Jump to content

David Fincher

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 93.174.8.199 (talk) at 15:57, 31 July 2014. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

David Fincher(AKA Fuckwad #1)
Fincher at the Paris premiere of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in 2012
Born (1962-08-28) August 28, 1962 (age 61)
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Other namesFinch
Dave Fincher
Occupation(s)Film director, film producer, music video director
Years active1984–present
SpouseDonya Fiorentino (1990–1995)
Children1

David Andrew Leo Fincher[1][2] (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director, film producer, and music video director. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director for his 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and his 2010 film The Social Network. For The Social Network, he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Director and the BAFTA Award for Best Direction. His most recent film is 2011's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, an English-language adaptation of Stieg Larsson's novel of the same name.

Early life

Fincher was born on August 28, 1962 in Denver, Colorado, the son of Claire Mae (née Boettcher), a mental health nurse who worked in drug addiction programs, and Howard Kelly Fincher, who was an author and worked as a bureau chief for Life. Howard died of cancer in April 2003.[1][3] When Fincher was two years old, the family moved to San Anselmo, California. Fincher moved to Ashland, Oregon in his teens, where he graduated from Ashland High School. Inspired by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Fincher began making movies at age eight with an 8 mm camera. He attended the Berkeley Film Institute.

Career

Early career

Fincher was employed at Korty Films where he worked on the animated Twice Upon a Time. He was later hired by Industrial Light & Magic in 1983, where he worked on productions for Return of the Jedi, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. In 1984, he left ILM to direct a commercial for the American Cancer Society, that would show a fetus smoking a cigarette. This quickly brought Fincher to the attention of producers in Los Angeles and he was given the chance to direct the documentary The Beat of the Live Drum featuring Rick Springfield in 1985. Though he would continue to direct spots for companies like Revlon, Converse, Nike, Pepsi, Sony, and Levi's, Fincher soon discovered music videos and went on to direct many promos.

Propaganda Films

Set on a directing career, Fincher joined video-production company Propaganda Films and started off directing music videos and commercials. Like Fincher, directors such as Michael Bay, Spike Jonze, Mark Romanek, Michel Gondry, Paul Rachman, Zack Snyder, Gore Verbinski, Alex Proyas, Antoine Fuqua and others honed their talents at Propaganda Films before moving on to feature films.

Influence

In an interview with Empire magazine in 2008, Fincher named the following films as his favorite; Alien, All That Jazz, All the President's Men, American Graffiti, Being There, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Cabaret, Chinatown, Citizen Kane, Days of Heaven, Dr. Strangelove, 8½, The Exorcist, The Godfather Part II, The Graduate, Jaws, Lawrence of Arabia, Mad Max 2, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, National Lampoon's Animal House, Paper Moon, Rear Window, Taxi Driver, The Terminator, The Year of Living Dangerously, and Zelig.[4]

Feature films and television

After directing several music videos, Fincher's feature debut was Alien 3. While it received an Oscar nomination for special effects, the film was not well received by critics or moviegoers. Fincher became involved with several disputes with 20th Century Fox over script and budget issues. Director's Cut: Picturing Hollywood in the 21st Century,[5] he blames the producers for not putting the necessary trust in him. He stated in an interview with The Guardian in 2009: "No one hated it more than me; to this day, no one hates it more than me." After this, he retreated back into the world of commercial and music video directing, including the video for the Grammy Award-winning track "Love Is Strong" (1994) by The Rolling Stones.

In 1995, Fincher directed Seven. The film, based on a screenplay by Andrew Kevin Walker, told the story of two detectives (played by Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman) tracking down a serial killer who bases his killings on the seven deadly sins. The film grossed more than $100 million domestically (over $300 million internationally).[6] The chairman of New Line Cinema, Arnold Kopelson, originally refused to allow filming of the shocking climatic scene. With the aid of Brad Pitt, who stated that he would not be involved with the picture if its ending were changed, Fincher was allowed to film the original scene and use it in the final cut.

