Early this week we got our review copy of the new 10th Anniversary (has it really been that long? God we’re old) Blu-ray of David Fincher’s underground boxing classic “Fight Club,” along with a strongly worded note affixed to the box.
“The first rule of Fight Club is, you do not talk about the gag,” the note reads.
“The ‘Fight Club’ Blu-ray disc includes a special gag for the ‘Fight Club’ fans designed by David Fincher. Upon insertion of the disc, the gag is evident and for that reason, we are asking that it be held under embargo… Fincher created this gag as a surprise for the fans, so we want to honor his intentions by keeping it under embargo until after the street day.”
One day after, to be exact – Fox gave all the “Fight Club” super-fans out there (probably a lot of angry teens who have Playstation 3 gaming consoles) exactly one day to discover the gag all their own. Then Fox themselves decided to ruin it for everyone. And their method of dissemination? Another press release, of course! The Consumerist put it up online yesterday.
Here it is: “As you have probably noticed, there is a ‘Never Been Kissed’ gag on the ‘Fight Club’ 10th Anniversary BD, evident immediately upon insertion. As promised, below you’ll find the background on this prank, which was devised by David Fincher himself.
Fincher was heavily involved in the 10th Anniversary BD and as you may know, is a bit of a prankster. As a fun gag for the Fight Club fans, Fincher wanted the Fight Club Blu-ray Disc to begin with “a fake menu” of a romantic comedy from the same year as Fight Club, as a trick on the audience. “Never Been Kissed” was his top choice and he eventually went to Drew Barrymore for her approval. When users insert the disc into their BD player, the menu for “Never Been Kissed” will pop up for a few seconds prior to the real Fight Club menu.”
Yes, you put in the disc and you get a menu for the goopy Drew Barrymore romantic comedy, and then it quickly transitions to the “Fight Club” menu. It’s very cute. And it was a fun little surprise for everyone, for a day. At the end of the press release, it says, “Please feel free to let your readers know about this prank and Fincher’s intentions.” Of course. Because the notoriously finicky Fincher went through all that trouble, got approval from Barrymore, so a bunch of critics and bloggers could ruin it the day after the release. Doubtful.
Also doubtful: that Fincher had much of anything to do with this Blu-ray. While there are a couple of very brief new pieces on the discs, and it looks and sounds incredible, it’s all mostly warmed-over stuff from the admittedly great two-disc DVD from 2000. Here’s hoping those persistent rumors of a Criterion edition of “The Game” finally come true in 2010.
Also, remember these? Funny.
Great movie. It was an instant classic–and I'm glad it's living on. There's a great story about the making of the movie and Fincher's start in a book called Rebels on the Backlot by Sharon Waxman–great reading. 🙂
The book also has stories on Paul Thomas Anderson, Tarantino, David O Russell–the guys who broke in at that time.
Well it's kinda fitting seeing as though Barrymore was in Fight Club…anyone know where?
Well, just to be contrary, Fight Club is an truly awful film. At a thematic level, it's completely adolessant: the most facile kind of self-destructing faux-nihilism imaginable. In narrative terms, its a disaster, becoming increasingly silly, cartoonish, and finally resorting to the worst staple of nineties movies: a contrived, unconvincing twist in which the protagonist turns out to also be the antagonist/or already dead/ or from the future, ect. Zodiac is in every sense a superior film, and by far Fincher's best. Well, that my two cents on Fight Club.
I don't fully agree with Tristan, but I think all his points are valid.
Plus Fight Club is so overrated (and does fall apart).
Oh, but Zodiac was like science homework and put me to sleep. Really anticlimactic and went nowhere. Everyone says i need to see it again, but not sure i wanna sit through 2/40 or however long it was again.
When I think of that movie I always think of the immortal words of Chevy Chase as playing President Ford on SNL, "Uhhh, It was my understanding that there would be no math involved in this debate…"
Lastly, Sharon Waxman's "Rebels On The Backlot" IS a great read, but I've heard a lot of it is pretty fabricated.
Given that her site the Wrap is pretty tawdry and gossipy (and often incorrect)…
Well, you do that math. Still a recommended book just to hear those stories (some of which are true, i.e., Spike Jonze DOES take forever to edit his movies, David O. Russell DOES veer off script a lot on set).
Please watch "Zodiac" again. It is Fincher's best film bar none. A fascinating look at obsession from both from sides of an ongoing crime. I think the biggest failing in the selling of the film, was that it was pushed as a standard procedural when it's really not at all. It uses the structure but for entirely different purposes.
I think Fight Club is a lot of fun and while it didn't see it's nihilism through to the end (but to be fair the only way it could would be to end the movie one hour in) I think Fincher does the best job anybody could've with the material. I don't think it's a failure, but I don't think it's a masterpiece either.
I read Fight Club before it became a movie and followed the movie before it was ever released. Therefore, once it was released, I loved the film long before it became the fanboy film it is today. I only say this to validate my opinion of it when I say it IS everything it's cracked up to be. Even I can admit it falls apart near the end, but I still think it's Fincher's masterwork, though Se7en and Zodiac aren't far behind.
And to add to the Zodiac love, YES, watch it again. Even though I liked it the first time I saw it, I too wondered if it would support repeat viewings, but I came across it on Showtime the other night at like 2 in the morning and still found myself enthralled til the credits. It can be tedious with all the facts and information it throws at you, but it's done so well, i found it all too be facsinating, especially since I knew very little about the Zodiac killer before hand. It is the JFK of serial killer movies. Also, watch the making of. Some of Fincher's attention to detail is beyond amazing. Like shooting some exteriors scenes full bluscreen ala Sin City because the houses didn't match the time period. Or adding all CGI blood in post production so he can have full control of every little drop and where it goes!!!
And to answer my own question…Drew Barrymore was on the cover of the magazine Ed Norton reads his "I am Jack's medula oblingata" quotes from while Brad Pitt rides a bicycle around him inside the house. She's apparently a close friend of Ed Norton, and might also be why they used Never Been Kissed as their joke.
Fight Club the movie is certainly better than the book, i'll give it that.
I've only read that and started Choke which i hated and put down after the first chapter. That guy seems overrated.
The chemistry between Brad Pitt and Edward Norton was really strong, and the surprise ending was as shocking as The Sixth Sense. This movie is a classic!