Pickings are slim at the box office right now, so for Aleteia, I went back in time a few weeks to review one of this year’s likely candidates for best picture, “Gone Girl.” This movie is David Fincher at his Finchiest. In fact, I’d say the only way it could be any more Finchery would be to clone Fincher and let the two of him direct the movie at the same time.
You know, David Fincher has been making critically acclaimed feature films for so long now, there’s a good chance that some folks may have forgotten the guy also has had quite a prolific career making music videos since 1984. Working with artists such as The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Don Henley and Justin Timberlake, Fincher has garnered two Grammy Awards for Best Music Video and three MTV Video Music Awards for Best Direction. Not too shabby. But alas, not all of Fincher’s early work in the music video field was exactly award worthy…
Yeah, neither Fincher’s nor Springfield’s best. And despite the mention of “the priests of noise” and “manna falling out of the sky,” I don’t think this tune will be showing up on the Jukebox Hero Hymnal anytime soon (we did recently add “Lost and Found” by OmU and “World Falls” by The Indigo Girls, though). Still, the video for “Dance This World Away” has post-apocalyptic wastelands, surreal ballroom dancing, and kiddie shows with inappropriately frightening content. That’s the kind of stuff that’s tailor made for this blog.
Listening to the lyrics of “Dance This World Away,” it sure doesn’t sound very much like Rick is too hopeful for where this world is headed, does it?
“I see people all dressed like Nero
Fiddling while Rome burns in strife.
Personal responsibility zero
we've lost that rhythm of life.”
It sounds like ol’ Rick could use some hope that we’re all going to be alright. Fortunately, Advent is about to begin, so hope is in abundance. If you don’t believe me, then just listen to what Pope Francis had to say last year on the First Sunday of Advent…
“Today… we begin a new liturgical year; that is, a new journey of the People of God with Jesus Christ, our Shepherd… But where are we journeying? Is there a common goal? And what is this goal?… It is a universal pilgrimage toward a common goal, which in the Old Testament is Jerusalem, where the Temple of the Lord rises. For from there, from Jerusalem came the revelation of the Face of God and of his Law. Revelation found its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, and he, the Word made flesh, became the ‘Temple of the Lord’: he is both guide and goal of our pilgrimage, of the pilgrimage of the entire People of God; and in his light the other peoples may also walk toward the Kingdom of justice, toward the Kingdom of peace… What a beautiful day it shall be, when weapons are dismantled in order to be transformed into tools for work! What a beautiful day that shall be! And this is possible! Let us bet on hope, on the hope for peace, and it will be possible!… The season of Advent, which we begin again today, restores this horizon of hope, a hope which does not disappoint for it is founded on God’s Word. A hope which does not disappoint, simply because the Lord never disappoints! He is faithful! He does not disappoint! Let us think about and feel this beauty.”
So cheer up Rick, there’s always hope. The world may look like a David Fincher production from time to time, but I have it on good authority that things turn out okay in the end.
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