Tag Archives: David Fincher

Episode 81. You Bring Me Closer to God: Se7en (1995)

From the Gothic urban landscape, to narrative switch-a-roos, to entitled male rage, David Fincher’s Se7en is much more than a morality-wielding killer with a penchant for… unboxings. In this episode, Andrea and Alex delve into the movie’s complicated moral codes, the history of detective fiction and the dangers of having a God-complex.
 
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REQUIRED READING

Se7en. Dir David Fincher, 1995.

EXTRA CREDIT

 
Places of Horror: Fincher’s “Seven” and Fear of the City in Recent Hollywood Film – An academic look at the fear of urbanization in Se7en.
 
 
Se7en Title Sequence – An in-depth look at the film’s title sequence featuring an interview with Kyle Cooper.
 
American Horror Story: 7 Seasons of Title Design – Alex’s piece on the title sequences of American Horror Story and an interview with Kyle Cooper.
 
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Episode 75. Crime Spree: Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) and Zodiac (2007)

This month, Andrea and Alex pull back the veil on narrative cinema and the true-crime phenomena. From John McNaughton’s nightmarish debut to David Fincher’s gumshoe epic, the answers to our response and responsibility to real-life events is almost always more complex than they appear on the surface.

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REQUIRED READING

Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer. Dir. John McNaughton, 1986.

Zodiac. Dir. David Fincher, 2007.

EXTRA CREDIT

Violence Incorporated: John McNaughton’s “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer” and the Uses of Gratuitous Violence in Popular Narrative. Steffen Hantke’s in-depth examination of violence in the film.

Regarding the Pain of Others. Susan Sontag’s follow up to On Photography.
 
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark. Michelle McNamara’s search for the Golden State Killer.
 
The Ethical Dilemma of Highbrow True Crime. Alice Bolin discusses how true crime went from guilty pleasure to pop culture phenomenon.

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Episode 39. Alienation, Part 2: Alien 3 (1992) and Alien: Resurrection (1997)

Alien ep 2

The ’90s are alive in space with the sequels which have been derided and praised in equal measure. Drawing from the complex production histories of both movies, Andrea and Alex seek to understand the competing visions of the filmmakers and themes that underpin them.

REQUIRED READING

Alien 3. Dir David Fincher, 1992.
Alien: Resurrection. Dir Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 1997.

EXTRA CREDIT

Intertextuality: Hollywood’s New Currency – A video examination of Hollywood’s use of nostalgia as a tool of manipulation.

The Origins of Farce – A history of the farce theatrical movement and France’s particular take on it.

Image of the original newborn alien (NSFW).

COURSE NOTES

 Intro song: Nail Ballet from Nightmare Picture Theatre, courtesy of James Zirco Fisher.
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