at dusk.
Simon waited patiently for Janet to change into a little formal dress, and the two of them left the villa.
The bodyguard had already helped them prepare the car in advance.
Simon took Janet out and politely nodded to two middle-aged men named Neil Bennett and Ken Dixon, who were about 40 years old. Although they have been very familiar with them for so many days, they still feel Somewhat weird.
The two bodyguards were not hired by Simon from the security company, but Janet borrowed from her own home.
Since acquaintance, Simon has never taken the initiative to ask Janet's family background, but the information flooded in the newspapers during this period is enough for him to know too much.
Janet was born in the veteran Johnston family in Australia.
Although the family wealth is only about 2 billion US dollars, it is not conspicuous on the world's rich list. However, the Johnston family has a very strong potential influence in Australia.
Australia suddenly abolished the inheritance tax eight years ago, becoming the first country in the western developed countries to abolish this tax, and it caused a sensation in the world. It is said that behind the scenes there was a strong push from the Johnston family.
Subsequently, Janet's grandfather Nicholas Johnston passed away in 1983. Due to the abolition of the estate tax, the Johnston family inherited the wealth of the previous generation.
Today, with multiple ownership structures and deep-rooted influence of the family, the Johnston family, which has prospered for a century, still firmly controls the Johnston Holdings Group, which is involved in multiple pillars of the Australian economy such as mining, animal husbandry, and transportation.
The turmoil dissipated, and the paparazzi gradually realized that it was not easy to dig news from a young director like Simon who did not go to nightclubs, drugs, or fights. Therefore, there were obviously fewer media people chasing Simon during this period.
Of course, this is just relative.
Simon's SUV left the Palisades mansion, and many cars still followed closely along the way. The dining place agreed with Mike Medova was at a restaurant next to Century City Ranch Park Golf Club.
Upon arriving at the destination, the two bodyguards expertly guarded Simon and Janet from the paparazzi who wanted to squeeze forward. When entering the restaurant, Janet took Simon's arm and leaned over in his ear and whispered: "If you don't like it, when we have the money to hire a bodyguard, we can send Neil and Ken back to Australia."
Simon said to the waiter who came up, followed the opposite direction into the restaurant, while also whispering to Janet: "The two of them are pretty good, I just feel a little, um, weird."
This is what Simon said.
As a profession closest to employers, bodyguards with sufficient ability and trustworthiness are equally unavailable. Although they have only been together for a few weeks, Simon can feel that Neil's professionalism is absolutely impeccable. As for trust, when it comes to Janet, the Johnston family is naturally less likely to be sloppy in this regard.
Janet laughed softly when he heard Simon say this, and stopped answering.
After walking some distance with the waiter, the two came to a seat, and Mike Medova, the president of Orion Pictures, got up to greet him and greeted Simon and Janet warmly.
The three people then took their seats.
After ordering a meal, after some greetings, the topic was unconsciously transferred to the upcoming 59th Oscars by Mike Medova.
This year's Oscars ceremony will be held on March 30, which is next Monday.
Not only does Orion currently release films at the box office, but this year's Oscars also won 18 Oscar nominations for films such as "Field Platoon" and "Sisters of Hannah". This period of time can be described as an infinite success.
Therefore, the recent Mike Meadowa's gestures are clearly energetic.
"That's it, Simon," Mike Meadow said, looking at the young men and women sitting across from him, "Do you and Jenny want to attend next week's Oscars?"
Simon didn't expect Mike Meadowa to mention this.
Relying on the large number of nominations received this year, it is easy for Orion to temporarily arrange one or two people to participate in the Oscars. Because of the box office success of "Lola Run", Oscar obviously will not be stingy with two additional invitations.
Moreover, attending the Oscar awards ceremony will definitely boost the follow-up box office of "Lola Run".
just.
Following Mike Medova's proposal, Simon had a word directly in his mind.
rub!
What a shame.
So immediately shook his head, Simon said: "Mike, I'm not going."
Mike Medova did not expect this opportunity to be squeezed by many starlets, but Simon refused without hesitation. A little startled, she looked at Janet beside Simon, hoping she could say something. Women should hope to be able to attend such occasions.
However, Janet was obviously even more like she hadn't heard it, and she lowered her eyebrows to help her boyfriend tidy up a napkin.
Ok.
They are a very personal pair again.
Mike Medova thought about this, smiled casually, and said, "Forget it, Simon. Inviting you tonight, I just want to ask, how are you thinking about the next movie?"
Simon knew that Mike Medova invited himself tonight mainly for this, and he did not hide it, saying: "I already have a complete idea, but I won't be able to start writing the script until next month. Mike, you also know that I recently How busy is it."
"Of course, Orion's side is not in a hurry," Mike Medova said, but his body was obviously leaning forward, and said: "Then, Simon, talk to me roughly."
Simon sorted out his thoughts and said: "This is a crime drama with a B-level style. It consists of six independent but related short stories. Similar to "Lola Run", I still hope to adopt a The alternative non-linear narrative mode unifies all the stories interspersedly."
During this time, Simon has been considering his next movie.
After "Lola Run", Simon's next directed film is not difficult to achieve commercial success. But if Simon wants to continue to maintain his popularity, or even go further, his next movie must be like "Lola Run", giving people a sense of refreshing surprise.
After repeated deliberation, Simon finally chose Quentin's "Pulp Fiction".
"Pulp Fiction" also belongs to the non-linear narrative structure, and it also pushes the non-linear narrative of the film to a more wild state. After the film appeared, it not only caused a strong response in the year it was released, but also caused a very profound influence on many directors in Hollywood, Britain and even across the ocean.