Zodiac

[Galactus]

Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures are in advanced talks to co-finance Zodiac, a thriller detailing the obsessive efforts of three people who sought to bring the famed Zodiac killer to justice and the toll it took on their personal lives. The serial killer terrorized the San Francisco area from 1966-78 by killed at least 37 people.

Variety reports that David Fincher is in negotiations to helm the film. Warner Bros, Paramount, and Fincher recently coalesced around The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but that movie evaporated after the studios declined to spend more than $150 million on the special effects-heavy tale.

Zodiac is adapted by screenwriter Jamie Vanderbilt (Basic) from Robert Graysmith's 1986 true-crime tome "Zodiac" and its 2002 sequel, "Zodiac Unmasked: The Identity of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer Revealed." Graysmith's first book has sold more than 4 million copies.

Paramount will handle domestic distribution while Warner will handle international.

[Hunter Rider]

great to see fincher back and this sounds like perfect material for him

[green]

great to see fincher back and this sounds like perfect material for him


Yes it is and yes it does.
The Zodiac killer has always freaked me out, growing up in the bay area and being old enough to remember hearing stories, it gave me nightmares when I was young. They never caught the guy and he toyed with the police, taunting them. Fincher is perfect for this movie. Graysmiths books are great I highly recommend them if people are interested.

[Hunter Rider]

Yes it is and yes it does.
The Zodiac killer has always freaked me out, growing up in the bay area and being old enough to remember hearing stories, it gave me nightmares when I was young. They never caught the guy and he toyed with the police, taunting them. Fincher is perfect for this movie. Graysmiths books are great I highly recommend them if people are interested.

might check one out,didn't they do a zodiac story in nash bridges which was set in san fran ?

[green]

might check one out,didn't they do a zodiac story in nash bridges which was set in san fran ?


Nash who? Oh you mean that Don Johnson tv show..never watched it, dont know. Definately check out the books though, creppy stuff, theres photo copies of the letters he sent the police and everything....the guy was good, well in a horrible serial killer way, not that that's a good thing.

[Hunter Rider]

Source: Variety (http://www.variety.com/)
April 19, 2005





http://comingsoon.net/nextraimages/zodiac.jpg

Robert Downey Jr., Jake Gyllenhaal and Mark Ruffalo will topline serial-killer thriller (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=9231#) Zodiac, the Paramount and Warner Bros (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=9231#). co-production to be directed by David Fincher.

Variety says production is slated to start in mid-August, with Phoenix Pictures producing. Screenwriter (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=9231#) Jamie Vanderbilt is adapting from Robert Graysmith's 1986 true-crime book "Zodiac" and 2002 sequel "Zodiac Unmasked: The Identity of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer Revealed."

Gyllenhaal will portray Graysmith, a San Francisco Chronicle cartoonist who began tracking the mystery of the serial killer. The Zodiac terrorized the San Francisco area from 1966-78, committing at least 37 murders and documenting his exploits in taunting letters sent to the Chronicle.

Graysmith believes he identified the killer, but competing investigations and other circumstances prevented the suspect, who died in 1992, from ever being apprehended.

Ruffalo will portray the lead investigator in the case, Downey a reporter.

[Carmine Falcone]

Based on a true story?

Sounds interesting.

[Dark Donnie]

Source: Variety (http://www.variety.com/)
April 19, 2005





http://comingsoon.net/nextraimages/zodiac.jpg

Robert Downey Jr., Jake Gyllenhaal and Mark Ruffalo will topline serial-killer thriller (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=9231#) Zodiac, the Paramount and Warner Bros (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=9231#). co-production to be directed by David Fincher.

Variety says production is slated to start in mid-August, with Phoenix Pictures producing. Screenwriter (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=9231#) Jamie Vanderbilt is adapting from Robert Graysmith's 1986 true-crime book "Zodiac" and 2002 sequel "Zodiac Unmasked: The Identity of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer Revealed."

Gyllenhaal will portray Graysmith, a San Francisco Chronicle cartoonist who began tracking the mystery of the serial killer. The Zodiac terrorized the San Francisco area from 1966-78, committing at least 37 murders and documenting his exploits in taunting letters sent to the Chronicle.

