David Fincher

Made films the shows talk about.

Wikidata Q184903: matched by corpus:resolve, told apart by the only person by that name on Wikidata.

Counted as director, the making department they hold the most credits in. The films the hosts said they directed, which the two lists below run through too: Bamboleo (Gypsy Kings video) (1987); She Comes On (Wire Train video) (1987); Straight Up (Paula Abdul video) (1988); Express Yourself (Madonna video) (1989); Cradle of Love (Billy Idol video) (1990); Alien 3 (1992); Bad Girl (Madonna video) (1992); Seven (1995); Sixth Avenue Heartache (Wallflowers video) (1996); The Cable Guy (1996); The Game (1997); Fight Club (1999); Panic Room (2002); Zodiac (2007); The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008); The Social Network (2010); The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011); Gone Girl (2014); Mindhunter (2017); Mank (2020); The Killer (2023); Bop Till You Drop (Rick Springfield video); Charm the Snake (Christopher Cross video); Cold Hearted (Paula Abdul video); Dance This World Away (Rick Springfield video); Englishman in New York (Sting video); Freedom 90 (George Michael video); House of Cards; I Don't Mind at All (Bourgeois Tagg video); Iggy Pop video (Brick by Brick; title transcribed 'Beautiful stranger'); Janie's Got a Gun (Aerosmith video); Johnny B (The Hooters video); Judith (A Perfect Circle video); L.A. Woman (Billy Idol video); Love Is Strong (Rolling Stones video); Mindhunter (TV); Nine Inch Nails video (title not said); Notorious (Loverboy video); Oh Father (Madonna video); Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (and the planned Fincher follow-up); Orville Redenbacher commercial (Fincher, Digital Domain); Real Love (Jody Watley video); Shame (The Motels video); Shattered Dream (Johnny Hates Jazz video); She's Like the Wind (Patrick Swayze video); Storybook Love (Mark Knopfler and Willie DeVille video); Suit & Tie (Justin Timberlake video); The Further Misadventures of Cliff Booth; Videosyncrasy (unmade); Vogue (Madonna video); We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off (Jermaine Stewart video); unnamed film; unspecified. Count them as producer (4 films), cinematographer (2 films), craft (3 films) instead.

Draws on

What the speakers say they, or a film of theirs, drew on. Each is a speaker's account: “the maker said so” when they report the maker's own words, “the host's read” when the read is theirs.

Seven (1995): 5 lines, within their own work

  1. career (career) · through Fight Club (1999), which they directed: Seven ⇒ Fight Club (the host's read). Without Se7en's power Fincher does not get to do The Game and Fight Club his way.
    “I think without this movie, he doesn't go on this run”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Se7en’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:27:28 · Sean Fennessey (0.55 sure it was them)
  2. unmapped (why Fincher was offered it) · through Zodiac (2007), which they directed: Seven ⇒ Zodiac (the host's read). Seven made Fincher the first choice for any serial-killer project, Zodiac included.
    “Ever since he makes seven, if there's some serial killer movie, is getting sent it”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Zodiac with Leslye Headland (Ad-Free) · 0:51:53 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
  3. unmapped (R-rated proof) · through The Game (1997), which they directed: Seven ⇒ The Game (the host's read). Se7en's hit status as an R-rated film convinced the backers to fund The Game.
    “I think convinced, um, people like, okay, like, you can make an R-rated movie a hit.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:33:16 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  4. unmapped (commercial lead-in) · through The Game (1997), which they directed: Seven ⇒ The Game (the host's read). Se7en's success gave Fincher an absurd budget for The Game.
    “this is better for me because now I can make this movie at an absurd budget.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:47:35 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  5. career (career lever) · through Fight Club (1999), which they directed: Seven ⇒ Fight Club (the host's read). Se7en's success is what let Fincher make the seemingly impossible Fight Club.
    “But the fight club is him more being like, okay, guys, I know this seems impossible, but I made seven.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Se7en with Mike Mitchell & Nick Wiger (Ad-Free) · 1:05:55 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Alfred Hitchcock: 4 lines

  1. lineage (influence) · them, directly: Alfred Hitchcock ⇒ David Fincher (the maker said so). Fincher obviously cites Hitchcock (the speaker adds so do many people).
    “he obviously cites Hitchcock, so massively”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Zodiac with Leslye Headland (Ad-Free) · 1:14:57 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  2. lineage (lineage) · through Seven (1995), which they directed: Alfred Hitchcock ⇒ Seven (the host's read). Se7en is a Hitchcock movie in its pulling-your-chain structure of mystery, reveal and anxiety, and Hitchcock is Fincher's biggest influence.
    “I think as much as this seems like a modern movie, it's also just completely a Hitchcock movie in so many ways.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Se7en’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:14:30 · Sean Fennessey (0.85 sure it was them)
  3. unmapped (heir) · them, directly: Alfred Hitchcock ⇒ David Fincher (the host's read). Sean says Fincher has been a reasonable heir to Hitchcock, so a Hitchcock remake bores him.
    “he's been doing a great job of being a reasonable heir to Hitchcock”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Mank with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:26:18 · Sean Fennessey (0.70 sure it was them)
  4. lineage (influence) · them, directly: Alfred Hitchcock ⇒ David Fincher (the host's read). Fincher loves Hitchcock, who made conventionally entertaining movies carrying deep, confused emotional themes, the dual-entertainment mode Fincher pursues.
    “he also knows that he loves Alfred Hitchcock, and what does Alfred Hitchcock do? He makes conventionally entertaining movies that have deep, confused, emotional themes”
    The Big Picture · ‘The Killer’ Is Cold-Blooded Genius. And Something More · 1:12:33 · Sean Fennessey (0.60 sure it was them)

All That Jazz (1979): 4 lines

  1. lineage (influence) · them, directly: All That Jazz ⇒ David Fincher (the maker said so). The speaker says Fincher loves Fosse and always cites All That Jazz.
    “All that jazz is like a recurring influence.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with Fran Hoepfner (Ad-Free) · 0:53:45 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  2. lineage (cited influence) · through Seven (1995), which they directed: All That Jazz ⇒ Seven (the maker said so). A host recalls a Fincher film the show covered where he cited All That Jazz as an inspiration for the look, maybe Seven.
    “where he cited how much of an inspiration all that jazz was for him for the look of the movie?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · David Fincher Music Videos · 1:13:07 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  3. lineage (visual homage) · through Cold Hearted (Paula Abdul video), which they directed: All That Jazz ⇒ Cold Hearted (Paula Abdul video) (the host's read). A host reads that Cold Hearted was inspired by All That Jazz, and another says it directly references it.
    “this film was uh, inspired by all that jazz, her belly button's exposed.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · David Fincher Music Videos · 1:14:36 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  4. people (screened for crew) · them, directly: All That Jazz ⇒ David Fincher (the host's read). A host read somewhere that All That Jazz was the movie Fincher screened for his crew as the style to match.
    “I was just reading somewhere about like all that jazz being the movie that he screened for his crew a bunch.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · David Fincher Music Videos · 1:14:20 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Citizen Kane (1941): 3 lines

  1. lineage (visual influence) · through Mank (2020), which they directed: Citizen Kane ⇒ Mank (the maker said so: David's interview with cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt). Messerschmidt told the interviewer he wanted low, deep-focus photography evoking Citizen Kane, not noir.
    “He's like, no, I want to do it low to the ground, lots of deep focus, evoking citizen Kane.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Mank with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:13:08 · David Sims (0.80 sure it was them)
  2. lineage (subject / source) · through Mank (2020), which they directed: Citizen Kane ⇒ Mank (the host's read). Mank is partly inspired by Pauline Kael's essay on who truly authored Citizen Kane.
    “it's in part inspired by that very famous Pauline Kale, story raising Kane, about the true authorship of Citizen Kane”
    The Big Picture · Emergency Mailbag: The Oscars Are Streaming and Hollywood Is Fighting Over Trolls | The Big Picture · 0:58:09 · Sean Fennessey (0.55 sure it was them)
  3. unmapped (tribute) · through Oh Father (Madonna video), which they directed: Citizen Kane ⇒ Oh Father (Madonna video) (the host's read). Oh Father is called Fincher's first Citizen Kane tribute.
    “This was his 1st Citizen Kane tribute.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · David Fincher Music Videos · 1:17:07 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Fight Club (1999): 3 lines, within their own work

  1. career (career) · through Panic Room (2002), which they directed: Fight Club ⇒ Panic Room (the host's read). Panic Room read as a small antidote to the response to Fight Club.
    “This seemed like a little bit of an antidote to that because what's panic room about.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Panic Room’ (Plus a Mini Will Smith–Oscars Recap) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:19:29 · Sean Fennessey (0.60 sure it was them)
  2. craft (craft) · through Panic Room (2002), which they directed: Fight Club ⇒ Panic Room (the host's read). The inside-the-house camera moves Fincher started in Fight Club are fully developed in Panic Room.
    “And there's a lot of like stuff that he had started to do a little bit with Fight Club is like really like fleshed out in panic room”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Panic Room’ (Plus a Mini Will Smith–Oscars Recap) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:20:53 · Chris Ryan (0.45 sure it was them)
  3. unmapped (response to) · through Panic Room (2002), which they directed: Fight Club ⇒ Panic Room (the host's read). A host says Panic Room is a conscious response to Fight Club, which flopped and tried to be about everything.
    “Yes. And I feel like it's a very conscious response to fight club.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Panic Room with Eva Anderson (Ad-Free) · 0:24:52 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Sigourney Weaver: 3 lines

  1. unmapped (creative input) · through Alien 3 (1992), which they directed: Sigourney Weaver ⇒ Alien 3 (the maker said so). Weaver's top input was no guns, in reaction to the gun focus of Aliens.
    “She was like, Hollywood's 2 gun obsessed.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien 3 · 1:07:21 · unknown (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. unmapped (creative input) · through Alien 3 (1992), which they directed: Sigourney Weaver ⇒ Alien 3 (the host's read). Weaver insisted on the queen-embryo-inside-her angle.
    “It's a decision that Rip Weaver basically insisted on.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien 3 · 1:32:35 · unknown (0.50 sure it was them)
  3. unmapped (creative input) · through Alien 3 (1992), which they directed: Sigourney Weaver ⇒ Alien 3 (the host's read). Weaver would only do the movie if Ripley died.
    “She would only do the movie if she got to die.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien 3 · 2:05:45 · unknown (0.50 sure it was them)

The Killer (graphic novel) (1998): 3 lines

  1. lineage (adaptation) · through The Killer (2023), which they directed: The Killer (graphic novel) ⇒ The Killer (the maker said so: interviews (Fincher 'gave some interviewers')). Fincher told interviewers he was adapting a French graphic novel about an assassin that he had always liked.
    “he gave some interviewers, like, we're working on this Chinatown thing, and then he was like, I'm also playing with adapting this French graphic novel about the assassin that I've always liked.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Killer with Marie Bardi (Ad-Free) · 0:27:27 · unknown (host) (0.30 sure it was them)
  2. lineage (adaptation scope) · through The Killer (2023), which they directed: The Killer (graphic novel) ⇒ The Killer (the host's read). The film takes almost everything from the first 200-odd pages of the comic; the series ran on to 2018.
    “it feels like everything from the movie is basically taken from the 1st 200 some odd pages”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Killer with Marie Bardi (Ad-Free) · 0:12:09 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
  3. unmapped (adapted from) · through The Killer (2023), which they directed: The Killer (graphic novel) ⇒ The Killer (the host's read). Paramount acquired the graphic novel in 2007; the film is Fincher's latest.
    “In 2007, Paramount acquires the rights to some little graphic novel called The Killer.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 0:18:42 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)

