Accompanied by the rumbling editing machine, the editing of "Rock and Roll High School" gradually came to an end.
Two weeks later, on February 20, the editing of the entire film was completed. The next step is the mixing work, dubbing the lip-synced songs in the movie with the tracks on the record.
No assistant was needed for mixing, and Ronald's work on the "Rock of Ages" crew was over and he became unemployed.
Instead of trying to find a way to join a new crew, Ronald was prepared to wait until the college admission results came out. In addition to running and exercising every day, catching up on sleep, and watching TV series. After two days, I felt very uncomfortable. I was not used to this kind of routine rest life. It seemed that I still had to find something to do.
Go to Cameron's place to talk to him? Cameron was in the stage of changing his enthusiasm for a new job. He worked late into the night every day and sometimes even lived in the stunt factory. As expected, he and his wife Sharon fell out again.
Ronald had to think of something to do on his own.
First I hung up the phone with Demi Moore and asked about the situation. She has been signed by Elite Modeling Agency and has some print modeling jobs waiting for her. However, my acting career is still not improving, and I don’t know when I will be able to enter the industry. Now I am learning to write lyrics for rock music with my boyfriend.
Demi also told Ronald that Natasha Kinski had already returned to the country to continue filming "Tess." I don’t know when we can see her on the screen in the United States.
Ronald felt a little empty, and his daily life was too dull compared to the stories in the movie. On the shooting set and in the editing room, he was dealing with drama every moment.
After finishing a movie, Ronald was a little unaccustomed to the dullness of daily life. It was as if I had escaped from this ordinary world.
Film shooting and post-editing are so colorful. Along the way, Ronald was a newcomer. After breaking into the film industry, he was climbing a mountain every step of the way. He climbed hard and finally reached the top. But after passing the top, it is flat ground.
Now this ordinary life is flat earth. I'm used to climbing mountains, and then walking on flat ground feels like I'm suddenly weightless. Most people's lives are not as dramatic as the world on the screen. Ronald is still readjusting to a normal pace of life.
Ronald drove around Venice aimlessly.
When urban planning was first done, Venice Beach was planned by the Los Angeles Municipal Government as a cultural center. The lower working class couldn't do any high art, and Venice became a center for surfing and roller skating.
The municipal corporation has built roller skating venues on many roadsides. It is said to be a venue, but it is actually a circular ground paved with cement, which is quite simple. The original intention may be for people to roller skate inside, just like the skating rink in Ronald's hometown of New York.
But now, the venue has been occupied by skateboarders who challenge the difficulty of tricks. Instead of roller skates, they use skateboards and try difficult tricks on pools, railings, stairs, etc.
Ronald asked someone to borrow a skateboard and gave it a try. I soon discovered that I was too tall and unable to perform any fancy moves. After watching other people's wonderful performances for a while, I was extremely envious, and also jealous that I couldn't do it, so I left and went to see other fun things.
There is also a surf club on Venice Beach, where surfers wearing swimming shorts and tanned bodies are challenging the waves. They seem to be able to grasp the fragile balance on the wave's crest, dangling unsteadily but not falling off.
Some of the more daring ones tried to challenge the waves that were more than 5 meters high and walked through the waves. The audience could only see a small figure on the beach, disappearing and appearing in the huge waves. Although most of them end in failure, occasionally one succeeds and breaks through the huge waves, and the beach is cheered.
Ronald also enjoyed watching it and couldn't help but want to play.
Find the surf club business location on the shore, pay the deposit, happily get into the locker room, and change into swimming shorts. I took my newly rented surfboard and plunged into the sea.
"Pfft, bah, bah, bah." Ronald was knocked over by the waves and returned to the shore in embarrassment.
It seems that I am still not suitable for these extreme sports.
Then let's play wrestling. Ronald tried to find a wrestling gym again to recover his skills. But after driving around Venice for a long time, I couldn't find it.
Still, enthusiastic citizens pointed out that there is a martial arts gym around the corner.
"A martial arts school might as well be a good idea," Ronald thought.
When I walked into the martial arts gym at the intersection of two streets, I was greeted by the smell of shoes. Ronald frowned. There were a dozen pairs of shoes neatly placed in the entrance hall. It turned out to be a karate club, and you had to take off your shoes when entering.
