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Back in 2007, David Fincher created what many consider his best film, Zodiac. Hailed by dozens of critics as one of the best films of the year, it unfortunately never found its audience and ended up a financial failure. This week, movie lovers, join us as we delve into this meticulously crafted, haunting and sometimes scary film that details the obsession one man had in solving the Zodiac killings in the San Francisco area in the late 60s. From a script by James Vanderbilt based on Robert Graysmith’s doggedly detailed books “Zodiac” and “Zodiac Unmasked”, Fincher’s pursuit to create as accurate a portrayal of the truth as possible give us a beautifully restrained look at how the police and newspaper reporters worked hard to try to find an answer to the killings yet never did so. We talk about how this potentially is the reason the film didn’t fare well at the box office. We also discuss the film’s impeccable cast (let’s all give a hand to John Carroll Lynch’s unforgettably creepy portrayal of Arthur Leigh Allen!); chat about the amazing (and invisible) visual effects used to recreate the San Francisco area from 1968 to 1991 that truly take us back in time; and cover how this film was the first film to shoot with the then new digital camera, the Viper, and what that allowed Harry Savides, the cinematographer, to do. It’s a drastically underwatched film, in our opinion, and we think you ALL need to go rent it right now then listen in!

Hey there, movie fans! Oscar nominations came out this past week and as movie lovers, we thought we’d offer up our first special podcast episode weighing in with our thoughts on what was nominated, what wasn’t, what should have been, what shouldn’t have been, and what we want to see win. Join us for a special Oscar nomination episode on “Movies We Like!”

Our third stop on the Fincher Fest train brings us to David Fincher’s 2008 drama, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” Fincher outdid himself on this film, combining all elements available to him from tried and true practical elements through state-of-the-art digital effects — not to mention countless top-notch performances — to create an astounding period film about an astounding person who is born old and ages backward. We discuss the journey this F. Scott Fitzgerald story took to get to the silver screen — a long one that at one point had Frank Oz slated to direct it and Martin Short to star as Benjamin! We chat about watching Benjamin Button, played by Brad Pitt in one of his best performances, age backward and the unreal makeup work done to pull it off, not just for him but for all the characters in the film. We talk about the themes this story is hitting upon and why it works so well, and we discuss the immense amount of money put into getting this film made and how Fincher managed to pull it all off and still turn it into a profitable film. The film won 3 Academy Awards and was nominated for an amazing 13 Academy Awards (though it should have been 14 as Cate Blanchett, who didn’t get a nomination as Best Actress, has never been better!). Join us as we dig into this gorgeous film!

CORRECTION: In reviewing the list of accolades toward the end of this episode, Pete lists Benjamin Button as receiving a Best Actress nomination. Taraji P. Henson was nominated, though did not win, for Best Supporting Actress. Apologies for any confusion. We still contend that Cate Blanchett should have won something. Seriously.

 Greetings and salutations, movie aficionados!  Welcome to the second episode of our Benjamin Button-style David Fincher-fest!  Tonight, we discuss arguably his greatest film—certainly his most critically acclaimed.  It’s “The Social Network,” from Aaron Sorkin’s script that is simply on fire.  Joining us tonight as a special guest is Chadd Stoops:  actor, longtime friend of Pete and Andy, and HUGE fan of this film.  In this episode, we discuss the realities of the movie’s reality—was it fair for the filmmakers in telling this story to change the truths in order to make a more compelling film? We talk about the spot-on performances all around as well as the amazing magic Fincher worked to double Armie Hammer as the Winklevoss twins. We look at what this film is really saying about social networking and the people behind Facebook, and we discuss how “Fincher” this film really is. We also chime in on our opinions as to why it didn’t win Best Picture at the Oscars. It’s a spirited conversation about an incredibly relevant and hugely important piece of modern history. Listen in!  Oh, and since we’re talking about a movie about Facebook, make sure you go to the Rash Pixel page on Facebook and Like us!  That way you can be a part of OUR social network!  Happy listening!