Some thoughts on David Fincher's 60th birthday
Sunday, August 28, 2022 at 2:13PM Today, The Academy tweeted this image of David Fincher's filmography and asked which three you'd choose to watch in a marathon.
But even before they did we were thinking about David Fincher...
On Instagram stories early this morning (please follow, we're trying to be regular now on social media) we already asked something that's been haunting us for ever. How does this man have 2 Grammys* and 3 Emmys but no Oscars? And none of those Emmys are for Mindhunter? His awards history makes zero sense. But, alas, there are a lot of artists whose awards histories don't line up with the value of their work.
But speaking of value of his work. How would you rank his pictures? The Academy left out Alien³ his first movie and Mank his latest. He's made 11 pictures in full We'd personally rank his pictures like so
- The Social Network (2010)
- Se7en (1995)
both of them masterful... we'd place the series Mindhunter at #3 if we were including television work
...very rewatchable!!! - Gone Girl (2014)
lots to enjoy and debate - Zodiac (2007)
- Panic Room (2002)
- Fight Club (1999)
divisive but we'd argue undervalued - Alien³ (1992)
too new to have permanent feelings about... but why do Oscar voters only really get excited about his "mild" films? - Mank (2020)
excellent technically... but to what end? - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
meh - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
the only one we've never remotely had a desire to revisit - The Game (1997)
Michael Fassbender as "The Killer" (image via IMDb)
His next film is The Killer starring Michael Fassbender in the titular role as an assassin who develops a conscience. It's a Netflix production that's been in post for several months but since we haven't heard anything on a release date we'll assume 2023.
* For the record his Grammys are for the music videos "Suit and Tie" (Justin Timberlake) and "Love is Strong" (The Rolling Stones). Somehow he lost for the all time classic "Express Yourself" (Madonna).
Reader Comments (21)
1. Fight Club
2. Seven
3. The Social Network
4. Mank
5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttom
6. Zodiac
7. Gone Girl
8. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
9. Alien 3
10. Panic Room
11. The Game
Fincher is so fun to debate, especially when I remember how many of his films I love.
1. Zodiac, a sprawling masterpiece
2. The Social Network, which I only appreciate more over time
3. Fight Club, which still fascinates
4. Gone Girl, led by Pike's incredible work
5. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, which needs a revisit
6. Seven, which never sat as well with me as it did everyone else
7. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a mess with a very good Blanchett performance
8. The Game, watchable
9. Mank, not enjoyable but happy Seyfried was nominated
10. Alien 3, a low point for its franchise
I've only seen pieces of Panic Room, which I know is shameful. Putting it on the list...
How can you have The Game last?!?
For me:
11. Alien 3 (haven't seen it and wouldn't - I don't do robots and/or aliens)
10. Mank (time stolen from me that I'll never get back)
9. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Forrest Gump reheated, though Cate was great, as always)
8. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (I remember liking it fine but have never had a desire to rewatch)
7. Gone Girl (it falls apart in the final third, but great until then)
6. Panic Room (no complaints)
5. The Social Network (love it, but I've always wished it said something about how social media has impacted its users and not just its creators)
4. The Game (such a fun thrill ride!)
3. Zodiac (so full of red herrings that multiple viewings still don't answer all the questions)
2. Se7en (sick and twisted and dark AF and perfection)
1. Fight Club (I'd explain why, but the first rule is... you know)
Always like him since his Jody Watley and Paula Abdul video days,his Madonna Vogue video is my all time favourite music video.
I'd rank his films like this not the best but the ones I enjoy most
1 - Seven absolute masterpiece and should have lots of Oscar love,it would now
2 - Alien 3 underrated but as an Alien film it's a fine film,just forget he killed Newt
3 - Zodiac very rewatchable with a scary John Carroll Lynch and that Jake trapped scene
4 - Panic Room Jodie makes this work,his most commercial work
5 - The Game a film I enjoyed but the ending is a real rug pull,stylish,Douglas peak
6 - The Social Network liked didn't love it,Garfield was robbed,Rooney's sensational opening
7 Gone Girl fun but still think Pike is miscast
8 - Curious Case of Benjamin Button expected more,that Pitt Oscar nom was silly
9 - Fight Club Sorry I don't get the appeal
10 - Mank if it hadn't of been for Seyfried i'd have switched the dvd off
11 - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo pointless and rather repellent
David Fincher is my favourite director. I LOVE his filmography!
