Episode 77: SEVEN

[NRoberson86 78]

It should be a yes on influence alone. It also happens to be a great thriller.

 

Also, the discussion was maddening. I love Amy as a host but this, like the first episode, left me baffled at her reasoning. Let's not forget that the about only thing she had praise for was the blonde woman. This was peak Nicholson.

 

But I wouldn't have it any other way.

[PalomaBennett 0]

I vote yes partly because Seven is David Fincher's best film. Also I saw all the media that was influenced by this film. The opening title sequence is where America Horror Story got their opening titles style from.

[jamesxsw 1]

Yes, for me.

 

While the Pretend Smart argument is a totally valid criticism, I don't think Seven is guilty of it. Inception is Pretend Smart with all of it's fussy dream math. Batman v. Superman is Pretend Smart cuz the characters spend all their time talking about "themes." But I don't think Seven tries to be smart. It doesn't attempt to be anything besides be a really good serial killer movie. The allusions to Paradise Lost and Marquis de Sade are more exposition than thematic. They're there drive the plot forward and fit in to John Doe's kookie 7 Deadly Sins aesthetic.

 

Speaking of which, the 7 Deadly Sins don't really matter anyway. I mean, they matter in that they provide a nice hook and some brutal murders, but the 7 Deadly Sins could be replaced with the 10 Provinces of Canada and the movie would be the same, albeit with more hockey.

 

That it isn't smart and the sins don't matter sound like a knocks against it, but they aren't. It's a really great serial killer/police procedural. It's super tense, the craft is topnotch, and it's probably the best serial killer movie this side of Silence of the Lambs.

[KennEdwards 1]

I love you Amy, but I don't understand your insistence on resistance. Your argument that Brad Pitt is unlikable and therefore not interesting is the silliest thing I've ever heard. I never liked Walter White or Don Draper but that doesn't mean they weren't super compelling characters.

 

Devin, I listen to this podcast weekly and have turned several people onto BMD. You are one of my favorite not only critics, but writers. On Twitter you implied Bernie shouldn't be president because he wasn't a David Bowie fan. I responded to this and called that "silly," and you blocked me for that, which is an equally silly thing to do. Please unblock @TheKennEdwards. I'll never respond to any tweets ever again if that's what it takes. But I do miss following you, and wasn't aware that would make you so upset.

 

Thanks for such a great show, you two!

[SeattleMovieCritic 3]

I thought Devin and his hate of cargo shorts was the pretentious one, but now I wonder since Amy thinks anyone who hasn't heard of Paradise Lost or Dante's Inferno is stupid. I first saw Seven when I was in high school--and probably hadn't heard yet of either of those books--and it is still the detective thriller that I instantly compare all subsequent detective thrillers to. Definitely a YES for the Canon.

[MountAquaFresca 1]

I really liked the show. I agree with both sides. Good point made. Disagreement is productive.

 

Incidentally - What's the yellow scarf reference though?

[DirkDiggler 33]

Seven is not Fincher's best film in my opinion, but belongs in the The Canon nonetheless. I've been listening to The Canon since Goodfellas. Only now have I logged onto the forums simply to vocalize my disagreement with Amy. Nitpicking minutia (aspirin bottles) is mundane and not a pleasant listening experience. I considered closing the Howl app multiple times, but I don't like using my phone while I'm driving.

[Susan* 135]

I think it's so overrated. I thought so when it was released. I watched it again about a year ago. I'm not big on style over substance, or style as substance.

 

I would have voted a strong yes for Marathon Man but I'm usually about a week behind on the podcast.

[JoeyCrown 10]

What is often overlooked in discussing Se7en is that it lacks a great script. For a movie that attempts to be deep and philosophical and cerebral, one would at least expect John Doe to say something to enlighten us.