Alien (1979): 2 lines

  1. lineage (callback) · through Alien 3 (1992), which they directed: Alien ⇒ Alien 3 (the host's read). The Bishop remains scene echoes the original film's reactivated-android scene.
    “And just kind of a fun throwback to the, uh, original alien thing where you like take the puppet, you kind of get it ready.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien 3 · 0:58:26 · unknown (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. lineage (callback) · through Alien 3 (1992), which they directed: Alien ⇒ Alien 3 (the host's read). The ending coda replays Ripley's tape from the first film.
    “You play back her tape from the end of the 1st movie.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien 3 · 2:07:28 · unknown (0.50 sure it was them)

Aliens (1986): 2 lines

  1. lineage (sequel) · through Alien 3 (1992), which they directed: Aliens ⇒ Alien 3 (the host's read). Alien 3 opens by wiping out the status quo that ended Aliens.
    “Seconds of this movie, it literally just burns the status quo established at the end of the last one.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien 3 · 0:21:41 · unknown (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. lineage (sequel) · through Alien 3 (1992), which they directed: Aliens ⇒ Alien 3 (the host's read). Alien 3 follows Aliens; watched back to back, Aliens ends on a new family that Alien 3 then kills.
    “you watch aliens and that has this ending of, you know, this new family that has been created.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien³ with Matt Singer (Ad-Free) · 0:30:17 · Matt Singer (0.40 sure it was them)

F. Scott Fitzgerald: 2 lines

  1. lineage (adaptation) · through The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), which they directed: F. Scott Fitzgerald ⇒ The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (the host's read). The film is adapted from Fitzgerald's short story, though the speakers say it shares little with it.
    “It's quite, it's, it doesn't have too much in common with the film, right?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:01:30 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  2. lineage (adaptation distance) · through The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), which they directed: F. Scott Fitzgerald ⇒ The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (the host's read). By the time Roth finished, the film resembles the story in name only.
    “By the time he's done with it, the movie has no resemblance to Benjamin Button apart from, it's called Benjamin Button.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:42:01 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Forrest Gump (1994): 2 lines

  1. unmapped (anti-Gump answer) · through The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), which they directed: Forrest Gump ⇒ The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (the host's read). Griffin reads Benjamin Button as a pointed answer to Gump, showing the death behind the Americana.
    “But I think it's almost like pointedly an anti-gump.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:22:50 · Griffin Newman (0.60 sure it was them)
  2. unmapped (attempt at a Gump) · through The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), which they directed: Forrest Gump ⇒ The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (the host's read). The speaker says the cultural narrative is that Benjamin Button is Fincher trying to do Gump.
    “but I do think this is like the cultural narrative of this movie is he's trying to do Gump, right?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:10:05 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)

Mark Zuckerberg: 2 lines

  1. lineage (verbatim source) · through The Social Network (2010), which they directed: Mark Zuckerberg ⇒ The Social Network (the maker said so). Sorkin says a larger share of the movie than people expect is lifted directly from depositions and emails; the speaker reports he has pointed this out.
    “But that's always a big thing he's pointed out is like a larger percentage of the movie that people, than people would expect is me just using direct transcripts verbatim.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 0:27:56 · unknown (0.35 sure it was them)
  2. lineage (verbatim source) · through The Social Network (2010), which they directed: Mark Zuckerberg ⇒ The Social Network (the host's read). The Facebook-creation blog post is almost entirely verbatim in the movie.
    “It's almost entirely verbatim in the movie.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 0:48:25 · unknown (0.35 sure it was them)

Rear Window (1954): 2 lines

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Panic Room (2002), which they directed: Rear Window ⇒ Panic Room (the maker said so: Fincher's quotes the host reads). Fincher saw it as a cross between Rear Window and Straw Dogs.
    “So Fitcher saw panic group as a cross between rear window and straw dogs.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Panic Room’ (Plus a Mini Will Smith–Oscars Recap) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:17:38 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)
  2. lineage (homage) · through The Killer (2023), which they directed: Rear Window ⇒ The Killer (the host's read). The Paris hit sequence is a clear homage built on watching rooms across the street.
    “it is a kind of rear window monkey. You know, it is like an attempt to recreate the across the street path, vision of what is happening in rooms in another building, and clear homage to that film.”
    The Big Picture · ‘The Killer’ Is Cold-Blooded Genius. And Something More · 0:20:19 · Sean Fennessey (0.70 sure it was them)

Vincent Ward: 2 lines

  1. unmapped (unused draft) · through Alien 3 (1992), which they directed: Vincent Ward ⇒ Alien 3 (the host's read). Elements of Ward's wooden-planet monks draft survive in the finished film.
    “But that's where that's the 1st iteration that's that's still represented in there.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien 3 · 0:25:26 · unknown (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. unmapped (concept merged in) · through Alien 3 (1992), which they directed: Vincent Ward ⇒ Alien 3 (the host's read). The film is built from Ward's monk concept pushed together with the prison planet; his only surviving credit is story.
    “they mishing up the monks with the prison planet, they turn the monks into prisoners, but they're kind of religious.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien³ with Matt Singer (Ad-Free) · 1:01:11 · David Sims (0.35 sure it was them)

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968): 1 line

  1. unmapped (early commercial reference) · them, directly: 2001: A Space Odyssey ⇒ David Fincher (the host's read). At 24 Fincher used a baby smoking, a 2001 reference, in an American Cancer Society ad.
    “a baby smoking a cigarette as a, as a, as a reference to 2001 is incredibly powerful iconography”
    The Big Picture · ‘The Killer’ Is Cold-Blooded Genius. And Something More · 1:17:15 · Adam Nayman (0.85 sure it was them)

A Christmas Carol (2009): 1 line

  1. unmapped (template) · through The Game (1997), which they directed: A Christmas Carol ⇒ The Game (the maker said so: reading Fincher's quotes in the dossier JJ put together). Fincher's own framing, as quoted in the dossier, is that The Game is A Christmas Carol and Nick is Scrooge.
    “it's a Christmas carol.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:47:52 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)

A Simple Plan (1998): 1 line

  1. lineage (adaptation model) · through Gone Girl (2014), which they directed: A Simple Plan ⇒ Gone Girl (the maker said so). Flynn used A Simple Plan as her model for adapting her own novel, then worried she could not match it.
    “And she said, so I tried to use that as a model and then I freaked myself out because I was like, well, this is too good. I won't do this well.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Gone Girl with Esther Zuckerman (Ad-Free) · 0:36:35 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Alex Cross: 1 line

  1. people (led to casting) · through Gone Girl (2014), which they directed: Alex Cross ⇒ Gone Girl (the host's read). Perry's turn in Alex Cross is given as the reason Fincher cast him as Tanner Bolt.
    “Well, that's why Fisher cast him in this.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Gone Girl with Esther Zuckerman (Ad-Free) · 2:09:35 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Alien 3 (work print cut): 1 line

  1. industry (changed by studio) · through Alien 3 (1992), which they directed: Alien 3 (work print cut) ⇒ Alien 3 (the host's read). Fox pushed the ox-like creature to become a dog.
    “And yeah, the studio was like, it'll be better if it's a dog”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien 3 · 0:43:25 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)

Andrew Kevin Walker: 1 line

  1. unmapped (idea credit) · through The Killer (2023), which they directed: Andrew Kevin Walker ⇒ The Killer (the maker said so). Fincher credits Walker with the contemporary consumerist and technology angle of the film.
    “Walker with the sort of like contemporary consumerist angle that this movie has, right?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Killer with Marie Bardi (Ad-Free) · 0:47:20 · unknown (host) (0.30 sure it was them)

Blue Velvet (1986): 1 line

  1. unmapped (quoted line) · through The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), which they directed: Blue Velvet ⇒ The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (the host's read). The fuck-you-you-fucking-fuck shirt is believed to originate from Dennis Hopper's line in Blue Velvet.
    “Hopper says that in blue velvet.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with Fran Hoepfner (Ad-Free) · 1:24:04 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Bob Fosse: 1 line

  1. lineage (influence) · them, directly: Bob Fosse ⇒ David Fincher (the maker said so). Fincher loves Fosse.
    “Well, he loves Fosse.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with Fran Hoepfner (Ad-Free) · 0:53:44 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Bop Till You Drop (Rick Springfield video): 1 line, within their own work

  1. unmapped (reused imagery) · through Express Yourself (Madonna video) (1989), which they directed: Bop Till You Drop (Rick Springfield video) ⇒ Express Yourself (Madonna video) (the host's read). A host says Express Yourself reuses the chain and industrial ideas from Bop Till You Drop at a higher level.
    “this feels like he's reusing some of the Springfield stuff from that bop till you drop video, but like elevated... to a much, uh, more sophisticated level.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · David Fincher Music Videos · 1:10:11 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Chuck Palahniuk: 1 line

  1. lineage (adaptation) · through Fight Club (1999), which they directed: Chuck Palahniuk ⇒ Fight Club (the host's read). The film adapts Palahniuk's novel; the speaker says the screenplay cribs straight from the book.
    “obviously the movie is, the book is very, he's cribbing right from the book.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Fight Club with Alex Ross Perry (Ad-Free) · 1:13:14 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Collateral (2004): 1 line

  1. people (casting) · through Zodiac (2007), which they directed: Collateral ⇒ Zodiac (the host's read). Fincher cast Ruffalo partly because he liked him in Collateral.
    “One, Fincher really liked him in collateral.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Zodiac with Leslye Headland (Ad-Free) · 1:24:06 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

David Twohy: 1 line

  1. lineage (origin of the prison planet) · through Alien 3 (1992), which they directed: David Twohy ⇒ Alien 3 (the host's read). Twohy brought the prison-planet concept into the development.
    “Twowey is the one who brings in the prison planet concept, okay?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien³ with Matt Singer (Ad-Free) · 0:56:20 · Griffin Newman (0.35 sure it was them)

Donnie Darko (2001): 1 line

  1. people (casting) · through Zodiac (2007), which they directed: Donnie Darko ⇒ Zodiac (the host's read). Fincher liked Donnie Darko and had Gyllenhaal pegged for a while.
    “unsurprisingly, Fincher liked Donny Darko”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Zodiac with Leslye Headland (Ad-Free) · 1:22:44 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

Douglas Coupland: 1 line

  1. lineage (literary lineage) · through Fight Club (1999), which they directed: Douglas Coupland ⇒ Fight Club (the host's read). The speaker says the early car-recall section is right out of Coupland and Gen X writing.
    “It's right out of like Douglas Copeland or whatever, right?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Fight Club with Alex Ross Perry (Ad-Free) · 1:59:38 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Fargo (1996): 1 line

  1. unmapped (model for the villains) · through Panic Room (2002), which they directed: Fargo ⇒ Panic Room (the host's read). A host feels Panic Room's funny villain and scary villain pair uses the Buscemi and Stormare model from Fargo.
    “But I'm realizing how much wisely it does feel like they're sort of using the model of Bushemi and Stoneman.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Panic Room with Eva Anderson (Ad-Free) · 2:20:45 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn novel): 1 line

  1. lineage (adaptation) · through Gone Girl (2014), which they directed: Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn novel) ⇒ Gone Girl (the host's read). The film adapts Flynn's novel, and the first-person diary trickery was the open question about how it would work on screen.
    “Because it is such like a little fun piece of 1st person narration trickery.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Gone Girl with Esther Zuckerman (Ad-Free) · 0:34:23 · Esther Zuckerman (0.70 sure it was them)

