Okay, as near as I can tell from random scans around The Google, everyone everywhere hates that creepy new Orville Redenbacher ad. The CGI resurrection of the dead is wrong on so many levels, but the most astonishing thing about this spot is its technical incompetence: the clumsy lip synch, the dead eyes, the odd little hopping movement Orville does at the end of the spot, which more than one person has compared to Weekend At Bernie's.
The reason I even bring this thing up is because it was directed by David Fincher, who I think has now officially joined the Ridley Scott No Need To Take Him Seriously Hall Of Fame.
Ridley Scott came to a career in filmmaking from the ultraslick world of commercials, but his debut film, The Duellists, promised a new director of skill and vision. Alien and Blade Runner suggested the promise was being fulfilled, but ever since then--ugh. Legend, anyone? Black Rain? GI Jane? It starts to hurt after awhile, and even seemingly promising material like Thelma And Louise and Gladiator devolved into pretty pictures for their own sake, with no directorial voice tying them together.
Which is how I suspect it will go with Fincher's filmmaking career. It's already uneven--nobody really cares about The Game or Panic Room, and though there is still much to admire about Se7en, its jagged stylistics and nihilistic tone have been ripped off by so many subsequent serial killer thrillers, its impact has been lessened.
Still, there's Fight Club, which remains one of the best films of recent years. True, Fincher had great material and an ace cast, but anyone studying the supplemental material on the DVD will quickly realize just how much of the film's impact comes from the choices Fincher made, on the set, in the editing room, even in the lab. This is a stunning, provacative work, possibly even a great one. But is it destined to be a one-off from a director who became more interested in tools than content?
Zombie Redenbacher says yes. Or would, if Fincher got the lip synch right.