People in America generally don't know the difference between Chinese and Japanese people.
They also called Bruce Lee's Kung Fu Karate. Japanese karate and judo are also called kung fu.
Anyway, it is a mysterious martial art from the East. As soon as "uncle" makes a move, the enemy will be killed.
There were only a few children in the hall, wearing white karate clothes and belts.
"Hey, ho, hey, ho" he was doing punches, up and down blocks, and other basic moves.
Ronald followed the rules, took off his shoes and walked into the club. The venue of the guild hall is not large, with creamy yellow tatami mats covering the entire floor. There are no decorations around it, and it is quite simple. There were some slogans written in Japanese on the wall opposite, as well as a pennant that seemed to be the championship flag of a certain tournament.
The coach at the club saw an adult coming and came up to talk to him. The business of the karate club is not good, and from the look of his body shape, he is a member of the karate club. Are you here to compete in the club?
Ronald introduced himself and expressed that he wanted to find a wrestling venue. The guide pointed him here and said that the coach here has real skills.
The coach looks to be a mixed-race Japanese and Japanese, in his 20s, who studies authentic Ryukyuan karate. After Bruce Lee passed away, the business of Eastern martial arts was not easy to do, and now they still rely on recruiting some children to support themselves.
This coach didn't have any special opinions. Seeing that Ronald could wrestle, he expressed his intention to challenge him. The two asked the students to pause and start fighting on the tatami.
Karate emphasizes inch-stop, which means stopping until the point is reached. The coach's fist hit Ronald within an inch of his face, which was considered a win.
Ronald was not used to this, so he still stepped forward and grabbed the coach's wrist, twisted it hard, and threw him to the ground.
He hurried forward to apologize, but the coach had no intention of continuing the fight. Instead, he chatted with Ronald about this wrestling method. All martial arts schools have similar moves. Ronald also learned some karate throwing techniques.
Before parting, the two exchanged business cards. The coach said that he had also practiced Wing Chun and Filipino stick fighting. Ronald was welcome to come and try his skills when he had time. He had some good friends who could also fight in practice.
Ronald looked at the name on the business card, Daryl Vidal, and it turned out to be an American name.
…
Ordinary life lacks excitement. Maybe I lack a girlfriend? Ronald thought.
How about having a Chinese meal to celebrate? Ronald drove to Chinatown in Los Angeles to try the Chinese food there.
After passing Sunset Boulevard and heading north for a short distance, Ronald saw the bronze statue of Mr. Sun Yat-sen and the tall archway with the words "Luo Zhi Qinghua" written on it.
The whole person relaxed. Although I have no memory of my previous life, I still feel a natural affinity for the Chinese-style houses, various Chinese plaques, and bilingual street signs.
I randomly found a restaurant and ordered a portion of Yangzhou fried rice, plus a portion of barbecued pork, stir-fried vegetables, and soup. Ronald's tongue and stomach were in place. It relieves a lot of the boredom of McDonald's every day.
I should come more often. Ronald patted his belly, put down the excessive tip, and got up to go home.
After taking a hot shower to wash away his fatigue, Ronald thought of the idea of finding a girlfriend again. How about finding the two "dance stars" from Van Nuys High School tomorrow?
Sitting on the sofa in the living room in a daze, Ronald turned on the TV. It just so happened that CBS-2, a local television station in Los Angeles, was broadcasting the nominations for this year's 51st Academy Awards, which had just been released.
The two most popular ones that I saw in the daily variety newspapers some time ago, "The Return" and "The Deer Hunter" won 8 and 9 nominations respectively. And they all include major awards such as Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor and Actor.
Another strong contender for the award is the comedy film "Heaven Can Wait", which was produced, directed, written and starred by Warren Beatty himself, which also received 9 nominations.
Warren Beatty is a famous playboy in Hollywood. Since his starring role in "Bonnie and Clyde" became a box office legend a few years ago, his power in Hollywood has been increasing day by day. There are constant rumors about his affairs with various female stars, and none of his rumored girlfriends have bad words to say about him.
Ronald actually envied him for being a promiscuous man and still maintaining a good reputation. Much better than the other two famous playboys in Hollywood, Jack Nicholson and Marlon Brando.
