Thursday, May 7, 2009

The Courious Case of how a great director ruined a even greater short story



The old man suddenly spoke in a cracked and ancient voice. "Are you my father?" he demanded.
"Because if you are, I wish you'd get me out of this place--or, at least, get them to put a comfortable rocker in here."

-F. Scott Fitzgerald

"Directing ain't about drawing a neat little picture and showing it to the cameraman. I didn't want to go to film school. I didn't know what the point was. The fact is, you don't know what directing is until the sun is setting and you've got to get five shots and you're only going to get two."

-David Fincher


so how did one of my favorite directors totally fuck up a great story?

1. Making Benjamin polite. Fitzgerald's crabby old man of the story is lovable without being cute. Pitt is just a cute old Forest Gump.
2. Topical. Putting in the New Orleans disaster was just a bad idea. plain. simple.
3. Too much heart. It was sticky sweet.
4. No contemplation on the meaning and strangeness of life.

Other than that, I did tear up a little for some parts. And the make-up was top tits.

I think I gave it a C or C+.

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