The Fincher Takes It All Emily Murray

Hello and welcome back to The Fincher Takes It All, a limited series podcast which celebrates and reflects on the filmography of director David Fincher.

Film journalist Tom Percival joins me for the final episode in this season of the podcast.

On this podcast we have watched and discussed all of Fincher’s feature films, and so it felt right to end the season by looking at our favourites. Which ones stand out in this filmography and why.

Me and Tom compare our rankings of his movies and spoiler alert - we very much disagree!

Film journalist and filmmaker Nev Pierce joins me to discuss Mank, David Fincher’s latest film which is now available to watch on Netflix and in select cinemas.

Following screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish the screenplay for Citizen Kane, the film takes a look at Hollywood and politics.

Me and Nev discuss the film’s analysis of Hollywood liberalism, what it has to say about the idea of the auteur, how Fincher made it feel like an old classic and whether it really does have anything to do with Citizen Kane.

Film journalist Clarisse Loughrey joins me to discuss Gone Girl, David Fincher’s adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s novel.

The film follows Nick Dunne, who becomes the focus of an intense media circus when his wife goes missing. Of course, her disappearance isn’t exactly what we expect….

Me and Clarisse discuss the concept of ‘cool girl’, why the relationship between Amy and Nick is so intriguing, and why Fincher was the perfect filmmaker to tackle this story.

Film and tv journalist Amy West joins me to discuss The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, David Fincher’s adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s novel.

The film follows journalist Mikael Blomkvist as he is aided by computer hacker Lisbeth Salander searching for a woman who has been missing for 40 years.

Me and Amy discuss Rooney Mara’s portrayal of Lisbeth, her dynamic with Daniel Craig’s Blomkvist, the opening credits sequence and what the score brings to the movie.

Film journalist Cameron Frew joins me to discuss David Fincher’s movie The Social Network, a film often hailed as one of the best of the past decade.

Adapted from Ben Mezrich's book The Accidental Billionaires, the film portrays the founding of the social networking website Facebook and the resulting lawsuits.

Me and Cameron discuss Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg, Fincher’s director of Aaron Sorkin’s script, whether a modern context brings anything new to it, and the tragedies of the story.

Film journalist Maria Lattila joins me to discuss David Fincher’s fantasy epic The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, arguably his most divisive movie to date.

Loosely based on the short tale by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the film stars Brad Pitt as a man who ages in reverse, following his life and story.

Me and Maria discuss the wonderful performances by Pitt and Cate Blanchett, the theme of mortality, the way it looks at humanity and more.