#mr marc

David Fincher is one of top five directors of all time. As a photographer I have always appreciated his approach to film making, by creating visual enjoyment in all his films. Not only has he created  many different types of films, but he also has mastered the style of wowing audiences with intensity, darkness and thrilling edge of your seat storylines. I always view him as a modern-day Alfred Hitchcock, through in his own gritty style. Today I will be ranking all 10 of his feature films.

11. Alien 3 (1992) = Alien 3 was Fincher’s first film and though it had a lot of potential it flopped due to unfortunate studio interference. This project became less of the director's vision and more a way to sell more products for Christmas. Though made well, this 3rd in the series lacks the strength of the previous two films and rather is more memorable for Sigourney shaving her head for the role. Regardless, Fincher tried his hardest to make a moody, scary sci-fi treat, and it works about 60% of the time.

10. The Game (1997) = The Game is a well-made Fincher film, however suffers from what most films did in the 90s, defying the span of logic by plugging the plot-holes with those 'it just so happens' moments. The premise is something you would see in a film-noire but with a bit more punch but overall it seems to be the most unlikely plotline of all his films, even Alien 3.

9. Zodiac (2007) = The premise of Zodiac is strong, in that a real-life unsolved murder case can always be exciting. The film, though wonderfully shot and acted, is slightly too long. Because it is so long and the story deviates into the main characters marriage and life problems, my attention span started to wane.  The weakest part of the film is that none of the actors seem to age, regardless of the fact the film takes place over a span of 15 years.

8. Panic Room (2002) = Panic Room offers a very Hitchcock flare to a modern film. All shot in one location, the movie examines fear through the unknown. The underlying humour lies in the expertise of the villains as their plan systematically continues to fall apart throughout the film due to the protagonists’ quick thinking. At first, I was not a fan of Kristen Stewart’s angst daughter in relation to Jodie Foster’s cold and distant Mother, but upon re-watching it really works. They seem like the emotional product of a family being torn apart by divorce.

7. Mank (2020) = A biographical film of the career of Herman J. Mankiewicz, mostly focused on the writing of Citizen Kane, considered to be one of the greatest films ever made. It’s interesting that Fincher decided to shoot the film like an Orson Welles picture, despite the fact that Mank himself only worked with Welles once, but it creates a unique surreal flare which makes it more of an enjoyable watch. I will say though at times the pacing is quite slow, but the cinematography makes up for this in spades.

6. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) = A beautiful, sometimes touching but mostly horrifying film. Rooney Mara beautifully captures the character of Lisbeth, a gothic girl with Asperger’s working for a magazine mogul (Daniel Craig). Through their research the two quickly fall into a world of secrets, suspicion and murder. Despite being completely in English, you really feel as if you are in the cold landscape of Sweden with the sharp and complex personalities of each character.  The best part is that the film is scored by Fincher’s long-time collaborators, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) = It’s interesting that I had not seen this film sooner, mostly because of the mixed reviews as well the idea of sitting and watching a three-hour film about 'growing young' did not appeal to me. However, I am glad I finally took the time to watch and analyse this wonderful film. An adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald short story of a man who is born old and regresses in age. Brad Pitt's performance as the title lead is effortless, and Cate Blanchett proves why she is one of Hollywood's A-listers. Overall, I felt a sense of warmth for the movie and I praise the rich and soft colour pallet the film uses.

4. Fight Club (1999) = A stellar and amazing film from David Fincher. Over the years this film has managed to stay relevant and powerful. The film is based on the excellent novel by Chuck Palahniuk and focuses on an unnamed man, played by Edward Norton and his nihilistic views that grow stronger once he meets a soap salesman, played by Brad Pitt. The two form a fight club which has anarchist tendencies. Pitt and Norton's chemistry together is some of the strongest I have seen in a film and Fincher’s vision is as brutal and frantic as the book.

3. The Social Network (2010) = A dark and humble look at the beginning of Facebook and the in-fighting between the people responsible for the World's biggest social media network. Excellent performances from Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield. The film has been cited as Fincher’s best work, I disagree as I see it more as a relevant film for our time and an interesting story. The only weakness I find is the acting of singer Justin Timberlake, who like most musicians is not as strong a performer on screen.

2. Gone Girl (2014) = Gone Girl reflects how a marriage can be destroyed with lies and deceit, but what really works about this film is how each character is as despicable as the next. Fincher beautifully executes the emotional red-herrings, and Rosamund Pike's portrayal as Amy is beyond words. Director Tyler Perry, who stars in this picture really wowed me with his acting chops, as before this I had only seem him in drag in his Medea films. I was pleasantly surprised to him play a serious character.

Ranking the Mission: Impossible films.