After the success of Seven, Fincher went on to film The Game (1997). The story focused on a closed-off San Francisco businessman (played by Michael Douglas) who receives an unusual gift from his younger brother (Sean Penn), in which he becomes the main player of a role-playing game that takes over his life. The film had middling box-office returns despite being well received by critics.

Fight Club was a screen adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's novel of the same name about an insomniac office worker who opens up a club devoted exclusively to bare knuckle fighting for men. Featuring Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter, and Seven collaborator Brad Pitt, the 1999 film was an early disappointment at the box-office and received mixed reviews. Fight Club was panned by several critics and alienated audiences leading to its box office failure in the United States.

However, many critics and audiences later changed their opinions and the film appeared on many "best of the year" lists and soon developed a cult following. Entertainment Weekly, which had originally given the film a D-,[7] later ranked the DVD #1 on its list of 50 Essential DVDs.[8] Exceptional sales[citation needed] have since established it as a cult film.

In 2006, the British magazine Total Film voted Fight Club number four in the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time, beaten only by Jaws, Vertigo and Goodfellas at 3, 2 and 1 respectively.[9]

In 2002, Fincher followed up with the thriller Panic Room. The film earned over $92 million at the U.S. box office. The story follows a single mother (Jodie Foster) and her daughter (Kristen Stewart) as they hide in a safe room of their new house, away from criminals (Forest Whitaker, Dwight Yoakam, and Fight Club collaborator Jared Leto) bent on finding a missing fortune. Fincher acknowledged Panic Room as a more mainstream thriller, describing the film, on the DVD's audio commentary, as "[basically] a date movie" and a "really good B movie" about "two people trapped in a closet".

Five years after Panic Room, Fincher returned on March 2, 2007 with Zodiac, an adaptation of Robert Graysmith's books about the hunt for the Zodiac Killer that starred Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey, Jr., Anthony Edwards, and Brian Cox. The first of Fincher's films to be shot digitally, the majority of the film was recorded on a Thompson Viper Film Stream Camera. However, high-speed film cameras were used for the Blue Rock Springs and Presidio Heights murder scenes for the slow-motion shots.[10] It was originally to be released in the fall of 2006 but was pushed back after Fincher refused to cut 20 minutes off the film.

Zodiac was one of the best-reviewed films of that year, with only two other 2007 films appearing on more top-10 lists (No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood).[11] However, the film struggled at the box office in the U.S., earning only $33 million, but did well overseas with a foreign gross of $51.7 million. Worldwide, Zodiac was a decent success.[12] Despite an aggressive campaign by the studio, expectations surrounding Robert Downey, Jr.'s supporting performance, Fincher's direction and Vanderbilt's adapted script, the film did not earn a single Academy Award nomination.[13]

A story about life and death, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story of the same name. The film was Fincher's third with Brad Pitt. The film started shooting in November 2006 in New Orleans, before moving on to the Virgin Islands, Montreal, and L.A. Both Zodiac and this film are co-productions of Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. The budget for the film was estimated at $150 million, partly due to the CGI effects used to reverse the aging in Pitt's character. The film is the first PG-13 film directed by Fincher. It received 13 nominations at the 81st Academy Awards, including Fincher's first nomination for Best Director. It won three Academy Awards for Best Art Direction, Best Makeup, and Best Visual Effects.

Fincher directed the 2010 film The Social Network, about the legal battles of Mark Zuckerberg and the founding of Facebook. The film features an Oscar-winning screenplay by Aaron Sorkin, adapted from the book The Accidental Billionaires. Featuring a young cast ensemble, the film was produced by Scott Rudin, Kevin Spacey and Michael DeLuca. Filming started in October 2009[14] and was released a year later, to critical acclaim. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross created the Oscar-winning soundtrack for the film. Fincher had long been a fan of Reznor's work in Nine Inch Nails, even putting a remix of "Closer" in the beginning of Seven and directing the music video for "Only". The film went on to win many awards, including four Golden Globes (including Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Original Score), three BAFTAs (including Best Direction), and three Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, and Best Film Editing.[15]

