David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

David Fincher has made some real eye catching films. He started in music videos, and was catapulted into film with the hugely underrated Alien� (1992). Then, he returned with the dark murder mystery Se7en (1995), which won critical acclaim, and a healthy box-office. He followed this with the overlooked think-piece The Game (1997), the beautiful nihilistic assault that was Fight Club (1999), and the claustrophobic thriller Panic Room (2002). He hasn't really made that many films, but when he does make one, they're always good to look at. His latest film is Zodiac (2007), about the Zodiac Serial Killer stalking San Francisco in the late 1960's/early 1970's. But, even now he's working on another film, with Brad Pitt, (again), even before Zodiac was completed. This one might be a change of pace for him, something lighter, a romatic fantasy about a relationship with a difference. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a world away from Fincher's more darker films, but it sounds exciting!!

Based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button tells the story of well... Benjamin Button, (Brad Pitt). A man with an unusual condition, for some reason or other, he's aging backwards, born at age 85, brought up in a retirement home in New Orleans during the 1920's and 1930's, and experiences life in a different way. However, he falls in love with Daisy (Cate Blanchett), a 30 year old woman who is aging normally. A different kind of romance, but one which looks set to be a poignant, heartfelt one. Think of it like Forrest Gump or Big Fish...

It's good to see David Fincher and Brad Pitt working together again, (after Se7en and Fight Club). It really sounds like a interesting film. Plus, Pitt and Blanchett have just worked together on Alejandro González Iñárritu's Babel, (due for release later this year), so it'll be good to see them working with Fincher. Benjamin Button has been around for years, amongst the directors who have tried to get it off the ground include Steven Spielberg and Spike Jonze, now Fincher's going to give it a try. After a few false starts, it's now finally being made, after several false starts. Filming started in November 2006 in New Orleans, Louisiana, Los Angeles, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Montreal, Canada. Filming wrapped in July 2007, British actors Jason Flemyng, Julia Ormond and Tilda Swinton have also joined the cast!! Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. are footing the mammoth bill of $200 million!!

Here's some pictures from the Teaser Trailer, showing the many ages of Brad Pitt in glorious detail!!















Click here to read F. Scott Fitzgerald's original story of it!!

A Blogspot dedicated to the film!! Complete with pics of Brad and Cate in Montreal!!



Anyone like the sound of this one?? Or does it sound too sentimental for some tastes?? But, it is good to see Fincher attempting something that isn't dark and brooding. It's been in pre-preproduction since mid-2004 and despite filming starting in late 2006, it only wrapped in September 2007, and it's release in America isn't until December 19th 2008!! But, I guarantee, it'll be well worth the wait!! (The UK get it on January 22nd 2009.) This looks to be be lighter than anything he has ever done. With Fincher's Zodiac receiving some of the best reviews of his career, I'm happy to say that he seems to be making up for any lost time with 2 new films!! However, he has a unique style, and whatever subject he turns his attention to, you can only expect good things!!

Donald McKinney wrote:

That is one seriously freaky photo

I simply cannot wait for this. I like Brad Pitt, I like David Fincher and anything starring Cate Blanchett is automatically a winner.

Gimli The Dwarf wrote:

Donald McKinney wrote:

That is one seriously freaky photo

Yeah, this is what living with Angelina has done to Brad!! Nah, but it will be a good film, and Fincher/Pitt/Blanchett doing a film is one hell of an irresistable combination!!

Looks quite cool

JD wrote:

Looks quite cool

Hey, with Fincher at the helm, I assure you, this'll be more than cool!!

NEW TV SPOT IS ONLINE!!

It might be pirated, but it does show off alot more, and I still think it could be David Fincher's masterpiece, despite what this lot thought when shown a 20 minute showcase... :?

Oh, and it's been rated PG-13 in America for "brief war violence, sexual content, language and smoking." Yeah, smoking, as if that's as bad as bad language and violence...

NEW FUCKING TRAILER IS ONLINE!!



YES!! YES!! OH, FUCKING YES!! I CUM MY PYJAMA BOTTOMS IN SHEER EXCITEMENT WATCHING THAT TRAILER!! DAVID FINCHER MUST GET AN OSCAR FOR THIS FILM, AND ONE FOR BRAD AS WELL, HE LOOKS SOOOOOOOOOOO CONVINCING AS AN OLD MAN!!

EVERYONE HAS TO SEE THIS FILM!!

Here's a good article on the film and how it was made!! Also complete with NEW IMAGES!!