The masterpieces:
- Zodiac
- Se7en
- The Social Network
- Fight Club
- Mindhunter
The classics:
- Gone Girl
- The Game
- House of Cards
The popcorns:
- Panic Room
- Alien 3
- The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
The passion prosjects:
- Mank
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Actors in his movies:
Michael Fassbender, Daniel Craig, Brad Pitt, Gary Oldman, Ben Affleck, Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, Edward Norton, Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, Jared Leto, Morgan Freeman, Forest Whitaker, Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield
Actresses in his movies:
Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Tilda Swinton, Sigourney Weaver, Rosamund Pike, Gwyneth Paltrow, Helena Bonham Carter, Chloe Sevigny, Taraji P.Henson, Elle Fanning, Kristen Stewart, Jodie Foster
Oscar nominated performances: Taraji P. Henson, Brad Pitt, Rosamund Pike, Jesse Eisenberg
55 music videos. The top 11 are:
- 01. Madonna "Vogue"
- 02. George Michael "Freedom 90"
- 03. Iggy Pop "Home"
- 04. Madonna "Express Yourself"
- 05. Sting "Englishman In New York"
- 06. The Rolling Stones "Love Is Strong"
- 07. Justin Timberlake feat Jay-Z "Suit & Tie"
- 08. Paula Abdul "Straight Up"
- 09. Nine Inch Nails "Only"
- 10. Sting "Janie’s Got A Gun"
- 11. Michael Jackson " Who Is It"
Excellent:
1. Zodiac
2. The Social Network
3. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
4. Se7en
High highs but as a whole only good:
5. Fight Club
Okay:
6. Alien³
7. The Game
8. Panic Room
9. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Not for me:
10. Mank
11. Gone Girl (the direction is fine, but I find the script a combo of goofy and annoying)
I can't begin to imagine how to rank his best music videos given that so many of them were sensational. An absolute king of the form.
Manuel - Amanda Seyfried was also Oscar-nominated
I just wanted to chime in and say that The Game holds a special place for me among Fincher's oeuvre. Maybe because I saw it when it was showing in theaters and was pleasantly surprised how good it was, or still is. I agree with the others that it is watchable, and if nothing else, it introduced me to the sublime underratedness of Canadian actress Deborah Kara Unger, who I found out later when I tried to watch as many films of hers, was also in Cronenberg's Crash. Wonderful screen presence but so undiscussed and a bit undervalued.
So for this list's purposes, I'd rank The Game as my favorite among Fincher's films mindful that he produced technically proficient and narratively excellent films for cinema-goers and cinephiles. That he did not have as many awards as other filmmakers does not seem to deter him from crafting strangely sublime films.
So far...
1. Gone Girl
2. The Social Network
3. Fight Club
4. Se7en
5. Zodiac
6. The Game
7. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
8. Panic Room
9. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
10. Alien 3
Mank is the film I haven't seen yet and I'm looking forward to The Killer.
Of his music videos:
1. George Michael-Freedom '90
2. Madonna-Vogue
3. NIN-Only
4. A Perfect Circle-Judith
5. Aerosmith-Janie's Got a Gun
6. Madonna-Express Yourself
7. Rolling Stones-Love is Strong
8. Billy Idol-Cradle of Love
9. Madonna-Bad Girl
10. Don Henley-The End of Innocence
11. Jodi Watley-Real Love
12. Justin Timberlake w/ Jay-Z-Suit & Tie
13. Steve Winwood-Roll with It
14. Sting-Englishman in New York
15. Johnny Hates Jazz-Shattered Dreams
Also wanted to chime in on The Game. It's the rare film whose ending felt like a twist to me solely because I had built a certain expectation from the director. If anyone but David Fincher makes that movie, I probably don't feel the same way.
- 10. Sting "Janie’s Got A Gun"
@Manuel: Wow, must have missed that one.
I was going to be so clever and post "Who has the time for a 3 movie marathon? I'll just watch George Michael's "Freedom 90" video 3 times instead" but the main post and the comments have David Fincher's music videos covered. Well done.
