BWI Film Club Poll - In honor of David Fincher's B-Day, your favorite Fincher movies!

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

Let's do Top 3. For my money, Fincher is one of the best, most interesting filmmakers for the past two decades or so (current 'best' IMO is Christopher Nolan). Could be a Spielberg if he wanted, but takes more chances. Has a great eye for talent (anyone remember Mahershala Ali in Benjamin Button?). I know he's big into his Netflix deal (think he directed seven episodes so far of 'Mindhunter' - I need to check that out), but would be nice to see him get back to the 'real' big screen.

Anyway, here are ten of his most popular films - what say you?

1. Gone Girl

2. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

3. The Social Network

4. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

5. Zodiac

6. Panic Room

7. Fight Club

8. The Game

9. Se7en

10. Alien 3

 

[Chickenman Testa]

My first choice by far is Zodiac. What a great movie

 

[BBrown]

My first choice by far is Zodiac. What a great movie

Mine would be...

1.) Panic Room
2.) Zodiac
3.) Seven
4.) Fight Club
5.) Girl with the Dragon Tatoo.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

My first choice by far is Zodiac. What a great movie

Mine would be...

1.) Panic Room
2.) Zodiac
3.) Seven
4.) Fight Club
5.) Girl with the Dragon Tatoo.

Zodiac is really underrated I think - what a spectacular cast too. Panic Room is another film that showcases Fincher's eye for talent - think it's Kristen Stewart's first major film role.

I'd probably go:

Fight Club
Se7en
The Game

Gone Girl would probably be fourth; if interested, and I thought I absolutely wouldn't be because I have never been a big Bill Simmons fan, his 'The Rewatchables' podcast is awesome for film fans who like a bit of a deep dive/discussion on some great movies. I'm just finishing up the 'Gone Girl' discussion and it's really great - they get into more symbolic plot points/narrative, have categories like, 'Most Rewatchable Scene' and 'Casting What If's' (for example, how would Gone Girl have been with Jon Hamm and Reese Witherspoon as leads since they were the originals?). Really good stuff (I'm queueing up 'Inglorious Basterds' next). You can check it out here:

https://www.theringer.com/the-rewatchables

It helps that BS has some film critics/journalists join in on the discussion; I can only take so much of him but he's really good and pretty restrained here.

 

[psugo]

Let's do Top 3. For my money, Fincher is one of the best, most interesting filmmakers for the past two decades or so (current 'best' IMO is Christopher Nolan). Could be a Spielberg if he wanted, but takes more chances. Has a great eye for talent (anyone remember Mahershala Ali in Benjamin Button?). I know he's big into his Netflix deal (think he directed seven episodes so far of 'Mindhunter' - I need to check that out), but would be nice to see him get back to the 'real' big screen.

Anyway, here are ten of his most popular films - what say you?

1. Gone Girl

2. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

3. The Social Network

4. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

5. Zodiac

6. Panic Room

7. Fight Club

8. The Game

9. Se7en

10. Alien 3

Rewatching fight club is as cool as it gets.

 

[wbcincy]

When I first looked through them I was thinking it was your order and was shocked.

1) Fight Club
2) Seven
3) Zodiac
4) Gone Girl

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

When I first looked through them I was thinking it was your order and was shocked.

1) Fight Club
2) Seven
3) Zodiac
4) Gone Girl

I think they're in reverse chronological order (from IMDB). That said, weirdly enough he has really only done ten feature films. Was a big music video/commercial director before Alien 3.

 

[PSUSignore]

When I first looked through them I was thinking it was your order and was shocked.

1) Fight Club
2) Seven
3) Zodiac
4) Gone Girl

I think I'm in the exact same order, but after Fight Club and Seven it's tough for me. Regardless, Fincher is one of my favorites, along with Christopher Nolan.

 

[paulrandythomas]

Seven is fantastic.

Going against the grain, I think Fight Club sucked.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

Seven is fantastic.

Going against the grain, I think Fight Club sucked.

Interesting. Why? I remember seeing it in the theater and feeling like I could really connect with Jack; sort of a worker bee doing everything he thought he should do, having a perfect little Ikea life, and feeling completely unfulfilled. The stuff about corporations, marketing, etc. just really resonated. When the twist came, I was totally blown away (unlike for Sixth Sense which came out the same year and I guessed the plot of in the first fifteen minutes). I also remember seeing FC get a 'D' from Entertainment Weekly. I love it and think it holds up well - really a statement film for a generation. Fincher's work here is my favorite of his but to each his own!

 

[BBrown]

Seven is fantastic.

Going against the grain, I think Fight Club sucked.

I don't think it "sucked" its just not

Interesting. Why? I remember seeing it in the theater and feeling like I could really connect with Jack; sort of a worker bee doing everything he thought he should do, having a perfect little Ikea life, and feeling completely unfulfilled. The stuff about corporations, marketing, etc. just really resonated. When the twist came, I was totally blown away (unlike for Sixth Sense which came out the same year and I guessed the plot of in the first fifteen minutes). I also remember seeing FC get a 'D' from Entertainment Weekly. I love it and think it holds up well - really a statement film for a generation. Fincher's work here is my favorite of his but to each his own!

