David Fincher: Films that Scar

‘‘I’ve always been interested in movies that scar. The thing I love about Jaws is that I’ve never gone swimming in the ocean again.’’ —David Fincher

David Fincher is arguably the leading filmmaker of his generation, with a body of work that includes Fight Club, Seven, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. His movies are distinctive and often disturbing, but to date, very little has been written about how they actually work. In terms of existing critical literature on Fincher, there are huge gaps. There are studies on single films, such as Richard Dyer’s Seven (1999), which approaches the film as an inquisition into the nature of sin and David Thomson’s The Alien Quartet (1998), which is chronological and reasonably thorough but frequently recounts the plot and virtually paraphrases dialogue. At times, Thomson becomes hugely self-indulgent, explaining over pages, especially in relation to Alien Resurrection, the film he would have liked to see, rather than dealing with the one we have.

[…]

It is a contention of this book that David Fincher is one of the most imaginative filmmakers at work today and the complexity of his films not only invites, it demands, a more detailed, analytical response than has hitherto been the case. Critical energy has so far only been directed toward very specific areas, such as masculinity-in-crisis and the glorification of violence in Fight Club, the groundbreaking cinematography of Seven, and the failure of Alien3 to meet the expectations of that particular franchise.This book endeavors to look afresh at the films in their entirety and reconsider neglected critical areas, such as the literary background to Fight Club, Benjamin Button, and even Alien3. 

Rather than imposing a preexisting view onto the films, this book will seek to analyze the films closely and derive conclusions from evidence. Fincher’s background in music video and commercials is often cited as a criticism and de facto proof of a superficial aesthetic. However, to the contrary, Fincher’s experience with shorter film forms makes him acutely aware of the potential of every single shot, in which he needs to show sensitivity to a different sense of storytelling rhythm based around the three-minute pop song and remain in touch with state-of-the-art visual effects. These experiences and his rejection of film school as a route into the industry link him with a small but growing band of directors who have taken a similar career path—Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, Gore Verbinski, and Wes Anderson.

In terms of readership, this book is aimed at the thoughtful film viewer. Fincher makes films to be seen by a mass audience and therefore discussion of his work should be accessible to that same market. That said, this book assumes basic knowledge of the films themselves and an awareness that disciplines such as Film Studies exist. This author feels it is important to go beyond regurgitating plots or repeating established critical positions about them. This book aims to be critically rigorous but avoid unnecessary jargon that would exclude a mainstream reader. Ideally, it should make the reader want to look again at films he or she thinks they know and try out those they may have missed.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Excerpted from the "Introduction" to David Fincher: Films That Scar by Mark Browning

Praeger, 2010.

Sample topics include: Alien3; Cinematography; Commercials; Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The; De Palma, Brian; Detective Films; Fight Club; Film Noir; Fitzgerald, F. Scott; Hitchcock, Alfred; Intertextuality; Kubrick, Stanley; Literary Adaptations; Palahnuik, Chuck; Panic Room; Pop Videos; Rendezvous with Rama; Se7en; Woman-in-Peril Movies; Zodiac

Golden Globe Nominees Announced

The 68th Annual Golden Globe Award nominees were announced today, and The Social Network has earned a number of nominations. The film itself is up for Best Motion Picture - Drama, while Jesse Eisenberg, who plays the founder of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg, is a contender in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama category. Costar Andrew Garfield (who plays his friend turned ex-business partner Eduardo Saverin) made the top 5 for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture. The film is also up for Best Original Screenplay. 

And, David Fincher, the films highly acclaimed director, is a nominee for Best Director. Learn more about him and his films in David Fincher: Films that Scar by Mark Browning.

In case you missed it, check out our blog post on The Social Network and find out why you should add this must-see film to your list before winners are announced January 16, 2011! Do you agree that this film should be nominated for a Golden Globe? Let us know what you thought about The Social Network.

Holiday Storied Dishes

By Elizabeth Millar, Senior Marketing Coordinator, ABC-CLIO 

With the holidays around the corner, my baking has begun. Each year I try to make sugar cookies, gingerbread men, and shortbread. If I'm crunched for time, I'll focus on the shortbread. In my family, it's not Christmas if you don't make Great Grandmother Hardie's shortbread! Not only is it delicious and buttery, but it's also tradition.

As a child, I watched Mom and Gram bake shortbread cookies every year. It was the one cookie that I wasn't allowed to help bake. I could roll out sugar cookies, gingerbread, etc., but the shortbread was the grown-ups' responsibility. Once I became a teenager, my mom showed me how to do it. It's a fairly easy recipe, so I only had to make it a few times before I had it down. A few years ago was my Gram's last Christmas, and I remember sitting with her and talking about how great my uncle's shortbread cookies were. We laughed about how easy they are to make for being such a delicious cookie.

