Favourite directors: David Fincher

I love David Fincher because few directors construct twists as brilliantly as he does—and I absolutely love a great twist. His films keep me alert, constantly questioning what I think I know, before suddenly forcing me to reinterpret everything that has come before. Fight Club, Gone Girl, The Game and Seven all deliver unforgettable revelations or endings, but they never feel like cheap tricks. Fincher carefully builds the atmosphere, clues and psychological tension so that the twists feel both shocking and completely earned. I also love the darkness, precision and intelligence of his filmmaking. His movies are stylish and gripping, but beneath the surface they are often exploring identity, obsession, manipulation and the disturbing parts of human nature.

Movies watched

Favourite directors: Steven Spielberg

"I don't dream at night, I dream at day, I dream all day; I'm dreaming for a living."  Steven Spielberg

I have a particular love for Steven Spielberg because so many of his films are woven into my childhood. Jaws, E.T., Jurassic Park and the Indiana Jones films helped shape my early love of cinema, and I have probably seen more of his movies than those of any other director. His range is extraordinary: he can create thrilling entertainment, intimate human drama and powerful historical films. Above all, Schindler’s List had a profound impact on me; no film has ever moved me more. I also love that, despite his enormous success, Spielberg seems like such a warm, gracious and genuinely lovely person in real life.

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Movies I've seen

Favourite directors: Alfred Hitchcock

I have always loved Alfred Hitchcock’s films and regard him as one of cinema’s greatest directors. He had an extraordinary ability to create suspense, often through what the audience knew rather than what was actually shown, and he understood how to turn ordinary places and situations into something deeply unsettling. Films such as Vertigo, Rear Window, Psycho, Notorious and North by Northwest are not only gripping thrillers but beautifully crafted works of cinema, filled with memorable images, psychological complexity and brilliant storytelling. I also love Hitchcock’s dark humour, his famous cameo appearances and the meticulous control he exercised over every aspect of his films.

 

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Favourite quotes

• In feature films the director is God; in documentary films God is the director.
• I enjoy playing the audience like a piano.
• Our primary function is to create an emotion and our secondary function is to sustain that emotions.
• The more successful the villain, the more successful the picture.
• Always make the audience suffer as much as possible.
• There is something more important than logic: imagination
• There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.
• To make a great film you need three things - the script, the script and the script.
• Drama is life with the dull bits left out. 
• The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder.
• Give them pleasure - the same pleasure they have when they wake up from a nightmare.
• I've become a body of films, not a man, I am all those films.

Movies I've seen

Vishnu exhibition at Art Gallery of NSW

Yesterday I visited the NSW Art Gallery with Xenia to see its exhibition on Vishnu. In Hinduism, Vishnu is the great Sustainer, one of the Trimurti alongside Brahma the Creator and Shiva the Destroyer. The exhibition was wonderful, with ancient stone carvings and beautifully detailed paintings full of colour and symbolism. It was a fascinating glimpse into one of the world's richest spiritual traditions.

I sometimes find Hinduism a little overwhelming with its countless gods, goddesses, symbols and manifestations. It is a remarkable example of the richness of human imagination and our capacity to express the sacred in so many different forms. Yet what resonates most deeply with me is its mystical foundation: the idea that all these forms ultimately arise from one source, Brahman—the infinite ground of being. In many Hindu traditions, the deepest truth is that Brahman is not separate from us but is the very essence of consciousness itself. That vision of an underlying unity beneath the apparent diversity is one of the things I find most compelling about Hindu philosophy.