Echoes of Hollywood

"An outstanding sci-fi film, before its release, carries the hopes of the entire crew, especially the director."

Standing on the stage of Chandler Hall at the Los Angeles Music Center, Robert Downey Jr., as the award presenter, spoke earnestly, "A director is crucial to a sci-fi film. In the 60s, Hollywood had Stanley Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey,' the 70s had George Lucas' 'Star Wars,' the 80s had Robert Zemeckis' 'Back to the Future,' and the 90s had Steven Spielberg's 'Jurassic Park.'"

This time, Robert Downey Jr. spoke at a moderate pace, "Entering the new century, excellent sci-fi films have emerged in large numbers, especially in the past year."

He looked down at the card and said, "The nominees for Best Director at this Saturn Awards are Sam Raimi for 'Spider-Man 3,' Michael Bay for 'Transformers,' Murphy Stanton for 'Man of Steel,' Gore Verbinski for 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End,' and Zack Snyder for '300.'"

These were all commercial films that were box office hits last year. The Saturn Awards have little to do with professional critics or media acclaim; they focus more on the film's popularity among audiences and whether the nominees are willing to attend the ceremony.

If two films were on par, the award would typically go to the nominee willing to attend the ceremony.

This unwritten yet well-known rule isn't limited to the Saturn Awards; other North American awards like the Teen Choice Awards and MTV Movie Awards follow a similar pattern.

The biggest stars at tonight's Saturn Awards ceremony were Robert Downey Jr. and Michael Douglas, and the biggest director was Murphy. So, there was no suspense about who would win this award when they walked the red carpet.

"And the Saturn Award for Best Director goes to..." Robert Downey Jr. opened the envelope, glanced at it, and smiled widely, "Murphy Stanton! Congratulations, Murphy!"

He raised his hands and clapped vigorously on stage, and the applause from the audience followed.

Regardless of any underlying reasons, Murphy winning Best Director for "Man of Steel" seemed well-deserved to most people.

"Man of Steel" brought not only high box office returns but also high acclaim and a depth and breadth that previous superhero films lacked.

"Murphy Stanton has proven to Hollywood that the dark style can also achieve global box office success."

In the audience, a senior executive from Sony Columbia Pictures said to another person, "Heavy themes can give superhero movies a more charming quality. Should we consider making our commercial films, like the new '007' series and our planned 'Spider-Man' reboot, in this style?"

The other person nodded, "I think there's some feasibility. Looking at Murphy Stanton's current style, you can see how many fans in North America and worldwide love this style."

Amid the warm applause, Murphy stood up and walked towards the stage. He embraced Robert Downey Jr. first, then took the trophy and stood before the microphone.

"I'm very happy to be standing here. This award is the biggest recognition of my work last year. Thank you!"

After the customary thanks, it was time for the advertisement, which was the reason Murphy attended this awards ceremony. "The support of the fans is always a director's greatest pride. You have recognized 'Man of Steel,' and I hope you will also recognize 'Inglourious Basterds' next!"

He raised the trophy and left with a final, "Thank you."

Ignoring the reaction from the audience, Murphy turned and walked over to Robert Downey Jr. They were led by staff members off the stage and into the backstage area.

Besides some unspoken matters, Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. attended the Saturn Awards ceremony for promotion.

Murphy was promoting the soon-to-be-released "Inglourious Basterds," while Robert Downey Jr. was promoting the upcoming DVD and Blu-ray release of "Iron Man."

Like them, most big-name actors and directors attend such award ceremonies with ulterior motives.

Having little interest in the awards ceremony itself, Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. did not rush to leave after entering the backstage area. The organizers had also arranged for a routine interview activity, which they handled briefly before chatting casually in the interview area.

Although they attended together, Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. did not arrive at the ceremony simultaneously. During the red carpet walk, they were separated by several people according to the organizer's arrangement.

"Has 'Man of Steel' ended its run in Gibraltar?" Robert Downey Jr. asked with concern when Murphy nodded. "What was the final global box office total? Did it exceed $1.2 billion?"