Greta Garbo: 1 line

  1. lineage (pose homage) · through Vogue (Madonna video), which they directed: Greta Garbo ⇒ Vogue (Madonna video) (the host's read). The Vogue poses come from golden-age stars such as Veronica Lake, Bette Davis and Greta Garbo.
    “Veronica Lake, Betty Davis, Greta Garbo, all these sort of poses of golden age stars”
    Blank Check — Patreon · David Fincher Music Videos · 1:30:27 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

H.R. Giger: 1 line

  1. craft (design contribution) · through Alien 3 (1992), which they directed: H.R. Giger ⇒ Alien 3 (the host's read). Giger's design work was mostly discarded; the Bambi Burster rod puppet was the main thing of his that ended up in the film.
    “that was apparently the main thing that he had an influence on that actually ended up in the film.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien³ with Matt Singer (Ad-Free) · 0:21:53 · Griffin Newman (0.30 sure it was them)

Haywire (2011): 1 line

  1. people (casting origin) · through The Killer (2023), which they directed: Haywire ⇒ The Killer (the maker said so: the Q and A at the screening). Fincher cited Haywire, with Prometheus, as the Fassbender movies that made him cast him.
    “He said it was Prometheus and Haywire, which makes sense.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Killer with Marie Bardi (Ad-Free) · 1:17:06 · David Sims (0.55 sure it was them)

Jack Fincher: 1 line

  1. lineage (script origin) · through Mank (2020), which they directed: Jack Fincher ⇒ Mank (the maker said so: Fincher's own account as read from the dossier (outlet not named)). Fincher's father wrote the original Mank script, which David set aside until years later.
    “I'm handed this script that my dad wrote about all powerful directors ruining storytelling”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Mank with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:48:09 · Griffin Newman (0.60 sure it was them)

Jean-Pierre Melville: 1 line

  1. theme (genre ancestry) · through The Killer (2023), which they directed: Jean-Pierre Melville ⇒ The Killer (the host's read). The sparse expressionless killer film riffs on Melville, Kurosawa samurai movies and Walter Hill's The Driver.
    “This is a Melville movie, this is a Curasawa samurai movie. This is all that stuff, right? This is the Walter Hill, the driver movie.”
    The Big Picture · ‘The Killer’ Is Cold-Blooded Genius. And Something More · 1:08:14 · Sean Fennessey (0.70 sure it was them)

Jodie Foster: 1 line

  1. unmapped (led to) · through Panic Room (2002), which they directed: Jodie Foster ⇒ Panic Room (the host's read). The Game casting fell through, and Panic Room happened because she still wanted to work with Fincher.
    “Panic room ends up happening because of how badly she still wanted to work with Venture”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:56:56 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

Kevin Spacey: 1 line

  1. unmapped (brought Fincher on) · through The Social Network (2010), which they directed: Kevin Spacey ⇒ The Social Network (the host's read). The hosts say Spacey optioned the book and got Fincher on board.
    “And was the one who got Fincher on board.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:06:00 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

Klute: 1 line

  1. lineage (visual inspiration) · through Seven (1995), which they directed: Klute ⇒ Seven (the maker said so). The speaker watched Klute because Fincher and DP Darius Khondji cited it as an inspiration for Se7en's dark look and flashlight-led framing.
    “I watched Clute over the weekend because I know that both Fincher and Darius Conji, the DP, had cited that as an inspiration”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Se7en with Mike Mitchell & Nick Wiger (Ad-Free) · 2:38:58 · Nick Wiger or Mike Mitchell (unresolved) (0.30 sure it was them)

L.A. Confidential (1997): 1 line

  1. lineage (structure / influence) · through Zodiac (2007), which they directed: L.A. Confidential ⇒ Zodiac (the host's read). Leslye says Zodiac feels like it follows in the footsteps of L.A. Confidential.
    “zodiac feels like it follows in the footsteps of that.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Zodiac with Leslye Headland (Ad-Free) · 0:50:16 · Leslye Headland (0.80 sure it was them)

Lolita (1962): 1 line

  1. theme (character type (Desi)) · through Gone Girl (2014), which they directed: Lolita ⇒ Gone Girl (the maker said so: In the commentary). On the commentary Fincher says he wanted a Claire Quilty type for Desi and found it in Neil Patrick Harris.
    “Fincher said he wanted a Claire quilty type and he's like, what's a modern Claire quilty type?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Gone Girl with Esther Zuckerman (Ad-Free) · 2:18:15 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Love Is Strong (Rolling Stones video): 1 line, within their own work

  1. lineage (technique precursor) · through The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), which they directed: Love Is Strong (Rolling Stones video) ⇒ The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (the host's read). A host guesses the Stones' giant-scale effects helped Fincher on Benjamin Button.
    “Well, and I bet this helped for Benjamin Button eventually.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · David Fincher Music Videos · 1:59:12 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Mary Poppins (1964): 1 line

  1. lineage (influence) · them, directly: Mary Poppins ⇒ David Fincher (the maker said so: curated a series of his influences at MOMA). Fincher cites Mary Poppins as a humongous movie for him, when he curated his influences at MOMA.
    “he cites Mary Poppins as like a humongous movie for him.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien³ with Matt Singer (Ad-Free) · 0:42:55 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

Metropolis (1927): 1 line

  1. lineage (visual homage) · through Express Yourself (Madonna video) (1989), which they directed: Metropolis ⇒ Express Yourself (Madonna video) (the host's read). A host says Express Yourself is obviously modeled on Metropolis.
    “This one is obviously modeled on Metropolis, right?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · David Fincher Music Videos · 1:09:05 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Orville Redenbacher commercial (Fincher, Digital Domain): 1 line, within their own work

  1. unmapped (proof of concept) · through The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), which they directed: Orville Redenbacher commercial (Fincher, Digital Domain) ⇒ The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (the maker said so). Fincher used a Redenbacher commercial to test whether the film was makeable.
    “I'm basically stealing money from Orvell Redbocker to figure out whether this film is makeable or not.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:52:07 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Prometheus (2012): 1 line

  1. people (casting origin) · through The Killer (2023), which they directed: Prometheus ⇒ The Killer (the maker said so: the Q and A at the screening). Fincher said at the Q&A that seeing Prometheus made him note Fassbender as a good sociopath for later.
    “I go to see Prometheus and I go, hmm, sociopath.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Killer with Marie Bardi (Ad-Free) · 0:31:01 · David Sims (0.55 sure it was them)

Psycho (1960): 1 line

  1. lineage (homage (scene)) · through Alien 3 (1992), which they directed: Psycho ⇒ Alien 3 (the host's read). Charles Dance's shower-curtain death is read as Fincher's own 'Hitchcock moment', after a cast member said Fincher called it that; the Psycho identification is the speaker's.
    “Fincher would talk to him about his influence and be like, well, this is my Hitchcock moment.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien³ with Matt Singer (Ad-Free) · 1:18:07 · Matt Singer (0.35 sure it was them)

Reese Witherspoon: 1 line

  1. lineage (originated the project) · through Gone Girl (2014), which they directed: Reese Witherspoon ⇒ Gone Girl (the host's read). Witherspoon took the book and had the idea of bringing Fincher on board.
    “takes this book, has the smart idea, bring Fincher on board.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Gone Girl with Esther Zuckerman (Ad-Free) · 0:20:39 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Robert Graysmith: 1 line

  1. lineage (adaptation) · through Zodiac (2007), which they directed: Robert Graysmith ⇒ Zodiac (the host's read). The Salerno script, which Vanderbilt took over, adapted Graysmith's nonfiction book (with a speculative sequel bolted on).
    “So it's sort of like an adaptation of Graysmith's nonfiction book and a speculative sequence.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Zodiac with Leslye Headland (Ad-Free) · 0:50:39 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

Rumor Has It: 1 line

  1. people (casting) · through Zodiac (2007), which they directed: Rumor Has It ⇒ Zodiac (the host's read). Jennifer Aniston, on Rumor Has It with Ruffalo, helped him get the role.
    “So rumor has it kind of helps him get this.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Zodiac with Leslye Headland (Ad-Free) · 1:25:09 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

Sling Blade (1996): 1 line

  1. people (led to casting) · through Panic Room (2002), which they directed: Sling Blade ⇒ Panic Room (the host's read). A host says Yoakam was cast in Panic Room off of Sling Blade.
    “That was kind of what he got cast off over.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Panic Room with Eva Anderson (Ad-Free) · 1:02:00 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Steven Soderbergh: 1 line

  1. unmapped (nod to a friend) · through Gone Girl (2014), which they directed: Steven Soderbergh ⇒ Gone Girl (the maker said so). Fincher put Soderbergh's Singani 63 in the film as a nod to his buddy and let him pick the scene.
    “Fincher wanted to put it in the movie, as a nod to his buddy, Sudi, and said, uh, you can pick the scene where you want it applied.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Gone Girl with Esther Zuckerman (Ad-Free) · 2:25:53 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Stieg Larsson: 1 line

  1. lineage (adaptation) · through The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), which they directed: Stieg Larsson ⇒ The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (the host's read). The film is Zaillian's abridged adaptation of Larsson's novel, which loses nothing major.
    “I think this is an excellent piece of adaptation that does not really, like, skip anything major.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with Fran Hoepfner (Ad-Free) · 0:49:09 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Strangers on a Train (Fincher/Flynn remake, unmade): 1 line

  1. lineage (unmade remake) · them, directly: Strangers on a Train (Fincher/Flynn remake, unmade) ⇒ David Fincher (the host's read). Fincher and Gillian Flynn were going to remake Strangers on a Train as a loose springboard.
    “He and Jillian Flynn were going to remake strangers on a train.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Mank with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:26:02 · Griffin Newman (0.60 sure it was them)

Straw Dogs (1971): 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Panic Room (2002), which they directed: Straw Dogs ⇒ Panic Room (the maker said so: Fincher's quotes the host reads). Fincher saw it as a cross between Rear Window and Straw Dogs (Peckinpah).
    “So Fitcher saw panic group as a cross between rear window and straw dogs.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Panic Room’ (Plus a Mini Will Smith–Oscars Recap) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:17:38 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)

Sven Nykvist: 1 line

  1. craft (visual reference) · through The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), which they directed: Sven Nykvist ⇒ The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (the maker said so). Someone on the shoot (Fincher, or the DP by the garbled name) wanted a Sven Nykvist look: warm fires, cold rooms.
    “I wanted to do a whole Sven Nikfist thing”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with Fran Hoepfner (Ad-Free) · 1:11:05 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

The Cable Guy (1996): 1 line, within their own work

  1. lineage (callback joke) · through The Killer (2023), which they directed: The Cable Guy ⇒ The Killer (the host's read). The TV-character aliases gag was already a joke in The Cable Guy (50s characters there, 70s and 80s here).
    “that was a joke of the cable guy just to give credit where it's to.”
    The Big Picture · ‘The Killer’ Is Cold-Blooded Genius. And Something More · 1:22:52 · Adam Nayman (0.70 sure it was them)

The Conversation (1974): 1 line

  1. craft (temp score) · through Zodiac (2007), which they directed: The Conversation ⇒ Zodiac (the host's read). The Conversation's score was used as temp music while Zodiac was cut, then Shire scored it.
    “they use the conversation score as temp score.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Zodiac with Leslye Headland (Ad-Free) · 2:14:21 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

