@6:55: Brad Pitt is certainly not the best actor, but I'd say there are times when he genuinely "tries" to play characters as opposed to just himself: if you *consider "Seven Years in Tibet" (1997) and "Troy" (2004)* , where both as the Nazi explorer Heinrich Harrer and as the Greek anti-hero Achilles, *he plays extremely flawed and sometimes despicable personalities, but who manage to have pathos. And both are movies where he doesn't simply dominate all of the scenes, and often is thrown into situations that have nothing to do with him, and which he has no control over.* In "Seven Years in Tibet", he was less "charismatic" and did blend into the exotic background as much as he could.
It's okay if you're lazy because you bring the smartest and best takes on movies. I don't comment much (mostly because you cover anything smart I have to say and more) but I always watch, and I always appreciate how much you know and how insightful you are, love hearing your opinion.
Its really not that insightful or smart, it's just trying to get her feelings and make them valid by using a lot of big words without further in depth explanation into what is going on.
I have to agree that ZODIAC is one of his best films, it still certainly is the #1 detective thriller of a certain extent vasting/lasting/reaching the last 35 years. Excellent review thank you for all your input👍👍👍👍
How is zodiac better than fight club? Its structure of going over several years isnt well executed and the characters in this movie are more complex than the zodiac.
Any chance of reviewing "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", "Carnal Knowledge" or "Five Easy Pieces"? I'd love to hear your take on these Jack Nicholson classics.
One of the few times I thought the movie was better than the book, the themes were better fleshed out and the added black comedy is very necessary with the dark subject matter (feeling worthless as a male in a capitalist modern society)
I agree with you about "Fight Club." Overall, I really liked it but it was more based on the fact that I was enamored by the first half of it. I think the first half with all the social commentary is brilliant. The second half of the movie falls a bit flat for me and I don't personally like the twist ending. I thought it would have been more interesting if they had to elaborate more on Brad Pitt's character.
I saw this in Philadelphia 1989-90. An old guy ran his own cinematheque on Wednesday nights in an unused classroom of one of the colleges. Every movie he showed us was mind-blowing. edit: shown on projected film reels, 16 and 33 mm
If you have any plans of watching Joe Rogan's Chuck Palahniuk interview.. bring holy water, Vicodin and the name of reputable psychotherapist on speed dial.😵 On second thought.. just don't😐
I love the fact that Pitt was essentially suppose to be himself, movie star looks and charisma. "They say we'll be movie star......but we won't". Lol Was hoping you'd dive into the the source material as Palahniuk is the man behind the whole story, although even Chuck said the movie was better than his book. Also I believe the theme was more built for men and resonates with them a bit more than with women.
I don't know why but I always felt that this movie at the time it came out it was too much under the influence of the sixth sense , which came out the same year , both are great movies , and I saw the sixth sense first and when months later I saw fight club I thought they are playing the same phycological tricks that the sixth sense , I also believe that its too bad the Edward norton stop playing those roles that made him one of the greatest , I'm a big fan of his work , that movie the score was like a dream for me is not a great movie but you have Brando ,Deniro and Norton , and he did a great job against this two legends , thats why people can say whatever they want about Tom Cruise but that guy knows how to stay focus
I usually like Fincher, but somehow the one that I can't get anywhere with is The Social Network. It took me four tries to get through the whole film & I was continually fighting the urge to pause or just shut it down.
Yes I agree, David Fincher has just grown as an Artist and Director. I'm always excited to watch his films. I think I'm going to watch Zodiac this weekend.
The backbone of both the book and the film is one character’s journey across the dividing lines of three parallel worlds: the world of those conditioned to follow the rules, the world of those who seek to break the rules, and the world of those who make their own rules.
The ultimate message and silver lining between these mirrored extremes is that when you manage to kill and tear down your ego there is only love and the end of loneliness, after that it does not matter what's coming anymore, everything becomes barable.
