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David Fincher returns to the director’s chair in the second season ofMindhunter, and your hosts explore what that might say about thecloser connection to the material as compared to House of Cards. Theyalso discuss expectations and surprises, their reaction to the seasonoverall, and that famous Manson scene.

Based on the real work of the FBI agents who defined the specialcrimes unit that analyzed serial killers to assist with their capture,David Fincher returns to the world of the murderers that chilled thelatter part of the Twentieth Century with Mindhunter. These casescontinue to fascinate people to this day and your hosts examine howFincher’s approach to the material displays all his growth sinceSe7en.

After the relative disappointment of Dragon Tattoo, David Fincheradapted another hit crime novel, Gone Girl. Perhaps more accessible toAmerican audiences than Lisbeth Salander, Amy Elliott thrilledaudiences and delivered a box office success while making RosamundPike a household name and giving Ben Affleck a chance to show his ownacting prowess. Defined once again by a terrific cast, the worknonetheless left one of your hosts disappointed because of an editingchoice. Discover what they thought of it all, the last film release byDavid Fincher until Mank.

Legendary producer Kathleen Kennedy urged David Fincher to adapt StiegLarrson’s hit novel series about Lisbeth Salander. Despite thinking itwouldn’t be a strong box office draw, Fincher took on the task ofadapting a difficult tale to an American retelling. Assembling astellar cast anchored by Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara in a starmakingturn as the titular character, the film nevertheless had troublefinding an audience. One of your hosts had problems with it at thetime, and so was challenged on this journey into the House of Fincherto look on the work with fresh eyes.

After The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, David Fincher turned hisattention to the real-life story of the people who changed the worldforever with the invention of Facebook. Your hosts explore whatFincher’s dramatization says about the type of people he sees behindthe machinery of social media, the accountability of those lost in itsweb, and whether this is a Fight Club for computer programmers.

One year after Zodiac, David Fincher released a heartwarming talepenned by the screenwriter of Forrest Gump with a similar tour throughAmerican history. Pairing once more with Brad Pitt, Benjamin Buttonuses a unique character to explore the dynamics of age, maturity,pain, and love as advanced effects are leveraged to take the maincharacter on a mystical journey backwards in age as he moves forwardin time. The hosts discuss their first reactions to the film, theirreactions after having children, and what this film might tell theworld about the fascinating case of the real David Fincher.

A full five years after Panic Room, David Fincher found himself oncemore on the trail of a serial killer. This one, however, is aterrifying true-life story of a murderer who defied capture andterrorized California, spurring conspiracy theories to this day. Yourhosts explore the differences between the theatrical and director’scuts, how Zodiac sparks on Fincher’s own fascination with thedisturbed, and different actors’ ways to handle a director who, bythat point in his career, had learned how to get precisely what hewanted and was no longer willing to compromise on what it would taketo get it.

Three years after Fight Club, David Fincher decided to create a “smallmovie” 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 andoutlast a gang of thieves hell-bent on capturing the lost money fromthe previous owner. Despite the supposedly small scale, your hostsexplore how Fincher pushed the envelop with effects, camerawork, andperformance to create a memorable and entertaining film that helpedrefine his techniques afterward.

There was one film in 1999 that everyone was waiting for from GeorgeLucas, a surprise hit that redefined Keanu’s career, and an AustinPowers sequel that made buckets of money. But David Fincher left hisown indelible mark on the times as he re-teamed with Brad Pitt todeliver the screen version of Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club. Teamingalso with Edward Norton and Helena Bonham Carter, join the hosts asthey speak to what Fight Club means to them, what it seemed to mean tothe world at the time, and what they think of that last shot.

After Se7en, David Fincher transitioned to a more intimate tale toldon a grand scale. The Game found its way to audiences with MichaelDouglas and Sean Penn filling the lead roles, and Fincher’s growingcomfort with spectacle and misdirection put to full use. Regarded bymany as somewhat disappointing after the bravura Se7en, discover thedeep resonance that one of the hosts has with the film and thenoticeable earmarks of Fincher’s trajectory in playing withexpectation and fantasy.

Working past the debacle that was the production of Alien 3, DavidFincher quickly found his way to a film that would serve as hiscalling card for years afterward. Se7en gave him the chance to tell astory outside the shackles of studio interference, uniting him withthe talents of Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, and KevinSpacey. They created a film that shocked audiences, stunned critics,and created a fanbase that follows him to this day.

After years in the music video industry, David Fincher was handed thebreak of a lifetime to the direct the third installment in thelandmark Alien franchise. The first two defined genre filmmaking andFincher found himself challenged by second-guessing executives, anOscar-nominated star, and numerous production challenges. The film wasnot received warmly by critics or fans. We discuss the merits of thismaligned sequel, and whether the “workprint version” released in 2003as a direct-to-disc special edition is more worthy of recognition asthe work of David Fincher.

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.