After the recording of "The Tonight Show" was completed, the audience gathered around again, but Hugo did not stay because his subsequent schedule was tight, so Hugo and Joseph had to leave in a hurry.After the recording of the other two programs also ended, Joseph drove Hugo towards the company.Joseph hadn't had time to deal with things these past few days; the audition schedule for "The Firm" had not been finalized, and Joseph also planned to call Paramount Pictures.Back at the company, Joseph was busy at his desk, while Hugo sat nearby, flipping through the latest issue of the "Los Angeles Times."Nicholas McClintock was a very interesting character; he had been at odds with Hugo several times before, but after "Scent of a Woman" was released, he actively spoke up for the film.This time, he had a different view on the prospects of "A Few Good Men.""Rob Reiner, Hugo Lancaster, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore—it's hard to imagine what kind of sparks such a combination will ignite.From 'When Harry Met Sally' to 'Misery,' Reiner's excellent previous two works have shown us the ability of this bearded director.In fact, ever since Reiner released 'This Is Spinal Tap' in 1984, he has never disappointed us in the director's chair.Although not every film is a masterpiece, they are certainly above average.Therefore, this time Reiner chose the script for 'A Few Good Men,' and we have reason to continue to trust his judgment.Although the screenwriter Sorkin is unknown, the iron triangle formed by the three actors is enough to give us sufficient confidence.As one of America's greatest actors, Nicholson's ability is unquestionable; although Nicholson has not had any works released in the past two years, no one still doubts his excellent acting skills.Moore's two consecutive works after 'Ghost' both failed, but this time, playing a 'flower vase' role with the support of two male actors is not a problem.Lancaster was in an adverse situation, not only convincing Reiner to give him this important role but also completing this challenge after defeating Cruise, which makes everything seem even more incredible.The success of'Scent of a Woman' made us all understand Reiner's reason for choosing Lancaster: strength.Although this strength still needs time to be verified, at least we no longer have to worry about the nightmare of 'Hudson Hawk' repeating itself.Reiner's directing skills are not a concern, and in terms of acting, Nicholson's support for the recovering Lancaster indeed boosts confidence.However, the biggest highlight of the 'A Few Good Men' script this time is the story itself.A courtroom drama, facing an ironclad case, how does the male protagonist find loopholes, extend justice, and truly bring criminals to legal punishment?This story implicitly alludes to the Rodney King incident, which has been making headlines since last year.People's sympathy for King can easily find resonance and psychological solace in 'A Few Good Men.'This will also become the biggest magic weapon for the film's success.Although 'A Few Good Men' will have to face enormous pressure from 'Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,' which will have been released for three weeks, it still has a chance to achieve a victory with an opening weekend box office of twelve million dollars.Perhaps, this forty-million-dollar film will bring us new surprises."From this review, it can be seen that Nicholas is optimistic about the prospects of "A Few Good Men."Although he praised Hugo highly, he still gave a positive affirmation.This subtle shift can also be seen as a continuation of the positive impression left by "Scent of a Woman."It's just that it's unknown how long this positive impression will last."The reviews are positive?" Joseph saw the smile on Hugo's face and asked.Hugo nodded, chuckling, "I wonder if Nicholas is doing this on purpose, trying to attract attention by expressing different opinions from others.""I don't think so." Joseph put down the receiver in his hand and shook his head, "The reviews for 'A Few Good Men' are half optimistic and half not; the 'Los Angeles Times' is just one of them."Regarding the prospects of "A Few Good Men," some media, led by the "Los Angeles Times," believed that the film was very likely to achieve good results.On the other hand, another part of the media, represented by "Vanity Fair," did not believe that Hugo could repeat the miracle of "Scent of a Woman."Instead, they thought it was very likely that the entire film would fail due to Hugo's drag, after all, Demi was also a ticking time bomb, and Jack was merely one of the supporting actors.Currently, a total of eleven media outlets have conducted preliminary reports on "A Few Good Men."They analyzed the film based on trailers, posters, promotions, themes, and plot summaries, and then made their own predictions.Although these predictions are not necessarily accurate, they can still be used as a media wind vane.Six media outlets