Monday Matinee: An Ode to David Fincher - Part I

I've been planning this post for quite a long time.  Because you see, I have a bit of a thing for David Fincher.

My son and I adore his movies.  Over meals we have intense discussions about his themes, style and casting.  We both have admitted that if we were to see this man in public, we might not have full composure.  We might squeal or giggle and act a fool.  

Before I wrote us this ode, though, I had to watch a couple of movies I hadn't seen, and re-watch some that I hadn't seen in awhile.  I had to do some homework.  

My goal was twofold.  First I just wanted to gush in a very unprofessional, fangirl kind of way.  Hey, I've made it clear I'm not a movie critic.  But I know what I like.  And I like him, unequivocally.  My second goal was to make you aware of him.  I'm sure you know his movies (he has made 9 in all) but he has a pattern of excellence, at least with my taste of movies, in all of them.  I wanted to connect the dots for you, if you hadn't already.

David Fincher was born on August 28, 1962 in Denver Colorado, but was primarily raised in Marin County California.  He got a Super 8 camera for his 8th birthday (I see his parents had a sense of humor) and never looked back.  Right out of high school, he worked for John Korty (a filmmaker primarily known for his documentaries) as a cameraman.  He then went to work for George Lucas (who was a neighbor) in special effects, then got into the business of making commercials and music videos for some of the greatest performers in the industry, like Madonna, Sting, Aerosmith, George Michael and Michael Jackson.

If I had to throw out some themes and labels for his work, it would be...noir, original, edgy, dark, grunge, and visual.  You can certainly see his music video influence in some of his opening sequences for sure (the opening sequence for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo BLEW MY MIND, but all of his movies have a stylized musical element).  He tends to make films about alienation and obsession.  He doesn't always go for the blockbuster, crowd-pleasing ending.  In fact, he is known for locking horns with the studio execs in such matters, earning him a reputation for being stubborn.  He has been known to dismiss an actor for being annoying.  He has been known to shoot a scene 90 times.  In an interview, he was quoted as "wanting his audience to feel uncomfortable".  Oh yeah, and his movies tend to be long.  He has a lot to say.

So what I am going to do is this.  Fincher has made 9 movies, and I'm going to rank them from #9 to #1 over the next few weeks.  I know this ranking wasn't really necessary, but there is sport in it.  But with the exception of maybe the first two movies on my list, it pains me to minimize any of them.  To put "Zodiac" as #7, for example, makes me sick because it is a phenomenal movie.  Suffice it to say, you won't go wrong with any of these.


    

#9.  Alien 3 (1992)

Starring:  Sigourney Weaver, Charles Dutton, Charles Dance

Alien 3 was Fincher's directorial debut, and pretty much a dismal box office failure.  But to Fincher's defense, he inherited a bad script that was in a constant state of revision, had a rushed production schedule, and Fox edited the soul out of the original cut.  It isn't a horrible movie, and has shades of what would be Fincher's subtle stamp of style, and far from the worst in the series (Alien: Resurrection for example).  

#8:  Panic Room (2002)

Starring:  Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart, Forest Whitaker, Dwight Yoakam, Jared Leto

This is a decent thriller about a divorced mother and her diabetic child held captive in their NYC home by three burglars.  Mother and daughter take refuge inside a high-tech safe room within the house, but what the burglars want is in that room.  Thus ensues a battle of the wills and the mind to survive.  The camerawork is particular effective in navigating throughout this huge home, it is fast-paced with a team of great acting (this was Stewart before her head swelled and her mouth was perpetually open).  There was a memorable scene near the end with Whitaker that was very poetic...I would have been happy had the movie ended there, and would have been Fincher-esque.  Instead an added segment made it all a little too crowd-pleasing.  I have a feeling this was part of a compromise that ultimately adding nothing for me.

#7:  Zodiac (2007)

Starring:  Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards, Robert Downey Jr.