Graysmith believes he identified the killer, but competing investigations and other circumstances prevented the suspect, who died in 1992, from ever being apprehended.

Ruffalo will portray the lead investigator in the case, Downey a reporter.
Great to see Fincher back, one of my faves, and the cast sounds great!

[Carmine Falcone]

Great to see Fincher back, one of my faves, and the cast sounds great!

yeah cast is OK. I hate RD Jr. though...

[Carmine Falcone]

Zodiac's letters:

http://www.zodiackiller.com/Letters.html

officially the most disturbing thing I have ever seen. :(

[Sava]

Zodiac's letters:

http://www.zodiackiller.com/Letters.html

officially the most disturbing thing I have ever seen. :(

damn, thats one sick guy, that last letter was great though

[Carmine Falcone]

but that is fake. I think.

[JackBauer]

definitely looking forward to this one! :up:

[Sava]

but that is fake. I think.


what?

[Carmine Falcone]

what?

the handwriting looks very different in that one.

[green]

Source: Variety (http://www.variety.com/)
April 19, 2005





http://comingsoon.net/nextraimages/zodiac.jpg

Robert Downey Jr., Jake Gyllenhaal and Mark Ruffalo will topline serial-killer thriller (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=9231#) Zodiac, the Paramount and Warner Bros (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=9231#). co-production to be directed by David Fincher.

Variety says production is slated to start in mid-August, with Phoenix Pictures producing. Screenwriter (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=9231#) Jamie Vanderbilt is adapting from Robert Graysmith's 1986 true-crime book "Zodiac" and 2002 sequel "Zodiac Unmasked: The Identity of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer Revealed."

Gyllenhaal will portray Graysmith, a San Francisco Chronicle cartoonist who began tracking the mystery of the serial killer. The Zodiac terrorized the San Francisco area from 1966-78, committing at least 37 murders and documenting his exploits in taunting letters sent to the Chronicle.

Graysmith believes he identified the killer, but competing investigations and other circumstances prevented the suspect, who died in 1992, from ever being apprehended.

Ruffalo will portray the lead investigator in the case, Downey a reporter.


Nice casting.....thanks for the update Hunter. :D

[Hunter Rider]

Nice casting.....thanks for the update Hunter. :D

:up: great to see Fincher back and he should really nail this material,I wonder if he'll set it in the actual period or if he'll move it up to date.I guess if he follows it correctly then he will leave it in the correct decade but ya never know with these things:eek:

[Sava]

the handwriting looks very different in that one.


well, yeah,

[Caliber]

I can't wait to see it if Fincher is directing.

[green]

:up: great to see Fincher back and he should really nail this material,I wonder if he'll set it in the actual period or if he'll move it up to date.I guess if he follows it correctly then he will leave it in the correct decade but ya never know with these things:eek:

I'd hope he keeps it in the original time frame....updating wont make sense with the tecnology they have now compared to then, now they'd probably be able to catch the sick freak pretty quickly. I hope he plans on shooting it here in San Francisco though.....I'll be lurking with my digital camera ;)

[Hunter Rider]

I'd hope he keeps it in the original time frame....updating wont make sense with the tecnology they have now compared to then, now they'd probably be able to catch the sick freak pretty quickly. I hope he plans on shooting it here in San Francisco though.....I'll be lurking with my digital camera ;)

now that would be cool "green our inside man":eek: :D :up:

[green]

They are filming RENT here now and I've been trying to find Rosario Dawson :hyper: , but havent had much luck :(

[Herr Logan]

Source: Variety (http://www.variety.com/)
April 19, 2005





http://comingsoon.net/nextraimages/zodiac.jpg

Robert Downey Jr., Jake Gyllenhaal and Mark Ruffalo will topline serial-killer thriller (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=9231#) Zodiac, the Paramount and Warner Bros (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=9231#). co-production to be directed by David Fincher.

