America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Beverly Hills, Windsor Castle Restaurant.

At a booth, the waiter delivered various exquisite meals, arranging them in front of two customers.

Los Angeles' most famous critic, Kenneth Turan, tied his napkin and looked across at Martin, "A meal here doesn't come cheap."

Martin likewise fastened his napkin and said, "When old friends gather, we must eat something different."

In fact, Kenneth Turan was quite pleased with Martin's choice of a restaurant where a single person's consumption reached nearly a US Dollar, seeing it as a form of respect.

If they had casually eaten barbecue at any street-side restaurant, where would the style of Los Angeles' number one film critic be?

Martin had invited Kenneth out to eat with a very clear goal, having done his homework, "I have always remembered your guidance and help."

Kenneth waved his hand dismissively, "It's hardly guidance, just a few film reviews."

Martin, shameless when needed, could have a face as thick as mantle rock, "When I first came to Hollywood, I was like a headless fly, with no standard for choosing scripts. Fortunately, my luck wasn't bad. Horror Wax Museum and The Hills Have Eyes were both successful and allowed me to gain a foothold in Hollywood. Even luckier, I met you."

Kenneth carefully recalled that it seemed he had chatted with Martin after the premiere of The Hills Have Eyes.

Martin was referring to this, "Your words made me realize what path I should take in the future, that an actor should have artistic aspirations, but at that time, I didn't even have a place to stand, I had to make money first."

Kenneth nodded, "That's understandable, prioritize securing your livelihood. With a worry-free life, you can then focus more on art."

Martin spoke, "I have never forgotten the artistic pursuit of an actor, so even facing numerous difficulties, I still strove to vie for a role with Director Scorsese. I spent half a year practicing the Boston accent and nearly a month at the Boston Police Department experiencing life, following the detectives as they caught gangsters and dealers, and finally, I moved Director Scorsese."

Kenneth affirmed Martin's actions, "That's what an actor should be like, you did well. The character in the film shone because you were thoroughly prepared."

"Yes, it was an extraordinary experience." Over the past two years, Martin had come to deeply understand Kenneth Turan's character and preferences, "Director Scorsese and Jack Nicholson gave me a lot of guidance on the set, taking my acting to the next level; I've made significant progress…"

Kenneth, having seen the film, said, "Your role in Infernal Affairs was more remarkable than in any of your past films, a great improvement, even surpassing Leonardo."

At this moment, Martin was even more proactive than when facing a beautiful woman, "Improving, ascending, I can feel it, so I don't want to stop. I've taken on the lead male role in a pure art film directed by Sam Mendes, with Kate Winslet as the female lead in 'The Reader'."

Kenneth had previously noticed related information, "Sam is among the best in mainstream art directors, and Kate hasn't taken any commercial movies since 'Titanic', dedicating herself to honing her craft in the art realm, and she'll be recognized sooner or later."

"They are outstanding artists." Martin also appropriately said what could be said, "In 'The Reader', my character spans from 16 to over 50 years old, the performance difficulty was immense, but Sam and Kate helped me complete this process."

Kenneth was somewhat surprised, "Such a wide age span for the character?"

Martin nodded, "Yes, it was only with the guidance and help of these two distinguished artists that I was able to manage this role."

He said with evident admiration, "On set, interacting with Sam and Kate made me understand what it means to be an artist, what performing arts are. Exceptional artists, for the sake of cinematic art, the efforts they would make, the price they're willing to pay."

Kenneth heard in Martin's words a longing for further improvement in acting and a pursuit of cinematic art, "Martin, you're doing well, and one day you'll catch up with them."

Martin spoke truthfully, "Compared to Sam and Kate, I am still lacking by a lot, it feels like I can never catch up."

Kenneth felt that this ambitious young man needed some encouragement, "But you are always working hard, always making progress!"

Martin just nodded vigorously, without voicing any certainty about achieving what Sam and Kate could.

Because those things, he could never do no matter how hard he tried.

Too much focus and passion.

Artists, truly not something ordinary people can achieve.

During this meal, the two conversed and laughed, having an exceptionally enjoyable time.

After settling the bill, Martin didn't see Kenneth Turan off, as the latter valued his reputation highly and didn't want to be caught in photographs dining with a star during the awards season.

Some fifteen minutes after Kenneth Turan left, Martin entered the mall through another door of the restaurant, went down to the underground parking lot where Bruce was driving, and arrived on time with Thomas.

Once in the car, Martin asked, "Have you guys eaten?"