Juanscum381 You should check out her reviews on films by Darren Aronofsky - she’s not a big fan of his work. However, she still offers the same thoughtful analysis when discussing what she considers to be his flaws and shortcomings - she keeps it classy.
I know. I'll get to Tarkovsky. But his movies deserve thought and serious input. When I have a lot of time to sit and ponder it, I'll take it on. Maybe during the holidays or something.
Maggie I know you usually don't do films from this year but I saw You Were Never Really Here a while ago and I think it is definitely a film you should discuss.
Ok, so I was totally with you until you did what I kind of expected someone pretentious to do here: "Brad Pitt is just being Brad Pitt". I'm not fanboying here, but Brad Pitt is a _fantastic_ actor, and Fincher brings the best out of him. This role probably gave him the most to play with in his stellar career. I was very impressed. Also, Fincher's early career (in the 90s) was his most bold and experimental, and thus more interesting and entertaining - Seven, The Game, Fight Club; to me are his top 3. I even like Alien3 (don't read too much into that). But then pretense becomes patronization: "Oh, I understand that for so many people...but for me personally...". This was _almost_ a good review.
Vilhelmas You should check out her reviews on films by Darren Aronofsky - she’s not a big fan of his work. However, she still offers the same thoughtful analysis even while discussing what she considers to be his flaws and shortcomings - she keeps it classy.
The reason you weren't shocked or surprised by the twist in the film is: since the film released, that twist was copied in many other movies. You released this video in 2018, almost 10 years after the movie came out. At the time of Fight Club's release, that twist was not utilized in many (if any) other films. It was already a gimmick by the time you first viewed the movie. This comment may already have been echoed in the comments so I apologize if that's the case. I really enjoyed the video, I was curious what a female take on Fight Club would be.
“I don’t understand why people were surprised at the big twist” That’s not fair. You bought the movie because you heard about it. You’ve heard lines from the film, etc. people have mentioned it. Finches is a big Director NOW (not back then). when this movie FIRST came out there were only two other movies that had twist endings: usual suspects and empire strikes back. It was uncommon and movie audiences weren’t as “advanced” as they are today. In fact, this movie almost didn’t get made and almost didn’t get released because no one at the studios understood it. In fact, this movie TANKED at the box office and only got famous through a cult following over the years. Just from that alone you realize that something is special and different about this film, so you are more aware of the twist.
I think you have the advantage of seeing this movie years after copycat movies have placed schizophrenic characters in their movies so you know to look out for it which this movie started it and like Matrix both came out in 1999 just before the start of a new millennium they both change cinema for a new generation. It's not impressive that you're able figure it out because it's two decade old but it was ground breaking in 1999 which if you were alive would have appreciate its creativity.
I would like to note that corporatism is not capitalism. Like any other system capitalism is only as good or bad as the people working within its framework. Capitalism at its root is just an exchange of goods and labor between agreeing parties. Corporatism is what happens when powerful entities abuse the power accrued through legitimate capitalism to influence society and consolidate power. Capitalism is always voluntary.
I can't believe how many critics and reviewers of the era that this film came out completely missed that this is clearly a comedy/satire. how can you really be offended by any of this or truly believe this film is in any way glorifying the behaviour of durden or the narrator?
And since I know what Fincher is capable of, more recent films like Zodiac and Gone Girl, while very good in their own right, underwhelmed me. I do appreciate subtle films, but by comparison...
Hey Maggie this is one of my Pitt s favourite movie , I am not a huge fan of Brad Pitt though. Maggie how do you define a great actor? What is acting to u ?
I just rewatched it recently and I feel completely similar, those first 40 minutes are excellent and some of my favorite stuff in any Fincher film. The rest is still really good and works for what it's supposed to be, but it just feels like they added more of what was already there without too much new commentary.
I love the feeling of a David Fincher movie. Theyare dark, grisly, and ultimately full of intelligence. Zodiac and Seven have traded as my favorite Fincher film. Never got into Fight Club like most others. Very preachy, and repetitive.
