered, a man trying to kill a woman. If she didn't leave, and the neighbors called the police, she would also be implicated."
"I'm a little curious, are you too strong, or is Gadot too weak?"
Eric was about to say, 'Why don't you try it and find out?', but fortunately, he held back.
"Uh, what's that in your hand?"
Judy threw the newspaper over: "Take a look, media reviews for 'happy death day.' I know someone wants to see this the most, so I specifically brought it over."
Upon hearing this, Gadot's radar immediately activated. Her sleepy eyes disappeared, and she instantly sat up, grabbing the newspaper and beginning to read it intently.
Rustle, rustle, rustle
The newspaper was quickly flipped.
After a while, the room was filled with the happy, hearty laughter of the girl.
"Darling, look at this. They praised me for being beautiful, and while that's true, they also praised my excellent acting skills, hahahahaha!"
"And this one, 'happy death day' is a wonderful movie, and Gal Gadot possesses a charming temperament."
"This, this, and look at this…"
"Damn it! The Independent actually called us trash. 'happy death day' is a bad movie with illogical plot, the director's professional level is very poor, and the camera work is full of inferior imitation."
"The acting of the female lead, Gal Gadot, is even worse. She really should go to school to learn professional acting, otherwise it will be difficult for her to gain a foothold in future Hollywood."
"Benjamin McKenzie's performance was equally terrible. His face is simply not suitable for campus themes; he has gone down the wrong path."
Gadot angrily tore up The Independent, cursing non-stop.
Eric could only stroke her back like he was comforting a kitten: "Don't be angry, baby. Ever since I publicly criticized The Independent, they've always been at odds with me."
"Anyway, anything related to me is wrong in The Independent's eyes. Learn to control your emotions; this is a required course for a qualified actor."
Gadot whimpered a few times, feeling wronged, then suddenly remembered something.
"Eric, should I really go to acting school? You enrolled me in USC last year, but I only showed up for enrollment. It's been almost a year since then."
Eric kissed her forehead and chuckled: "Darling, there's really no need to take others' opinions to heart. Going to school is a waste of life."
"There's a saying in the entertainment industry that's most effective, do you know what it is?"
"Huh?"
"Get famous early, so you just need to follow the path I've arranged, and everything will be fine."
"Really? But I feel like my acting really needs to be honed."
"Hahahahaha, don't worry too much about acting. What is acting? To put it simply, it's a style of performance that media public opinion tends to favor."
"When I control public opinion in the future, even a dog or a pile of poop, I can package it as a method actor."
"Moreover, although your talent isn't too strong, you're not stupid. You'll develop acting skills, okay?"
Gadot hummed a few times: "It sounds like you're praising me, but then I think about it and feel like you're belittling me."
A week later, despite some deliberate smears and negative reviews from outlets like The Independent, 'happy death day' still garnered recognition from the vast majority of media and audiences.
IMDb's current rating is 6, which is considered very good for a horror film; most horror films struggle to get above 6.
Rotten Tomatoes' rating is even more accurate, with an 88% fresh rating, which says it all.
With screenings in 2,000 theaters, coupled with its word-of-mouth and entertainment value, 'happy death day' grossed $26 million in its opening weekend and a direct $48 million in its first week, taking the top spot at the box office for the week.
Although it didn't surpass 'get out's' opening week box office, it was still a huge success.
After all, the production and distribution costs were only $13 million, and it has already become profitable.
The creative team began promoting in major cities, appearing on variety shows and talk shows to boost their visibility.
Before the movie's release, Gadot had only over 600,000 followers on Facebook, while Michael, who had the most followers, had already reached a terrifying 8 million, a huge difference.
But after the movie's release, Gadot's follower count had risen to 1.8 million. While she couldn't compare to Michael, she had already squeezed into the top 100 public figures, currently ranking 98th.
Benjamin McKenzie also received more film offers as a result, and the Russo Brothers were praised as excellent young directors.
Some media outlets are already calling them the fourth famous director duo, following the Coen Brothers, the Wachowski Brothers, and the Nolan Brothers.
Anyway, the praise was immense, much more enthusiastic than when James Wan was praised, simply because they had white skin.
