"Nonsense, nonsense, nonsense!" Hugo could hardly believe it. Had Nicholas MacLaren truly turned over a new leaf? Not only had he stopped picking on Hugo, but for the second time, after "Scent of a Woman," he had given Hugo's work an unbelievably excellent review. This was truly unexpected.Although Nicholas's review in the "Los Angeles Times" had been very positive about "A Few Good Men" even before its release, that was just a prediction. But now, with the actual film review out, Nicholas was still full of praise for the film, even giving it a high score of ninety. This tidal wave of joy instantly swept over Hugo, making him jump up in ecstasy."Everything I said is true!" Joseph pulled out the "Los Angeles Times," still smelling of fresh ink, and flipped to the movie review page, handing it directly to Hugo.Hugo, too excited, paced back and forth in the empty space, then snatched the newspaper. His right foot still restlessly twitched as his eyes quickly scanned the paper."Courtroom dramas have always been a very special and important genre, as they can reflect profound issues of contemporary society and the integrity or corruption of government laws from different perspectives. 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' 'Kramer vs. Kramer,' 'The Verdict,' '12 Angry Men,' 'Witness for the Prosecution,' and other works have all, to varying degrees, involved courtroom debates, elevating the art of the genre to a whole new level.Due to the genre's reduction of violence and its focus on the intellectual struggle, the psychological tension reaches another peak, making it popular with many. 'A Few Good Men' is a very special courtroom drama because it involves an internal military case. The military has always been shrouded in mystery, and its internal secrets are never revealed to outsiders. This has also led to the military consistently hiding some unspeakable evils.Strict hierarchy makes it difficult for justice to prevail in the military. Justice and evil are hard to distinguish with simple definitions, and the boundaries of right and wrong are blurred, which makes internal military cases full of more thorns. This characteristic makes it easy for the audience to be drawn into 'A Few Good Men,' actively participating in every aspect of the courtroom debate, so much so that by the end of the story, when the colonel, who acted according to his personal preferences under the guise of defending the country, is finally brought to justice, a satisfying victory makes people applaud.'A Few Good Men' is a star-studded film. Hugo Lancaster successfully portrays a righteous lawyer, calm and composed, adhering to the truth, speaking eloquently in court, pressing on step by step, leaving the real culprit no place to hide. Jack Nicholson once again plays a classic villain, cunning, insidious, cruel, and vicious, but ultimately unable to escape the law's retribution. Demi Moore sheds her lady-like image, leaving a valiant and spirited impression on screen in military uniform.The film makes a serious and profound revelation about human rights equality, the abuse of power, and the evil of human nature. After watching, it leaves all audiences with infinite room for reflection, definitely a rare masterpiece!"After reading Nicholas's review, Hugo re-confirmed the score, and the prominent "ninety points" immediately caught his eye. This made Hugo's smile instantly bloom, like a scorching sun that could melt ice and snow, radiating light in December Los Angeles."Nonsense! Nonsense!" Hugo exclaimed excitedly. Even after reading the review, he still couldn't believe that Nicholas was singing his praises. This was so rare that he couldn't even find more accurate words in his mind to describe his excitement."Hugo, hand it over, hand it over." Alex's mood also lifted, and he waved vigorously at Hugo. Hugo rolled the newspaper into a tube, then lightly jumped on his tiptoes, making a basketball shot pose, and threw the newspaper to Alex, letting out an uncontrollable "whoop-ha" exclamation.Seeing Hugo's smug expression, everyone couldn't help but laugh. This was indeed something worth celebrating. After all, the "Los Angeles Times" is not only the best-selling newspaper on the West Coast, but also one of the three major newspapers alongside the "New York Times" and "Washington Post" nationwide, with absolute top-tier influence. To receive such an excellent review from the "Los Angeles Times" could certainly be considered an excellent start for "A Few Good Men."Sure enough, good news came one after another throughout Thursday. "A Few Good Men," which was not favored before its release, instantly became a hot commodity.Among the first batch of eleven media reviews, eight gave positive reviews, with only three media still giving negative reviews. This situation can definitely be described as overwhelming.The professional film magazine "Empire" from the UK not only gave a positive review of eighty-five points but also wrote in its commentary, "This is like an eternal sweet spot, constantly reminding people how stars are born and how classics are made. An excellent director combined with a superb script and a group of outstanding actors never goes wrong. Nicholson is as brilliant as ever, and Lancaster delivers the most spectacular performance of his acting career!"Roger Ebert, the famous film critic of the "Chicago Sun-Times," gave a relatively conservative score of seventy points. He believed that "the film is slightly lacking because it doesn't give us enough room to extend our thoughts; some obscure details are not enough to deepen our reflection on the film." But at the same time, he also praised, "But Lancaster saves this film, becoming the biggest discovery of the year."Additionally, "USA Today," which had given "Scent of a Woman" a negative review, still had Mike Clark writing the review. However, this time he changed his attitude, stating, "Excellent performances made this film. Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Pollak, and Kevin Bacon all deserve praise, and Jack Nicholson's brilliance is still unquestionable. What's special is that Hugo Lancaster's wonderful performance elevated this film from passable to good." Finally, Mike gave a score of seventy-five, placing it in the positive review category.Among the list of media opposing "A Few Good Men," the name "Vanity Fair" was unsurprisingly seen, and the Toronto "Globe and Mail," which had given "Scent of a Woman" relentlessly negative reviews, once again consigned "A Few Good Men" to hell."Vanity Fair" believed, "This is a watchable and in some parts captivating film, but unfortunately, it ultimately falls short. Reiner seems to have mastered filmmaking techniques on the surface, but deep down continues to avoid this. Nicholson and Lancaster's performances are buried." They gave a score of fifty, but at least the last sentence gave some affirmation to the actors.However, the "Globe and Mail" review was very blunt: "Such a weak performance results in this dying courtroom drama... making one sleepy." A score of twenty-five was almost at rock bottom. It was clear that they disliked "Scent of a Woman," but they disliked "A Few Good Men" even more."Did I ever offend the 'Globe and Mail'?" Hugo looked at the bright red "twenty-five points," and his brows furrowed involuntarily. Although eight media outlets had given positive reviews, he just couldn't shift his gaze from the three negative reviews.This emotion was very strange. Perhaps someone could praise you a hundred times, but one unreasonable criticism could destroy all the previous good mood. Hugo wanted to keep his attention on the positive reviews, but he failed. His gaze always drifted involuntarily towards the "Globe and Mail" and "Vanity Fair" – even though Joseph had already thrown that newspaper into the trash can."Hey, buddy, you have to know that seven media outlets rated the movie above seventy-five points." Among the eight positive reviews, only the "Chicago Sun-Times" gave seventy points; the other scores were all excellent. Joseph emphasized this point, trying to comfort Hugo.Hugo, however, let out a long sigh. He was still very bothered by those three negative reviews. But finally, Hugo closed his eyes and took a deep breath, bringing his attention back. "Yes, we should look at the positive side."Charlize smiled beside him. "No one can please everyone, right? Even God has people who hate him." Don't try to please everyone, because no one is perfect. This is a truth, and for public figures, it is especially important to remember.Hugo looked at Charlize, carefully savoring her words. He knew this truth, but he was just getting acquainted with all of this now. He still needed some time to digest it, and more experience to understand and grasp this principle. Hugo gave Charlize a big smile, "That's true, because I'm not perfect, am I? Compared to God, that's too difficult a task."Hugo's tone finally relaxed a bit, bringing smiles to the faces of the others. Hugo gently waved his right hand, "I'm planning to go to a movie theater tomorrow to watch 'A Few Good Men.' Anyone want to join me?"Tomorrow was the day "A Few Good Men" would be released nationwide in North America. Hugo wanted to personally go to the cinema to watch the film. On one hand, it was to experience the audience's perception of the film firsthand, not the cheers of fans gathered at a premiere, but the real feelings of ordinary moviegoers. On the other hand, it was to directly see the film's attendance rate and how heavy the box office pressure on his shoulders truly was."A Few Good Men" and "Scent of a Woman" had many differences, but the most important one was that Universal Pictures had no hopes for "Scent of a Woman" and ended up with a pleasant surprise. Columbia Pictures, on the other hand, hoped "A Few Good Men" would achieve good box office results from the start, which made the box office an unavoidable topic.Hugo was already feeling the pressure, which was perhaps the source of his intense concern about those negative reviews."Me!" Joseph, Karl, Alex, and Charlize all raised their hands, but then Charlize added, "You're paying." After a pause, she added, "And popcorn and soda."The latter half of her sentence immediately drew the attention of all four men. Charlize was a former model, and models usually stayed far away from soda and popcorn. Charlize, however, shrugged and said matter-of-factly, "A movie theater without popcorn and soda isn't really watching a movie."The four men wholeheartedly agreed.