I only noticed the strong homoerotic vibe in this film on recent viewing. It did make it more interesting, as I've never really liked FC as much as my friends all seem to. That angle also makes sense of Marla being shoe-horned into the story as an after-thought. In any case, something never seemed to add up about this movie for me, and I might finally see why. It does have some interesting things to say about the crisis every generation goes through as it looks for meaning in modern life, but until now, I think I might have been missing the point entirely.
+Hyperspace Jester Will do. He tends to put his own spin on stuff but I appreciate some of his views. I didn't know that Chuck P. (author of FC) came out as gay recently.
Both Fight Club & The Matrix were released near each other in 1999 & I saw both in the theater. Several years later, Fight Club hasn't really held up over time whereas I can still watch The Matrix & see how remarkable it is & you hear about it often in self-development circles. You don't hear anything about Fight Club. As for Norton & Pitt, I don't think I bothered to watch any of their other movies after that one. They never did anything worth seeing that was as good as Fight Club. I would see some trailer & say to myself "Why are they doing such a crappy movie after that last one?"
Try as Pitt might, he never quite escaped the pretty-boy thing. The Matrix's central metaphor about red/blue pill has become a major meme on the net about escaping the leftist bubble of utopian/Marxist lies. This is ironic because the Wachowskis are hard-left Hollywood. Fight Club is regaining popularity because of the masculinity message, but if you look around you can find feminist critiques that claim that the film is an indictment of the patriarchy.
There's more to the red/blue pill Matrix than just left/right politics, MGTOW, etc though. It goes right into spirituality & self-development too. The Fight Club just briefly predated the 9/11 attacks, with buildings crashing down, just like the end of the movie. Watching that movie post 9/11 would be an awful & painful reminder for so many.
+shitmandood Yeah, for some reason I don't think people associated the two. Also Jack made it explicit that the buildings were empty. The red/blue thing has been co-opted by so many people it's hard to untangle them. It's a powerful metaphor.
Whenever I watch Fight Club I have an existential crisis.
Jarl Trippin' should be an enlightenment
Hey... you're not supposed to talk about it!
(sorry but you knew this was coming) 😄😆😅
speaking of Meatloaf, a Rocky Horror review would be cool. also Watchmen
I love FIGHT CLUB and SEVEN!!! Thanks for your review!!!
@6:55: Brad Pitt is certainly not the best actor, but I'd say there are times when he genuinely "tries" to play characters as opposed to just himself:
if you *consider "Seven Years in Tibet" (1997) and "Troy" (2004)* , where both as the Nazi explorer Heinrich Harrer and as the Greek anti-hero Achilles, *he plays extremely flawed and sometimes despicable personalities, but who manage to have pathos. And both are movies where he doesn't simply dominate all of the scenes, and often is thrown into situations that have nothing to do with him, and which he has no control over.* In "Seven Years in Tibet", he was less "charismatic" and did blend into the exotic background as much as he could.
I never used to think he was either, but theres been roles where he's been amazing
When u watch fight club it's almost like your in the movie. Great movie.
It's okay if you're lazy because you bring the smartest and best takes on movies. I don't comment much (mostly because you cover anything smart I have to say and more) but I always watch, and I always appreciate how much you know and how insightful you are, love hearing your opinion.
Its really not that insightful or smart, it's just trying to get her feelings and make them valid by using a lot of big words without further in depth explanation into what is going on.
@@lampad4549 I stand by my opinion
I have to agree that ZODIAC is one of his best films, it still certainly is the #1 detective thriller of a certain extent vasting/lasting/reaching the last 35 years. Excellent review thank you for all your input👍👍👍👍
How is zodiac better than fight club?
Its structure of going over several years isnt well executed and the characters in this movie are more complex than the zodiac.
Any chance of reviewing "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", "Carnal Knowledge" or "Five Easy Pieces"?
I'd love to hear your take on these Jack Nicholson classics.