The Doors: 1 line

  1. unmapped (cover) · through L.A. Woman (Billy Idol video), which they directed: The Doors ⇒ L.A. Woman (Billy Idol video) (the host's read). L.A. Woman is Billy Idol's cover of a Doors song.
    “Which, of course, is a cover of a song by Ben's favorite band, the door,”
    Blank Check — Patreon · David Fincher Music Videos · 1:41:00 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011): 1 line, within their own work

  1. people (casting approach) · through Gone Girl (2014), which they directed: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ⇒ Gone Girl (the host's read). The speaker thinks Fincher's exhaustive casting search on Dragon Tattoo informed how he cast Amy with someone new to the audience.
    “that exhaustive casting search, which I do think informs the way he approaches Amy going into this movie as well”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Gone Girl with Esther Zuckerman (Ad-Free) · 0:55:22 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Swedish, 2009) (2009): 1 line

  1. lineage (remake) · through The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), which they directed: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Swedish, 2009) ⇒ The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (the host's read). The Fincher film is the American remake of the Swedish original; its director says he was not worried.
    “Everyone who loves film will go see the original.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with Fran Hoepfner (Ad-Free) · 0:54:19 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)

The Lost Weekend (1945): 1 line

  1. craft (visual echo) · through Mank (2020), which they directed: The Lost Weekend ⇒ Mank (the host's read). The election-night drunk sequence in Mank is called self-consciously reminiscent of The Lost Weekend.
    “almost self-consciously reminiscent of the last the lost weekend”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Mank with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 2:03:48 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)

The Shining (1980): 1 line

  1. unmapped (stolen move) · through Zodiac (2007), which they directed: The Shining ⇒ Zodiac (the host's read). Fincher steals the Steadicam move where the camera turns with the car and keeps it centered.
    “Fincher steals that move of like when the car turns a corner”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Shining with Timothy Simons (Ad-Free) · 2:05:09 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

The Silence of the Lambs (1991): 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Panic Room (2002), which they directed: The Silence of the Lambs ⇒ Panic Room (the host's read). The switcheroo with the dad and Raoul is a little Silence of the Lambs homage.
    “A little silence of lambs homage.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Panic Room’ (Plus a Mini Will Smith–Oscars Recap) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:53:47 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)

The Social Network (2010): 1 line, within their own work

  1. people (casting led to) · through The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), which they directed: The Social Network ⇒ The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (the host's read). Pascal saw the dailies from The Social Network and picked Rooney Mara for Lisbeth Salander.
    “Pascal basically sees the dailies from this movie and is like, Rooney Morris, Elizabeth Salander.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 0:59:02 · unknown (0.35 sure it was them)

Thief (1981): 1 line

  1. craft (craft) · through Panic Room (2002), which they directed: Thief ⇒ Panic Room (the host's read). Fincher may have watched Thief before Panic Room.
    “Fincher does panic room and he probably saw Thief like 2 weeks before he started filming”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Thief’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:40:36 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)

William Friedkin: 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Seven (1995), which they directed: William Friedkin ⇒ Seven (the maker said so). Fincher drew from Friedkin and wanted it to feel like an episode of Cops.
    “he's drawn from like Friedkin, but he's also, he's, he's referenced like how he wanted it to feel like an episode of cops.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Se7en’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:15:42 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)

Drawn on by

What the speakers say drew on them or a film of theirs, marked the same way.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016): 3 lines

  1. theme (character template) · through The Social Network (2010), which they directed: The Social Network ⇒ Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (the maker said so). Snyder's reported reasoning: the modern-day Lex Luthor would be Mark Zuckerberg.
    “yeah, the modern day Lex Luthor would be Mark Zuckerberg.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 0:44:07 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  2. people (casting led to) · through The Social Network (2010), which they directed: The Social Network ⇒ Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (the host's read). Snyder offered Eisenberg Jimmy Olsen in BvS in the wake of The Social Network.
    “Zack Snyder offers, uh, Jimmy Olsen. to Jesse Eisenberg in the wake of this movie, for BVS.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 0:43:43 · unknown (0.35 sure it was them)
  3. people (led to casting) · through Gone Girl (2014), which they directed: Gone Girl ⇒ Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (the host's read). While making Gone Girl, Affleck reportedly joked to his agent that he needed a heroic-chin movie after the evil-chin one.
    “the joke was the chin things in the script, he calls up his agent, while making Gone Girl, and says, like, I'm doing the evil chin movie now, you got to find me a heroic chin movie.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Gone Girl with Esther Zuckerman (Ad-Free) · 1:06:28 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Panic Room (2002): 3 lines, within their own work

  1. career (career) · through Fight Club (1999), which they directed: Fight Club ⇒ Panic Room (the host's read). Panic Room read as a small antidote to the response to Fight Club.
    “This seemed like a little bit of an antidote to that because what's panic room about.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Panic Room’ (Plus a Mini Will Smith–Oscars Recap) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:19:29 · Sean Fennessey (0.60 sure it was them)
  2. craft (craft) · through Fight Club (1999), which they directed: Fight Club ⇒ Panic Room (the host's read). The inside-the-house camera moves Fincher started in Fight Club are fully developed in Panic Room.
    “And there's a lot of like stuff that he had started to do a little bit with Fight Club is like really like fleshed out in panic room”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Panic Room’ (Plus a Mini Will Smith–Oscars Recap) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:20:53 · Chris Ryan (0.45 sure it was them)
  3. unmapped (response to) · through Fight Club (1999), which they directed: Fight Club ⇒ Panic Room (the host's read). A host says Panic Room is a conscious response to Fight Club, which flopped and tried to be about everything.
    “Yes. And I feel like it's a very conscious response to fight club.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Panic Room with Eva Anderson (Ad-Free) · 0:24:52 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Alien Resurrection (1997): 2 lines

  1. lineage (sequel undoes ending) · through Alien 3 (1992), which they directed: Alien 3 ⇒ Alien Resurrection (the host's read). Resurrection brings Ripley back as a clone, which undoes Alien 3's chosen death.
    “My nuclear take is bringing her back to life as a clone is more disrespectful than killing, uh, hicks and newt in this movie.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien 3 · 2:06:26 · unknown (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. lineage (sequel) · through Alien 3 (1992), which they directed: Alien 3 ⇒ Alien Resurrection (the host's read). Resurrection follows Alien 3, but its Ripley is a different character from the one who died.
    “As much as she was quote unquote resurrected, obviously, that's a different character explicitly.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien³ with Matt Singer (Ad-Free) · 0:24:13 · David Sims (0.30 sure it was them)

Fight Club (1999): 2 lines, within their own work

  1. career (career) · through Seven (1995), which they directed: Seven ⇒ Fight Club (the host's read). Without Se7en's power Fincher does not get to do The Game and Fight Club his way.
    “I think without this movie, he doesn't go on this run”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Se7en’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:27:28 · Sean Fennessey (0.55 sure it was them)
  2. career (career lever) · through Seven (1995), which they directed: Seven ⇒ Fight Club (the host's read). Se7en's success is what let Fincher make the seemingly impossible Fight Club.
    “But the fight club is him more being like, okay, guys, I know this seems impossible, but I made seven.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Se7en with Mike Mitchell & Nick Wiger (Ad-Free) · 1:05:55 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): 2 lines, within their own work

  1. unmapped (proof of concept) · through Orville Redenbacher commercial (Fincher, Digital Domain), which they directed: Orville Redenbacher commercial (Fincher, Digital Domain) ⇒ The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (the maker said so). Fincher used a Redenbacher commercial to test whether the film was makeable.
    “I'm basically stealing money from Orvell Redbocker to figure out whether this film is makeable or not.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:52:07 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  2. lineage (technique precursor) · through Love Is Strong (Rolling Stones video), which they directed: Love Is Strong (Rolling Stones video) ⇒ The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (the host's read). A host guesses the Stones' giant-scale effects helped Fincher on Benjamin Button.
    “Well, and I bet this helped for Benjamin Button eventually.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · David Fincher Music Videos · 1:59:12 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

The Game (1997): 2 lines, within their own work

  1. unmapped (R-rated proof) · through Seven (1995), which they directed: Seven ⇒ The Game (the host's read). Se7en's hit status as an R-rated film convinced the backers to fund The Game.
    “I think convinced, um, people like, okay, like, you can make an R-rated movie a hit.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:33:16 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  2. unmapped (commercial lead-in) · through Seven (1995), which they directed: Seven ⇒ The Game (the host's read). Se7en's success gave Fincher an absurd budget for The Game.
    “this is better for me because now I can make this movie at an absurd budget.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:47:35 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

8mm (1999): 1 line

  1. lineage (rip-off) · through Seven (1995), which they directed: Seven ⇒ 8mm (the host's read). Calls 8mm Schumacher ripping off Se7en.
    “8 millimeter is Schumacher ripping off seven.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:41:48 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: 1 line

  1. lineage (early inspiration) · them, directly: David Fincher ⇒ Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (the host's read). A televised making-of documentary about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid blew young Fincher's mind about how movies are made.
    “the film that inspired young Fincher most”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien³ with Matt Singer (Ad-Free) · 0:42:25 · Griffin Newman (0.30 sure it was them)

Deadpool 2 (2018): 1 line

  1. unmapped (joke template) · through Fight Club (1999), which they directed: Fight Club ⇒ Deadpool 2 (the host's read). A joke that Fight Club is the template Deadpool perfected.
    “I walked so that Deadpool could run.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Fight Club with Alex Ross Perry (Ad-Free) · 1:59:03 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Express Yourself (Madonna video) (1989): 1 line, within their own work

  1. unmapped (reused imagery) · through Bop Till You Drop (Rick Springfield video), which they directed: Bop Till You Drop (Rick Springfield video) ⇒ Express Yourself (Madonna video) (the host's read). A host says Express Yourself reuses the chain and industrial ideas from Bop Till You Drop at a higher level.
    “this feels like he's reusing some of the Springfield stuff from that bop till you drop video, but like elevated... to a much, uh, more sophisticated level.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · David Fincher Music Videos · 1:10:11 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Faith (George Michael video): 1 line

  1. unmapped (iconography reused) · through Freedom 90 (George Michael video), which they directed: Freedom 90 (George Michael video) ⇒ Faith (George Michael video) (the host's read). Freedom 90 reuses Faith's iconography, such as the leather jacket and the exploding guitar.
    “George Michael, iconography is in the video. Like, from the faith music video. You have the leather jacket.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · David Fincher Music Videos · 1:56:02 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Flight Plan: 1 line

  1. unmapped (template for) · through Panic Room (2002), which they directed: Panic Room ⇒ Flight Plan (the host's read). A host says Panic Room set the template for what looked like Foster's next phase of adult thrillers.
    “And I do think it's sort of set a template for what felt like, oh, this is Jody Foster's next phase that then went sort of died prematurely.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Panic Room with Eva Anderson (Ad-Free) · 0:01:44 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Friends with Benefits: 1 line

  1. people (casting led to) · through The Social Network (2010), which they directed: The Social Network ⇒ Friends with Benefits (the host's read). Pascal watched The Social Network early and committed to more Timberlake pictures.
    “It's like Pascal watches this movie early and it's like, you know what? 'm wrong. Justin Timberlake, we're all in.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 0:58:52 · unknown (0.35 sure it was them)

Gone Girl (2014): 1 line, within their own work

  1. people (casting approach) · through The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), which they directed: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ⇒ Gone Girl (the host's read). The speaker thinks Fincher's exhaustive casting search on Dragon Tattoo informed how he cast Amy with someone new to the audience.
    “that exhaustive casting search, which I do think informs the way he approaches Amy going into this movie as well”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Gone Girl with Esther Zuckerman (Ad-Free) · 0:55:22 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)

