Houselights: A Film Director Podcast

Legendary producer Kathleen Kennedy urged David Fincher to adapt Stieg Larrson’s hit novel series about Lisbeth Salander. Despite thinking it wouldn’t be a strong box office draw, Fincher took on the task of adapting a difficult tale to an American retelling. Assembling a stellar cast anchored by Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara in a starmaking turn as the titular character, the film nevertheless had...

After The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, David Fincher turned his attention to the real-life story of the people who changed the world forever with the invention of Facebook. Your hosts explore what Fincher’s dramatization says about the type of people he sees behind the machinery of social media, the accountability of those lost in its web, and whether this is a Fight Club for computer programm...

One year after Zodiac, David Fincher released a heartwarming tale penned by the screenwriter of Forrest Gump with a similar tour through American history. Pairing once more with Brad Pitt, Benjamin Button uses a unique character to explore the dynamics of age, maturity, pain, and love as advanced effects are leveraged to take the main character on a mystical journey backwards in age as he moves fo...

A full five years after Panic Room, David Fincher found himself once more on the trail of a serial killer. This one, however, is a terrifying true-life story of a murderer who defied capture and terrorized California, spurring conspiracy theories to this day. Your hosts explore the differences between the theatrical and director’s cuts, how Zodiac sparks on Fincher’s own fascination with the distu...

Three years after Fight Club, David Fincher decided to create a “small movie” that steered him heavily back into suspense thriller territory. Starring Jodie Foster, Panic Room situated itself in a single house, with a terrified mother and daughter, as they worked to outwit and outlast a gang of thieves hell-bent on capturing the lost money from the previous owner. Despite the supposedly small scal...

There was one film in 1999 that everyone was waiting for from George Lucas, a surprise hit that redefined Keanu’s career, and an Austin Powers sequel that made buckets of money. But David Fincher left his own indelible mark on the times as he re-teamed with Brad Pitt to deliver the screen version of Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club. Teaming also with Edward Norton and Helena Bonham Carter, join the ho...

After Se7en, David Fincher transitioned to a more intimate tale told on a grand scale. The Game found its way to audiences with Michael Douglas and Sean Penn filling the lead roles, and Fincher’s growing comfort with spectacle and misdirection put to full use. Regarded by many as somewhat disappointing after the bravura Se7en, discover the deep resonance that one of the hosts has with the film and...

Working past the debacle that was the production of Alien 3, David Fincher quickly found his way to a film that would serve as his calling card for years afterward. Se7en gave him the chance to tell a story outside the shackles of studio interference, uniting him with the talents of Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kevin Spacey. They created a film that shocked audiences, stunned cr...

After years in the music video industry, David Fincher was handed the break of a lifetime to the direct the third installment in the landmark Alien franchise. The first two defined genre filmmaking and Fincher found himself challenged by second-guessing executives, an Oscar-nominated star, and numerous production challenges. The film was not received warmly by critics or fans. We discuss the merit...

In our first episode exploring David Fincher's directorial works, we discuss his music videos. We each pick our absolute favorites and where we see his distinct style in them. We start the episode with why we love the works of this director.