Variety says production is slated to start in mid-August, with Phoenix Pictures producing. Screenwriter (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=9231#) Jamie Vanderbilt is adapting from Robert Graysmith's 1986 true-crime book "Zodiac" and 2002 sequel "Zodiac Unmasked: The Identity of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer Revealed."

Gyllenhaal will portray Graysmith, a San Francisco Chronicle cartoonist who began tracking the mystery of the serial killer. The Zodiac terrorized the San Francisco area from 1966-78, committing at least 37 murders and documenting his exploits in taunting letters sent to the Chronicle.

Graysmith believes he identified the killer, but competing investigations and other circumstances prevented the suspect, who died in 1992, from ever being apprehended.

Ruffalo will portray the lead investigator in the case, Downey a reporter.

I read that book. Pretty creepy stuff.

Refresh my memory-- the Zodiac killer used a gun and killed couples as opposed to only killing women with non-projectile weapons, right?
If that's correct, then he-- like David "Son of Sam" Berkowitz-- are both somewhat rare, since most famous serial killers didn't use guns and didn't mess with the men-folk.
I also forget if Zodiac was alleged to have raped any women, but I don't recall reading that he did. That also makes him unique in the serial murderer community.

:wolverine

[Hunter Rider]

I read that book. Pretty creepy stuff.

Refresh my memory-- the Zodiac killer used a gun and killed couples as opposed to only killing women with non-projectile weapons, right?
If that's correct, then he-- like David "Son of Sam" Berkowitz-- are both somewhat rare, since most famous serial killers didn't use guns and didn't mess with the men-folk.
I also forget if Zodiac was alleged to have raped any women, but I don't recall reading that he did. That also makes him unique in the serial murderer community.

:wolverine

Hey Herr not used to seeing you in these parts:up: sorry i don't have the answer to your questions,i know that carmin posted some of the killers letters in a link in this thread that might be of help,im thinking of picking this book up.

[Herr Logan]

Hey Herr not used to seeing you in these parts:up: sorry i don't have the answer to your questions,i know that carmin posted some of the killers letters in a link in this thread that might be of help,im thinking of picking this book up.

Eh, I'm desperately trying to avoid thinking about how crappy life is at the moment, so when perusing the "new posts" page, I'll click on anything that looks interesting, and serial killers are an interest of mine.

The creepiest thing about the book, for me, is that the police had several suspects and they did encounter them, but although they fit the profile, there was no solid proof and no one was even tried, much less convicted. If you really get into it, it's almost like you're there, matching evidence and profiles against the person who you're close enough to actually speak to in his place of business and whose home you've investigated. The idea that someone this driven, starved for attention and skilled in violent acts could be anyone that possesses certain characteristics and yet even the most likely suspects don't get charged and convicted is pretty frightening when you think about it.

:wolverine

[Hunter Rider]

Eh, I'm desperately trying to avoid thinking about how crappy life is at the moment, so when perusing the "new posts" page, I'll click on anything that looks interesting, and serial killers are an interest of mine.

The creepiest thing about the book, for me, is that the police had several suspects and they did encounter them, but although they fit the profile, there was no solid proof and no one was even tried, much less convicted. If you really get into it, it's almost like you're there, matching evidence and profiles against the person who you're close enough to actually speak to in his place of business and whose home you've investigated. The idea that someone this driven, starved for attention and skilled in violent acts could be anyone that possesses certain characteristics and yet even the most likely suspects don't get charged and convicted is pretty frightening when you think about it.

:wolverine

sorry to hear things are crap right now man:( .The book sounds very interesting i think i'll pick it up i like this sort of story.I remember you saying you study criminology so i can see why this would interest you.I got a link here that covers the killings in more detail that might answer your questions.
http://www.zodiackiller.com/

btw i got a copy of Essentials spiderman and the origianal Secret wars TPB's yesterday:up:

[Herr Logan]

sorry to hear things are crap right now man:( .The book sounds very interesting i think i'll pick it up i like this sort of story.I remember you saying you study criminology so i can see why this would interest you.I got a link here that covers the killings in more detail that might answer your questions.
http://www.zodiackiller.com/

btw i got a copy of Essentials spiderman and the origianal Secret wars TPB's yesterday:up:

Thanks, man, I appreciate that. :)

I hope you enjoy the Essential Spider-Man volume. If it doesn't seem all that great from the beginning, keep reading, it gets better. I myself have not read Secret Wars, but I'd like to at some point.

