David Fincher, My Couch, And What It would Take to Get Me off It

Fight Club (1999) Edward Norton and Brad Pitt (Screengrab)

Fincher and my couch. It’s a match made in heaven. A lazy Saturday afternoon, me all by my lonesome, and a Fincher flick. David Fincher is one of my all time favorite directors, but I just don’t see the point of viewing any of his flicks in the theater. I’ve heard great things about Gone Girl from both critics and friends, but like most Fincher flicks it’s long with a run time of 2 hours and 29 minutes. That’s a deal breaker for me to see anything in theaters unless it’s something completely bombastic visually. Marvel movies, epic period pieces, or crazy sci-fi/fantasy are pretty much my theater fare these days. So what would it take from Fincher to get me off the couch and into the cineplex?

Short Answer: A remake of Lord of the Flies.

I’ve honestly dreamed about a great director tackling this book for most of my adult life. It has never been given the justice it so rightly deserves in film, but out of every director out there I’d love to see Fincher’s take the most. He’s a master of intimate storytelling, giving the viewer an almost voyeuristic look into whatever world, and characters he’s set up on screen. He also knows how to build tension by atmosphere which is one of the biggest strengths Lord of the Flies has going for it. I can only imagine the bleak, despondent magic Fincher would create on screen during the hallucination Simon has involving the talking severed pig’s head, or how he’d subtly set up the personality clash between Ralph and Jack. That’s why I usually watch his movies alone on the couch, so I can give every word uttered in his movies my full attention, and pick up on the small nuances he constantly throws down.

Zodiac, Seven, Fight Club, The Social Network, when it comes to great films for a Saturday afternoon alone on the couch his list goes on and on. Like every director some of his movies are definitely better than others but, I wouldn’t say any aren’t worth watching. Even Alien 3 (his first foray into Hollywood, and a movie he’s basically disowned) has some decent qualities about it.

Any director you only watch on the couch, or would like to see execute a dream project?

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One Comment

  1. I have plenty of movies I would watch on the couch over and over again. But with Fincher – he is my favorite – so I owe to him to see everything he puts his name on in the theater. That might be a bit obsessive to some, but from one artist to another I want to show him my appreciation for his work by shelling out the $10+ to go see one of his films. I’ve not been disappointed at all thus far and look forward to the next time I visit the movies to see a film by David Fincher.

    Side note – Lord of the Flies would be PERFECT for him to put his spin on. My god – that’s a great suggestion! Petition this now.

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