Throughout history and across world cultures, women have traditionally been the keepers and transmitters of oral tradition, such as the teaching of cherished food preparation techniques by family elders to the next generation. Great Grandmother Hardie's shortbread is actually called, "Robertson Shortbread." Great Grandmother Hardie immigrated to Vancouver, Canada from Scotland at the turn of the century, and "Robertson" was her maiden name. The recipe comes from the women on her side of the family. But, that is all I know of the history. (My uncle is the family historian, so I have something to ask him about when I see him at Christmas!)

For people of every ethnicity, food provides much more than mere fuel for the body—it contains an invisible component that ties families and generations together with the continuity of shared experience. And for the women who are entrusted with the responsibility of keeping that priceless cultural thread intact, family recipes embody tradition, bridge generation gaps, and erase age differences.

Do you have any "storied dishes" you'd like to share? I'd love to hear from you!

Would you like the secret recipe for my "Robertson Shortbread?" Email me and I'll send it to you!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Storied Dishes: What Our Family Recipes Tell Us About Who We Are and Where We've Been

Linda Murray Berzok, Editor

Praeger, 2010

This compilation of cross-cultural, generational essays and accompanying recipes offers unique insight into the profound impact and significance of food dishes in American women's lives.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Check back later this week for a holiday recipe and excerpt from Storied Dishes.

Free Information Literacy Vodcast Series with Mike Eisenberg Part 4

It's Giveaway Friday!

We are excited to partner with Big6's Mike Eisenberg to bring you the exclusive Mike Eisenberg Information Literacy Series of vodcasts. View these informative vodcasts completely free of charge, and please share them with your colleagues!

Vodcast #4 

The Role of the Teacher-Librarian and the School Library Program

 

In this vodcast, Mike answers a series of questions collected from students and colleagues around the country about the roles of teacher-librarians and the school library program in information literacy.

About ABCCLIOLive

ABCCLIOLive is our YouTube channel that brings our award-winning authors, their books, methods, and guidance straight to you free of charge. Just click here to start learning today!

TeacherTube

If your school blocks YouTube, you can view our videos on our TeacherTube page.

John Lennon's Legacy

It was on December 8, 1980 – thirty years ago today – that legendary singer/songwriter, John Lennon, was shot by an obsessed fan in New York City. From the time John Lennon was a young boy, he imagined that he would die a violent death. As his fame grew, he anticipated that he would be “popped off by some looney.” But he never let this fear paralyze him or keep him from doing what he wanted. He once explained, “I’m not afraid of dying. I’m prepared for death, because I don’t believe in it. I think it’s just getting out of one car and getting into another.” But he never could have anticipated just how soon or suddenly his death would come, in the midst of a creative comeback on the music scene and planning for the future with his wife, Yoko Ono.

Fans who mourned John’s death refused to accept that he was gone, and some carried signs that claimed “John Lives.” In many ways he still does live on through his music and art. In the years after his death, Yoko carefully and systematically continued to release music, writing, and art that John created, and in 2009 she constructed an exhibit of personal items, creative pieces, music, and film in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex in New York City that caused fans to both laugh and cry. The exhibit allowed close-up views of intricate collages John created as gifts for Ringo and others, and it provided an opportunity to see the piano, complete with cigarette burns, that John used to write music when he lived at the Dakota, his apartment building in New York City. At the end of the exhibit, in an enclosed glass case, sat the brown paper bag filled with John’s clothing and personal effects, just as it had been returned to Yoko from the hospital after his death. She never opened it, and as a piece in the exhibit it conveyed a message about the cold and impersonal brutality of murder. John Lennon was the 701st victim of armed assault in New York in 1980. In the year preceding John’s death, 10,700 people died from gunshot wounds in the United States. Next to the stark brown bag in the exhibit was a large white poster where people could sign their names as part of an effort to control guns and gun violence in the United States.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Read More...

Excerpted from John Lennon: A Biography

By Jacqueline Edmondson

Greenwood, 2010

This biography provides a comprehensive account of John Lennon's life for students and general readers, integrating information from interviews conducted during his life with published accounts of Lennon from a range of perspectives. It covers the time from his birth in Liverpool in 1940 to his murder in New York City in 1980.