:wolverine

[Hunter Rider]

Thanks, man, I appreciate that. :)

I hope you enjoy the Essential Spider-Man volume. If it doesn't seem all that great from the beginning, keep reading, it gets better. I myself have not read Secret Wars, but I'd like to at some point.

:wolverine

your welcome:up:
The volume i bought was 5(i know not the best one) but it was the only one they had so i thought i'd try it.As for secret wars it is the original Jim Shooter version from 1984,i couldn't believe my luck when i saw they had it:D

[Wilhelm-Scream]

very disorienting to want to talk about the Zodiac killer and read these posts.

[Herr Logan]

your welcome:up:
The volume i bought was 5(i know not the best one) but it was the only one they had so i thought i'd try it.As for secret wars it is the original Jim Shooter version from 1984,i couldn't believe my luck when i saw they had it:D

I think I didn't end up buying volume five because I read a lot of it in a book store already and I think I have a bunch of those issues on my computer from Donald Thomas' site. I hope you enjoy it.

:wolverine

[Hunter Rider]

Source: Variety (http://www.variety.com/)
May 9, 2005




Former ER star Anthony Edwards (The Forgotten) has joined the cast of Paramount and Warner Bros (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=9518#).' serial-killer thriller (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=9518#) Zodiac, to be directed by David Fincher, reports Variety.

Edwards will portray the partner of the lead police investigator on the case, played by Mark Ruffalo. Edwards' character suffers a nervous breakdown due to the assignment. Robert Downey Jr. and Jake Gyllenhaal also topline.

Production is scheduled to begin in August. Screenwriter (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=9518#) Jamie Vanderbilt is adapting the film (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=9518#) from Robert Graysmith's nonfiction novel "Zodiac" and 2002 sequel "Zodiac Unmasked: The Identity of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer Revealed."

[Carmine Falcone]

I don't know the guy...:p

[Hunter Rider]

http://www.latinoreview.com/interviews/mr-atkmzodiac.html



Mark's follow up film is not scheduled for release until next year. Zodiac is based on the infamous real events of the hunt for the serial killer.

(Just Like Heaven) takes place in San Francisco, are you going back to San Francisco for Zodiac?

Mark Ruffalo: Yeah I play Dave Toschi who is the head inspector for the SFPD.

How true to the events are you guys sticking to in the movie?

Mark Ruffalo: It's as true as I have ever seen a movie be to the actual events.

Is it close to the book?

Mark Ruffalo: The guy Robert Graysmith who wrote The Zodiac Unmasked. It's based a lot on his stuff but David Fincher has gone out and interviewed everybody, the cops and everyone had to sign off on the script. He has 2500 pounds of information, his murder book for it is, when we showed it to a SFPD detective, he said, "my god we couldn't even get that much information," which is why they never caught him cause the guy was killing on county lines so there were 5 different police...

Police stations? Mark Ruffalo: Yes, yes so there was no jurisdiction, so it was driving everyone crazy and it was really a mess so that's kind of what the movie was about.

[Carmine Falcone]

First pictures:

http://sfgate.com/c/pictures/2005/10/06/dd_zodiac05025cg.jpg

http://sfgate.com/c/pictures/2005/10/06/dd_zodiac05090cg.jpg

Article:

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/10/06/DDGP7F2IJK1.DTL

I'm extremely looking forward to this.

[zer00]

I'm still wondering how they're going to have his whole excecutioners outfit look.

[Hunter Rider]

Great find Cramine:up: ,this movie is shaping up nicely,Im surprised the budget is so high though
I like the fact they are using the same digital video format that was used on Collateral

[Dark Donnie]

Pics look great! Gyllenhall is going to be in some pretty good movies in the coming year!

[Dark Donnie]

I heard Gary Oldman dropped out and was replaced with Brian Cox? Is this old or new news?