Maybe one day TFE can make a list of the best music videos made by (eventual) film directors. Fincher will have a lot of competition from Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris, Spike Jonze, Antoine Fuqua, Lasse Hallstrom, Michel Gondry, Tamra Davis, even Martin Scorsese.
I'm not going to die on the hill of The Game, but it's a cool and fun high-concept thriller, I'd probably put it right up there with Panic Room.
1. Fight Club
2. Social Network
3. Panic Room
4. Se7en
5. Gone Girl
6. Zodiac
7. Mank
8. The Game
9. Benjamin Button
Have not seen Dragon Tattoo or Alien3... can't wait for the Killer.
Zodiac is my favorite film of his, but I devoted an episode of my podcast, Film Literate, to that one first because I’m more excited to dissect his adaptations of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Gone Girl.
Zodiac is my favorite, too. I had no idea it was so beloved, but it seems to be in these parts. It's the scariest movie I've ever seen. Legitimately. That sequence of Jake G. in the basement is aces.
Happy birthday Mr Fincher !
In addition to his mastering of the craft, isn't it impressive that he directed 5 Oscar-nominated leading performances in a row ? That stat seems pretty unique among modern directors.
Brad Pitt
Jesse Eisenberg
Rooney Mara
Rosamund Pike
Gary Oldman
I really love the Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons. It gets a lot of blowback, and is kind of eye rolling because it's his prestigy oscar breakthrough, but the film has a ton of moments that surprise, and I think there's a lot of hidden depth in the relations between the characters, and even how Buttons works to get to know himself.
However, I think my top three are Zodiac, the Social Network, and Gone Girl. I actually think Gone Girl is him at his full strength.
I think the bigger question, than how has he not won an Oscar, is how was he not nominated for a grammy for Vogue? It's such an iconic work and the song was huge at the time. Even if the video is, deceptively simple, that's part of its brilliance. It's also crazy that he didn't get nominated for Express Yourself. I get that the grammys were Madonna averse, but those are huge oversights.
An impressive body of work, but I want to stand up for Panic Room.
That kind of lean thriller precision is rare and executed wonderfully in the film.
I'm not sure how to rank his films, but Se7en is definitely my favorite--it's thrilling and genuinely disturbing.
I remember being disappointed by Panic Room, mostly because the villains were so weak that I felt there wasn't much suspense. Foster is terrific, though--she's great in thrillers.
Alien 3 is flawed but it's a worthy entry in the series for me, and it should have ended there. There's some script problems and it drags in parts, but there's an effective sense of dread.
I'll rank my favorite music videos of his:
1. Madonna--Vogue
2. Madonna--Express Yourself
3. George Michael--Freedom 90
4. Madonna--Bad Girl
5. Paula Abdul--Cold Hearted
6. Madonna--Oh Father
7. Don Henley--The End of the Innocence
8. Paula Abdul--Straight Up
9. Aerosmith--Janie's Got a Gun
It's WILD that he wasn't nominated for a Grammy for "Vogue." The Grammys were REALLY anti-Madonna for quite some time. Ridiculous.
There are so many David Fincher experts here, i'm almost afraid to post my comments. Almost.
Loved Zodiac (especially Jake), Fight Club (one of the only times Brad Pitt was worthwhile) and The Social Network (because I love anything written by Aaron Sorkin).
Sorry to slag on The Panic Room, but I found it predictable and boring. You know from the beginning that somehow Jodie's going to get out.
Can I raise a hand for Benjamin Button? It’s not my favorite of his (that would be Zodiac) but it absolutely wows me every time I see it. He has a reputation for being a clinical, cold director, but BB was the first time I felt genuine emotion from a Fincher film: Button and his dad on the dock at sunrise, Tilda and Button drinking vodka in the middle of the night, older Daisy seeing a teenage Button enter her dance studio, the clock continuing to tick. It just gets me every time. Would’ve voted it for Best Pic 2008.
And just look at this amazing run of videos from just 1989-90!
"Express Yourself", Madonna
"Cold Hearted", Paula Abdul
"Oh Father", Madonna
"Janie's Got a Gun", Aerosmith
"Vogue", Madonna
"Cradle of Love", Billy Idol
"Freedom '90", George Michael