continued to badmouth Hugo, while five gave their support.Although this situation is still not very optimistic, it is much, much better than before the release of "Scent of a Woman."It can be seen that Hugo's excellent performance in "Scent of a Woman" still earned him some recognition and rekindled the media's good impression of him.Of course, it also awakened the nightmare of the past three years.As for box office analysis, the media currently only provides a general range; the real predictions will have to wait until after the film's premiere.Currently, only four media outlets have predicted the box office, with the highest being the "Los Angeles Times" at twelve million, and the lowest being "Vanity Fair" at six million.It can be said that the difference is huge, making it impossible to paint a clear picture of the prospects for "A Few Good Men.""So what? They haven't even seen the movie yet." Hugo's mindset had improved now.Although he still cared about these comments, he also knew that what the media said only counted after they had watched the movie; now it was just a trend prediction."Are you done with your work?"Joseph snapped back, "Oh, yes.The audition time for 'The Firm' needs to be pushed back.I guess they want to see the box office performance of 'A Few Good Men,'" Joseph said with some uncertainty.However, this is common for investors.If "A Few Good Men" succeeds, the chances of "The Firm," which also features a lawyer, choosing Hugo will increase infinitely.Conversely, Hugo might have to withdraw from the competition before even auditioning.Hugo could only sigh helplessly.The "debt" accumulated from "Fatal Instinct" to the Golden Raspberry Awards could only be slowly repaid.Although he had taken on two projects and his popularity and recognition had increased to some extent, it was not easy to truly return to his peak."Then let's wait," Hugo said with a sigh, looking around."Is there anything else? If not, let's go home."Joseph looked at his watch, "Yes, there's a meeting at five."Hugo's eyes widened, "What am I doing here then?I have nothing to do.I might as well go home first; I can even read the original novel of 'The Firm.'"Who knows how long this meeting will last?Joseph stood up and motioned for Hugo to follow him, "No, you have to attend this meeting too."Joseph led the way, taking the elevator to the eighteenth floor.Since they shared an office, they naturally didn't have a dedicated meeting room, so they had to go to the public meeting room on the eighteenth floor for the meeting."Paramount attaches great importance to the premiere of 'A Few Good Men' for you; they hope you can attend in formal attire.""Formal attire? How else can a man dress formally besides a suit?Do they want me to wear a Scottish kilt?" Hugo grumbled, clearly not understanding why choosing clothes required a meeting.Joseph was amused by Hugo, "Choosing clothes is not that simple."In Hollywood, choosing clothes is done in many different ways.The most basic is like when Hugo attended the premiere of "Final Analysis" before, buying clothes himself from a store.Besides that, there are sponsors who come to them, or partner brands that reserve clothes for actors in advance, or specialized designers who custom-design, or even exclusive high-end bespoke tailoring.These methods are used for different levels of actors or different levels of occasions.For example, there is a difference between top actors and ordinary actors attending a premiere.Also, all actors attending the Oscars red carpet probably receive sponsorships, but the level of sponsorship varies.For female actors, the competition is even more intense, but male actors also have a dazzling array of choices.Entering the spacious conference room, the thirty-three-foot (ten-meter) long room was empty and tidy, and one could almost imagine many important meetings taking place there.Not long after Hugo and Joseph sat down in the conference room, assistants began to push garment racks full of clothes into the room, quickly filling every corner of the conference room.Looking at the dazzling array of clothes, Hugo's eyes widened, "Does it need to be so solemn?"Joseph smiled and nodded, "Of course.This is a formal nationwide premiere, and Columbia Pictures plans to make the premiere as grand as possible.As the male lead, you are the focus of attention, and these brands all hope you can choose their clothing."In fact, for the premiere of "Scent of a Woman," Hugo's outfit was sponsored, which was a significant improvement from before.This time, the level was clearly even higher, making Hugo once again marvel at the luxury of the Hollywood world.Hugo's gaze swept over the clothes, but finally settled on a man.Hugo pondered for a moment, then patted Joseph's arm, "Why does that man look so familiar, the one standing at three o'clock?"Joseph followed his gaze and also thought for a moment in silence, then said uncertainly, "Is that the branch manager of Armani... uh, Frank?"
