Chapter 356: Pulp Fiction

The World Cup in the United States didn't attract as much attention as the NBA Finals, and not even close to the influence of the O.J. Simpson murder case.

On June 22, as the Houston Rockets won Game 7 against the New York Knicks, claiming their first-ever championship, the offseason began.

With the release of Quentin Tarantino's postmodern film Pulp Fiction, distributed by Galaxy, there was a huge amount of discussion.

Despite making only $9.5 million during its first weekend, the film grossed $22 million within ten days of its release!

The buzz generated by Pulp Fiction seemed to surpass Forrest Gump, though the latter received overwhelmingly positive reviews.

In contrast, the overall critical reception of Pulp Fiction was mixed.

Premiere magazine: "Pulp Fiction is a great film. Its greatness stems from its vivid and original characters combined with a series of lively and semi-fantasy events and dialogues!"

The Chicago Tribune: "Pulp Fiction is an ironically heroic work, expressing viewpoints through slang, obscure knowledge, vulgar language, and traditional techniques."

The Los Angeles Times: "This is a movie that is crazy, ruthless, arrogant, and breathtaking!"

The San Francisco Chronicle: "The most troubling thing about Pulp Fiction is its success; the widespread reach of this film has become nauseating, nurturing a cultural slum."

The Denver Post: "An empty work that evokes nothing beyond itself."

In Beverly Park, Arthur's hilltop villa, Smith Manor, which he had invested a huge sum into building, was finally completed, combining pleasure, privacy, and security.

In the vast basement, Arthur had prepared an armory stocked with pistols, submachine guns, automatic rifles, and sniper rifles.

He even built an indoor shooting range in the villa, allowing him to fire rounds to his heart's content.

"Bang, bang, bang..." Arthur continuously fired a Glock pistol, emptying the magazine.

"Sigh, exhilarating," Arthur thought, wondering what it would feel like to shoot a person, as target shooting was no longer satisfying his desires.

Afterward, Arthur took a shower. In the evening, Winona Ryder came over, and upon seeing Arthur, she joked with a smile, "That dance you did on the beach in Chicago, what's it called? The Harlem Shake? I thought it was pretty good!"

Saying this, Winona Ryder even danced a bit in front of Arthur.

Arthur facepalmed, remembering how he went wild on the beach in Chicago. Some guy filmed it with a camcorder and sent it to an entertainment TV station to broadcast.

Especially after confirming it was indeed Arthur Smith, many TV stations and newspaper entertainment sections reported on it.

"Even nightclub owners are inviting you to their places for free, to see their Harlem Shake," Winona Ryder said, getting more and more amused.

Arthur stuck out his tongue, "That news is old now," as he took Winona to the couch.

"Haven't you been filming?" Arthur asked.

"I missed you," Winona Ryder hugged Arthur with a big grin, "Galaxy acquired MGM! I had to come back to celebrate with you!"

Arthur patted her, "Let's go, I have an appointment with Bruce McNall, the owner of the Los Angeles Kings, to discuss the team's stake. He's also a Hollywood movie producer, quite the peer."

Soon, Arthur took Winona Ryder to the Beverly Hills Hotel, finding Bruce McNall in the hotel's bar.

"Alright, Winona, I'm going to chat with him over there, have a drink first," Arthur said, giving Winona a kiss on the cheek.

"Okay..."

Bruce McNall held many titles at the time: NHL visionary, Hollywood movie mogul, antique smuggler, and con man.

"Bruce, good evening. Have you thought about it? Your 75% stake in the Kings, one hundred million dollars!" Arthur sat opposite Bruce McNall on the couch.

"I think Philip Anschutz and Edward P. Roski Jr. can't offer that price, plus, other shareholders want the Kings to belong to Galaxy Sports."

No wonder, Arthur's Galaxy Center was under construction downtown, with a budget of one hundred million dollars; what a luxurious arena that will be? If the Kings have Galaxy Sports as the majority shareholder, they won't have to worry about a financial gap.

Bruce McNall was helpless. He didn't want to sell the Kings, but he faced a debt crisis starting last year.

Coupled with current charges, the NHL also issued a tough order forcing him to sell the team, while Philip Anschutz and Edward P. Roski Jr. would only offer 100 million dollars for Los Angeles Kings in total.

"Arthur, give me a few more days to consider?" Bruce McNall wanted to ask Philip Anschutz and Edward P. Roski Jr. once more about their offer.

His sole aim now was to sell the Los Angeles Kings at a high price.

"I heard Philip Anschutz went on vacation in Colorado," Arthur chuckled, "Do you think he'll offer more?"

Arthur patted him on the shoulder, "Wouldn't it be better to get the money early and hire a legal team? Look at Simpson, his extensive legal team cost six million dollars!"

Bruce McNall nodded, "I'll give you an answer soon..."

The funds from selling Snapple were mostly invested in Microsoft stock and injected into the Galaxy Group; now, the California Pacific account still held almost one hundred million dollars.

Purchasing Bruce McNall's stake in the Los Angeles Kings wouldn't be a problem.

Moreover, Arthur planned to buy two private jets under the Galaxy name, one for himself and one for company executives.

On Sunset Boulevard, Arthur drove a Honda NSX towards Santa Monica, while Winona Ryder in the passenger seat got restless, leaned over, and unzipped Arthur's pants, "Keep your eyes on the road!"

"Mm," Arthur kept his hands on the wheel, thinking, "Thank goodness we're not in the downtown area, the traffic here is light."

However, after driving for a while, Arthur pulled over, leaned back in his seat, and stroked Winona Ryder's hair.

After a while, with a few muffled moans from Winona Ryder, she got up, looked at Arthur, took a bottle of water, and rinsed her mouth.

Arthur lit a cigarette, letting the wind disperse the scent of hormones in the car, "Winona, I have a romantic comedy script; how about you come to the office tomorrow to check it out?"

"Sure, I'll have Jessica cancel the upcoming scripts." Winona Ryder, now quite famous, had many producers and directors recommending her scripts.

"Alright, let's take a look first. Romantic comedies are easy to shoot!"

*****

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