Pearl Harbor Attack (1941)

Early on the morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941—a day that President Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed would “live in infamy”—Japanese fighter pilots attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This surprise attack, which Japan undertook without a declaration of war, provoked the United States to end its neutral stance on World War II and join the Allies (Great Britain and the Soviet Union).

In early 1941, the Japanese government began a two-pronged strategy. Japanese diplomats in Washington, D.C., entered into negotiations regarding Japan’s desire for expansion in Asia; at the same time, the Japanese Navy was directed to develop plans for an attack on the Americans should the negotiations fail (which they did). Under the direction of Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto, the Japanese outlined an attack on Pearl Harbor that would disable the U.S. fleet, while Japanese forces simultaneously launched invasions into Southeast Asia and the Pacific islands.

At dawn on December 7, a Japanese task force was positioned 275 miles north of Hawaii. The first wave of 51 dive bombers, 40 torpedo bombers, and 43 escorting fighters took off without incident. As they approached Hawaii, they were detected on U.S. radar screens, but because the technology was new and the technicians poorly trained, the technicians were unable to read the size of the approaching force. They assumed it was a flight of B-17 bombers arriving from the U.S. mainland. Therefore, the Japanese were able to launch their attack with no warning given at the target. Just before 8:00 a.m. local time, when flight leader Mitsuo Fuchida saw the U.S. ships completely open to attack, he signaled the code words for success: “tora, tora, tora” (“tiger, tiger, tiger”). 

Not until the bombs began to fall did the Americans respond. As “battle stations” sounded on the parked ships, the sailors operated whatever guns they could reach. There was little they could do as the attacking aircraft scored hits immediately. Four of the docked battleships were hit by torpedoes in the first five minutes, as the dive bombers and fighters attacked from above. Japanese fighter aircraft strafed U.S. aircraft parked at the half-dozen airfields on the island of Oahu. Only 38 U.S. aircraft were able to get airborne and engage the attackers, and 10 of those were shot down.

The first attack went on for 25 minutes and was followed by a second wave at 8:45 a.m. The second wave was less successful, suffered more casualties, and did little more than add finishing touches to the already battered U.S. ships. In all, the Japanese lost only 29 planes and 55 aircrew; they had expected to lose half their force. It was as complete a surprise attack as possible.

Pearl Harbor was the worst naval disaster in U.S. history, with more than 2,000 casualties, dozens of aircraft destroyed, and 16 ships damaged or destroyed (eight battleships, three destroyers, and three cruisers were disabled, and two battleships—the USS Oklahoma and the USS Arizona—were sunk). Moreover, the outrage of Americans was palpable after the attack. While Americans had previously been divided over whether to enter World War II or maintain a policy of isolationism, Japan’s surprise attack effectively ended the debate. On December 8, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appeared before Congress, where he called December 7 “a date which will live in infamy” and asked for a declaration of war against Japan. Congress complied; Japan’s allies, Germany and Italy, declared war on the United States on December 11.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Read More...

Excerpted from What Happened? An Encyclopedia of Events That Changed America Forever

John E. Findling and Frank W. Thackeray, Editors

ABC-CLIO, 12/2010

This comprehensive and highly readable collection of essays highlights 50 important events that changed the course of American history.

Hanukkah

Hanukkah (or Chanukah), sometimes referred to as the Festival of Lights, began December 1st. It's an eight-day holiday recalling the events of the Maccabean Revolt, the reclaiming of hegemony over the Temple at Jerusalem, and a reliving of the celebration that followed.

Modern Hanukkah is an eight-day celebration starting on the 25th day of the month of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar, which places it in late November or December on the Common Era calendar. There is a story told in the second book of Maccabees concerning the relighting of the altar fire by Nehemiah as the result of a miracle that had occurred on Kislev 25. This event from an earlier era appears to be the reason

Judah Maccabees selected Kislev as the day for the rededication of the altar in 165 BCE.

Observance is carried out through a set of rituals performed each day of the eight days. Most are family-based and occur around the evening meal, the most important being the lighting of the candles soon after nightfall. On the first night a single light is lit, that number increasing by one each of the eight nights. The Hanukkah menorah has room for nine candles, the ninth, the shamash or guardian candle, should be higher than the others and is used to light the other candles. As the candles are lit, specific blessings over the lights and remembering God’s miracles are said.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Read More...

Excerpted from Religions of the World, Second Edition

Edited by J. Gordon Melton and Martin Baumann

ABC-CLIO, 2010

This masterful six-volume encyclopedia provides comprehensive, global coverage of religion, emphasizing larger religious communities without neglecting the world's smaller religious outposts.