Darren Aronofsky As the contemporary director most obsessed with the idea of obsession, Aronofsky would be a great fit for an episode or whole season of True Detective. Often, in the more intelligent entries in the genre, detective series focus not just on plot but on how the horrific events that take place within the …
My first real attempt at understanding the brilliance that was Stanley Kubrick came in my freshman year of college, when I wrote a research paper on 2001: A Space Odyssey for an English class. After all that work, I only received a B and found myself more confused than ever. But there it was – …
The difficulty in counting down films so clearly influenced by Kubrick is that there are certain directors who are just tailor-made for it. So, you start to run into situations like this section of the list, where two directors have two films and two other directors had a film mentioned in the last section. But …
Oplev’s vesion hesitates not a second in taking the same characters and the same plot and rewiring them, switching the focus from the investigation to central relationship. Fincher’s film is an adaptation that both on page and on-screen is a loyal and loving tribute to the book, a rarity with such efforts. The term remake, perversely, has never been more appropriate.
It’s a classic chapter of Hollywood lore, one of those great cautionary tales of executive mismanagement and shattered dreams but Alien 3’s production also brought a solid and respectable sequel butchered in post, one that can be found in the rough and tumble Assembly Cut.
John Doe’s apartment? As in the home of creepy, pervy Kevin Spacey from Se7en? Go ahead. Issue a worldwide “weirdo alert.” Sound the alarms, but I can’t help myself. David Fincher’s 1995 thriller still does a number on me to this day — just in a “feel good” kind of way. Good thing that doesn’t sound even …
E. B. White once wrote, “Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it.” Analyzing trilogies seems to the same. The entire point is to enjoy them. Still, given the many sins to be found in film, there are worse things than movie trilogies but few have …
Things We Learned From the Commentary is a column devoted to directors and their craft. Its singular goal is to put into perspective how and why auteurs shape and mold their films. The work of David Fincher is often defined by the outpouring of information and data, and the ways in which they invade the …
Side By Side Written by Christopher Kenneally Directed by Christopher Kenneally USA, 2012 A reasonably comprehensive primer on the rise of digital film and its implications on every facet of filmmaking, exhibition, and conservation, Side by Side manages to corral enough of the film world’s most outspoken filmmakers, as well as a less-familiar but equally …
House of Cards, Season 1 Premiered Friday, Feb. 1st on Netflix Only a few years removed from an acclaimed collaboration with Aaron Sorkin on The Social Network, David Fincher has dipped his toe into the realm of serial storytelling with the first Netflix original series, House of Cards. A cynic’s alternative to Sorkin’s monumental series The …
House of Cards, Season 1, Episodes 7-8: “Chapter 7”, “Chapter 8” Written by Kate Barnow (1.07) and Beau Willimon (1.07, 1.08) Directed by Charles McDougall Season 1, Episode 9: “Chapter 9” Written by Beau Willimon and Rick Cleveland Directed by James Foley Season 1, Episodes 10-11: “Chapter 10”, “Chapter 11” Written by Sarah Treem (1.10) …
House of Cards, Season 1, Episodes 1-2: “Chapter 1”, “Chapter 2” Written by Beau Willimon Directed by David Fincher Season 1, Episodes 3-4: “Chapter 3”, “Chapter 4” Written by Keith Huff (“Chapter 3”), Rick Cleveland (“Chapter 4”), and Beau Willimon (both) Directed by James Foley Season 1, Episode 5: “Chapter 5”, “Chapter 6” Written by …
Cinema, like most arts, exists beyond time and space. They are a medium of transportation, and for most of us, our only opportunity to fulfil our deepest desires and confront our darkest fears. That’s why it seems unfair to look back on a year in film and focus only on new releases. Our year end obsession with …
Last weeks release of Halo 4 by Microsoft’s 343 Industries was a huge deal for videogame fans. A trailer released for the game a few weeks earlier was an equally huge deal for completely different reasons. The two-minute and twenty-one second launch trailer, titled “Scanned,” made its debut on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” on …
Many film websites published “decade’s best horror films” lists in late 2009/early 2010. While these lists collectively provided a rough snapshot of the genre’s ups and downs during that time, with more time to reflect, it becomes increasingly clear what an important period the 2000’s were for the horror genre on a global scale. Not …
The Tumblr round-up is a compilation of images, links, posters, stories, videos and so on, taken from the Sound On Sight Tumblr account. We simply do not have the man power nor time to write articles on every interesting movie related goody we find, so this is our way of still promoting some of the …
Ever since the birth of the concept in the early eighties, the prospect of a ‘Director’s Cut’ has become one of the most mouth watering morsels for film fanatics, a chance to glimpse an expanded version or in some cases a radically altered vision to their favorite movies. Whether it be the lengthening of an …
Joshua Tree, 1951: A Portrait of James Dean Written and directed by Matthew Mishory USA, 2012 Let’s posit a hypothetical – what if the iconic James Dean was gay? Well, let’s answer one hypothetical question with another – what if Fellini made a Dolce & Gabbana commercial instead of La Dolce Vita? What does one …
Headhunters Directed by Morten Tyldum Written by Lars Gudmestad, Jo Nesbø, and Ulf Ryberg Norway, 2011 While American politicians abjectly deride the Scandinavians for being ‘pinko commies’, Hollywood has been taking notice of their considerable cinematic talent, finding every opportunity to import some of their best films for American remakes. David Fincher’s The Girl with …
The Raven Directed by James McTeigue Written by Ben Livingston and Hannah Shakespeare USA, 2012 In a room of posh, opulent women, Edgar Allan Poe (John Cusack) commands their undivided attention by reciting the film’s titular poem, The Raven. Enamored, one of the women tries her hand at poetry as well. Crude, unsophisticated and juvenile, …
In a move that may mark the beginnings of a notable turning point of the TV industry and its evolution online as more and more audiences flock to the internet for its viewing pleasures, Netflix has announced that new original series Lilyhammer will premiere February 6th, 2012. Lilyhammer follows star Steven Van Zandt (The Sopranos) …
The original Swedish title for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, translating to “Men Who Hate Women,” boldly announces the overarching theme of the book series and the films that have been adapted from it. Lisbeth Salander is a truly fascinating character and the misery she faces through the series represents an attempt by the …
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Directed by David Fincher Screenplay by Steven Zaillian 2011, USA David Fincher is effectively incapable of making a bad film. Even his worst film, Alien³, is actually so well made and unique in vision that for all its problems it manages to avoid overall badness. He does seem to …