Still waiting for the day Maggie finally uses Letterboxd
i love your reviews, thank you for this one, its one of my favs
One of the few times I thought the movie was better than the book, the themes were better fleshed out and the added black comedy is very necessary with the dark subject matter (feeling worthless as a male in a capitalist modern society)
I agree with you about "Fight Club." Overall, I really liked it but it was more based on the fact that I was enamored by the first half of it. I think the first half with all the social commentary is brilliant. The second half of the movie falls a bit flat for me and I don't personally like the twist ending. I thought it would have been more interesting if they had to elaborate more on Brad Pitt's character.
"Had they pushed further, this could have been a really great piece of work." Exactly.
I was 16 when this came out in 1999 bought it on DVD best on the spot decision ever.
Could you review Cries and Whispers by Ingmar Bergman? It's my all time favorite :)
I saw this in Philadelphia 1989-90. An old guy ran his own cinematheque on Wednesday nights in an unused classroom of one of the colleges. Every movie he showed us was mind-blowing.
edit: shown on projected film reels, 16 and 33 mm
gonna pretend you saw the plot twist coming when you already knew the plot twist before you saw it?
If you have any plans of watching Joe Rogan's Chuck Palahniuk interview.. bring holy water, Vicodin and the name of reputable psychotherapist on speed dial.😵
On second thought.. just don't😐
I love the fact that Pitt was essentially suppose to be himself, movie star looks and charisma. "They say we'll be movie star......but we won't". Lol
Was hoping you'd dive into the the source material as Palahniuk is the man behind the whole story, although even Chuck said the movie was better than his book. Also I believe the theme was more built for men and resonates with them a bit more than with women.
I don't know why but I always felt that this movie at the time it came out it was too much under the influence of the sixth sense , which came out the same year , both are great movies , and I saw the sixth sense first and when months later I saw fight club I thought they are playing the same phycological tricks that the sixth sense , I also believe that its too bad the Edward norton stop playing those roles that made him one of the greatest , I'm a big fan of his work , that movie the score was like a dream for me is not a great movie but you have Brando ,Deniro and Norton , and he did a great job against this two legends , thats why people can say whatever they want about Tom Cruise but that guy knows how to stay focus
I usually like Fincher, but somehow the one that I can't get anywhere with is The Social Network. It took me four tries to get through the whole film & I was continually fighting the urge to pause or just shut it down.
Yes I agree, David Fincher has just grown as an Artist and Director. I'm always excited to watch his films. I think I'm going to watch Zodiac this weekend.
l thought 'Fight Club' was a good movie, l quite like it.
Wtf, this bitch actually made an excellent video about this movie. Thumbs up.
He did a great acting performance in American History X as well. Very good move too.
Zodiac is my favorite Fincher film. Great review.
I very much fear that you may have broken the first rule of Fight Club. :-D
In 1999 it was huge twist like the one in Usual Suspects, but that was then.
BTW "macho porn"... who categorized this way, fight club?.
This movie was the perfect end cap to the films of the 90s.
Fight club is movie every boy should watch to turn into a man
The backbone of both the book and the film is one character’s journey across the dividing lines of three parallel worlds: the world of those conditioned to follow the rules, the world of those who seek to break the rules, and the world of those who make their own rules.
I would love to see your take on Primer (2004)
The ultimate message and silver lining between these mirrored extremes is that when you manage to kill and tear down your ego there is only love and the end of loneliness, after that it does not matter what's coming anymore, everything becomes barable.
Just subscribe to your channel
What I like about Fincher is the Type of Director that doesn’t repeat themselves
Juanscum381 You should check out her reviews on films by Darren Aronofsky - she’s not a big fan of his work. However, she still offers the same thoughtful analysis when discussing what she considers to be his flaws and shortcomings - she keeps it classy.
Tyler wanted Marla. Marla wanted me. I wanted tyler.