This movie is based on the non-fiction book by Robert Graysmith of the same name, and explores the infamous unsolved investigation of the Zodiac serial killer in San Francisco in the 1960's and 1970's, and the toll it took on those involved.  The primary focus is on a political cartoonist working at The Chronicle who becomes obsessed with the case when police and the newspaper receive mysterious encrypted letters and phone calls from the killer.  The acting in this movie is superb, and there is also a great use of music to pull you back into the time period.  It felt like I was investigating the case along with the reporters and police on-screen, and when we come face-to-face...more than once...with parties most likely involved with these grisly killings (once in a basement!!!), it is HEART STOPPING.  Fincher, his screenwriter, and the producer all spent 18 months conducting their own investigation and research before filming, and it shows.  This is not a slasher movie, like Saw, it is a smart movie that makes your brain buzz.


Next week, I'll progress up my list of favorites, #6 through #4.

Sunday Salon: Pass me the wine

 So yes, it is Sunday morning and I'm already wanting wine.  It's been that kind of week!  When is it ever NOT that kind of week?  Ha!  I always worry that I sound whiny (wine-y), so I'll just quickly run down this week's highlights.

*  One kid home with a stomach bug for most of the week.  With only three weeks of school left, I have anxiety attacks on accumulation of homework and tests.

*  The other kid in the throes of her first AP exam, and looming finals.  Misery thy name is she.  I just stayed out of her way basically, and fetched ice cream and M&M's when she made the request, like the maid servant that I am.

*  Realize the Nawrot compound is soon going to be overgrown with vines and weeds.  Spend a solid three days in the yard.  Thank God for audios.

*  The neighbor's cat (who we feed and entertain) decided to DIE in our bushes.  After investigating awful smell, husband must don HAZMAT suit and dispose of the poor creature.  Worry about why a healthy cat decided to die (poisoning? rogue coyote?) and worry about the fate of my six furry babies whom I love so much.

*  The eldest furry baby, who was quite fond of neighbor cat, is faced with his own mortality, and decides to assert his dominance by suddenly resurrecting his hunting skills after years of being old and tired.  Didn't witness the carnage of the bird (first picture below) but got the full show of his wrath on the squirrel (second picture).  Isn't that nice!  

My golf league had their end-of-the-year bash on Thursday night and it was so GOOD to see some of my dear friends.  I have not been a frequent golfer this year, which makes me sad.  Hopefully when the season starts back up again in September I will be in a better position to participate.

My husband and son took off on Saturday morning, finalized registration for football in August, my son played in an All-Star volleyball game to end the season, then took off for the panhandle to do some deep sea fishing with a work colleague.  So my daughter, slightly happier after finishing the AP exam, and I spent the day shopping (included underwear, Brighton, clothes, Vera Bradley and books), dining at a new sushi restaurant, and seeing Iron Man 3.  All really good therapy for what ails you.

Besides animal shelter duty this morning, I'm not sure what we will do.  I'm thinking maybe hanging by the pool and catching up on reading.  Seems like a fine idea.  Speaking of reading, I did finally finish Michael Morris's "A Place Called Wiregrass" and loved it so darned much.  Oh my goodness.  Love him and all his Southern awesomeness.  I just picked up Liane Moriarty's "The Hypnotist's Love Story" (she wrote "What Alice Forgot").  I just love that woman.  She get's it.

On audio, I finished "The Dinner" by Herman Koch (all I have to say is WOW) as well as "The Other Typist" by Suzanne Rindell (another brain-twister).  For shits and giggles I have just started Jen Lancaster's "Here I Go Again" and I already almost ran off the road twice, she gave me belly laughs.  Her sense of humor is exactly what I needed!

So let me know how you are all doing.  Do you have a good Sunday planned?  Are you reading anything that I MUST put on my list?      

