NYTimes: Jeff Cronenweth Interview
Was dropped in the comments-section; now embedded for your viewing pleasure: An interview with Oscar-nominated "Dragon Tattoo" cinematography Jeff Cronenweth. (Thanks!)
Labels:
Behind The Scenes,
Films,
Interviews + Articles
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I've seen the movie a second time this week end and regrettably my opinion is that Fincher should really slow down.
ReplyDeleteHe should trust more cinema, less Apple Final Cut pro. Because everything moves so fast, and so few things happen at the same time, the character don't exist, they just move forward. No tension, no thrills, it's all about fitting in the 2h38 as much sequences as possible. Not to mention that the plot is very weak.
Fincher should put more heart and less brain in his future projects.
To stay it in better fashion :
http://mubi.com/notebook/posts/in-the-process-of-the-investigation-david-fincher-and-the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo
I must have seen a different movie ;) The plot is there and it is very good. I didn't look at the watch or fidget in my seat, bored. To me it was all very involving, it demanded my attention ;) This is one of the most atmospheric Fincher movies. Cinematography, music, sound all of them say: isolation, bleakness, grief, abuse, mystery etc. It's all pretty tense stuff to me, not easy to watch ;) And I'll repeat myself, the confrontation with the killer is one of the most thrilling stuff I've seen in a while :)
ReplyDeleteNow, I've read that review. I'd like to adress the "process-sequences" part (making a meal, crossing the street, buying cat food ;) ). I see nothing wrong with that, those micro-sequences move the story forward but at the same time tell us a lot about the characters. You can tell a lot about somebody just by looking at them ;) The way Lisbeth walks, talks, drive her motorbike, prepares a meal (also what kind of meal that is) all those small bits of details are registered in your brain, it's not there for nothing. The fact that Mikael bought that cat food also said a lot about his character ;)
Now the "Fincher keeps his distance" or as you say "more heart and less brain" :) Yeah I don't agree with that. I think his heart is there but not in the "technical" stuff but in the characters. I think he really liked Mikael, I somehow sense it ;) I really enjoyed this character, he was smart, funny but also vulnerable. Fincher (and Craig ;) ) made this character very likeable. He was a true "good guy" . Now, Lisbeth is a different story ;) They approached this character more like the character of Mark Zuckerberg. It's all up to the viewer. She keeps her guard up almost all the time, it's hard to really get to know her, until she finally opens up at the end of the movie. Maybe that was too late for some people to feel the evolution of her character and to bond with her, I don't know. I felt it ;)
And I fear the the day when Fincher puts less brain in his movies ;) I hope it never happens.
PS. Sorry for the long post and any mistakes.
PS 2. Thanks for the link to the interview. Nice find :)
I just wish Fincher would not cut a sequence after 5 seconds. Of course everything is there : cinematography, sound, costume design (though they seem too pristine), etc. And you can't expect less from a perfectionist.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that back with The Game, he used to take his time in order to build tension. Here everything is rushed. Including the ending (all this for that??). If he had just spend a couple of minutes, not 2 second, showing Mikael in his train on his way to the island, instead of useless interrogation scenes in retired homes, that would have created an atmosphere. Less shots of people staring at computer screens please!!
With this movie, Fincher believes more in the power of editing than cinema. I didn't feel the audience frightened or disturbed (apart the cruel & unusual rape scene). You're much in a comfort zone here : nazis rapists and corporate psychos. You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to guess who's the killer. No suspense here. The book seems over-hyped.
TGWTDT is no definitely no Zodiac.
SPOILERS AHEAD ;)
ReplyDeleteI don't know about the book, as I said I didn't read it. Maybe it is over-hyped. But the book has like what? 600 pages? Squeezing it to 2h38 was quite a task. That's how it is with the adaptations of very long books, something has be cut and most of the stuff gets compressed as much as possible. That is why I will praise the editing in this movie ;) To tell such a complex and long story in such a compresseed time and make sure that everything is understandable... they did amazing job IMO. I only wish they showed more of the relationship of Mikael and his daughter, I think it was interesting.
I agree, Dragon Tattoo is definitely not like Zodiac ;) Altough there are some similar parts, mainly the investigation process. In Zodiac people were staring at old papers, documents and photos, in Dragon Tattoo they stare at old papers, documents and photos... on a computer screen ;) What surprised me (in a good way) is that there are no murder scenes in Dragon Tattoo. We only see the aftermath of violence (except for the rape scenes). Similar to Se7en. Much is left to viewer's imagination. The good example is when Martin says to Mikael that when he first visited them, he had a girl locked in that basement... and then there's a cut to that small cage... I mean, that was shocking IMO. Their whole converstion was very disturbing. And I didn't know who the killer was ;) Maybe I'm not a good detective :P But then again that scene when Mikael first visits Martin in his house, when they talk and then suddenly we hear that wind/scream sound... I was like NO WAY :P That was awesome ;)
I understand your critique Gould, maybe after second viewing I'll also have more critical thoughts. Right now, after just one viewing, all I know is that I was very entertained by this movie. ;)
It's a Cover Flow world baby!
ReplyDeleteOr a fliptych one at least.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI do not understand. I mean, I liked the TGWTDT, but I think I missed something there. I can not explain. The production of Fincher´s films, as always, is flawless, but...
I love your blog. Greetings from Brazil!
http://www.solleftea.se/nyheter/startsidan/davidfincherharfilmatisollefteaigen.5.38a57c9812f104c5b4f80009173.html
ReplyDeleteKate Mara(Rooney`s sister) Joins Kevin Spacey & David Fincher's Netflix Series 'House Of Games'; Kristen Connolly Also On Board.
ReplyDeletehttp://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/kate-mara-joins-kevin-spacey-robin-wright-in-david-finchers-netflix-series-house-of-games
Also US bluray cover art is up for the 3 disc set.
http://www.dvdactive.com/news/releases/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo.html