POSTER!! (And an odd one too... )



It's disgusting that we've had to wait this long for a poster though, it makes it seem like Paramount don't have any faith in the film at all. :-|

Here's an article by Empire on the film!! However, if you don't want anything spoilt or given away, don't read it!!

NEW INTERNATIONAL TRAILER!!

YAY!!

Give Fincher the Oscar NOW!!

I found this article about studios getting jittery when they let an artistic auteur like Fincher make a big budget film...

THE KUDOS PLAY

David Fincher is whittling down "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," starring Brad Pitt as a man who ages backward, to about 2½ hours.

"Button" had a long and tricky gestation before Paramount gave it the greenlight. Producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall brought the movie to Fincher, who brought in Pitt, but cost and visual effects concerns bedeviled the project until Brad Grey took over as chairman of the studio and asked, "Do we have anything for Brad Pitt?"

Trained at ILM, which Fincher has called his film school, the filmmaker was well-suited to meeting the greatest challenge: creating a believable Button from his birth as an old man/baby to his death as a baby/old man. The use of Digital Domain CG and makeup effects to put Pitt's head on varying-sized bodies is not an issue, judging by the 20 minutes of footage screened at the Telluride Fest Aug. 29 (which Fincher described as a "palate cleanser").

Shot in New Orleans, the movie starts at the end of World War I and moves through Button's life (WWII, romantic entanglements with Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton, etc.) all the way to his deathbed. It has taken the director some time to trim the movie to two hours and 38 minutes. He loses his final cut above 2½ hours, but the studio has worked with him. Meanwhile Fincher is taking his next, "Heavy Metal," to Sony. (Par passed.)

Fincher's previous film, "Zodiac," grossed $84 million worldwide. The question is whether "Button" is a $150 million art film, or an emotionally accessible movie with broad appeal. Par exec Brad Weston insists it is both.

"It has an old-fashioned, epic, feel-good quality," says Weston. "It's not dark or brooding. It's a big movie about life that will be appealing to everybody."

One on-lot recruited test screening went well enough to push the studio to open the movie wide on Christmas Day.

ESTIMATED COST: $150 million-$170 million. The studio is sharing 50-50 with Warner Bros. In order to make back its costs (including marketing, especially through award season), the movie has to win over critics and audiences alike.

And then there's this article, which claims that Fincher is abusive!! Surely not!! I know he's a perfectionist, but from what I've seen and heard in the past, I wouldn't have thought he was abusive!!

Come on everyone!! Defend Fincher's honour NOW!!

Click here for a shit-load of new images!!

And here's a select few of the best...











And here's a couple of Fincher doing what he does best...

Here's some more posters for the films international release!!

Ahhh, Cate


Cannot wait for this!

Well, it opened on Christmas Day in North America, and it's got a brilliant response from those who have been to see it, as I type this, it's at #129 in IMDb's Top 250!! Is it really THAT good!? Sadly, One screening in Philadelphia on Christmas Day almost ended in tragedy...

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button opened at #3 this weekend in America, (kept off the Top 2 by Marley & Me and Bedtime Stories), but it made an impressive $39 million!! So already, it's made more in it's opening weekend than what Fincher's previous film, Zodiac made in it's entire American run!! Though this is a bigger film, Fincher has alot riding on it, and the talk of Oscars is now ever more stronger!!

Donald McKinney wrote:

Sadly, One screening in Philadelphia on Christmas Day almost ended in tragedy...

Nasty!

At the moment, this is my most anticipated film.

YAY!! Empire gave it 5 stars in their new issue!! They say "if this David Fincher selling out, can he sell out more often, please?" Could this be a new direction for Fincher??

My most anticipated of the year, yay!

Hurray!! That's what I want to hear!!

Here's an odd looking poster for the film!!



So far it's grossed $94 million at the American box-office, could it top $100 million?? Will it break even??

Hmm, it looks as if the likelyhood of Brad Pitt getting an Oscar nomination could be in doubt. :-| His 'performance' was aided mostly by CGI...

On some of the scenes, they didn't use Brad at all, especially for the younger/older variations of Benjamin Button. They used different actors, and they would digitally put Brad's face over them later on. But, Brad was seen on set when they were using another actor in his place.

Did they cheat?? Should Brad be eligable for an Oscar nomination?? It is a unique way of doing it without being slathered in make-up for hours. But, it is a true performance?? There's a video on the link in which Brad and David Fincher explains the basics...

Well, I still think Andy Serkis should have been up for an Oscar as Gollum, and seeing as there is much more of Pitt in the flesh onscreen, I don't see why he shouldn't be nominated.

Anyways, here's an odd new poster...