Fincher directed the American version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which was based on the book by Stieg Larsson, with a script written by Steven Zaillian. The film was shot in Sweden, with Rooney Mara (who played Erica Albright in The Social Network) as Lisbeth Salander, Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomkvist, Robin Wright as Erika Berger, Stellan Skarsgård as Martin Vanger and Christopher Plummer as Henrik Vanger. The film was released on December 21, 2011. Dragon Tattoo writer Steve Zaillian is in the early stage of scripting The Girl Who Played with Fire, which Fincher has the option to direct. While he has not yet committed to the project, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker has admitted that (should he sign on) he would prefer to shoot both the second and third Millennium book adaptations back-to-back, for both practical and artistic purposes.[16][17] Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross composed the soundtrack for the film (their second collaboration with Fincher).[18] It received five Academy Award nominations at the 84th Academy Awards including: Best Actress for Rooney Mara, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Sound Mixing and won one award for Best Film Editing.

Fincher is executive producer of the Netflix television series House of Cards; he also directed the first two episodes.[19] The series has received critical acclaim, receiving nine Primetime Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series and Fincher for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for the first episode, which he won.[20]

On January 22, 2013, Fincher was reported to be in talks to direct the adaptation of the Gillian Flynn novel Gone Girl,[21] a report that was later confirmed on July 11 of the same year with the casting of Ben Affleck in the lead role.[22] Production began in September 2013.[23] It was later given a release date of October 3, 2014.[24]

Filmography

Films

Year Title Director Producer Executive producer Notes
1992 Alien 3 Yes Nominated – Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation
Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Director
1995 Seven Yes Blue Ribbon Award for Best Foreign Language Film
Fantasporto for Best Film
Hochi Film Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
Sant Jordi Awards for Best Foreign Film
Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Director
Nominated – DVD Exclusive Awards for Best DVD Audio Commentary
1997 The Game Yes
1999 Fight Club Yes Nominated – Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Director
2001 The Hire Yes
2002 Panic Room Yes
2005 Lords of Dogtown Yes
2006 Love and Other Disasters Yes
2007 Zodiac Yes Nominated – Bodil Award for Best American Film
Nominated – Palme d'Or
Nominated – Chicago Film Critics Association for Best Director
Nominated – Empire Award for Best Director
Nominated – London Film Critics' Circle for Director of the Year
Nominated – Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Director
NominatedToronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Director
2008 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Yes London Film Critics Circle Award for Director of the Year
National Board of Review Award for Best Director
Nominated – Academy Award for Best Director
Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Director
Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Direction
Nominated – Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Director
Nominated – Chicago Film Critics Association Awards for Best Director
Nominated – Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Director
Nominated – Directors Guild of America for Outstanding Directing- Featured Film
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Director
Nominated – New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director
Nominated – Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Director
Nominated – SFX Awards for best director
Nominated – Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director
2010 The Social Network Yes BAFTA Award for Best Direction
Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Director
Chicago Film Critics Association for Best Director
Cinema Brazil Grand Prize for Best Foreign-Language Film – Audience Award
César Award for Best Foreign Film
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Director
Film Critics Circle of Australia for Best Foreign Film
Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director
Golden Globe Award for Best Director
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Director
London Film Critics Circle Award for Director of the Year
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Director
National Board of Review Award for Best Director
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director
San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director
Sant Jordi Awards for Best Foreign Film
Satellite Award for Best Director
Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Director
Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Director
Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director
Nominated – Academy Award for Best Director
Nominated – Bodil Award for Best American Film
Nominated – Central Ohio Film Critics Association for Best Director
Nominated – Cinema Brazil Grand Prize for Best Foreign-Language Film
Nominated – Cinema Writers Circle Awards for Best Foreign Film
Nominated – David di Donatello for Best Foreign Film
Nominated – Directors Guild of America for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures
Nominated – Empire Award for Best Director
Nominated – Nastro d'Argento for Best Non-European Director
Nominated – Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Director
Nominated – Robert Festival for Best American Film
Nominated – Russian Guild of Film Critics for Best Foreign Film
Nominated – San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Director
Nominated -Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association
2011 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Yes Nominated – Central Ohio Film Critics Association
Nominated – Directors Guild of America for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures
2013 House of Cards (2 episodes) Yes Yes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (2013)
Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series (2013, 2014)
2014 Gone Girl Yes Yes