Weekend Cooking: Shrimp Cakes with Chili-Lime Cream Sauce

 Staying with the theme I started last week...favorites in my house...I knew the next post would have to be Shrimp Cakes with Chili-Lime Cream Sauce.  My husband will frequently come home with a look on his face and tell me it is a good day for shrimp cakes.  I guess it is his comfort food.  

The recipe originally came out of the September 2005 edition of Bon Appetit, but I found it on Epicurious.  I'm not sure how I stumbled upon it, but I first made it as an appetizer for a dinner party about six years ago.  The result?  I think we all LICKED our plates.  It is that good.  Since then, it has been promoted from an appetizer to an entree at least once a month.  The recipe below will render 6 first-course servings.  At this point, I just double the ingredients.

Shrimp Cakes

16 uncooked large shrimp (about 1 pound), peeled, deveined
1 large egg
1 green onion, sliced
2 TBL fresh lemon juice
1 TBL Dijon mustard
1 TBL minced fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
1/2 tsp salt
Pinch of ground black pepper
2 cups panko breadcrumbs

Coursely chop shrimp in processor.  Add egg, green onion, lemon juice, mustard, cilantro, hot pepper sauce, salt, and pepper.  Blend in using on/off turns.  Add 1 cup panko and blend using on/off turns.  Form mixture into twelve 3-inch-diameter cakes.  Roll cakes in remaining 1 cup panko; transfer to waxed paper lined baking sheet.  Refrigerate 10 minutes.  (Can be made up to 4 hours ahead.  Cover and refrigerate.)

Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil in heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Working in batches, fry cakes until cooked through and golden brown on both sides, adding more oil as needed, about 6 minutes.

Spoon 3 tablespoons Chili-Lime Cream Sauce onto each of 6 plates.  Place 2 shrimp cakes on each and serve immediately.


Chili-Lime Cream Sauce

1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 TBL chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 TBL minced shallot
1/3 cup whipping cream
2 TBL chili-garlic sauce (found in Asian food section of most groceries)
6 TBL unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Combine first 4 ingredients in heavy small saucepan.  Boil over high heat until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.  Add cream and boil until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.  Reduce heat to low.  Mix in chili-garlic sauce.  Add butter, 1 piece at a time, whisking just until melted before adding the next piece.

Photo from Petit Chef


 

My kids can be pretty picky, and even they love this dish.  I make a few small changes when I am making this.  I do not use peanut oil, I use canola.  It is healthier.  I also add garlic to the mixture that you boil down for the sauce, and I strain the chunks before I add the cream (I don't like chunks).  I make my cakes bigger than 3 inches in diameter, and I always make way more sauce than the recipe calls for.  You could almost drink the sauce.  Yum.

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.

Me Before You - Jojo Moyes (Audio)

It has been at least a month since I finished this book, and I continue to sit staring at my screen with my bottom lip sticking out (the one my mom said that a birdie was going to poop on when I was little).  I've moved the date of the review back three times.  I'm half tempted to just tell you to read it and spare you my histrionics but that just wouldn't be right.  This book needs love.  Lots of it.  And tissues and a few low doses of Prozac.

Synopsis:  Louisa Clark would probably classify herself as a normal (if not a bit dull) 26 year old...lives at home with her mother, father and unmarried sister and kid.  Steady, long-term boyfriend.  No specific career aspirations.  If she were honest, she couldn't say she was all that happy.  She has never had the courage to live large, or even leave her small village.  She does tend to always be the one to give in, and to let others take advantage of her docile nature, and they all do, even the ones that claim to love her.  

Until she loses her job at a cafe, and in financial desperation, takes a position as an assistant to a quadriplegic.  Then her life is turned upside-down.  Her new employer, Will Traynor, was once a handsome, virile athlete, a successful businessman, destined to marry a beautiful society girl.  Now he is wheelchair-bound after a terrible accident, and is struggling mentally and physically with this drastic change at the young age of 35.  He is surly and sarcastic, but over time, Louisa's quirky innocence and earnestness draws Will out and they develop a close friendship.  It suddenly becomes more important than ever that Louisa make it her primary mission to give Will a reason to live and to love his life with her.