The Mirror and Stalker by Tarkovsky should be reviewed
I know. I'll get to Tarkovsky. But his movies deserve thought and serious input. When I have a lot of time to sit and ponder it, I'll take it on. Maybe during the holidays or something.
@@deepfocuslens wow Maggie thanks for responding, I love your channel and keep up the good work
Thank you very much for this review. I guess I’m watching Fight Club again tonight. My favorite movie of all times.
I haven't watched the video yet, but I'm SURE it will be spot on!
Maggie I know you usually don't do films from this year but I saw You Were Never Really Here a while ago and I think it is definitely a film you should discuss.
Fight club is a masterpiece
Best part is the second half
I always enjoyed this film
nice
I want to see it, but i know the twist. Preventing me from watching it.
I loved 25th Hour
Ok, so I was totally with you until you did what I kind of expected someone pretentious to do here: "Brad Pitt is just being Brad Pitt".
I'm not fanboying here, but Brad Pitt is a _fantastic_ actor, and Fincher brings the best out of him. This role probably gave him the most to play with in his stellar career. I was very impressed.
Also, Fincher's early career (in the 90s) was his most bold and experimental, and thus more interesting and entertaining - Seven, The Game, Fight Club; to me are his top 3. I even like Alien3 (don't read too much into that). But then pretense becomes patronization: "Oh, I understand that for so many people...but for me personally...". This was _almost_ a good review.
Agree 100%
Excellent analysis.
You should consider reviewing a film you greatly dislike. It would be interesting hearing you tear a film to shreds.
Vilhelmas You should check out her reviews on films by Darren Aronofsky - she’s not a big fan of his work. However, she still offers the same thoughtful analysis even while discussing what she considers to be his flaws and shortcomings - she keeps it classy.
Would be curious to hear you discuss some purely experimental films like Brakhage or Takashi Ito.
I want her to review the song Brakhage by Stereolab.
The reason you weren't shocked or surprised by the twist in the film is: since the film released, that twist was copied in many other movies. You released this video in 2018, almost 10 years after the movie came out. At the time of Fight Club's release, that twist was not utilized in many (if any) other films. It was already a gimmick by the time you first viewed the movie.
This comment may already have been echoed in the comments so I apologize if that's the case. I really enjoyed the video, I was curious what a female take on Fight Club would be.
“I don’t understand why people were surprised at the big twist”
That’s not fair. You bought the movie because you heard about it. You’ve heard lines from the film, etc. people have mentioned it. Finches is a big Director NOW (not back then).
when this movie FIRST came out there were only two other movies that had twist endings: usual suspects and empire strikes back. It was uncommon and movie audiences weren’t as “advanced” as they are today. In fact, this movie almost didn’t get made and almost didn’t get released because no one at the studios understood it. In fact, this movie TANKED at the box office and only got famous through a cult following over the years. Just from that alone you realize that something is special and different about this film, so you are more aware of the twist.
I think you have the advantage of seeing this movie years after copycat movies have placed schizophrenic characters in their movies so you know to look out for it which this movie started it and like Matrix both came out in 1999 just before the start of a new millennium they both change cinema for a new generation. It's not impressive that you're able figure it out because it's two decade old but it was ground breaking in 1999 which if you were alive would have appreciate its creativity.
I would like to note that corporatism is not capitalism. Like any other system capitalism is only as good or bad as the people working within its framework. Capitalism at its root is just an exchange of goods and labor between agreeing parties. Corporatism is what happens when powerful entities abuse the power accrued through legitimate capitalism to influence society and consolidate power. Capitalism is always voluntary.
one of my everlasting fav big, mainstream movies. For me the best of Fincher by far. But I understand my attachment is probably generational.
I have tried three times to watch this film , but I just can't groove to it. Never finished it once!
I can't believe how many critics and reviewers of the era that this film came out completely missed that this is clearly a comedy/satire. how can you really be offended by any of this or truly believe this film is in any way glorifying the behaviour of durden or the narrator?