House of Cards (TV series): 1 line

  1. career (career step) · through The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), which they directed: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ⇒ House of Cards (TV series) (the host's read). Fincher moved Mahershala Ali from Button into House of Cards.
    “But I mean, look, Fincher puts him from this into House of Cards, which is one of the things that definitely levels him up.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:05:36 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

In Time: 1 line

  1. people (casting led to) · through The Social Network (2010), which they directed: The Social Network ⇒ In Time (the host's read). Pascal watched The Social Network early and committed to more Timberlake pictures.
    “It's like Pascal watches this movie early and it's like, you know what? 'm wrong. Justin Timberlake, we're all in.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 0:58:52 · unknown (0.35 sure it was them)

Jackie Brown (1997): 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through The Killer (2023), which they directed: The Killer ⇒ Jackie Brown (the host's read). Jackie Brown has a monologue about The Killer, showing Woo's aesthetic was known to Western audiences.
    “Jackie Brown has a whole monologue about the killer.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with David Ehrlich (Ad-Free) · 0:33:35 · David Sims (0.35 sure it was them)

Lady Gaga: 1 line

  1. lineage (ripped off) · through Express Yourself (Madonna video) (1989), which they directed: Express Yourself (Madonna video) ⇒ Lady Gaga (the host's read). A host says Lady Gaga ripped off Express Yourself.
    “Lady Gaga completely ripped it off, of course, from... She did, but that's okay.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · David Fincher Music Videos · 1:07:32 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

MTV Movie Awards Se7en parody: 1 line

  1. unmapped (parody) · through Seven (1995), which they directed: Seven ⇒ MTV Movie Awards Se7en parody (the host's read). The MTV Movie Awards parodied the Se7en ending with William Shatner playing every role and the head in the box.
    “And then Shatner's head is in the box and then he sings a song.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Se7en with Mike Mitchell & Nick Wiger (Ad-Free) · 2:34:40 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Netflix: 1 line

  1. craft (house style) · them, directly: David Fincher ⇒ Netflix (the host's read). The speaker says Netflix shows now look like a watered-down Fincher because he established the look of Netflix.
    “we're kind of living in a world where everything is forced to look like a bad Fincher project because he established the look of Netflix.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Gone Girl with Esther Zuckerman (Ad-Free) · 0:28:34 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Nine Inch Nails: 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Seven (1995), which they directed: Seven ⇒ Nine Inch Nails (the host's read). Se7en caught industrial rock at its peak and led to Fincher-Reznor scores.
    “Fincher and Rezner go on to make this incredible partnership”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Se7en’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:55:04 · Sean Fennessey (0.45 sure it was them)

Saw (film series): 1 line

  1. unmapped (borrowing) · through Seven (1995), which they directed: Seven ⇒ Saw (film series) (the host's read). Rewatching the Saw movies, the speaker was struck by how much they lifted from Se7en.
    “I forgot how much saw stole.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Se7en with Mike Mitchell & Nick Wiger (Ad-Free) · 0:59:00 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018): 1 line

  1. unmapped (set the template for) · through Panic Room (2002), which they directed: Panic Room ⇒ Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (the host's read). A host says Fincher's all-previs approach on this film created the pipeline for how blockbusters are made.
    “But that disc 2 is so much about that he basically created the pipeline for how all fucking blockbusters are made on this movie.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Panic Room with Eva Anderson (Ad-Free) · 0:31:38 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Steve Jobs (2015): 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through The Social Network (2010), which they directed: The Social Network ⇒ Steve Jobs (the host's read). Steve Jobs is called a worthy sequel to The Social Network on big tech and innovation.
    “I think this is in many ways a worthy sequel to the social network”
    The Big Picture · Aaron Sorkin Top 5s and ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ · 0:56:04 · Sean Fennessey (0.80 sure it was them)

Succession (2018): 1 line

  1. unmapped (looks like) · through The Game (1997), which they directed: The Game ⇒ Succession (the host's read). Jokes that the opening home-movie footage is ripped off by Succession.
    “ripped it right off”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:35:58 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

The Batman (2022): 1 line

  1. unmapped (borrowing) · through Seven (1995), which they directed: Seven ⇒ The Batman (the host's read). The speaker had forgotten how indebted The Batman is to Fincher, mostly to Se7en.
    “I had forgotten just how indebted the Batman is to...”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Se7en with Mike Mitchell & Nick Wiger (Ad-Free) · 1:28:34 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

The Big Short (2015): 1 line

  1. lineage (ripped off) · through The Social Network (2010), which they directed: The Social Network ⇒ The Big Short (the host's read). David says The Big Short is the most obvious movie ripping off The Social Network, and that people do not make the connection enough.
    “I think the big short, which is not a movie I love, is the most obvious movie that's ripping off the social network, even though people maybe don't make that connection enough.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 0:11:44 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011): 1 line, within their own work

  1. people (casting led to) · through The Social Network (2010), which they directed: The Social Network ⇒ The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (the host's read). Pascal saw the dailies from The Social Network and picked Rooney Mara for Lisbeth Salander.
    “Pascal basically sees the dailies from this movie and is like, Rooney Morris, Elizabeth Salander.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 0:59:02 · unknown (0.35 sure it was them)

The Killer (2023): 1 line, within their own work

  1. lineage (callback joke) · through The Cable Guy (1996), which they directed: The Cable Guy ⇒ The Killer (the host's read). The TV-character aliases gag was already a joke in The Cable Guy (50s characters there, 70s and 80s here).
    “that was a joke of the cable guy just to give credit where it's to.”
    The Big Picture · ‘The Killer’ Is Cold-Blooded Genius. And Something More · 1:22:52 · Adam Nayman (0.70 sure it was them)

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013): 1 line

  1. unmapped (parody) · through The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), which they directed: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ⇒ The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (the host's read). The speaker says Walter Mitty parodies Benjamin Button, as if to say Button got the Gump wrong.
    “And Walter Mitty parodies Benjamin Button, almost as if to say, they fucked up.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:10:46 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

True Detective (2014): 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Seven (1995), which they directed: Seven ⇒ True Detective (the host's read). Se7en's influence shows in True Detective from the title sequence to the characters, though True Detective's first season flinches at the dark ending.
    “you can see the influence of of 7 on things like True Detective from the title sequence to the characters.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Se7en’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:15:19 · Chris Ryan (0.55 sure it was them)

Zodiac (2007): 1 line, within their own work

  1. unmapped (why Fincher was offered it) · through Seven (1995), which they directed: Seven ⇒ Zodiac (the host's read). Seven made Fincher the first choice for any serial-killer project, Zodiac included.
    “Ever since he makes seven, if there's some serial killer movie, is getting sent it”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Zodiac with Leslye Headland (Ad-Free) · 0:51:53 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

later crime thrillers and crime TV (unnamed): 1 line

  1. lineage (genre influence) · through Seven (1995), which they directed: Seven ⇒ later crime thrillers and crime TV (unnamed) (the host's read). As an adult the speaker is less shocked by Se7en because everyone since took a page out of its book.
    “I'm not as shocked by 7 because everyone took a page out of its book, of course.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Se7en with Mike Mitchell & Nick Wiger (Ad-Free) · 2:15:39 · Mike Mitchell (0.50 sure it was them)

What the speakers said they did

Directing (200) everyone in directing

Other (52) everyone in other

Producing (5) everyone in producing

Craft (3) everyone in craft

Photography (2) everyone in photography

What was said about them, by kind

career (3)

  1. career (career): David Fincher → House of Cards. Fincher's eight-year run includes the first two episodes and pilot of House of Cards.
    “House of Cards creates the 1st 2 episodes.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Panic Room’ (Plus a Mini Will Smith–Oscars Recap) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:25:19 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. career (career): David Fincher → Conrad Hall. Fincher and Hall, the cinematographer who replaced Khondji, have not worked together since Panic Room.
    “this is the guy who shot seven, you know, is one of the most accomplished cinematographers and they haven't worked together since, obviously.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Panic Room’ (Plus a Mini Will Smith–Oscars Recap) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:20:37 · Sean Fennessey (0.60 sure it was them)
  3. career (career): David Fincher → Alien 3. Fincher fought the studio on Alien 3 in press coverage, with Sigourney Weaver backing him, then seemed unlikely to direct again.
    “And Sigourney Weaver stuck up for him.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Se7en’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:10:29 · Bill Simmons (0.75 sure it was them)

contrast (3)

  1. contrast (contrast): Mank → David Fincher. Mank is Fincher looking at something that is not about murder and death.
    “finally, you know, David Fincher looks at something that isn't about murder and death”
    The Big Picture · 300th Episode Ask-Us-Anything Mailbag Spectacular · 0:02:28 · Sean Fennessey (0.80 sure it was them)
  2. contrast (tonal contrast): David Fincher → The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Even his ostensibly sentimental film is strange, so Mank is unlikely to be warm.
    “David Fincher has just never made a warm movie. Even Benjamin Button, which is ostensibly very sentimental, is like just a very strange film.”
    The Big Picture · Emergency Mailbag: The Oscars Are Streaming and Hollywood Is Fighting Over Trolls | The Big Picture · 0:58:36 · Sean Fennessey (0.55 sure it was them)
  3. contrast (contrast): David Fincher → Aaron Sorkin. Fincher's technical precision is set against Sorkin's play-it-fast-and-loose habits.
    “Fincher's technical precision, very difficult, uh, very different from Sorkin's hole, play fast and loose.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 0:46:37 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

craft (10)

  1. craft (craft): David Fincher → Jared Leto. Fincher likes to riff on movie-star personas, beating up the pretty boy (Leto) on screen.
    “let me see how many times I can beat up this pretty boy on screen.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Panic Room’ (Plus a Mini Will Smith–Oscars Recap) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:38:19 · Chris Ryan (0.40 sure it was them)
  2. craft (craft): David Fincher → Steven Soderbergh. Soderbergh warned Fincher that his operator-less camera plan would drive him insane, and he was right.
    “Soderberg was like, this is going to drive you insane if you do it this way?”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Panic Room’ (Plus a Mini Will Smith–Oscars Recap) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:20:21 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
  3. craft (craft): David Fincher → Kristen Stewart. Fincher noted Foster was so much more advanced a screen actor that Stewart needed more takes.
    “he noted that they needed to shoot more takes with her and foster because Foster was so much more advanced as a screen actor”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Panic Room’ (Plus a Mini Will Smith–Oscars Recap) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:35:42 · Chris Ryan (0.45 sure it was them)
  4. craft (music video peers): David Fincher → Mark Romanek. Fincher gave a mercenary jukebox quote about Propaganda Films in an interview alongside Romanek.
    “Fincher likened it to a jukebox. Right? He's like, you put your quarter in one end and something comes out the other.”
    The Big Picture · ‘The Killer’ Is Cold-Blooded Genius. And Something More · 0:53:20 · Adam Nayman (0.85 sure it was them)
  5. craft (craft): Aaron Sorkin → David Fincher. Sorkin excels when meeting a dark-hearted collaborator such as Fincher.
    “I think that when he meets very darkhearted figures, either in the characters he's creating or in his counterparts creatively, like David Fincher, that's when he excels.”
    The Big Picture · Aaron Sorkin Top 5s and ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ · 0:22:22 · Sean Fennessey (0.70 sure it was them)
  6. craft (craft): The Social Network → David Fincher. Sorkin excels when paired with a dark-hearted counterpart like Fincher; the sum is greater than the parts.
    “the magic in this is what happens when you put together like a just fantastic.”
    The Big Picture · Aaron Sorkin Top 5s and ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ · 1:13:17 · Sean Fennessey (0.70 sure it was them)
  7. craft (craft): Mank → David Fincher. Fincher shot and cut Mank to look like a 1940s film.
    “he has shot this film to look like a film from the 1940s and the trailer has been cut to look like a film from the 1940s”
    The Big Picture · 300th Episode Ask-Us-Anything Mailbag Spectacular · 0:02:38 · Sean Fennessey (0.85 sure it was them)
  8. craft (house style): David Fincher → Netflix. The speaker says Netflix shows now look like a watered-down Fincher because he established the look of Netflix.
    “we're kind of living in a world where everything is forced to look like a bad Fincher project because he established the look of Netflix.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Gone Girl with Esther Zuckerman (Ad-Free) · 0:28:34 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  9. craft (early scores): Howard Shore → David Fincher. Shore does all of Fincher's early scores.
    “He does all of Fincher's early scores and they're so good.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 1:08:19 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  10. craft (craft): Nancy Meyers → David Fincher. Her perfectionism is compared to Fincher and Kubrick.
    “it's in it, like, to a David Fincher Kubrick degree.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Something's Gotta Give with Bobby Finger (Ad-Free) · 1:05:15 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

lineage (10)