Deemed "A Love Story" for this generation, prepare yourself for more than just an unlikely and endearing romance, but also an unflinching look at what it is like to live disabled, and how to find the courage to pursue happiness when one's life has been derailed.

My thoughts:  In a word, this book is perfect.  I don't know how else to describe it.  It was a blend of everything you want in a novel.  Love, self-discovery, humor, friendship, family, heartbreak.  Tears (like...ruination of makeup, so just take heed).  Flipping the bird to the gossipers and naysayers.  That kind of thing.  

I instantly felt for Louisa.  She was a typical underachiever that let everyone push her around, but behind her complacency, she had heart and talent.  Will brings that out in her and he nurtures it, while the rest of Louisa's world worries about themselves.  I really warmed up to Will too.  In some ways his was a stereotypical character...the angry, difficult shut-in, trying to drive everyone away but with a soft side that will be exposed by the right person.  It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out what is going to happen here right?  But it is so fun to watch.  

There were moments of humor throughout the book, because Louisa is a little bit of a bumbler.  But a sweet one.  

There were life lessons here too, and on occasion I wondered if they were going to grow into something overbearing and lecture-ish but they never did.  There are messages in the story, but ones that should be heeded.  I'm not going to tell you what they are, because I've said enough.  At this point, just put it on your list and read it.  That is all.

A few words about the audio production:  Our primary narrator was Susan Lyons, who was the voice of Louisa.  There were several other voices as well, who occasionally popped in to give a point of view from Will's mother, Will's nurse, Louisa's sister, etc.  I can't say that the random points of view and their separate narrators did anything to enhance the story (it actually had me scratching my head), but Susan, a new voice for me, did a wonderful job.

Audiobook length:  14 hours and 40 minutes (384 pages)

5 out of 5 stars  
    

New on the iPod

 For the longest time, if I really wanted to read something new, and get through it quickly, my answer was "Audio".  I can really plow through the audios, since I am always on-the-go.  If I were to read something in print, I might get to it in two years.

Now?  I'm not sure audios are a sure thing any more because I have SO MANY LOADED.  Between the library, the Penguin shipments and the Penguin downloads, I was buried this past week.  It really isn't a horrible problem...my iPod has 180 gig...but it may be years before I get to them all.  Anyway, here are a few of the many I added last week:

  

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (received from Penguin Audio digital download)

Synopsis:  The first of a trilogy, and on EW's Must List.  After the 1st wave, only darkness remains.  After the 2nd only the lucky escape.  And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive.  After the 4th wave only one rule applies:  trust no one.

Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them.

Narrators:  Brandon Espinoza, Phoebe Strole
Listening length:  12 hours and 41 minutes

 Tapestry of Fortunes by Elizabeth Berg (received from Orange County Library)

Synopsis:  Four women venture into their pasts in order to shape their futures, fates and fortunes.

Narrator:  Barbara Caruso
Listening length:  7 hours and 5 minutes

Looking for Me by Beth Hoffman (received from Penguin Audio)

Synopsis:  A Southern novel of family and antiques.  Brilliantly melds together themes of family, hope, loss, and a mature once-in-a-lifetime kind of love.  

I also must say that Beth is one of the nicest women EVER and I would read this without even knowing what it is about.  So flipping excited.

Narrator:  Jenna Lamia
Listening length:  12 hours

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Haruki Murakami

Writing my thoughts down, in understandable English, is going to be a challenge with this one.  I absolutely cannot put it off because the longer I wait, the worse it will be.

I'd been wanting to read this book for so long.  My sister, who is almost a non-reader but not quite, loved this book.  She does know good media when she sees it, and she is the ultimate critic of entertainment, in my humble opinion.  So there is that.  Plus Murakami is just an icon in the literary world.  His readers love him.  I wanted to love him.  