Music videos

As a music video director, Fincher has won two Grammy Awards for Best Music Video, for his work in "Love Is Strong" by The Rolling Stones (1995) and "Suit & Tie" by Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z (2013), and three MTV Video Music Awards for Best Direction, being one of the most awarded directors in the category, alongside Spike Jonze. His video for Don Henley's "The End of the Innocence" won Henley the MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video in 1990. He also earned back-to-back MTV Video Music Awards for Best Direction in 1989 for "Express Yourself" and in 1990 for "Vogue". In 1990, he earned three of the four available nominations in the Best Direction category.

Video games

Reception

Critical reception

Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
Alien 3 42%[33] N/A
Seven 79%[34] 65[35]
The Game 71%[36] 61[37]
Fight Club 80%[38] 66[39]
Panic Room 76%[40] 65[41]
Zodiac 89%[42] 78[43]
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 72%[44] 70[45]
The Social Network 96%[46] 95[47]
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 86%[48] 71[49]
Average 77% 71

Box office

Film Release date Revenue Budget Reference
United States Outside United States Worldwide
Alien 3 May 22, 1992 (1992-05-22) $55,473,545 $104,340,953 $159,814,498 $50 million [50]
Seven September 22, 1995 (1995-09-22) $100,125,643 $227,186,216 $327,311,859 $33 million [51]
The Game September 12, 1997 (1997-09-12) $48,323,648 $61,100,000 $109,423,648 $50 million [52]
Fight Club October 15, 1999 (1999-10-15) $37,030,102 $63,823,651 $100,853,753 $63 million [53]
Panic Room March 29, 2002 (2002-03-29) $96,397,334 $100,000,081 $196,397,415 $48 million [54]
Zodiac March 2, 2007 (2007-03-02) $33,080,084 $51,705,830 $84,785,914 $65 million [55]
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button December 25, 2008 (2008-12-25) $127,509,326 $206,422,757 $333,932,083 $150 million [56]
The Social Network October 1, 2010 (2010-10-01) $96,962,694 $127,957,621 $224,920,315 $40 million [57]
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo December 20, 2011 (2011-12-20) $102,068,888 $124,300,000 $232,617,430 $90 million [58]
Total $592,281,774 $920,129,139 $1,512,410,913 $509 million