And since I know what Fincher is capable of, more recent films like Zodiac and Gone Girl, while very good in their own right, underwhelmed me. I do appreciate subtle films, but by comparison...
There is still need for it in a "Civilized Society". Hell, it maintains Civilized Society.
Have you ever thought/considered reviewing Midnight Express??????
Hey Maggie this is one of my Pitt s favourite movie , I am not a huge fan of Brad Pitt though. Maggie how do you define a great actor? What is acting to u ?
May I ask you what your favorite Fincher films are?
I just rewatched it recently and I feel completely similar, those first 40 minutes are excellent and some of my favorite stuff in any Fincher film. The rest is still really good and works for what it's supposed to be, but it just feels like they added more of what was already there without too much new commentary.
Damn you're so cute and smart
I know shes a piece
She also doesn't pander to a bunch of incels on the UA-cam. It makes her even better.
Itf I can watch a movie this grreat with a girl like you, I am ok....
5:08
In terms of opinion, my thoughts exactly.
your review hit me in the ear! well jesus im sorry. no it was perfect!!!
i was 13 when I first saw this, so it surprised me
the energy coming off that first frame is insane. feel like painting you.
Your voice is very promising.
Great review. Couldn’t agree more.
Finally, you're reviewing it.
Buen review marra, eres rifada
Hi.
Your analysis is great!
What analysis it's just alot of big words without proper examples and explanations
Would you consider to live and die in LA
nah
@@deepfocuslens damn. Thanks anyways.
I love the feeling of a David Fincher movie. Theyare dark, grisly, and ultimately full of intelligence. Zodiac and Seven have traded as my favorite Fincher film. Never got into Fight Club like most others. Very preachy, and repetitive.
How is it repetitive? And as if seven isnt preachy there are significant monologues that go into the themes of the characters just like Seven.
I only noticed the strong homoerotic vibe in this film on recent viewing. It did make it more interesting, as I've never really liked FC as much as my friends all seem to. That angle also makes sense of Marla being shoe-horned into the story as an after-thought. In any case, something never seemed to add up about this movie for me, and I might finally see why. It does have some interesting things to say about the crisis every generation goes through as it looks for meaning in modern life, but until now, I think I might have been missing the point entirely.
That's beacuae it's about emasculaty and we know especially nowadays being a man is almost illegal
You got that right.
You should check out the Stefan Molyneux review of fight club... He raises some interesting points!
+Hyperspace Jester Will do. He tends to put his own spin on stuff but I appreciate some of his views. I didn't know that Chuck P. (author of FC) came out as gay recently.
You're fine girl!!!!
Both Fight Club & The Matrix were released near each other in 1999 & I saw both in the theater. Several years later, Fight Club hasn't really held up over time whereas I can still watch The Matrix & see how remarkable it is & you hear about it often in self-development circles. You don't hear anything about Fight Club. As for Norton & Pitt, I don't think I bothered to watch any of their other movies after that one. They never did anything worth seeing that was as good as Fight Club. I would see some trailer & say to myself "Why are they doing such a crappy movie after that last one?"
Try as Pitt might, he never quite escaped the pretty-boy thing. The Matrix's central metaphor about red/blue pill has become a major meme on the net about escaping the leftist bubble of utopian/Marxist lies. This is ironic because the Wachowskis are hard-left Hollywood. Fight Club is regaining popularity because of the masculinity message, but if you look around you can find feminist critiques that claim that the film is an indictment of the patriarchy.
There's more to the red/blue pill Matrix than just left/right politics, MGTOW, etc though. It goes right into spirituality & self-development too. The Fight Club just briefly predated the 9/11 attacks, with buildings crashing down, just like the end of the movie. Watching that movie post 9/11 would be an awful & painful reminder for so many.
+shitmandood Yeah, for some reason I don't think people associated the two. Also Jack made it explicit that the buildings were empty. The red/blue thing has been co-opted by so many people it's hard to untangle them. It's a powerful metaphor.