Chapter 776 - He's Not as Good as You

The topic of being entangled with Batman, Laila admits this. Batman did indeed ride the wave of popularity, daring to directly collide with Laila, which many fans appreciated. However, in a mutually beneficial relationship, it's no fun to be too calculative in business. Being ridden on for a bit is no big deal. Moreover, it's not without benefits; relatively speaking, Laila also gained advantages in the conversation.

When Nolan saw Laila reading the newspaper, he immediately came over in his characteristic interested manner in everything she did.

"This is a very interesting argument, I think it makes some sense. Batman is naturally a hero, isn't he?" he said with a cheerful laugh after reading it.

"Don't say that. If your Batman is a hero, then am I the big demon king that needs to be defeated by you?" Laila found herself quite cute and not in the same league as a demon king.

Nolan chuckled, "I also went to see 'War of the Worlds.' I originally went because I heard it was Spielberg's darkest sci-fi film and wanted to see how dark it really was. After watching it, I felt that my Batman movie should be considered the darker one."

Laila couldn't help but laugh at his words, "They're not the same type of movie." To be honest, she preferred the darkness in Batman, which highlighted human nature. In her words, "The way it tells the story of the transition from light to darkness in human nature is too wonderful."

As for sci-fi films, they have never been favored by various awards for no reason. For those judges, it seems that focusing on films outside of the commercial realm makes them superior; speaking well of commercial films makes them seem shallow.

"Mr. Spielberg's work this time can be considered a breakthrough in his directing career. In commercial films, his achievements are remarkable." Otherwise, he wouldn't be ranked among the world's top directors.

Nolan shook his head seriously, "I think the most successful person in commercial films is you. Even Cameron is not as good as you. Although his films still occupy the top position in film history, if you look further down, almost all you see is your name."

Laila felt a bit embarrassed by his words. Who told her to know what movies would be liked by fans? It's not surprising that it ended up like this.

"Cameron's dedication to film is admirable. At least I'm unlikely to spend tens of thousands to remake a film just because a few words were missing on a tissue."

This is a story that has been reported before, and almost all fans of "Titanic" know about it. Nolan was no exception; he smiled and said, "I don't think I would do that."

"Yeah, so I'm not as good as him," Laila smiled.

Nolan frowned, feeling that something was off, "Being serious doesn't necessarily mean being right. How many viewers do you think will seriously look at whether there are words printed on a tissue and what words are printed? He can make such a film because people are supporting him. It's not easy for new directors to get this kind of support. I think his path is not suitable for others."

Not everyone has the qualifications to be so wasteful. The premise is that you can make investors trust you and let you squander. It's already not easy for new directors to find investors, let alone to meticulously refine their work. Even for her, with so much money, she doesn't haggle over such things, right?

"You're right. Maybe when I can understand his thinking, it will be when I break his box office record."

"You will! Even if you don't understand, I believe that day will come soon!"

Nolan was more confident than Laila herself, and she didn't know where such strong confidence came from.

"Thanks." Laila accepted his praise with a smile. "Remember that Spielberg has another movie coming out in December?"

"Yes, 'Munich.' 

Generally, works by famous directors will attract special attention from other directors. Nolan may not know when a sci-fi director's work will be released, but he definitely knows when a new movie by top director Spielberg is coming out.

Not just directors, the entire Hollywood film industry tends to pay close attention to the movements of top directors. It is generally assumed that the works of top directors should not be too close to each other, as fighting head-to-head would be uninteresting. If it weren't for Laila's bet, she wouldn't have suddenly moved "The Lord of the Rings" to such a competitive spot.

Laila remembered this movie, but only knew the name and had no interest in watching it. To be honest, she didn't like watching this kind of movie. Just by hearing the name, she would feel very oppressed.

"Spielberg also has a classic movie, 'Schindler's List.' I studied it because it was a critically acclaimed work. The result was that every time I watched it, it felt like my heart was being twisted and turned upside down, making me feel bad for a long time. This is also why I prefer commercial films over that kind of movie."

"Munich" is a documentary film mainly about revenge. The characteristic of such films is that they are easy to win awards but don't have high box office earnings. In the words of film critics, they are "critically acclaimed but not commercially successful."

This is also a helpless situation. Not many people can make a "profound and soulful" film that achieves commercial success.

"Speaking of movies coming out in December, there are two more that I'm interested in." Laila calculated the time, weren't these the three movies squeezed together?

Nolan understood, "You mean Ang Lee's 'Brokeback Mountain' and Peter Jackson's 'King Kong'?"

"That's right." When she heard

 Peter Jackson's name, Laila was unusually embarrassed. If it weren't for her appearance, this director would have finished filming "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy in 2001 and won the coveted Oscar for Best Director.

"Ang Lee's directorial style is very beautiful, I believe that his shots will elevate the theme of this movie."

Nolan made a rare joke, "Is it because both of your movies are being boycotted that you're interested in his movie?"

Laila laughed at his teasing, "Maybe. But he's in a much more troublesome situation than I am." One is a boycott by book fans being exploited by malicious individuals, and the other is a boycott due to conflicting ideologies. The latter is much more serious.

"Being boycotted like this once seems pretty good." If a movie can change the fate of a discriminated group with one movie, it seems pretty good. Isn't what filmmakers want to do to change and evolve the world with movies?

Nolan suddenly showed a longing expression, which surprised Laila and reminded her of ancient Eastern censors who longed to be beaten with a stick. Could it be that such an inexperienced person also wants to "leave a mark on history"?