Meiyi Records has been registered and established in Burbank. Eric, as the second largest shareholder, also contributed $10 million as startup capital.
Michael's connections in the music industry are still very strong. With his charm and fame, he quickly recruited many professionals, and the company's structure is now almost complete.
In another week or two, the grand opening ceremony will be held, and then they will sign singers and get on track.
'supernatural' has already started filming, with Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki still cast as the lead brothers.
Currently, Jensen Ackles, who plays the elder brother Dean, is almost a complete newcomer.
Jared Padalecki, who plays the younger brother Sam, has been in the industry for several years, having appeared in 'Gilmore Girls' and having some minor fame among teenagers, but his career hasn't taken off much.
Liu Yifei's role was scheduled for the fifth episode. After receiving the notification, she specifically called to express her gratitude, stating that she would be flying over soon for filming and would definitely thank him properly then.
'hannibal' and 'american horror story' are currently assembling their crews and will both begin filming within half a month.
Eric hasn't had time to polish the script for 'breaking bad' yet, but there's no rush. This series is expected to air next year.
At this moment, a Wrangler was speeding on the highway, arriving at the Nevada military base a few hours later.
After careful inspection, Eric and his lawyer were allowed to enter. A captain led them to John Adams's office.
Closing the door, John Adams made coffee for the two.
"There's only coffee here, no tea. Or you can drink water."
"Coffee is fine."
After a few pleasantries, neither of them were ones to dally, and they immediately got down to business.
"Eric, you're in luck. The Department of Defense is currently preparing to upgrade the military's intranet."
"Originally, some old equipment, lines, and architecture were to be phased out, but after I made suggestions, they thought a small portion could be kept."
"Uh, is this considered repurposing waste?"
"If you insist on putting it so unpleasantly, then yes, that's one way to look at it."
"But you must understand that even the waste eliminated from the military network far exceeds the civilian networks available on the market."
"Using it would at least ensure your network is three to five years ahead of your competitors."
Eric nodded. Not to mention five years, even a three-year lead would be a huge advantage.
He didn't believe that once YouTube and Lionheart Network went online, other groups wouldn't imitate them. Competition was bound to happen.
"John, what about the risk of military leaks? Weren't you worried about that before?"
John Adams smiled and said, "You can rest assured about that. The area reserved for you is specially isolated, cannot connect to the military network, and will not involve military secrets."
"In addition, there's the price. After discussion, the Department of Defense's requirement is an annual usage fee of $10 million."
"The contract will last for 5 years. After 5 years, the price will be decided based on the situation. Of course, if civilian technology develops fast enough by then, you can also terminate the contract."
"It's repurposing waste, right?"
Both of them laughed at the same time.
10 million dollars to buy the right to use what others consider garbage, it's worth it, very worth it!
This is like developed countries transferring heavily polluting industries to developing countries; even if the pollution is severe, you still need it.
Only by having it can you have a foundation for development and lead other developing countries.
And at a price of 10 million dollars, the first year might be a bit inflated, but once YouTube and Lionheart Network develop in the second year, it will be a bargain.
He knew in his heart that for the matter to be accomplished, John Adams must have put in effort. It was time for him to reciprocate.
"Eric, here's the contract. Once signed, this matter will be settled."
John Adams took out a contract and handed it over. The lawyer took it and began to review it carefully, nodding after confirming there were no errors.
Eric signed his name, then also took out a contract from his briefcase, which contained the Lionheart Network share agreement.
"John, this is your technical investment agreement, 5% of the shares."
John Adams didn't even look at the content and directly signed it. He was confident that Eric wouldn't play tricks with the agreement.
"Happy cooperation!"
"Happy cooperation!"
"John, although 5% of the shares may not seem like much, I advise you to hold onto them. Perhaps in just three to five years, they will bring you astonishing wealth."
Time quickly came to late September. As the producer and screenwriter of 'the walking dead,' Eric received an invitation to the 55th Emmy Awards.
Although awards are not the sole measure of a show's value, they can increase its added value.
It was time to test the appeal of 'the walking dead' in the eyes of these judges.