Shallow Waters

Supposedly, in the opinion of this author, Fincher made PANIC ROOM for no other reason than to retile his swimming pool. And has made desperate audience pleasers ever since.

"Fincher was a decorative filmmaker with a pretty morbid vision. Then he made Panic Room with Jodie Foster, who some time in late 90's also decided that she would stop picking plum roles and just you know, show up. Now grasping at commercial success with movies like Benjamin Button, it's safe to assume that Fincher will continue to splash around in the shallow waters of mediocrity."

I'll just leave this one up for debate.

Original Post:
http://gawker.com/5314847/the-pool-movies-that-ruined-a-generations-greatest-directors

15 comments:

  1. I guess in this chick's alternate parallel universe, the masterful Zodiac was never made and the outstandingly inimitable craft that was put into Panic Room and Benjamin Button is something that should be conveniently overlooked in order to arrive at the preordained destination of a "morbid" wunderkind taking up permanent residence resting on his laurels. Please, if money truly was DF's primary motivation, he would've immediately signed onto Mission Impossible 3 while being willfully ignorant of how unpolished the script was. Ever since Alien 3, every move he's made has been palpably deliberate - always mindful of the connection between the final product and the fact that his name will be associated with it for perpetuity. Saying that Fincher should be at or near the end of the line in terms of directors who get called out for harboring dubious integrity is up there with reiterating the nature of wet water and blue skies. I find it especially preposterous that she singles out Ben Button as a shameless attempt to grab cash since it was a rare example of a project with high-art aspirations commanding the type of production resources that seem to always get reserved for escapist summer popcorn flicks. On the basis of this article I have to assume this woman is a cinematically unsophisticated dummy who's just trying to stir the pot and be provactive.

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  2. iphone ad should pay well enough for his pool.

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  3. I think she's right. That's what Hollywood does to you. Superficiality, celebrity, pools, and $$$. Who can blame Fincher for not burning himself on difficult art movies that go against the commercial Hollywood imperative and just cashing in for his retirement?

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  4. Let's face it: Hollywood is shit. Who would want to go there? I don't get all the people who dream about Hollywood.

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  5. Just looking at this trailer full of Hollywood cliches that are true makes me vomit: http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/spread/

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  6. Perfect case of wanting to write something clever only to find one has nothing clever to say.

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  7. What was the budget of the iPhone ads?

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  8. The Curious Case of Benjamin Batman:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWpFrJGpnR0

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  9. jeff b*tches: lol, you're right. i wonder what fincher's directing fee is for commercials over at AnonymousContent..

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  10. I think it's awesome that Fincherfanatic puts up critical stuff on Fincher too, makes the site a bit more balanced.

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  11. Well, Fincher DID state that he partly took on the project of shooting in one house (and not multiple locations like in Fight Club) to have one place to go to work. I think it's on the commentary track of the Panic Room SE DVD.

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  12. Yeah I don't think that's the point. Fincher did say that he was interested in a smaller project after Fight Club and was intrigued by the idea of shooting all in one house. But look what he turned that script into. I think he even says something along those lines in the very same commentary, that he was wanting to do a little movie to run his fingers own, but then wound up with this gigantic effort, which it was. If you look at Panic Room it's certainly not a movie that any other director could have or would have made just as well. It makes wonderful use of the premise, which is due to a solid script, it makes wonderful use of every aspect of the story being in one location, perfect use of its cast and as we know from Fincher every cinematic, the lights, direction of photography, staging, sound design and editing is just as close to perfect as any film ever got. I believe the author of that pamphlet just picked the wrong director and then the wrong movie to whine about.

    Every project that Fincher has taken on in these last ten years was incredibly ambitious, whether you look at Panic Room, Zodiac or Benjamin Button. If Fincher was indeed after some pool money, he could have gone much easier routes, such as making every first piece of trash screenplay that lands on his desk, and I could bet my ass he was offered at least a million Se7en-like movies which he turned down.

    You can like or dislike his recent efforts. But calling Fincher a sellout just identifies you as someone, who has no idea what they are talking about.

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  13. Brett Ratner is a sellout. And even worse, he thinks of himself as a younger Spielberg. Just read an interview on his upbringing and his entrance into Hollywood.

    Hollywood is disgusting.

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  14. Yeah Ed we know Fincher is your one and only hero and everyone who criticises him is an idiot who doesn't know what she/he is talking about.

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  15. Hey Ed I read Fincher can walk on water.

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