The First Rule of David Fincher is You Don't Rank David Fincher

[Paul Farquhar]

I think Alien3 is a terrible sequel in that it retroactively makes the previous films worse, but that is the fault of the story, not the director.

I think it's quite well known that Fincher had a lot of interference with this, and it isn't the movie he wanted to make.

I'm not exactly a Fincher fan, and I though Gone Girl was pretty bad (but that goes for the book too), but I'm willing to let him off the blame for the terribleness that was Alien3.

 

[Retros_x]

I completely agree with the list - except for Gone Girl. I didn't like this movie too much. And yes Ben Affleck is a brilliant cast - but Neil Patrick Harris was a terrible cast, he pulled me completely out of the movie.

But overall Fincher is definitely one of my favorite directors with a distinct style that I just love. His movies are always so immersive and yet still full of "cinematic flourishes". Love his style. Fight Club was one of my favorite movies for a long time although I distanced myself a bit from it because of a specific brand of fans who seem to misunderstand the movie purposely. Tyler Durden is NOT an aspiring male role model.

I also miss Mindhunter from this list, its honestly part of the 4 tier 1 movies for me and I am very said that it never got a season 3. I hope someday he comes back for it. Anyway I am always looking forward his next movie.

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

I also miss Mindhunter from this list, its honestly part of the 4 tier 1 movies for me and I am very said that it never got a season 3. I hope someday he comes back for it. Anyway I am always looking forward his next movie.

I guess you missed the bit in the OP specifically excluding his TV shows from the rankings? Mindhunter was fantastic TV though.

 

[Ryujin]

No Fight Club?!

Nope. Never.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I’ve only seen 2 of the listed movies.

Look at the bright side- now, you have SO MANY GREAT MOVIES to watch! Woot!

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Between this, and American Psycho we sure had some good predictions/warnings/thoughts in that period.

...American Psycho is such a good movie. It's another I could have listed re: people don't understand.

That's one of the themes (as opposed to "bits") that I keep returning to, and the reason I keep this quote handy:
Any work that employs satire, irony, or sarcasm in a proper and correct fashion requires that some portion of the audience be confused, or even hurt, by the work. Because ambiguity is not a bug, but the central feature of any work that plays with or invokes satire and irony. Simply put, the possibility that the audience can misunderstand the message is necessary to the proper conveyance of the message. This ambiguity is not a bug - it is the distinguishing feature.

It's a powerful statement, because of its truth. And that truth is uncomfortable- it speaks both to why satire (irony, sarcasm) is so powerful, but also contradicts the idea that what someone takes from a work, regardless of the intent or actual meaning, is what matters. Which is an idea that I have seen bandied about as if it were an unalloyed truth- but IMO, it is not.

Like a lot of things in life, there is nuance and complication. IMO, there must be some breathing room between Popehat's law of goats, and (for example) recognizing that American Psycho is able to be misunderstood by certain people because it is a biting attack on those same people.

Anyway, I'm already regretting bring typing what I did, so I'll end it at that.

 

[Parmandur]

11. Alien 3
This is a movie that Finch has disowned, and the studio meddling destroyed it. ...and yet. Look, I'm not going to die on the hill of, "You're all wrong, this is the best Alien movie and bestest Finch movie ever!!!!" That's a no (the original Alien, duh) and a hell no (see the next ten) but ... despite all the problems, I genuinely enjoy it. It could've and should've been better. But it's still good. Fight me (yes, in a Fincher thread, "fight me" is a theme).

As a Fincher movie, yes, it is lacking. As an Aliens franchise piece...it is miserable.

But as a sci-fi horrro movie? Pretty drcent, with some very interesting elements.

1a. The Social Network
What happens when you combine the best material Aaron Sorkin ever wrote with Finch at the the height of his game with perfect casting with the best score Trent Reznor has made? The Social Network, that's what. Hear me now and believe me later- this movie was made about the founding of Facebook in 2010, and it can still tell you a lot about Meta in 2025.

One of the best things I ever saw in theatres. It made sense of my own lived experience as an early adaptor of Facebook, and yeah, it explains a lot about what has happened since 2025 with the platform. And is still very fun somehow??

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

One of the best things I ever saw in theatres. It made sense of my own lived experience as an early adaptor of Facebook, and yeah, it explains a lot about what has happened since 2025 with the platform. And is still very fun somehow??

...and Armie Hammer has been dining out on his role in this for years!

I'll show myself out now.

 

[CleverNickName]

A solid list. For me personally:

• I've never seen Mank or The Killer
• I'd swap The Social Network with Gone Girl

But yeah, that's a good ranking you've got there, Snarf.

 

[payn]

A solid list. For me personally:

• I've never seen Mank or The Killer