"From the beginning, I have been closely following the growth of the genius director Laila. Her films have been coming out one after another, and in just two or three years, she has produced four or five works, making her a highly prolific director. However, when it comes to the quality of her filmmaking, I must admit that I'm not impressed."
"Her works have gradually shown a tendency towards violence, which worries me greatly. She's only twenty years old this year, so what kind of life experiences have led her to have so many unbelievable and frightening thoughts?"
"Look at 'The Blair Witch,' look at 'SAW,' and look at her subsequent films. Upon careful consideration, it's quite terrifying."
"Indeed, making films with these frightening thoughts can attract many people. But aside from the negative impact they may have, what else do they offer to the audience? Nightmares? Strange thoughts? Impulses to harm others?"
"Leaving aside her previous films for now, this time, her movie is even more terrifying because she has beautified violence, cruelty, and cruelty towards others, wrapping the ugliness of brutality in revenge and portraying it as something beautiful."
"Think about it. What will happen to our children, these young people who have been brainwashed by her terrifying ideas? If crimes are emulating her movies reported in the newspapers, I wouldn't be surprised at all!"
Cooper's words were extremely venomous. He didn't comment on the film but attacked it from an influence perspective. This made many parents take his words seriously, feeling that he made a valid point. Children don't understand much; they only see cool and heroic scenes in the movies. What if they start emulating them?
At first, Laila didn't pay attention to Cooper's comments. She knew that he wouldn't say anything positive about her, so she didn't bother reading what he had to say. However, Louise conveyed the news to her after obtaining the newspapers.
"This is an issue that needs to be addressed. Once parents start accepting his ideas, it will have a significant impact on our box office!"
Laila glanced at the newspaper, skimmed through it, and then tossed it aside, feeling rather bored.
"What does it matter? Our movie is rated R, and those under seventeen need to be accompanied by an adult to enter the theater. Do you think parents will bring their young children to watch my movie?"
"Well..." Louise realized this point only now. Indeed, they were already categorized as R-rated, which was meant to protect minors. If children watched the movie, it would be the fault of their parents.
"But that's not to say we shouldn't respond to his statements," Louise insisted. She felt that even if she spent another few decades, she still wouldn't be as composed as her boss.
In her view, this was a very serious matter, and Cooper's accusations were almost blocking their path to success. The cornerstone of Phoenix Film's rise had been those low-budget, high-grossing horror films. Even today, the company still earns huge profits from those movies, whether through DVD sales, merchandise, or theme park revenue.
If the public started accepting Cooper's rhetoric, it would be a huge blow to their company, one they simply couldn't afford.
Laila smiled meaningfully. "Don't worry; he's not just moving our cheese. Some people will help us fight back."
"Who Moved My Cheese?" is a best-selling fable that has been popular since 1998. Louise understood what she meant by "cheese," but she didn't quite grasp her point. Could it be that someone else would speak up on their behalf?
As it turned out, that's exactly what happened. In the newspapers sold that afternoon, several critics had fiercely rebutted Cooper's words.
Just because of the fear of emulating horror movie content, should horror films be banned altogether? By that logic, to prevent violence, should action films also be banned?
According to him, for the sake of preserving one's chin, should comedy films be banned? To prevent war, should war films be banned? To prevent children from getting addicted to music and dance, should similar movies be banned? What about science fiction movies? Are they even necessary? What if aliens actually come and, inspired by movies, decide to invade Earth?
The critique articles used a mocking tone to thoroughly counter Cooper's words, almost portraying him as a large, unsightly blot in American film history, the chief culprit behind the industry's regression.
Seeing that these articles were prominently featured in major newspapers, Louise was astounded. This was something she had never expected to happen.
Why didn't they engage in public relations and have many media outlets speak positively about them? Could it be that Cooper was so universally disliked that people wanted to take a few shots at him?
That was impossible!
So when she returned to Laila's office again, sincerely seeking advice from her boss, she received an answer that left her speechless.
"Cooper may have thought he was targeting me, but he forgot that Hollywood isn't just our company making horror films. You've seen the prosperity of horror films in recent years; the market share has increased significantly compared to three years ago. This includes our achievements and the masterpieces of other companies. Today, Cooper criticized me under the pretext of horror films, but tomorrow, someone else could use the same reason to criticize their movies."
"So when I said this morning that he's not just moving our cheese, I meant it."