Murphy shook his head. The last few markets where "Man of Steel" was released had populations of less than a million people each, so a box office explosion was unlikely.

"You overestimated the capacity of these small markets," he said, gently patting Robert Downey Jr.'s arm. "The final global box office was far from $1.2 billion, only $1.132 billion."

"Oh..." Robert Downey Jr. said deliberately, "I was hoping you'd surpass that old bastard James Cameron."

Murphy shrugged, "The only person who can surpass James Cameron is probably himself."

How many directors are willing to spend years researching and experimenting with new technology for a single film like James Cameron? He certainly couldn't.

After a brief chat, they left the interview area and headed back to Chandler Hall. As they turned into the adjacent passage, Robert Downey Jr. seemed to notice a familiar figure. He turned back to take a look and then pulled Murphy into the quiet passage.

"What's wrong?" Murphy asked, puzzled.

"I planned to wait until the ceremony was over, but I didn't expect to run into him now..." Robert Downey Jr. pointed towards the interview area, "Michael Douglas is here."

Murphy didn't say much, only pointing to a surveillance camera facing their direction.

"Don't worry." Robert Downey Jr. took a deep breath, "I've held back for years; I'm not that impulsive."

Standing there, Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. waited for a few minutes. The crisp sound of leather shoes on the floor echoed as Michael Douglas, in a gray suit, turned the corner and entered the passage.

Michael Douglas didn't expect to see anyone in the passage. He froze when he saw Murphy and Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey Jr. looked at Michael Douglas, and Michael Douglas looked at Robert Downey Jr.

Michael Douglas didn't even glance at Murphy, probably not wanting to provoke him. He stopped about five feet away from Robert Downey Jr. and suddenly smiled.

"Downey, how many years has it been since we last met?" His smile seemed to have a hidden meaning. "The last time we talked face-to-face like this was before you went to prison... Oh, why didn't you notify me when you got out? Considering our families'..."

He suddenly emphasized, "Deep relationship, I could have picked you up."

Robert Downey Jr. looked at Michael Douglas without immediately retorting.

"Oh, right." Michael Douglas made no attempt to hide his disdain for the Downey name. "Mr. Addict Downey, I heard you successfully quit drugs. That can't be true..."

"My quitting drugs is certainly not as real as your mother giving your father a green hat back in the day." Robert Downey Jr. finally retaliated, speaking rapidly but clearly enough for Michael Douglas to understand, "I guess you don't understand what a green hat means. In Chinatown, it specifically describes a woman cheating on her husband..."

Before Michael Douglas could react, Robert Downey Jr. continued, "Back then, Mrs. Douglas was stunningly beautiful, the top socialite in Hollywood."

Everyone present understood what that term meant in Hollywood.

"Your father paid a terrible price..." Michael Douglas said menacingly, but before he could finish, Robert Downey Jr. interrupted again.

He playfully shrugged, "I can responsibly tell you that old Robert Downey is still savoring Mrs. Douglas's taste."

Previously, Murphy didn't fully understand the enmity between the Douglas and Downey families. Now, he began to understand. It seemed that old Robert Downey had wronged Kirk Douglas, leading to Kirk's revenge. Not satisfied, Kirk and Michael Douglas conspired further, trapping Robert Downey Jr.

Of course, this was just a guess. He didn't care about the exact details.

Do the specifics matter? Even if old Robert Downey was in the wrong initially, Murphy knew that his friend and brother was Robert Downey Jr., not any Douglas.

In Hollywood, determining where one stands in these messy situations is simple: it's about personal connections.

Watching Robert Downey Jr. and Michael Douglas spar verbally, Murphy had no intention of intervening. If Robert Downey Jr. couldn't win a verbal battle against Michael Douglas, all those years of practice would have been in vain.

Besides, Murphy always believed that actions speak louder than words.

As for Kirk Douglas, one of the subjects of their verbal duel, Murphy knew that he was a top Hollywood power player back in the day. Not even Stanley Kubrick dared to cross him.

But those days are long gone.

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