  1. lineage (origin wound): David Fincher → Alien 3. Alien 3 is the primal scene of Fincher's chip on his shoulder, producers treating him like a shoe salesman.
    “there's the chip on the shoulder and the primal scene of alien 3, right?”
    The Big Picture · ‘The Killer’ Is Cold-Blooded Genius. And Something More · 0:59:46 · Adam Nayman (0.85 sure it was them)
  2. lineage (influence): David Fincher → Alfred Hitchcock. Fincher loves Hitchcock, who made conventionally entertaining movies carrying deep, confused emotional themes, the dual-entertainment mode Fincher pursues.
    “he also knows that he loves Alfred Hitchcock, and what does Alfred Hitchcock do? He makes conventionally entertaining movies that have deep, confused, emotional themes”
    The Big Picture · ‘The Killer’ Is Cold-Blooded Genius. And Something More · 1:12:33 · Sean Fennessey (0.60 sure it was them)
  3. lineage (unmade remake): Strangers on a Train (Fincher/Flynn remake, unmade) → David Fincher. Fincher and Gillian Flynn were going to remake Strangers on a Train as a loose springboard.
    “He and Jillian Flynn were going to remake strangers on a train.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Mank with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:26:02 · Griffin Newman (0.60 sure it was them)
  4. lineage (influence): Bob Fosse → David Fincher. Fincher loves Fosse.
    “Well, he loves Fosse.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with Fran Hoepfner (Ad-Free) · 0:53:44 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  5. lineage (influence): All That Jazz → David Fincher. The speaker says Fincher loves Fosse and always cites All That Jazz.
    “All that jazz is like a recurring influence.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with Fran Hoepfner (Ad-Free) · 0:53:45 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  6. lineage (influence): Alfred Hitchcock → David Fincher. Fincher obviously cites Hitchcock (the speaker adds so do many people).
    “he obviously cites Hitchcock, so massively”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Zodiac with Leslye Headland (Ad-Free) · 1:14:57 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  7. lineage (early inspiration): David Fincher → Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. A televised making-of documentary about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid blew young Fincher's mind about how movies are made.
    “the film that inspired young Fincher most”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien³ with Matt Singer (Ad-Free) · 0:42:25 · Griffin Newman (0.30 sure it was them)
  8. lineage (influence): Mary Poppins → David Fincher. Fincher cites Mary Poppins as a humongous movie for him, when he curated his influences at MOMA.
    “he cites Mary Poppins as like a humongous movie for him.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien³ with Matt Singer (Ad-Free) · 0:42:55 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  9. lineage (unmade adaptation): David Fincher → Rendezvous with Rama (unmade film). Fincher tried for about 20 years to make Rendezvous with Rama.
    “Fincher tried to make for like 20 years.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · 2001: A Space Odyssey with Jordan Hoffman (Ad-Free) · 1:27:47 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  10. lineage (parallel origin story): James Cameron → David Fincher. Both lost control of a first film and reacted by vowing never to lose again; Cameron became a tyrant, Fincher says he will quit.
    “He like, I'm never fucking losing an argument ever again.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien 3 · 0:28:14 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

people (23)

  1. people (near-miss director): David Fincher → Madonna: Truth or Dare. Speaker believes Fincher was supposed to make the film.
    “I think Fincher was supposed to make this movie, in fact.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · An Angel at My Table with Dana Stevens · 1:39:56 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  2. people (director count): Tony Scott → David Fincher. Tony Scott may be approaching Fincher territory for number of Rewatchables episodes.
    “This now might be Tony's getting into the Fincher zone, I think, with how many rewatchables we've done with Tony Scott now?”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Beverly Hills Cop II’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:02:58 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)
  3. people (director of follow-up): Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (and the planned Fincher follow-up) → David Fincher. Fincher is making the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood follow-up for Netflix.
    “if not for Netflix, this movie would not be getting made, because Fincher is the kind of person who can get it made”
    The Big Picture · ‘A Minecraft Movie’ Is the Most Important Movie of the Year So Far. And These Flicks Are the Best … · 0:26:20 · Amanda Dobbins (0.60 sure it was them)
  4. people (people): David Fincher → Kirk Baxter. Baxter, with Messerschmidt and Walker, is credited as essential to what Fincher's movies are.
    “these movies are not what they are without Kirk Baxter and and Eric Mezerschmidt and Andrew Kevin Walker”
    The Big Picture · ‘The Killer’ Is Cold-Blooded Genius. And Something More · 0:17:39 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
  5. people (people): David Fincher → Erik Messerschmidt. Messerschmidt, with Baxter and Walker, is credited as essential to what Fincher's movies are.
    “these movies are not what they are without Kirk Baxter and and Eric Mezerschmidt and Andrew Kevin Walker”
    The Big Picture · ‘The Killer’ Is Cold-Blooded Genius. And Something More · 0:17:39 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
  6. people (people): The Game → David Fincher. Sean identifies The Game as the Fincher movie.
    “The Fincher movie.”
    The Big Picture · The Oscars Schedule Changes, and Andrew Garfield On ‘Under the Silver Lake’ | Interview · 1:01:26 · Sean Fennessey (0.90 sure it was them)
  7. people (shared crew): Erik Messerschmidt → David Fincher. Messerschmidt shot Mindhunter and then Mank, his first Fincher feature.
    “It's the 1st time he's working with Venture film wise.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Mank with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:12:44 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  8. people (replaced as director): McG → David Fincher. Fincher took over 20,000 Leagues from Disney's first choice, McG.
    “taking over from their 1st choice, McGee.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Gone Girl with Esther Zuckerman (Ad-Free) · 0:21:47 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  9. people (replaced as director): Paul Greengrass → David Fincher. Fincher took over Cleopatra from Greengrass, and it began as a James Cameron project.
    “Taking over from Paul Greengrass that was originally a James Cameron project.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Gone Girl with Esther Zuckerman (Ad-Free) · 0:24:11 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  10. people (casting rationale): David Fincher → Stellan Skarsgard. Fincher cast Skarsgard as the villain because he is the most relaxed, comfortable man, which makes viewers rethink evil.
    “Stone Scarsgard is the most relaxed person on earth.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with Fran Hoepfner (Ad-Free) · 0:06:07 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  11. people (casting rationale): David Fincher → Rooney Mara. Fincher wanted someone who cannot be discouraged, the last puppy in the window.
    “I want the last puppy in the window.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with Fran Hoepfner (Ad-Free) · 0:57:25 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  12. people (casting rationale): David Fincher → Scarlett Johansson. Fincher reportedly said Johansson could not be cast without being titillating.
    “there is no way to not make Scarlett Johansson titillating.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with Fran Hoepfner (Ad-Free) · 1:00:05 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  13. people (later collaboration): David Fincher → Gary Oldman. Fincher eventually worked with Oldman and admires him.
    “I mean, obviously, Fincher eventually worked with Oldman and really admires Oldman.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 1:49:29 · unknown (0.35 sure it was them)
  14. people (collaborator): David Fincher → Trent Reznor. The speaker traces Reznor's place in Fincher's work back through a Nine Inch Nails video and Seven, and calls bringing him on board hugely influential.
    “Trent Rezner. through doing a night jail. Music video, obviously. with him on seven. Bringing him on board is maybe the most influential thing in the movie business that he did.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 2:45:16 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  15. people (recurring actor): Zach Grenier → David Fincher. Grenier is an A-plus Fincher freak, usually cast as a freak.
    “Zach Rennier, who's, you know, A plus Fincher freak.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Zodiac with Leslye Headland (Ad-Free) · 1:48:55 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  16. people (screened for crew): All That Jazz → David Fincher. A host read somewhere that All That Jazz was the movie Fincher screened for his crew as the style to match.
    “I was just reading somewhere about like all that jazz being the movie that he screened for his crew a bunch.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · David Fincher Music Videos · 1:14:20 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  17. people (prior collaborator): Darius Khondji → David Fincher. Fincher had worked with Khondji before, and Khondji never works with him again.
    “who Fincher had worked with.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Panic Room with Eva Anderson (Ad-Free) · 1:32:13 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  18. people (recurring composers): David Fincher → Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. With The Social Network Fincher found composers he would keep using.
    “But then like when he gets Rezner and Ross for social network, it's kind of the 1st time he's like, okay, I've found like my composers.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Fight Club with Alex Ross Perry (Ad-Free) · 2:25:09 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  19. people (composer brief): Elliot Goldenthal → David Fincher. Goldenthal says Fincher wanted the audience to feel completely fucked within five minutes with no hope.
    “Fincher told him he wanted him, you to feel, you the audience, to feel you were completely fucked within 5 minutes and that there is no hope completely.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien³ with Matt Singer (Ad-Free) · 2:00:36 · David Sims (0.30 sure it was them)
  20. people (casting philosophy): David Fincher → Barry Lyndon. Fincher's reported rule of casting for the core quality (Rooney Mara) is compared to Kubrick casting O'Neal.
    “And it's like that's the Ryan O'Neill casting here.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Barry Lyndon with Karina Longworth (Ad-Free) · 0:33:32 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  21. people (collaborator warmth): Stanley Kubrick → David Fincher. Speaker says the warmth of Kubrick's collaborators reminds him of Fincher's collaborators.
    “And it really does remind me of Fincher.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:07:10 · David Sims (0.70 sure it was them)
  22. people (later collaborator): Trent Reznor → David Fincher. Reznor later scored Fincher's movies.
    “And of course, the Trent Rezner eventually does music for adventure movies.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien 3 · 0:15:22 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  23. people (repeat casting): David Fincher → Holt McCallany. Fincher cast McCallany in Alien 3 and 25 years later starred him in his Netflix cop show.
    “Fincher's like, hey, Holt, I'm doing a cop show for Netflix, like, you should be the star.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien 3 · 0:46:53 · unknown (0.50 sure it was them)

theme (7)