It’s hard to believe that two decades have passed and six Mission: Impossible films have been made in this time. A spin-off of the original 1960s television show, with Tom Cruise headlining as original character Ethan Hunt the film series has been quite strong, though at times has faltered. Cruise has produced all six films that have made over $3.5 Billions USD. Today I’d like to discuss and rank each film in the series. Be warned, spoilers a plenty ahead.

6. Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)

Though an easily bankable sequel in M:I franchise, part deux tried to stay away from sequel tropes by 1) hiring a new director with a different vision for the film, and 2) focusing more on action than a story line, as well far too much focus on the coolest effect from the first film, the disguise mask. This is the film in the series that feels quite dated, as it really showcases the types of films director John Woo was making at the time. Very high-octane action but little to no substance, and not very memorable, so much so it would be six years until M:I 3 would be made.

5. Mission: Impossible 3 (2006)

This was Star Wars and Star Trek director JJ Abrams first full-length feature film, and unfortunately at times it really shows. From the flash-back montages, to the use of actors such as Keri Russell and Greg Gunberg, (most famous for working with Abrams on his TV shows), there were quite a few weak moments showcased in M:I 3. However, the film brought depth to the character of Ethan Hunt, turning him from just a regular action hunk into someone with heart and soul. Regardless of the film’s placement on my list, I still believe Owen Davian (played excellently by the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman) to be the evilest villain in the franchise. Overall it’s a worthwhile film, despite creating a new M:I team of characters, mostly never to be seen again.

4. Mission: Impossible (1996)

This is probably one of the most iconic action movies of the 1990s. Brian de Palma, who is mostly famous for directing hyper-sexual film noirs focused on the intricacy of spy work and really fleshed out a world beyond the hit 1960s TV show. From the soundtrack to the infamous scene of Ethan suspended in a room in the Pentagon trying not to allow a single sweat drop to hit the pressure sensitive floor, this was a wonderful start to what would become the popular franchise. The only weakness? Fans of the original show hated that their hero Jim Phelps (now played by John Voight) would become the villain, especially as it was explained in an oddly shot flashback sequence.

3. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)

This movie has some of the best action sequences and stunts ever seen on film, especially since it is well documented that Tom Cruise did not use a stunt double, and at one point broke his ankle. The plot is a bit contrived, by the sixth film it becomes predictable that Ethan Hunt will not be trusted by his own government, that someone will turn against him and that he will overall have to save the day almost completely on his own. Adding to this was how the film starts, with plutonium being stolen from his team who accidently left it unguarded for a minute. The inclusion of Ethan’s wife, who though has been seen and mentioned in previous entries, hasn’t been a main character since the first film was smart, but what wasn’t smart was foreshadowing her arrival in dream sequences. Was Ethan all of a sudden, a pre-cog or a psychic? To me that was just lazy writing. Overall it is a strong film it just needed some tweaks in the script.

2. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)

Ghost Protocol could have been a disaster; with the two previous M:I films being so-so, it was a gamble that part 4 would be any better. It is miles ahead of the first two films. The plot is very basic, an arms dealer threatens to restart the Cold War by bombing the United States with a Russian nuclear warheads. What makes this film as amazing as it is first off is the casting, the fact the IMI team have next to no resources and finally the interjected humor in the script. I would say the special effects have not aged well, but the action is amazing in how it combines the lighter tone of the script with nail-biting sequences. The scene I especially love is Ethan climbing the side of an Abu Dhabi hotel and his magnetic gear starts failing.  

1. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)

How Avengers: Infinity War would bum me out.

The trailer for Avengers: Infinity War has all the World a-buzzing about how amazing this film looks and how it will be the ultimate Marvel movie… or will it?

There are so many things that strike me as possibly going wrong with this movie, and I’m here to list them:

1) too many battles with generic, non-important henchmen. Marvel is notorious for having faceless baddies be the drones of the main villain. Their main role is to die easily. Next.

2) have Thanos not find all the Infinity Stones until the last 10 minutes of the movie. In cases where the villain gets what he wants in a film, he tends to make a careless attempt at using his newfound power, only to lose it in minutes and then be destroyed.

3) The Guardians of the Galaxy are reduced to a cameo. I fear our favourite space rogues will only be fighting for Earth in a brief cameo at the end where they mostly just fight off the faceless henchmen. They deserve as much screen time as the Avengers.

4) kill off several Avengers just because their contracts expire. First-off, leaving the original Avengers with an open-ended farewell gives fans hope that they may return much later in the MCU. Killing them off would be too much to take, especially since I still want an Iron Man 4.

5) have a terrible ‘to-be-continued’ ending where we have to wait a year to find out what happens (à la Matrix 2). This would just be the worst.