"Finished a while ago," Thomas asked with concern, "How did the talk go?"

Martin stated the outcome directly, "I'm an actor with artistic pursuits, and Kenneth Turan really appreciates that."

Thomas breathed a sigh of relief, "Of all the film critic association awards, the most important are the Los Angeles and New York Film Critics Association Awards. Over seventy percent of Oscar jurors live in Los Angeles and New York and they pay the most attention to the news from these two cities. We can't do much about New York, but we have to take the initiative here in Los Angeles."

Martin said, "You've already talked to Todd McCarthy from Hollywood Reporter, and at least my reputation won't be bad in the mainstream media of Los Angeles."

Bruce, participating in the awards campaign for the first time, could not help but exclaim, "This is really troublesome. Before coming to Los Angeles, I thought the Oscar voting was simply about the quality of the film and the role. Turns out, it's not like that at all."

Thomas said, "Almost all those aiming for the major Oscar awards or even the nominations are working hard on public relations and marketing. If we don't do it while others do, we wouldn't even get the qualification, let alone be nominated."

Martin made an even more vivid analogy, "Old Cloth, you can think of it as a Hollywood-style campaign for the White House Oval Office."

Bruce nodded slightly, "Fortunately, we did our work upfront."

Thomas lowered his voice, "These past two years, we've dealt with them a lot and expressed our intentions many times. Now that the work and role are outstanding, they will surely show some gesture. A critic's credibility is worth much more than a star's."

On the other side, Kenneth Turan arrived at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.

As a columnist for the largest print media in the City of Angels and having good relations with senior film critics like Todd McCarthy, he was one of the most influential critics in the association.

The awards season had already started, and it was the time when these critics had the most opportunity to make a difference.

Six heavyweight film critics from various Los Angeles media gathered together to discuss the Film Critics Association Awards, which were due to be announced next month.

Someone suggested, "Little Miss Sunshine is a nice film…"

Todd McCarthy countered, "But such a movie can't support the weight of the Best Picture award."

The others nodded in agreement, Little Miss Sunshine was good, but it seemed to lack something for the awards season.

Another person said, "Infernal Affairs or The Queen are both good, the former even better. Since Goodfellas, Scorsese hasn't made such an excellent film for a long time."

Todd McCarthy said, "Both Martin Davis and Jack Nicholson delivered exceptional performances. The latter has voluntarily stated that he won't participate in the awards season competition. The former, with shallow experience, chose to avoid the fierce competition for Best Actor and go for the Best Supporting Actor instead."

A young film critic named Justin said, "That was a very wise choice. Strictly speaking, he's been in the business for only three years. Actors who arrived in Los Angeles at the same time are still doing temp jobs. He's not from an acting dynasty, lacks a Godfather's support, and isn't Jewish…"

Kenneth Turan coughed, reminding him that there were some things one should not say aloud.

Justin immediately corrected himself, "Being where he is today, he's very lucky, and he's got a clear mind, knowing that things have to be done step by step."

Kenneth Turan said, "As far as I know, Martin Davis took on an art film directed by Sam Mendes called 'The Reader,' in which he played a character from 16 to over 50 years old, a breathtaking span of time. I talked to Sam today, and he thinks his performance is remarkable!"

Todd McCarthy added, "Sam is an artistically driven director who has won an Oscar for Best Director. He has worked with many talented actors and has a very high standard. If he gives such praise, Martin Davis must have delivered a convincing performance."

An older film critic said, "Martin Davis has been successful multiple times with commercial films, yet he has not lost himself in commercialism, which is very rare for young people."

Kenneth Turan concluded, "It's good for young people to have artistic pursuits. We've always been holding back Hollywood, holding back its practitioners from becoming too commercial. Such aspiring young people should be encouraged."

Todd McCarthy agreed, "I concur."

With the two moguls speaking, no one else had objections.

The Film Critics Association Awards are different from the others. There aren't many public aspects; the results are decided by internal voting, and then the results are just announced.

Kenneth Turan said, "Ballots are sent out to all the association members, you all do the communication work, and we aim to get the results out by next week. We've always led other film critics associations; we can't let those New Yorkers get ahead of us."

There are three major film critics association awards in America, and only the third place is certain. There's no public consensus on the first and second places yet.

In late November, after the Gotham Independent Awards were given out, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association announced the results of its awards in the "Los Angeles Times."
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Infernal Affairs won two awards, Scorsese was named Best Director, and Martin won Best Supporting Actor.