  1. theme (anecdote parallel): Steven Soderbergh → David Fincher. Soderbergh's story of Fincher's hyper-precise color notes is used to explain a protagonist who cannot turn off noticing.
    “I cannot imagine the curse of being able to notice that.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Decision to Leave with Tatiana Maslany · 0:43:03 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  2. theme (Kubrick comparison): David Fincher → Room 237. Fincher, like Kubrick, is a filmmaker whose myth invites assuming every detail is intentional.
    “you look at a movie like Room 237, that movie could only be made about Stanley Kubrick because people assume everything has intention.”
    The Big Picture · ‘The Killer’ Is Cold-Blooded Genius. And Something More · 1:10:18 · Adam Nayman (0.80 sure it was them)
  3. theme (quote echoed in film): David Fincher → The Killer. Fincher's two-places-for-the-camera line is the film's inciting incident: the shot is wrong.
    “inciting incident is the shot's wrong, right?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Killer with Marie Bardi (Ad-Free) · 1:25:32 · unknown (host) (0.30 sure it was them)
  4. theme (analogy): Vincente Minnelli → David Fincher. Fincher getting a murder basement is like giving a basketball to Michael Jordan, or Minnelli letting Gene Kelly dance.
    “Concinte Manelli being like, and Gene Kelly, I now just let you dance.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with Fran Hoepfner (Ad-Free) · 2:23:50 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  5. theme (technology comparison): David Fincher → Peter Jackson. Fincher did not usually pioneer technology for the next generation the way Zemeckis or Jackson did.
    “But I do think in that way that's more often the, like, the Zameckis, Peter Jackson”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:54:05 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  6. theme (long-time team comparison): David Fincher → Wes Anderson. Like Wes Anderson and Spielberg, Fincher's strength comes from a loyal team that finishes his sentences.
    “filmmakers like Wes Anderson, like Spielberg and whatever.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien³ with Matt Singer (Ad-Free) · 0:41:36 · Matt Singer (0.30 sure it was them)
  7. theme (comparison): Stanley Kubrick → David Fincher. Speakers compare Kubrick and Fincher on set intensity and discipline.
    “I think it's sort of similar, though, with Kubrick and Fincher.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Spartacus with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:37:45 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

unmapped (26)

  1. unmapped (next series): David Fincher → The Killer. The next miniseries is Fincher timed to his fall release The Killer, with Brendan Hines to guest.
    “We are doing the films of David Fincher, who has a new movie coming out this fall and we want to sync up with that.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Decision to Leave with Tatiana Maslany · 2:10:51 · Griffin Newman (0.60 sure it was them)
  2. unmapped (semiotic control): The Social Network → David Fincher. A half-second poster in a party montage shows Fincher fusses over every detail, so every sign is assumed meaningful.
    “in the social network, there's like that half 2nd shot during one of the party montages. There's a poster on the wall that's like boobs versus brains”
    The Big Picture · ‘The Killer’ Is Cold-Blooded Genius. And Something More · 1:10:50 · Adam Nayman (0.85 sure it was them)
  3. unmapped (early commercial reference): David Fincher → 2001: A Space Odyssey. At 24 Fincher used a baby smoking, a 2001 reference, in an American Cancer Society ad.
    “a baby smoking a cigarette as a, as a, as a reference to 2001 is incredibly powerful iconography”
    The Big Picture · ‘The Killer’ Is Cold-Blooded Genius. And Something More · 1:17:15 · Adam Nayman (0.85 sure it was them)
  4. unmapped (autobiographical reading): David Fincher → The Killer. The killer's mantras are how Fincher talks to himself on set.
    “I do think to some degree, this is how Fincher talks to himself on set.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Killer with Marie Bardi (Ad-Free) · 1:23:48 · unknown (host) (0.30 sure it was them)
  5. unmapped (heir): Alfred Hitchcock → David Fincher. Sean says Fincher has been a reasonable heir to Hitchcock, so a Hitchcock remake bores him.
    “he's been doing a great job of being a reasonable heir to Hitchcock”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Mank with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:26:18 · Sean Fennessey (0.70 sure it was them)
  6. unmapped (Netflix as MGM): Mank → David Fincher. Fincher thinks of Netflix as rebels throwing stones at the old castle, then peak MGM; Mayer's line about selling what we own fits.
    “And he thinks that Netflix are like the rebels throwing stones at the old castle, and then within 10 years, it's like, oh, Netflix is now peak MGM.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Mank with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:50:19 · Sean Fennessey (0.60 sure it was them)
  7. unmapped (rumor): David Fincher → Pawn Sacrifice. Fincher was rumored to direct Pawn Sacrifice but says he only consulted on the script.
    “he was briefly rumored to be directing pawn sacrifice.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with Fran Hoepfner (Ad-Free) · 0:43:31 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  8. unmapped (title sequences): Tim Miller → David Fincher. Miller worked with Fincher a lot and did many of his title sequences.
    “Tim Miller, who eventually makes the Deadpool movie, but worked with Fincher a lot and did a lot of his title sequences and such.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 0:20:19 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  9. unmapped (protege): David Fincher → Tim Miller. Fincher kept generating projects to boost Tim Miller from animatics and titles to filmmaker.
    “it felt like he kept on trying to generate projects for Tim Miller, and Heavy Metal was one of those to sort of boost Tim Miller”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 0:20:49 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
  10. unmapped (many takes): David Fincher → Stanley Kubrick. Fincher's 100 takes are compared to Kubrick as a search for something that surprises the director, not a fixed target.
    “It's sort of, much like we talked about, Kubrick, where it's like, he's not doing 100 takes looking for them to achieve a thing he's waiting for.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 2:35:26 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  11. unmapped (technology spectacle): David Fincher → Robert Zemeckis. Button was Fincher's version of a Zemeckis project, going back to the Gump comparison.
    “But this was his kind of Zamecasi going back to the Forrest Gump thing.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:52:24 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  12. unmapped (paired episodes): David Fincher → Martin Brest. The show pairs every Fincher record with a Martin Brest record, starting with Meet Joe Black.
    “We're doing every one of our Fincher records paired as a back-to-back with a breast record.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 2:26:35 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  13. unmapped (courtship): Tom Cruise → David Fincher. Cruise passed on Fincher for The Last Samurai, then offered him MI3 with a Robert Towne script.
    “Cruz considered Furdig, decided to do last samurai instead, but then was like, here's a Robert Towns script for MI3.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Zodiac with Leslye Headland (Ad-Free) · 0:39:54 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
  14. unmapped (attached then replaced): David Fincher → The Black Dahlia. Fincher was attached and pitched a miniseries; the project became a film De Palma made.
    “that turns into a movie that De Palma makes a flawed, but interesting film.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Zodiac with Leslye Headland (Ad-Free) · 0:45:21 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
  15. unmapped (next wave): David Fincher → Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry and Hammer & Tongs. After the Madonna peak, Gondry, Jonze and Hammer & Tongs made more experimental, less star-driven videos.
    “Gondry and Jones and Hammer and Tongs and all those people, start doing things that were more experimental and that were less star vehicles for the actual musical artists.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · David Fincher Music Videos · 1:29:01 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  16. unmapped (company): David Fincher → Reset Content. Fincher has a commercial production company, Reset Content, that represents directors including himself.
    “he has his own commercial production company called reset content.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · David Fincher Music Videos · 2:19:50 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  17. unmapped (friendship): Fred Durst → David Fincher. Durst is described as a close friend of Fincher.
    “Now, Fred Durst, famously close friends with David Fincher.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Fight Club with Alex Ross Perry (Ad-Free) · 3:01:35 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  18. unmapped (company): David Fincher → Propaganda Films. Propaganda was Fincher's music video company.
    “David Fincher's music video companies.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:42:58 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  19. unmapped (similar): Phil Joanou → David Fincher. Joanou was a hotshot director similar to Fincher.
    “who was similar to Fincher”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 1:27:45 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
  20. unmapped (creative alignment): Harris Savides → David Fincher. Fincher, by the host's account, trusts Savides to light without micromanaging.
    “Harris Savita's instincts and styles are so aligned with my own”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 1:28:33 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
  21. unmapped (strong concepts): David Fincher → Milos Forman. Douglas said only Forman and Verhoeven rival Fincher for strong concepts.
    “have such strong concepts as David, and that is Milish Foreman”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 1:58:55 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  22. unmapped (strong concepts): David Fincher → Paul Verhoeven. Douglas said only Forman and Verhoeven rival Fincher for strong concepts.
    “and Paul Verhoven.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 1:58:55 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  23. unmapped (many takes): David Fincher → Stanley Kubrick. Fincher describes his many takes as getting preconceptions out of the actors, as speakers compare to Kubrick.
    “That's the way Fincher talks about it”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Shining with Timothy Simons (Ad-Free) · 2:12:09 · Tim Simons (0.40 sure it was them)
  24. unmapped (rights holder brought him in): Morgan Freeman → David Fincher. Freeman held the Rama rights and got Fincher involved.
    “Freeman had the rights got Fincher involved.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · 2001: A Space Odyssey with Jordan Hoffman (Ad-Free) · 1:27:53 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  25. unmapped (shared people): David Fincher → Nine Inch Nails. Fincher directed many Nine Inch Nails videos before Alien 3.
    “This is Fincher making his 1st movie after being king of the music video, including doing a lot of Niners Nails video.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien 3 · 0:15:15 · unknown (0.50 sure it was them)
  26. unmapped (shared DP): Jeff Cronenweth → David Fincher. Jeff worked the camera team on Fincher's videos and became DP on Fight Club.
    “But then he takes he becomes DP on Fight Club.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien 3 · 1:06:32 · unknown (0.50 sure it was them)

verdict (4)

  1. verdict (verdict): David Fincher → The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Dragon Tattoo has become Fincher's most underrated film.
    “which is Girl with a Dragon tattoo.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Panic Room’ (Plus a Mini Will Smith–Oscars Recap) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:24:31 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. verdict (verdict): David Fincher → Alien 3. There is no bad Fincher movie, Alien 3 included.
    “Alien 3 is good.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Panic Room’ (Plus a Mini Will Smith–Oscars Recap) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:24:57 · Chris Ryan (0.45 sure it was them)
  3. verdict (verdict): David Fincher → Seven. The group answers Who won the movie with Fincher, with Freeman nearly sharing it.
    “I say Fincher.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Se7en’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:25:35 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
  4. verdict (favorite filmmaker): Bob Fosse → David Fincher. A host believes All That Jazz is one of Fincher's favorite films and Fosse a favorite filmmaker.
    “I believe one of David Fincher's favorite movies or Fosse's one of his favorite filmmakers.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · David Fincher Music Videos · 1:12:57 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

what-if (6)

  1. what-if (what-if): David Fincher → Rocky. Fincher, joked about as moving curtains in Panic Room, is invited to fix the Rocky crowd.
    “Fincher is like moving curtains in panic room.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Rocky’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan · 1:13:47 · Chris Ryan (0.35 sure it was them)
  2. what-if (what-if): 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (unmade Fincher film) → David Fincher. A Fincher 20,000 Leagues could have been a signature event film of the 21st century.
    “could have been one of the signature event films of the 21st century”
    The Big Picture · 300th Episode Ask-Us-Anything Mailbag Spectacular · 0:45:30 · Sean Fennessey (0.85 sure it was them)
  3. what-if (what-if): I Love Trouble → David Fincher. I Love Trouble is a murder-mystery quest that needs Fincher's obsessive attention to detail.
    “what it needs is that obsessive, artful attention to detail”
    The Big Picture · 300th Episode Ask-Us-Anything Mailbag Spectacular · 1:14:03 · Amanda Dobbins (0.60 sure it was them)
  4. what-if (what-if): The Intern → David Fincher. Fincher could find the darkness at the edge of The Intern.
    “I sense a darkness at the edge of, um, that movie, uh, that I feel that he could explore”
    The Big Picture · 300th Episode Ask-Us-Anything Mailbag Spectacular · 1:14:22 · Sean Fennessey (0.60 sure it was them)
  5. what-if (swapped projects): Jeremiah Chechik → David Fincher. Chechik was first choice on Se7en and made The Avengers instead; Fincher was attached to The Avengers and made Se7en.
    “But they did a full swap years apart.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Se7en with Mike Mitchell & Nick Wiger (Ad-Free) · 0:33:59 · Griffin Newman or David Sims (reading the dossier) (0.40 sure it was them)
  6. what-if (what-if casting): David Fincher → Richard E. Grant. Fincher wanted Grant, fresh off Withnail and I, for the Dance role.
    “Fincher wanted Richard E. Grant coming off of Whitnail and I for this for the Charles dance role”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien 3 · 0:38:31 · unknown (0.50 sure it was them)