The way you feel about FC is the way I feel about Panic Room.
I loved the camera work and cinematography. Plus a pretty stellar cast: Jodie Foster, Forrest Whitaker, Jared Leto (first thing I ever saw him in), Dwight Yoakam (who I think is pretty good in everything I've seen him in and wonder why he doesn't do more?)
and Kristen Stewart (again first thing I ever saw her in).

All in all thats a pretty impressive list of movies.

 

[psuro]

Interesting. Why? I remember seeing it in the theater and feeling like I could really connect with Jack; sort of a worker bee doing everything he thought he should do, having a perfect little Ikea life, and feeling completely unfulfilled. The stuff about corporations, marketing, etc. just really resonated. When the twist came, I was totally blown away (unlike for Sixth Sense which came out the same year and I guessed the plot of in the first fifteen minutes). I also remember seeing FC get a 'D' from Entertainment Weekly. I love it and think it holds up well - really a statement film for a generation. Fincher's work here is my favorite of his but to each his own!

I liked FC, but Sixth Sense is a cut above, in my opinion. I think it holds up really well, much like Shawshank Redemption does.

 

[Chickenman Testa]

Seven is fantastic.

Going against the grain, I think Fight Club sucked.

I thought Fight Club was like the Barstool Sports wet dream movie. Kind of dudebroey and pointless

 

[Lane]

I think they're in reverse chronological order (from IMDB). That said, weirdly enough he has really only done ten feature films. Was a big music video/commercial director before Alien 3.

I was taking with my brother (who is in the industry) about Fincher and Mindhunter the other day. He mentioned how Fincher had been attached to several big tent pole films in the last few years and that he didn’t seem to really want to do them. His M.O. was to agree to do the project then start making crazy budget demands which inevitably led to him departing from the project. My brother thought he was doing it to just F with the studios because they are so consumed with the vapid projects that come with a built in audience and not interesting innovative material. Crank out yet another sequel or super hero movie instead of an original script. So, in essence, he’s spent the last few years protesting in a way. Also, Netflix gave him tons of money to make Mindhunter. There’s a ton of effects work to make Pittsburgh look like other period era cities. That seems to be where the industry is headed. Make formulaic “safe” projects for the big screen and interesting long form stuff on the streaming or cable platforms.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

I liked FC, but Sixth Sense is a cut above, in my opinion. I think it holds up really well, much like Shawshank Redemption does.

Two really different movies with similar plot twists. The payoff in both works really well though IMO. For whatever reason, I found it easy to guess Willis was a ghost early on as opposed to having no idea in FC until the reveal. FC still my preference but for a debut, SS is masterful.

I thought Fight Club was like the Barstool Sports wet dream movie. Kind of dudebroey and pointless

Fight Club came out in '99 I think, so long before widespread use of the internet and social media. I don't find it to be very 'broey' or pointless at all - commentary on consumerism, mass marketing, hollow careers, etc. made a lot of sense to me. I will say I like the ending in the book better, where the plot isn't to erase debt, but that Jack/Tyler isn't able to stop what he's created despite trying to kill himself - that his message becomes bigger and more relevant than he is.

But with all that being said...

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

I was taking with my brother (who is in the industry) about Fincher and Mindhunter the other day. He mentioned how Fincher had been attached to several big tent pole films in the last few years and that he didn’t seem to really want to do them. His M.O. was to agree to do the project then start making crazy budget demands which inevitably led to him departing from the project. My brother thought he was doing it to just F with the studios because they are so consumed with the vapid projects that come with a built in audience and not interesting innovative material. Crank out yet another sequel or super hero movie instead of an original script. So, in essence, he’s spent the last few years protesting in a way. Also, Netflix gave him tons of money to make Mindhunter. There’s a ton of effects work to make Pittsburgh look like other period era cities. That seems to be where the industry is headed. Make formulaic “safe” projects for the big screen and interesting long form stuff on the streaming or cable platforms.

Huh. That's interesting. Maybe less pressure? Or the format is more suited to Fincher's obsessive style? Or he's bored with film? I heard he shot 500 hours of footage for Gone Girl - that's over a 100 day shoot. Amazing. I do think he got a bit jaded over the reception to Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - it was a fine movie, but it's was exactly like the book and everyone read that, so no big surprises on screen. Rooney Mara gave my favorite female performance that year though.

Gonna have to start Mindhunter - my brother loves it.

 

[wbcincy]

I thought Fight Club was like the Barstool Sports wet dream movie. Kind of dudebroey and pointless

Dude, I gotta disagree on this one bro.

 

[Chickenman Testa]

Dude, I gotta disagree on this one bro.

Hah! As long as you eat clean bro

https://eatcleanbro.com/