References

  1. ^ a b "The Membership: Howard Kely "Jack" Fincher" (PDF). Wolfensberger: Newsletter of the Wolfensberger Family Association. May 2003. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  2. ^ Davies, Gareth A (December 23, 2008). "Forrest Griffin to show his police brutality". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  3. ^ Swallow, James (2003). "Dark and Light". Dark Eye: The Films of David Fincher. Reynolds & Hearn. p. 11. ISBN 1-903111-52-8.
  4. ^ David Fincher, They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?
  5. ^ "Director's Cut: Picturing Hollywood in the 21st Century". Amazon.com. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
  6. ^ Seven (1995). Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2010-09-14.
  7. ^ Entertainment Weekly – Review of Fight Club (1999). October 15, 1999
  8. ^ Entertainment Weekly – The 50 Essential DVDs. January 19, 2001
  9. ^ Total Film. "Who is the greatest?". Total Film. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  10. ^ Zodiac Director’s Cut DVD, 2nd Disc, Visual Effects featurette.
  11. ^ Best of 2007 « CriticsTop10. Criticstop10.com. Retrieved on 2014-02-01.
  12. ^ "2007 Box Office". Box Office Report. January 6, 2009. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  13. ^ Nominees. 80th Annual Academy Awards. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. oscars.org
  14. ^ "Confirmed: Eisenberg, Timberlake and Garfield Cast in David Fincher's ',The Social Network', 9/22/2009". "Slashfilm.com. September 22, 2009. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  15. ^ Brooks, Xan (January 17, 2011). "Golden Globes: Colin Firth crowned while The Social Network wins lion's share". Guardian. London. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  16. ^ "'Dragon Tattoo' sequel still on track, Sony says". EW.com. January 3, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  17. ^ "'Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' Sequel is Still Moving Forward". ScreenRant.com. January 3, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  18. ^ "Trent Reznor Scoring David Fincher's Version of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"". Slashfilm. January 7, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2011.
  19. ^ O'Connell, Michael (April 10, 2012). "Netflix Launching Entire Run of David Fincher's 'House of Cards' in One Day". The Hollywood Reporter.
  20. ^ House of Cards | Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Emmys.com. Retrieved on 2014-02-01.
  21. ^ "David Fincher may have found next 'Girl'". Variety. January 22, 2013.
  22. ^ "Ben Affleck To Star In David Fincher's 'Gone Girl' For Fox/New Regency Before Directing Warner Bros' 'Live By Night'". July 11, 2013.
  23. ^ "'Gone Girl' filming at Giant City State Park". September 17, 2013.
  24. ^ McClintock, Pamela (October 15, 2013). "'Gone Girl' Gets Fall 2014 Release; 'Frankenstein' Pushed to January 2015". The Hollywood Reporter.
  25. ^ a b c d e f g h "10 Music Videos Directed by David Fincher". unrealitymag.com. March 20, 2009. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  26. ^ a b c d e Basham, David (March 30, 2000). "David Fincher To Direct A Perfect Circle Video". MTV.com. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  27. ^ "Demo Reel (Billy Idol's "LA Woman")". IMDb. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  28. ^ "Michael Jackson – Who Is It on Vimeo". Vimeo. July 20, 2009. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  29. ^ Dash, Anil (June 26, 2009). "The Best Music Video Michael Jackson Ever Released". dashes.com. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  30. ^ "Digital Domain Productions". Digital Domain. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  31. ^ "Justin Timberlake – Suit & Tie (Official) ft. JAY Z". YouTube. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  32. ^ Goldfarb, Andrew (October 10, 2012). "David Fincher Producing Halo 4 Launch Trailer". IGN. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
  33. ^ "Alien 3 Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  34. ^ "Seven (Se7en) Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
  35. ^ "Se7en Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. September 27, 1999. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  36. ^ "The Game Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  37. ^ "The Game Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. September 27, 1999. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  38. ^ "Fight Club Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  39. ^ "Fight Club Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. October 29, 1999. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  40. ^ "Panic Room Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  41. ^ "Panic Room Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. January 23, 2002. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  42. ^ "Zodiac Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  43. ^ "Zodiac Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. November 28, 2006. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  44. ^ "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  45. ^ "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. May 28, 2008. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  46. ^ "The Social Network Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. September 18, 2010. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
  47. ^ The Social Network. Metacritic. Retrieved 2010-09-14.
  48. ^ "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
  49. ^ The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Metacritic. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
  50. ^ "Alien 3 (1992)". Box Office Mojo.
  51. ^ "Seven (1995)". Box Office Mojo.
  52. ^ "The Game (1997)". Box Office Mojo.
  53. ^ "Fight Club (1999)". Box Office Mojo.
  54. ^ "Panic Room (2002)". Box Office Mojo.
  55. ^ "Zodiac (2007)". Box Office Mojo.
  56. ^ "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)". Box Office Mojo.
  57. ^ "The Social Network (2010)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 15, 2011.
  58. ^ "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 3, 2011.

Further reading

  • Waxman, Sharon, ed. (2005). Rebels on the Backlot: Six Maverick Directors and How They Conquered the Hollywood Studio System. HarperEntertainment.

External links

Interviews
Awards and achievements
National Board of Review
Preceded by Best Director
for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2008 		Succeeded by
National Board of Review
Preceded by Best Director
for The Social Network
2010 		Succeeded by

Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=David_Fincher&oldid=619305432"