David O. Russell

Went to a screening of The Fighter tonight, which was part of a David O. Russell retrospective at the Museum of the Moving Image. Spike Jonze led the Q&A, probing into the director's musical and cinematic influences (spanning from Nirvana, Woody Allen, Wes Anderson, Quentin Tarrantino) and uncovering some interesting insights and tidbits about his other films, like Spanking the Monkey and I Heart the Huckabees. At the beginning of the Q&A, David O. Russell pulled out a box of Altoids and Spike Jonze proceeded to dole out mints to the front row--so we all had fresh breath for the duration of the interview, which was pleasant! Rosie Perez also made an impromptu shout out from the middle of the theater, before heading out to get a burger. As for the The Fighter, it is a good film and turns out some phenomenal performances, especially Christian Bale, as Mickey Ward's brother, Dickey. Probably my favorite film of his to date.