The host is still constantly analyzing the winning probabilities of each nomination, interspersed with various entertainment gossips and interviews with the parties involved.
Warren Beatty is a handsome guy, and he goes out of his way to say good things about his movies during interviews.
"'Into the Wrong Heaven and the Wrong Birth' is not a simple remake of 1943's 'The Taoist Man'; it is not a simple farce. It incorporates thoughts about modern America and what kind of life we want to live." Thoughts on life, and it’s essentially a romance film.”
Ronald listened to what he said and thought for a while, but didn't understand what the handsome guy meant.
The scene cuts to "The Deer Hunter", and the movie's biggest star, Robert De Niro, is defending the film, stating that "The Deer Hunter" is the best movie this year.
Then came director Michael Cimino. He is a fat, greasy man who speaks grandiosely, moves exaggeratedly, and has a bit of an arrogant air. The host introduced that he had a background in advertising, and "The Deer Hunter" is the second feature film he directed.
However, this time he was criticized by many film critics and progressives. In Michael Cimino's three-hour film, there are some whimsical plots, such as American prisoners of war being forced to risk their lives by North Vietnamese officers.
Several prisoners gambled with a revolver containing only one bullet. The North Vietnamese officer turned the revolver, and the prisoners took turns shooting themselves in the temple. This is called Russian roulette. Many people criticized him for talking nonsense, saying that nothing like this had ever happened in the Vietnam War.
When faced with an interview, Michael Cimino spoke plausibly:
"I served in the Green Berets of the US Army. When I first joined the army in 1968, I served as a medic in the Green Berets and witnessed the entire spring offensive. I can only say that many things are beyond your imagination. . People who understand will naturally understand what I mean. If you don’t understand, I can’t reveal more. I can only tell you that a lot of the content of this movie can be said to be autobiographical.”
Ronald looked at the greasy fat man on the TV and said, "That's not right. He enlisted in the army and was sent to Vietnam in 1968, so isn't he only about 30 years old this year? This fat man looks like he is 40, right?"
The scene then switches to the heroine of "Homecoming", Jane Fonda, being interviewed. Jane is the daughter of Henry Fonda, a veteran acting actor from the golden age. She won an Oscar in 1971 for her role in the movie "Klute". She is a big star with both good looks and acting skills. She has always stood on the left and advocated world peace. During the Vietnam War, she called on the American commanders to stop bombing civilians in the north.
This time, Jane Fonda was attacked by conservatives. The character she played on the screen had an affair with the high school idol back then, who is now a disabled soldier. During the affair, her character was still wearing a wedding ring, and her real husband was still fighting on the battlefield in Vietnam.
This caused dissatisfaction among many veterans and religious figures. They accused Jane Fonda of immorality and used the nickname "Hanoi Jane" that caused public outrage when she visited North Vietnam.
But Jane Fonda defended her film as reflecting the real situation of Vietnam veterans.
"Did you know? We shot the scene in the veterans' hospital at the beginning of the film in real life. Those lines are the daily conversations of Vietnam War veterans. Anyone with a conscience should watch this film 'Homecoming'. It is truly to understand the trauma that the Vietnam War inflicted on our country, rather than sitting in a room imagining the brutality of the Vietnamese."
Ronald's uncle died in Vietnam. There were also many disabled Vietnam War veterans in Staten Island and New York, and he knew that what Jane Fonda said was actually very true.
Gossip reporters seized the opportunity:
"Jane, are you insinuating that 'The Deer Hunter' wasn't really a reaction to the Vietnam War? That the Russian Roulette plot was imaginary?"
"No, I'm not criticizing a certain movie, but I'm criticizing a bad trend in Hollywood that doesn't dare to face the truth. As for 'The Deer Hunter' you mentioned, I think our movie 'The Return' is better. The one that better reflects the true face of that war."
"Jane Fonda once again expressed her stance on the Vietnam War. Will her new film win the favor of the judges? The photo of her sitting on a North Vietnamese People's Army anti-aircraft gun in 1972 has not been forgotten by the American public." The host began to summarize.
The famous photo appeared on the television screen.
Ronald was getting sleepy, turned off the TV, and prepared to sleep. It seems that this year's Oscar favorites are all about movies about the Vietnam War. No, there's also the Warren Beatty one, what's that one called...