Fun items about them

  1. fun, about David Fincher: Next miniseries: Fincher, with The Curious Cast of Benjamin Buttcast as the title; a Reddit user had guessed it a day before.
    “And then someone yesterday on Reddit fucking said they're probably going to call it the curious pot of Benjamin Butt cast, right?”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Decision to Leave with Tatiana Maslany · 2:11:47 · Griffin Newman (0.60 sure it was them)
  2. fun, about David Fincher: Fincher's lessons from Panic Room: don't shoot 100 days in one place; he ended up two years in thinking nothing was worth it.
    “And then you end up 2 years into the challenge.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Panic Room’ (Plus a Mini Will Smith–Oscars Recap) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:18:08 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
  3. fun, about David Fincher: Steven Soderbergh warned him the camera plan would drive him insane; Fincher showed it to him and Soderbergh was right.
    “Soderberg was like, this is going to drive you insane if you do it this way?”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Panic Room’ (Plus a Mini Will Smith–Oscars Recap) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:20:21 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
  4. fun, about David Fincher: The Q&A team (Klyce, Messerschmidt, Baxter) answered every question with 'that was David's idea.' Walker said Fincher walked him through the whole movie when pitching it.
    “every time they got asked a question, they would be like, that's David.”
    The Big Picture · ‘The Killer’ Is Cold-Blooded Genius. And Something More · 0:17:30 · Chris Ryan (0.60 sure it was them)
  5. fun, about David Fincher: Early career: Fincher compared Propaganda Films to a jukebox, put a quarter in one end and a product comes out, a mercenary quote underlying an artist.
    “Fincher likened it to a jukebox.”
    The Big Picture · ‘The Killer’ Is Cold-Blooded Genius. And Something More · 0:53:26 · Adam Nayman (0.85 sure it was them)
  6. fun, about David Fincher: On Alien 3, a producer reportedly said 'you sell shoes, shut up' on conference calls; the chip on his shoulder never left.
    “one of the producers of alien was like, you sell shoes, like, shut up”
    The Big Picture · ‘The Killer’ Is Cold-Blooded Genius. And Something More · 1:00:09 · Adam Nayman (0.85 sure it was them)
  7. fun, about David Fincher: Rumor: Fincher is considering a movie about cancel culture.
    “there's rumors that Fincher wants to make a movie about cancel culture.”
    The Big Picture · ‘The Killer’ Is Cold-Blooded Genius. And Something More · 1:04:57 · Adam Nayman (0.50 sure it was them)
  8. fun, about David Fincher: At the Academy Museum Q&A, an audience member asked how to make iconic movies in the age of TikTok. Fincher sighed and said he never thinks 'how can I make this more iconic' when setting up a shot.
    “when I set up a shot, I don't think, dude, how can I make this more iconic?”
    The Big Picture · ‘The Killer’ Is Cold-Blooded Genius. And Something More · 1:16:18 · Amanda Dobbins (0.70 sure it was them)
  9. fun, about David Fincher: Netflix is betting on a black-and-white, no-movie-star historical drama because studios have not funded Fincher in 7 or 8 years.
    “studios haven't been giving David Fincher money to make movies for the last 7 or 8 years for a reason.”
    The Big Picture · Emergency Mailbag: The Oscars Are Streaming and Hollywood Is Fighting Over Trolls | The Big Picture · 0:38:25 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
  10. fun, about David Fincher: Griffin's Letterboxd one-liner: the film is Fincher's nightmare of being allowed only one take, and the missed shot is the nightmare.
    “a psychological horror film about David Fincher imagining a reality where he's only allowed one take.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Killer with Marie Bardi (Ad-Free) · 0:22:44 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
  11. fun, about David Fincher: A Fincher line the host paraphrases: only two places to put the camera, and one of them is wrong.
    “I think there are only 2 places to put the camera and one of them is wrong.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Killer with Marie Bardi (Ad-Free) · 1:25:28 · unknown (host) (0.30 sure it was them)
  12. fun, about David Fincher: His 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ended up a search for 'which 3 names you could rub together to make platinum'; his plan made Nemo a Middle Eastern prince.
    “it became this bizarre endeavor to find which 3 names you could rub together to make platinum.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Gone Girl with Esther Zuckerman (Ad-Free) · 0:22:23 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  13. fun, about David Fincher: His dialogue rule: people use words to lie, so dialogue should not reveal truth; truth comes through behavior.
    “I think people use words to lie. Dialogue should not be like revealing truth.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Gone Girl with Esther Zuckerman (Ad-Free) · 2:06:49 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  14. fun, about David Fincher: Fincher consulted everyone he knew who had survived abuse to get the assault scenes right.
    “canvassed, everyone in his life who he knew who had experienced some sort of traumatic abuse”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with Fran Hoepfner (Ad-Free) · 1:40:02 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  15. fun, about David Fincher: Fincher resented being told whom to cast, and nearly cast someone else out of spite until he watched Eisenberg's tape.
    “Fincher said interviews like, I hate when people tell me who to cast, especially the public.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 0:54:46 · unknown (0.35 sure it was them)
  16. fun, about David Fincher: Why a hundred takes: Fincher says the surprising little things only come out after the lines are routine; the Erica line appeared in a single take.
    “And Fincher's like, that's like the kind of fucking moment I'm looking for, which he only does on one take.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 2:35:47 · Griffin Newman (0.35 sure it was them)
  17. fun, about David Fincher: On the last shooting day Fincher handed Sorkin the third insert shot to direct.
    “I'm going to do the 1st two. I'm going to get in the car, you direct the 3rd one.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 2:36:23 · Griffin Newman (0.30 sure it was them)
  18. fun, about David Fincher: Studio asked for 200 grand and Fincher said he needed 40 million; he argues he never rents gear he will not use.
    “I know also when he signed on to do this movie, I think Pascal was like, we have this budget for $200000 and Fincher was like, I need 40.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 2:43:59 · David Sims (0.35 sure it was them)
  19. fun, about David Fincher: Fincher on his style for this film.
    “Fincher said, my style in this was trying to have no style.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 2:44:34 · Griffin Newman (0.35 sure it was them)
  20. fun, about David Fincher: On the commentary Fincher said Benjamin's behavior is largely modeled after his own father, who died shortly before.
    “He said that Benjamin Button behavior is largely modeled after his father”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:43:06 · Griffin Newman (0.30 sure it was them)
  21. fun, about David Fincher: The hosts invent a Fincher production credit: from the desk of the Finchman.
    “From the desk of the Finchman.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:50:35 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  22. fun, about David Fincher: Fincher's stated goal for Zodiac: a serial-killer movie the killers could not enjoy.
    “I wanted to make a movie that serial killers couldn't masturbate to.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Zodiac with Leslye Headland (Ad-Free) · 1:31:41 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
  23. fun, about David Fincher: A host says Fincher thinks the death of the music video cost a generation of visually distinctive filmmakers their training ground.
    “the death of the music video has really been at the expense of a new generation of visually distinctive filmmakers coming up.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · David Fincher Music Videos · 0:32:11 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  24. fun, about David Fincher: Fincher is the most nominated and most winning director at the VMAs; his last video, Suit & Tie, was his final win.
    “Did you know that David Fincher is the most nominated and most winningest VMA for best direction director ever?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · David Fincher Music Videos · 1:05:10 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  25. fun, about David Fincher: How Fincher's agent pitched the book so he would read it in one night.
    “there's a guy in it who pisses in soup and splices porn into family films.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Fight Club with Alex Ross Perry (Ad-Free) · 0:54:10 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  26. fun, about David Fincher: Alex's take that Fincher built his own perfectionist myth.
    “I just think he created this myth of himself, rather than it being kind of created despite himself.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Fight Club with Alex Ross Perry (Ad-Free) · 1:50:55 · Alex Ross Perry (0.45 sure it was them)
  27. fun, about David Fincher: Twenty years later Fincher on that attack.
    “My dad probably liked Fight Club less than Paul did, which I think is a funny line.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Fight Club with Alex Ross Perry (Ad-Free) · 3:10:48 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  28. fun, about David Fincher: Fincher on his daughter at nine meeting a fan of the film.
    “I took her aside and said, you are no longer to hang out with Max.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Fight Club with Alex Ross Perry (Ad-Free) · 3:11:50 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  29. fun, about David Fincher: A speaker calls Fincher an unreliable narrator of his own artistry: the rain was practical, and also a choice.
    “Fincher is actually an unreliable narrator in a way because he will often downplay, I think, his own artistry.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Se7en with Mike Mitchell & Nick Wiger (Ad-Free) · 1:01:49 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  30. fun, about David Fincher: Fincher on his crew once the shoot began.
    “because now I have to get what's in my head out to all of you Cretans.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Se7en with Mike Mitchell & Nick Wiger (Ad-Free) · 1:03:32 · Griffin Newman or David Sims (reading the dossier) (0.40 sure it was them)
  31. fun, about David Fincher: Reading a 2009 Fincher interview: you don't need to see it, imagination does the work.
    “the imagination, if properly primed, can do more than any army of makeup artists, that was always my thing, get people to fear, get them to see it in their heads.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Se7en with Mike Mitchell & Nick Wiger (Ad-Free) · 2:13:32 · Griffin Newman or David Sims (reading the dossier) (0.40 sure it was them)
  32. fun, about David Fincher: As a boy he asked for a BB gun, was refused, and asked for a movie camera instead, on the theory that it cost far more.
    “he asked his mother for a BB gun.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien³ with Matt Singer (Ad-Free) · 0:43:30 · Griffin Newman (0.35 sure it was them)
  33. fun, about David Fincher: The anti-smoking ad that launched his music-video career: a fetus smoking in utero.
    “a fetus is smoking a cigarette in utero as an anti-cancer ad.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien³ with Matt Singer (Ad-Free) · 0:45:25 · Griffin Newman (0.30 sure it was them)
  34. fun, about David Fincher: Told by the Paramount president that nobody would give him $400,000 for a first picture, Fincher answered with a joke about a 40-minute movie.
    “Why would I do a 40 minute movie?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien³ with Matt Singer (Ad-Free) · 0:49:13 · Griffin Newman (0.30 sure it was them)
  35. fun, about David Fincher: His original Alien 3 pitch, in his own words, had multiple Lance Henriksens and 3,000 stormtroopers.
    “There were 3 Lance Henrikssons running around.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien³ with Matt Singer (Ad-Free) · 1:05:30 · Griffin Newman (0.35 sure it was them)
  36. fun, about David Fincher: Fincher says he tried to quit on day one; his agent said he could never work in town again.
    “Fincher says he tried to quit on day one and his agent was like, you can't.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien³ with Matt Singer (Ad-Free) · 1:14:14 · Griffin Newman (0.35 sure it was them)
  37. fun, about David Fincher: In a behind-the-scenes clip on the Panic Room DVD, Fincher gives notes over the previs in real time, never waiting for it to finish.
    “he is nonstop just going like, that needs to be 2 inches lower.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien³ with Matt Singer (Ad-Free) · 1:54:13 · Griffin Newman (0.35 sure it was them)