David Fincher

Born in Colorado, 1962

Started making films after getting a super 8 camera for his 8th birthday

Worked for Korty Films after high school 

Joined the Staff of George Lucas's special effects company where he worked on "Return of The Jedi" and "Indiana Jones Temple of Doom"

Directed: 

Alien³ (1992)

Fight Club (1999)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

The Social Network (2010)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

House of Cards (2013)

Style

Fincher uses the color and tones of his shots to reflect the tone of the scene

He uses low lighting with harsh light sources, creating shadows and a shallow depth of field. this allows key characters or points of importance to move in and out of focus

  

He uses lots of pans and movement to tell the story

Fincher also uses many point of view shots

The coloring in fincher's films is somewhat harsh, like his lighting

He uses greens and blues giving off an eerie feeling

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yp06O_q9qBc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2cOWURvWqw

 "Some people go to the movies to be reminded that everything's okay. I don't make those kinds of movies. That, to me, is a lie. Everything's not okay."

"As much as people pretend 'I fit in, I understand, I get the rules,' there are always times spent away from that where you go, 'I thought I knew. It seemed so clear to me, and then . . .' That sense of loneliness, or the sense of not fitting in or being out of depth, is probably the most common denominator"

Watchlist

These are a list of films that I think you should watch

If you haven't

American Beauty

Fight Club

Cloud Atlas

Dallas Buyers Club

High Fidelity

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Wolf of Wall Street

An Education

Train Spotting 

The Squid and the Whale

Don John

The Truman Show

Shutter Island

Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark

Gone With The Wind 

The Shining

Clerks

"An Education" Movie Review

   "An Education" is a beautiful british film starring Carey Mulligan, and directed by Lone Scherfig. The film is about Jenny Mellor, a typical teenage schoolgirl in 1960's London, whose world seems to drastically change.  Jenny is walking home one rainy day after school, she meets a man much older than her, who offers her a ride home. Jenny's life completely changes as she becomes romantically involved with the man, who entices her into a gatsby-esque world full of luxuries and freedoms she had not yet experienced. Like I said its a beautiful film with beautiful shot composition. Scherfig manipulated the visual aspect of the film to aid in making you empathize with the film as a whole. Although the plot may not be based around a common situation, I felt that it was still very relatable.

Beautiful beautiful, watch it. 

"High Fidelity" Movie Review

"High Fidelity" is definitely one of my favorite films. Directed by Stephen Frears, and starring John Cusack, the film made me laugh as well as build a connection to the characters. The story is about a man named Rob (Cusack) in his early 30's who owns a record store with his two crazy employees/best friends. The plot is centered around Rob's mission: to make the perfect mix-tape. This journey takes us through Rob's midlife crisis, as he over thinks his past and current relationships, and his life all together. This film is cute, and hilarious and may cause you to reflect on your own life as well. Each character is unique and interesting in their own way, adding to the already kind of quirky twist the film already has. I don't know what to say other than "High Fidelity" is a great film, and you should all watch it.

Favorite Commercial

Due to having an Apple TV, I've mostly only been watching shows on Netflix, which have no commercials. When I do watch regular television I find myself doing everything I can in attempt to not watch the commercials. I change channels frequently, fast-forward when I can, or do other things when it's time for a commercial break. I do however, find myself enjoying the occasional commercial from time to time, but I just find most quite annoying. My favorite commercial has not changed for a couple of years. Funny or whimsical commercials are great sometimes, but out of all of the commercials I have seen, the one that stuck with me was the Levi's Oh! Pioneers (Go Fourth) ad. The commercial is entertaining, pleasing to the eye, exciting, and even inspiring in a way. There are shots of many diverse young people, running around, or driving, or exploring- just being adventurous with a Walt Whitman poem in the background. There are lots of different but all beautiful scenes, which keeps the viewer entertained as the narrator speaks verses from the poem. As a whole it's all about being free, exploring, and entering new frontiers. It may also be eluding to a sort of rebirth of the hippy movement, which is where the denim ties in. The ad modernizes similar ideas posed in much earlier Levi's ads, decades ago. In doing this, Levi's probably spoke to their older generations of customers, as well as their newer ones, stringing along some new Levi's fans as well. It brings people together. This commercial was made well, it's interesting, and makes me want to buy the product, so that I too can explore nature, adventure, have bon fire parties with other young people, and be free. I'm assuming that's exactly what Levi's wanted to do with this commercial, and they were successful. If you haven't seen it before, here it is: Oh! Pioneers (Go Fourth)

Documentary Treatment

     Sixteen-year-olds Max Poscente and Jonah Smith have known each other since preschool. The two boys have always had a lot in common: Their love for star wars, their taste in women, their musical talent, and more. But with too many similarities, can the competition aspect of their friendship drive a wedge between them?      
     Jonah and Max started attending Zound Sounds, a music school in Dallas at a very young age. When their music careers began to develop, they found themselves head to head in many situations. While their relationship grew strong for years, it had always been easy for Max and Jonah to hold grudges against each other for even the most trivial reasons. After having attended school together for many years on end, Max and Jonah found themselves separated in 8th grade. One at White Rock Montessori and one at Shelton, they grew distant and began to dislike each other for a reason even they couldn't tell you.
     When Jonah started his band Plowboy, and Max his former band The Psycho Sonics, jealously became an even more distinct factor. Their freshman year at Booker T. Washington High School For The Performing And Visual Arts hit Max and Jonah with the realization that they were stuck with each other for four years, whether they liked it or not. Regardless of the underlying rivalry, the boys had grown up together, so in a way their friendship sort of picked up where it had left off.
     After surviving their freshman year, adapting to new circumstances and new environments, we've arrived at the present. New friendships came and went yet here stands Max and Jonah, brothers, in the most literal way it can be taken without actual blood relation. They truly have been through a lot together, and their unique bond in unlike any other.
     In this documentary, you will hear opinions, insight, and stories from band members, childhood friends, teachers and more in order to explore the ins and outs of a friendship like this. Jonah and Max will talk about their sides, and points of view and you will be taken into the childhoods that raised this friendship to be what it is today.

"The Future" Movie Review

"The Future" is a very very strange, obscure film about a couple who are going to adopt a cat with an injured paw when the cat gets released from the vet. The story is narrated by the cat who is personified using a creepy, yet pitiful voice. The cat is depressed and pessimistic about making it out of that cage in the vet alive, as the main story follows the couple's relationship complications throughout the waiting period they have before taking their cat home. The film as a whole is very sad and makes you rethink a lot of things about your current state of being. If you are already sad, don't watch this film- for it will make you more sad. It will make you very, very depressed. And if you're like me and initially skipped to the end to make the sad stop, you will be disappointed as well when you find the sad just increases as the film progresses. Above all, I enjoyed the film. It has many complex, profound qualities that in turn are quite stimulating.
I think you should watch it as well, just don't expect anything too uplifting.