In the spirit of Changeling being this year’s Centerpiece selection at the New York Film Festival–and that Clint Eastwood will most likely gain a bunch of Oscar nominations for Gran Torino–Film Comment decided to host some of New York’s leading critics in a discussion about Eastwood’s career as a director. Film Comment’s Evan Davis led a distinguished panel that included:
- Ed Gonzalez, Film editor, Slant Magazine
- Akiva Gottlieb, Contributor, The Nation & Slant
- Kent Jones, Editor-at-large, Film Comment
- Kevin Lee, Director, Shooting Down Pictures
- Karina Longworth, Editor, SpoutBlog
The wide-ranging discussion covers such topics as the (de)merits of Changeling, the reckoning of Eastwood the director with Eastwood the icon, Eastwood and class, the racial complexities of Gran Torino, Eastwood’s relationship to music and structure, and the director’s ultimate place within American cinema.
[Download the MP3 podcast now]
Many thanks to Glenn Raucher, Paul Brunick, and our sound man, Don Schul!
the filmlinc blog 
Before you see Button, Fight Club, Zodiac or Se7en, listen to this podcast on David Fincher
December 31, 2008Under the Sign of Fincher is finally upon us…your chance to see the director’s most acclaimed films up on the big screen, including Se7en, Zodiac, Fight Club and the directors newest, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
In the second installment of the Critics’ Roundtable, Film Comment’s Evan Davis sat down with two trusted colleagues to discuss the films of David Fincher:
Kent Jones, Editor-at-large, Film Comment
Nathan Lee, The New York Times, Alt.Cult (WNYC)
Among the issues tackled were the development of Fincher’s career, how Zodiac may or may not be “talking” back to Se7en, the passage of time in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and the exploration of systems within Fincher’s work. Listen to it now:
[Download the MP3 here]
In related news, our special Facebook contest has a winner! Wayne Titus wants to ask David Fincher “For an ensemble piece like Zodiac do you do a lot of rehearsing with your actors before principal shooting?” Kent Jones will be on hand to interview the director about his career on Sunday at 7:30 at Rose Hall, and with any luck there will be a Q & A session after the conversation open to audience participation.
See classic Fincher films paired with Fincher selections Jan 1-3
See The Curious Case of Benjamin Button on Sunday at 3
See a conversation with David Fincher on Sunday at 7:30
Categories: Contests, Film Comment, Filmmaker interviews, inside the film society, just for fun, on @ the walter reade, what's on
Tags: curious case of benjamin button, david fincher, evan davis, fight club, kent jones, Nathan Lee, se7en, zodiac
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