Fight Club (with Brian Bitner) | Episode 4

Co-host of "Beyond the Screenplay" Brian Bitner breaks the first rule of Fight Club with Larry, diving deep into the problematic character of Tyler Durden and the complex genre of the Unlikable Protagonist film. We also touch on Fight Club's use of CGI, its unique place in director David Fincher's filmography, and how such an iconic twist still works even decades later.

Films discussed/partially spoiled in this episode:
Fight Club
Nightcrawler
Collateral
Swingers
The Social Network
The Dark Knight
American Beauty
Labyrinth
Reservoir Dogs

Chapters:
0:00 - Cold Open
0:24 - Introduction
3:29 - Meet Brian!
4:40 - Brian's First Time Watching Fight Club
9:15 - Fight Club and the 90's Wave of Counterculture Films
12:08 - The Unlikable Protagonist Genre
16:30 - Brian's Unlikable Protagonist Subgenre Breakdown
21:17 - Why Fight Club is the Quintessential Unlikable Protagonist Film
24:18 - The Importance of Marla
25:17 - Conflating Aesthetics with Characters and Themes
26:52 - The Strength of Fight Club's Twist Ending
27:50 - Midroll
29:02 - Fight Club as Synthesis of Clean Fincher and Grimy Fincher
32:32 - Fight Club's Intentionally Artificial CGI
36:08 - MFMI Lightning Round
40:31 - Plugs and Farewell
41:23 - Outro
44:07 - Credits

Follow Brian on Twitter": https://www.twitter.com/brianbitner
Watch "Lessons From The Screenplay": https://www.youtube.com/lessonsfromthescreenplay
Listen to "Beyond The Screenplay": https://anchor.fm/beyondthescreenplay
Watch "Story Mode": https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXDIl5ElYimqmasGFGmp7Eg

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Show Notes:

Created, Hosted, Directed, and Executive Produced by Larry Fried

Produced by Larry Fried and Brian Nowak
Follow Brian on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PootsBootsPlays
Watch Brian on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/PootsBootsPlays

Assistant Direction by Brian Nowak

Edited by Larry Fried, Clayton Allen, and Kimberly Allen
Clayton and Kimberly's Website: https://allenstudiopictures.com

Graphic Design by Monica Sarmiento
Monica's Website: https://monicasarmiento.com
Monica's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monannsarmiento/

Motion Graphic Design by Elton Greenfield
Elton's Website: https://www.eltongreenfield.com
Elton's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elton.jpg/

Original Music by Matt Gordeuk
Matt's Website: https://mattgordeuk.com
Matt's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattgordeuk/

Camera Operator: Rob Bond

Sound Recordist: Brian Nowak

Production Assistant: Jason Lopez