"Ernest Hemingway once said that the world is a fine place and is worth fighting for. I agree with the second part."
           These lines closed what is now considered a masterpiece by many, an example on how films can get under your skin and creep the hell out of you. The film is Seven. The director is David Fincher. 
            In these days of movie watchers who can't sit through a film without sifting through their social media feeds on a mobile phone, something great must be said for a director who demands our complete attention. Analyzing the master director's works is a job that's beyond my knowledge and grasp. I can only drool over his filmography like a helpless fan, fawning uncontrollably as I talk about his various projects over the years. And you know what, in the course of the next few paragraphs, that's exactly what I'm going to do; unabashedly. 

               David Fincher's filmography is a tour de force. He counts among the greatest in his generation. And for a good reason. Take Seven for example. The movie means a thousand different things for people over the years. People still comment on its symbolism and the way it used the Seven deadly sins to drive forward a compelling story. But you know what, here's why I liked it: it creeped the hell out of me! After watching the movie, for no good reason, I suddenly needed to switch on the lights to sleep. That's it! I knew something was up with the man behind this movie and I was not wrong. I began my journey into the dark and sinister minds of David Fincher's characters. 
             His movie, Panic Room featuring Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart in her breakout role is another such example of a movie creeping up on you.
The entire movie is about a home invasion gone nasty. The tight script and editing mean that no moment in the movie is wasted, completely engrossing us even though 90% of the film transpired in a single fortified Panic Room. 
               But perhaps the jewel in his crown, atleast and especially for me, is definitely Fight Club. I remember watching Fight Club on TV with my brother. Halfway through the movie, I thought it was the most nonsensical and depressing movie I ever saw. 
I don't know why, in that one hour, I went from normal to depressed with my hormones blaring like sirens. Another hour later, as the movie's climax was over and the credits rolled through, my jaw dropped open somewhere in between and stayed that way. I simply gaped at the screen, somehow aware that I just watched a masterpiece. I didn't watch Fight Club again. I don't know why, maybe that film holds a sanctity that I don't wanna disturb with a second viewing. I don't wanna dissect it and watch for Easter eggs and other shit.....the first experience is thoroughly etched in my memory. 
              Now that I knew that I found a potential favourite director, nothing could stop me. The next film up was Social Network. 
Aaron Sorkin's tight screenplay and the incredible dialogues between the characters ensured that I coasted through the film. Watch it for the exquisite way in which it projects conversations between people. Many more films were next on my watchlist. I binged through all of them in a row. The movie Zodiac featured exceptional performances from Mark Ruffalo and Jake Gyllenhaal. 
This police procedural has zero action scenes yet still manages to enthrall viewers. This is surely one of his best. 
            Just when you thought that this man was all Psychological thrillers and nothing else, there came A Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I watched this film on an Amazon Watch party with my mates. You can already sense that this was the worst choice for the circumstance. I couldn't care less. The melancholic mood of the film got to me and watching Brad Pitt in the movie only served to give me flashes of Fight Club here and there. And that can only be a good thing. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was another fine thriller by Fincher.
 It featured superior acting chops from Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig. The movie instantly engages us and the final reveal leaves our mouth open. I could go on and on about his movies in general. But all this monotony breaks apart furiously when you get to speak about House of Cards.
            If you haven't watched House of Cards already, you are making a big mistake watching the next season of Squid Game (spoiler alert: it's not worth it). House of Cards exposes the daily doses of greed, partisanship and dirty tricks that go into the life of a politician who's morally questionable right from the start of the series. Kevin Spacey essays the role of Frank Underwood while Robin Wright does that of his wife Claire Underwood. From the first shot of the series when Frank kills a dog brutally, you know this series is not your daily soap. This was the first original series ever produced by Netflix. Therefore, a lot was riding on the reception to this series. Surely, Netflix digged pure gold out of the ratings for this show. It changed the way the company functioned and brought rich dividends. If not for anything else, watch it for Spacey - it is his best work. 
              But the ace director marked a return to his favourite genre with Mindhunter - a Netflix show that's paused indefinitely after 2 seasons.
 Mindhunter raises several important questions about the prison system and serves us a remarkable example on why it's important to study criminals. It logs the creation of a Behavioral Science unit in the FBI - an out of the box idea that continues to pay dividends. 
             So, once again, what's the point of this short yet arduous article that has supposedly no business being so drippy? I'll come straight to the point. 
This is my way of coming out and saying that you need to explore David Fincher's filmography - the movies he directed and the shows he produced. It makes for great cinema and great TV. And it's definitely the best antidote to the middling romantic comedies that flood the catalogues of Netflix and Amazon Prime. The way I see it, you can go on and watch Fight Club or surrender to algorithms and watch My Fault: London (which Amazon Prime for no good reason eagerly pushes into our daily feed). Choose wisely. Either watch another mind-numbing and maddening rom-com...........or get high on the thrilling drug that is David Fincher.