2015 Golden Globes Nominations Predictions
The ultra-prestigious and never ridiculous Hollywood Foreign Press Association is on the cusp of announcing its nominees for the 2015 Golden Globes. We should take these nominations very seriously, as the many, many dedicated and serious-minded members of this fine organization consider only the artistic merits of each film, performance, and craft achievement in a […]
Gone Girl Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) There’s an interesting correlation that exists within David Fincher’s filmography: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button aside, the more shocking and memorable a film’s chief psychopath is, the better the film is as a whole. Kevin Spacey’s John Doe made Se7en one of the most horrifying films of all time, and characters […]
2015 Oscar Predictions: First Guesses Before Fall Fests
It’s 2015 Oscar predictions time, so let’s dig the prognosticator’s hat out of the attic, dust it off, and take a look at the landscape of the 2015 Oscar race. If I’m being honest, though, I almost didn’t want to get involved with 2015 Oscar predictions at all. Last year’s Oscar season and the nonsense […]
Side by Side
One wouldn’t necessarily expect Keanu Reeves to be as much an expert on the art of filmmaking as folks like James Cameron, George Lucas, Christopher Nolan, David Fincher, David Lynch, Danny Boyle, Steven Soderbergh, and Martin Scorsese, but in the documentary Side by Side, he’s a very knowledgable window into the artistic and technical processes […]
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) Review
RATING: (3 STARS) David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is about as good as its nauseatingly dense source material would allow. I’m no fan of Stieg Larsson’s novel, nor the original Swedish film version. Fincher, however, is able to milk this puppy for all its worth. It’s pulp for mass consumption. It hides […]
Ranking David Fincher’s Movies
Before I rank David Fincher’s movies, it’s worth going through the filmography and picking out themes. One thing that persists across all of Fincher’s films is the way he depicts and individual (or individuals) in a world that’s random and usually cruel, trying to navigate it the best they can. In Alien 3, Ellen Ripley […]
Alien 3 Review
RATING: (3 STARS) The behind-the-scenes story of Alien 3 is almost as interesting as the film itself. Director David Fincher, in his feature debut nonetheless, was reportedly so frustrated with the studio interference that he essentially disowned the cut of the film that audiences saw in 1992. I did not watch that movie, so I […]
Fight Club Review
RATING: (4 STARS) The first rule of fight club (the organization) is that you don’t talk about fight club. The first rule of Fight Club (the movie) should be that you don’t try to write a review of Fight Club, for words can’t do this film justice. It’s something you have to see to believe. […]
The Game Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) The Game is the kind of film that unfortunately doesn’t follow the old adage “The ends justify the means.†We the viewers are dragged along on this roller coaster ride of suspense that’s so relentless it almost makes you crazy. A really juicy ending could have made the chaotic journey worthwhile. But […]
Panic Room Review
RATING: (3 STARS) Panic Room is arguably David Fincher’s most problematic film. Yet, this is a rare instance in which the technical aspects of the film are so admirable and strong that you can overlook the massive narrative hiccups and actually enjoy the end product. Too often, the needs of the plot drive the actions […]
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Review
RATING: (4 STARS) Until 2008, David Fincher was primarily a genre director—a damn good one, for sure, but a genre director nonetheless. With Se7en and Zodiac, many would argue that his specialty was serial killer films. So I think it surprised a lot of people that he was taking on a project as complex and […]
Zodiac Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) Ask a random assortment of film lovers what their favorite David Fincher film is and there’s a good chance a majority will vote for Zodiac, the director’s 2007 look at the effects of a serial killer in 1970s San Francisco. Strangely enough, I find Zodiac to be among Fincher’s least successful efforts. […]
Se7en Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) Se7en is one of the darkest serial-killer films of all-time. It contains a truly twisted killer and one of the most brutal endings I’ve ever seen in film. It has obtained real cult status since its release in 1995 and helped put director David Fincher on the map. I don’t believe it’s […]
The Social Network Review
RATING: (4 STARS) Having gone through college while the ubiquitous Web site Facebook went from niche obsession to global phenomenon, I can say that I’ve spent far too many hours scouring its pages for status updates, newly posted pictures, event invites, and private messages. It has undoubtedly changed the way college students interact, and now […]
