Friday
Mar092018
Well played, Fincher
Friday, March 9, 2018 at 11:30AM This e-mail exchange between directors Mark Romanek and David Fincher was posted on Romanek's Instagram account:
LOL. Well played David Fincher, well played.
Friday, March 9, 2018 at 11:30AM
Reader Comments (21)
How many directors have Fincher-like status where their films are event viewing? Nolan, Coens, PT Anderson, Tarantino, Fincher. Who else?
To name a few: Cuaron, Haneke, Lars von Trier, Ozon, Spike Lee, Sofia Coppola, Linklater, and Villenueve is inching up there.
And Haynes of course.
Wes Anderson.
John Waters.
coughSpielbergcough
I don’t know about Spielberg anymore. Do many even realize that he has a new film coming out this month? Can anyone name it?
Spielberg is a legend, no question, but he’s like Clint Eastwood (or Woody Allen) at this point, meaning he releases, on average, at least one film a year so his prodigious (and sometimes dubious) output kills what otherwise might be pent-up demand/anticipation.
Yorgos Lanthimos, Alex Garland, Jonathan Glazer, Luca Guadagnino.
Scorsese!
I think you guys are misconstruing what event viewing means. It doesn't mean "every filmmaker I personally get excited for." It means those for whom the broader film community at large (as well as regular moviegoers on occasion) makes a point to venture to the theater.
Fincher, Tarantino, Nolan, Coens, Cuaron, PTA, now Villenueve. Every one else listed above is either too inconsistent, too indie, or not yet established enough.
Cuaron? Before GRAVITY was CHILDREN OF MEN, literally a flop.
The Coens? Depending what the movie is. Not A SERIOUS MAN type stuff.
Lol as if there’s an objective definition of “event viewing.”
Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool was event viewing and nobody will convince me otherwise.
Girl, even I, Tonya is event viewing for me.
I think the question is how many directors can open a movie.
So Nolan, Tarantino, Fincher and Spielberg on the big scale, then PTA, Wes Anderson and Coens in the art houses.
Kin -- agreed on your list. I'd add Cameron to the big scale (except he almost never makes movies) and Coppola to the art house list because they always do seem like events.
Children of Men was not a box office hit, but certainly not a Flop. It had excellent reviews and lots of nominations.
Sawyer, I’m sorry but Lars Von Trier and Sofia Coppola are not on the list, sure they have their cult followings but if we start listing every director with a cult following we’ll be here all weekend. The way I viewed the question is which directors can draw millions to the theater just with their name on the poster. I’d say Tarantino, Nolan, Scorsese (yes, still), Fincher, Coens, PTA, and I think Spielberg is still hanging in there. Spike Lee, Allen, and Scott used to be on the list but not so much anymore and Villanueve, Del Toro, and Cuaron are close to being added.
There's no way PTA makes a list like that and Wes Anderson, whose profitability has slowly built over the years, doesn't. Phantom Thread has made around $20 million domestic with six Oscar nominations. I believe it's the second lowest-grossing Best Picture nominee after CMBYN. Inherent Vice didn't even make a profit.
And Del Toro? Come on, even with a Best Picture pedigree, The Shape of Water is just now equalling The Grand Budapest Hotel's domestic gross - and that film had finished its run by awards season.
Villeneuve isn't even a "name" director who is known to anyone beyond cinephiles at this point. Yes, Arrival did well, but his sequel to a beloved classic underperformed expectations, and his Jake Gyllenhaal movie was barely distributed.
@Mareko - um, Ready Player One? Didn't have to look it up. The book it's based on is really popular and a lot of people are aware this movie is coming out. They've shown multiple trailers before movies for months. Not sure if it'll be a big hit or not, but there's definitely awareness.
If you think no one knows about Spielberg's new film, take a look at this tweet from its premiere at SXSW: https://twitter.com/ZeitchikWaPo/status/973017794102079488