Chapter 72: Sensationalism to the Extreme
Per the organizers' requirements, Sarah and her cameraman temporarily handed over their cameras and recording equipment before entering the viewing area. Perhaps because they represented the Los Angeles Times, they had excellent seats right up near a round table in the front row. Before the movie began, a waiter even brought over delicious food and drinks.
But Sarah had no interest in the food or beverages. For the past few years, she had harbored a specific goal and plan: to become a professional film critic, and one who could break into the very top tier. The income and industry influence of a top-tier critic dwarfed anything an entertainment reporter could ever hope for. Take Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times, for example. His official salary might barely match the entertainment desk's editor-in-chief, but his hidden income behind the scenes could reach seven figures a year!
Unfortunately, while becoming a professional film critic was easy enough, breaking into the upper echelon was incredibly difficult. That required the vigorous support of major media outlets and film conglomerates.
Since last year, Sarah had been practicing writing reviews. A few had even been published in local Los Angeles newspapers and magazines, but their influence could only be described as better than nothing.
Pulling a fountain pen and a notepad from her clutch, Sarah waited for five minutes before the curtain slowly rose on The Rock.
Just like Speed, after the iconic Warner Brothers logo and the bare-bones Duke Studio opening, the film cut straight to the point, starting with a beautiful panoramic shot.
Accompanied by the heavy, solemn background music of French horns, Sarah watched a slow-motion sequence of several soldiers marching with a coffin. The shot then cut to a general sitting and smoking. A series of rapid cuts followed, continuously bouncing between the general and the soldiers, with each shot lingering for only a fleeting moment.
Normally, it would be difficult to glean any concrete information from such slightly chaotic, spliced-together footage, let alone grasp its specific narrative meaning.
Yet, under the director's concise yet gorgeous execution, set to the deep, resonant music of the film's opening and layered with a character's voice-over, Sarah could fully feel that an extraordinary story was about to unfold.