Chapter 185: Reservoir Dogs
"Reservoir Dogs!" In the hotel suite in Park City, Arthur received the movie information compiled by his staff and discovered Quentin Tarantino's debut film, Reservoir Dogs.
Arthur finally smiled. He had stumbled upon Quentin Tarantino. This guy had previously written two screenplays: one called True Romance, which was sold to Tony Scott, the director of Top Gun, and another, Natural Born Killers, sold to Oliver Stone.
The main story of Reservoir Dogs was about a group of people planning a jewelry store heist. The gangster's wealthy son, Eddie, recruited six strangers, each identified by a different color code.
Arthur picked up the phone and dialed. It was Mark Tasker, a buyer for Galaxy. "Has Reservoir Dogs made a splash?"
On the other end, Mark Tasker quickly replied, "Yes, many people think it's impressive because it has a strong personal style."
"The non-linear narrative, witty dialogue, seventies music, and clever structure stand out," Arthur instructed directly. "Talk to the producer and director about the next movie's funding."
"Understood," Mark Tasker had no objections. When dealing with new directors, their primary concern was funding.
After hanging up, Arthur went to the bedroom and patted Nicole Kidman, who was lying on the bed. "Let's go watch a movie. There's one that's quite good."
These past few days, Arthur and Nicole Kidman had been living a vacation-style life, skiing and soaking in hot springs.
"Okay," Nicole Kidman sat up, her graceful figure fully displayed. "Did you find something good?"
Arthur nodded. It wasn't just about Reservoir Dogs, but rather the 29-year-old Quentin Tarantino himself.
In the afternoon, Arthur and Nicole Kidman went to a theater in Park City, where Reservoir Dogs was showing. They found a dark corner and started watching.
Being a debut film, it lacked funding. Quentin Tarantino skipped the heist scenes entirely. Despite the plot involving a jewelry heist, there were no shots of the jewelry store. Instead, a soundbite covered it, focusing on the aftermath of the heist.
"Arthur, this kind of cult film probably doesn't have a large audience," Nicole Kidman whispered as she leaned against Arthur.
"True, but the audience it does have will love it," Arthur said, slipping his hand inside Nicole's coat to feel her softness.
Quentin Tarantino's films indeed had a strong personal style. Even in his debut Reservoir Dogs, you could see it with the black suits, blood, rambling vulgar dialogue, and multi-threaded narrative.
"Arthur…" Nicole Kidman, feeling aroused, looked around the empty environment and unzipped Arthur's pants.
"Ah," Arthur, staring at the screen, took a deep breath and gently stroked Nicole Kidman's golden hair, whispering, "Sweetheart, that's amazing!"
"Hmm," Nicole Kidman responded with a busy moan.
Meanwhile, Mark Tasker found the main members of the Reservoir Dogs crew: director Quentin Tarantino, producers Lawrence Bender and Monte Hellman, and actor Steve Buscemi, who played Mr. Pink.
"Hello, I'm Mark Tasker, head of distribution at Galaxy," Mark Tasker smiled as he extended his hand to Quentin Tarantino.
Quentin Tarantino shook hands with him, "Good afternoon, Mr. Tasker!"
Mark Tasker then looked at producer Lawrence Bender. "You know why I'm here. Reservoir Dogs is a cult film with a strong personal style. It's absurd, filled with dark humor, and has a simple story. The movie doesn't have many scenes or promotional points. However, Galaxy is in a better position than other small distributors."
Mark Tasker wasn't just confident. Among independent film distributors, Galaxy was at the top, only rivaled by New Line Cinema. Companies like Miramax couldn't compare. Last year, Galaxy had invested in a chain of theaters, and the Galaxy Megaplex in Hollywood was about to open with 18 screens.
"Mr. Tasker, we'd love to work with Galaxy. But as you saw, Harvey Weinstein from Miramax also likes the film," Quentin Tarantino's partner, producer Lawrence Bender, explained.
Mark Tasker smiled, "Galaxy is willing to pay $2 million for the North American rights to Reservoir Dogs. Considering the director and actors are not well-known, and the story is niche, distribution won't be easy. I think $2 million is a fair price."
"Quentin is a very talented director," Lawrence Bender replied. Earlier, Miramax had offered $1.2 million for the North American rights to Reservoir Dogs. After some negotiation, their highest offer was $1.8 million. Galaxy's $2 million was certainly generous and likely based on distribution forecasts.
However, Quentin Tarantino, as a new director, was more concerned about funding and distribution for his next movie.
"Galaxy can sign a funding agreement for his next film," Mark Tasker shrugged. "You know, we're very supportive of new directors and want to contribute to independent filmmaking."
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