But I also heard his books are strange.  And this particular one was very long (607 pages).  So it sat forever on my shelves.  Until Ti suggested a readalong.  This, I thought, was the perfect way to foil my timid and lazy brain.  Little did I know that my timid and lazy brain was going to get a major kick in the ass in so many ways.  First, I actually had to interpret and absorb this equivalent of an existential drug trip (flashbacks of Stephen King), then I had to 'SPLAIN it.  Smoke is coming out of my ears.

Synopsis:  Toru Okada is a married young man, recently unemployed of his own choosing, in an attempt to reconsider his career path.  Supported by his wife Kumiko, he passively plods through his days doing laundry, swimming, cooking and reading.  Then their cat goes missing, and Kumiko demands that Toru find it.  Soon Kumiko goes missing, and nothing makes any sense to Toru.  The normalcy of Toru's days take a sudden turn off the steady path.

He meets a precocious teenage girl who obsesses over the morbid, sisters who are psychic prostitutes, an old war veteran who relates a horrific story from his time in Manchuria and the lasting effect it has had on his life, and a mother and her mute son who run a bizarre business relating to spiritual renewal.  He also becomes fixated on Kumiko's menacing brother who is a rising politician and a published genius, but whom Toru loathes.  He finds a dry well.  He discovers an alternate dream world in this well that may help answer the most important questions about his wife.  He gets a strange mark on his face that won't go away.

Stories are extracted, remembered or documented from this cast of characters and more, and all seem to lead Toru towards enlightenment and rebirth.  One of these remembered stories comes from a marriage counselor of sorts, that Toru and Kumiko consulted before they were married.  His words of advice ring throughout the book:

"It is not a question of better or worse.  The point is, not to resist the flow.  You go up when you're supposed to go up and down when you're supposed to go down.  When you're supposed to go up, find the highest tower and climb to the top.  When you're supposed to go down, find the deepest well and go down to the bottom.  When there's no flow, stay still.  If you resist the flow, everything dries up.  If everything dries up, the world is darkness.  Abandon the self, and there you are."  

My thoughts:  Despite the surreal journey within these pages, and despite the fact that most of the time I had no idea what was going on, I REALLY enjoyed reading this book.  I would pick up on little clues and hints that related to other things, but I didn't quite know how it all fit.  At one point, I felt that this novel was two million moving parts, all with a strange synchronicity.  Late in the book, this quote spoke to me:

"Everything was intertwined, with the complexity of a three-dimensional puzzle - a puzzle in which truth was not necessarily fact and fact not necessarily truth."  

Exactly!  In fact, that could be the book's tag line.  The stories from the various characters were mesmerizing and fascinating and gruesome.  The characters themselves are unforgettable, although many were not always likable and most were insane.  Crazy as it sounds though, by the end, I understood.  Not everything, but I understood where I was.

Let me describe my experience like this.  I'm doing something normal, like cleaning my house.  I take a drink of water that has been drugged with LSD.  I'm shoved into a car by a masked ninja and taken on a cross-country road trip, on which I occasionally lift my head and look out the window and see pink elephants, flying cats, and Viggo Mortensen with rainbows coming out of his butt (all good things but confusing).  I see the occasional traffic accident with gore and tragedy, and it scares me so I lay back down.  I wake up in Fiji on a beach.  Cool.  Don't really know how I got here, but who cares?  That is the best way I can describe this book.  Read it if you dare.

5 out of 5 stars 

Monday Matinee: The Great Gatsby (2013) and reflections on the audio re-read

 One of my goals for Mother's Day was to get myself to the theater to see "The Great Gatsby".  I accomplished that goal, albeit by myself.  I was fine with that, as I am the only one in my house who has read the book.  All I needed to do was drink it in, like one of my husband's delightful cocktails.  

I guess there is a reason why I'm not a movie critic.  Because I loved this movie, and I just shake my head when I read all the scathing reviews.  I don't get it.  

Although this book by F. Scott Fitzgerald is compulsory reading for every high school English class, I will refresh your memory.  Jazz Age New York.  Nick Carraway (played by Tobey Maguire and our narrator for the story), a fresh-faced college grad, has moved into town to get into the bond market.  He rents a cottage on Long Island, next door to Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), a flashy new-money guy who is known for his extravagant parties and decadent lifestyle.  Nick is also the cousin of Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan) who is married to old-money Long Islander Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton).  Tom is a bit of a pompous ass, cheats on Daisy on a regular basis and flaunts this fact with flair.  

 The wheels are set in motion when Gatsby convinces Nick to invite his cousin over for tea, as a ruse so Gatsby can rekindle a relationship with Daisy that stalled 5 years ago.  We learn that everything Gatsby has done in his life has been to win Daisy back.  But as these grandiose plans often go, things come crashing to the ground in a tragic denouement.

I've got no issues with the casting.  Mulligan positively glows, with her cute little pixie haircut and sparkling eyes.  DiCaprio is at his most charming and handsome, sporting a little tan and smooth moves, but easily transitions to the love-obsessed and the bug-eyed.  I loved Edgerton as Tom Buchanan (see picture above)...that man has a screen presence and made it very easy to dislike him, but hard to turn your eyes away.  I also enjoyed the minor performances of Jason Clarke (playing George Wilson) and Elizabeth Debicki (playing Jordan Baker).  My only head-scratch was Tobey Maguire.  He did a perfectly fine job, but just wasn't who I'd pictured as Nick.

The critics have bitched about the insane, manic, over-the-top energy of the movie...the modern rap soundtrack anachronistically nestled amongst a swirling blur of flappers, confetti and heavy eye makeup.  But seriously?  Isn't that what we paid for?  Based on what I love about Baz Luhrmann and his lack of restraint onscreen, I would have been disappointed if he hadn't given me an eye feast.  He also did honor to the novel, with a few minor exceptions.

I did NOT see the 3D version.  It seemed like an unnecessary addition to an already busy agenda.  I don't think this movie needed anything swinging out at me.  

So how did my re-read go?  I originally consumed this classic in high school, like everyone else on earth. (Hey, my high school was not exactly cutting edge, so if I was required to read it, I'm pretty sure everyone was.)  I don't think I appreciated the finer points of the plot back then.  What did I know of cheating husbands, cheating wives, materialism and the lifestyle of the decadent and depraved?  I was a farm girl!  What I did appreciate, as I recall, besides a lot of chatter about the green light, was a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach (similar to the one I felt when reading Of Mice and Men), hating Daisy and feeling pity for Gatsby.  

And honestly, my emotions were exactly the same today.  Having Leo's sweet face burned on my brain as Jay Gatsby didn't help matters one bit.  I enjoyed the re-read, and felt it was extremely helpful in seeing the movie, and knowing what was coming.

As I complained yesterday in my Sunday Salon, the audio itself was HORRID. For example, I was trucking along, enjoying the story, when all of the sudden, it goes back about 20 minutes and repeats exactly what I'd already heard.  It did that THREE TIMES.  I'm not sure if that was the fault of my library or the actual recording, as it was a digital download.  Can you imagine?  Curse words were erupting from me.  I was a Vesuvius of curse.  Then the narrator, Alexander Scourby, kept making wet mouth noises and was smoking throughout the recording.  It wouldn't have surprised me if I'd heard the clink of ice in his glass of bourbon, for God's sake.  Just because it was The Great Gatsby didn't give him permission to distract the listener with such rubbish.  So if you are going to listen to this short audio (approximately 5 hours, but how the hell would I actually know?) I would highly recommend you get your hands on the Jake Gyllenhaal version.  It has to be a better version.

Story:  5 out of 5 stars

Audio:  1 out of 5 stars

Movie:  4.5 out of 5 stars