[Carmine Falcone]

I heard Gary Oldman dropped out and was replaced with Brian Cox? Is this old or new news?

what? I hope not. (Cox is a great actor but oldman is even better)

[Hunter Rider]

I heard Gary Oldman dropped out and was replaced with Brian Cox? Is this old or new news?

Have you got a link ? i havent heard that:(

[Dark Donnie]

Have you got a link ? i havent heard that:(
I just read it over at IMDB, I know there not always credible. It was in the forums, guy said the name of the character that Oldman was playing will be replaced by Cox...character's name was Melvin Belli some lawyer the Zodiac killer wrote letters to

[Hunter Rider]

I just read it over at IMDB, I know there not always credible. It was in the forums, guy said the name of the character that Oldman was playing will be replaced by Cox...character's name was Melvin Belli some lawyer the Zodiac killer wrote letters to

I havent sen that anywhere else,i hope it's not true

[Dark Donnie]

I don't see Oldman listed at IMDB...could have sworn he was listed before

[green]

I dont know if this is legit....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/markofort/305poster.jpg

[Kane]

that looks really fake. I don't believe it's legit.

[Drakon]

Let's hope it's better than that piece of crap we got from the dude who did Boogeyman. I'd have rather watched Carebears and Barney have dinner with Winnie the Pooh. It woulda had better dialogue and been scarier.

[Carmine Falcone]

I dont know if this is legit....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/markofort/305poster.jpg

probably not

[Hunter Rider]

Let's hope it's better than that piece of crap we got from the dude who did Boogeyman. I'd have rather watched Carebears and Barney have dinner with Winnie the Pooh. It woulda had better dialogue and been scarier.

What film was that ?

[Dark Donnie]

The Hunt for the BTK Killer (TV movie)

[Hunter Rider]

The Hunt for the BTK Killer (TV movie)

Ah right,i still can't find out for sure whether Oldman is in or not:confused:

[Dark Donnie]

me neither! I just found it interesting that he isn't listed anymore, I know I saw him before!

[Hunter Rider]

I did some checking,except IMDB everywhere still has oldman as part of the cast

[Dark Donnie]

Both are good actors, so either way im not worried!

[BT18]

Looks like they changed the name of the film to "Chronicles". Better add that to the thread title.

Something like Official "Chronicles" (AKA Zodiac) movie thread

[Carmine Falcone]

why did they change the name to Chronicles? Doesn't sound bad though...

[Dark Donnie]

why did they change the name to Chronicles? Doesn't sound bad though...
I believe alot of his letters were addressed to the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper.

[Poeman]

this film will be awesome and have ppl dig into this guys life

i wanna kno more about it
haha and guys check out the zodiacs last letter he wrote in1978
http://www.zodiackiller.com/NewZLetter2.html

funny how he mentions a movie

[Carmine Falcone]

I believe alot of his letters were addressed to the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper.

Ah, that makes sense :up:

[Sentinel X]

The Zodiac killer scares the crap out of me but come on do they honestly need a 150 million dollar budget for this film??...It could be more like 40 million...what special effects can they possibly use!?

[Dark Donnie]

a new pic and article

http://www.geocities.com/drbarker23/Zodiac

[Carmine Falcone]

nice. :up:

[Hunter Rider]

great find donnie:up:

[Dark Donnie]

Hopefully more pictures to come

[Dark Donnie]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v232/12398/pp/zodiac4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v232/12398/pp/zodiac3.jpg

From:
http://www.darkhorizons.com/2006/zodiac.php

[Obsidian]

Is that Mark Ruffalo?:confused:

[Dark Donnie]

Is that Mark Ruffalo?:confused:
Yes it is! Pretty good cast IMO!

[Hunter Rider]

Who's the guy at the typewriter ?

[LastSunrise1981]

Who's the guy at the typewriter ?

Robert Downey Jr. :up:

[Dark Donnie]

Yep the Chameleon known as RD JR. :p

[Dark Donnie]

anyone know the release date?

[LastSunrise1981]

No, the release date has yet to be confirmed unfortunately.

Speaking of the Zodiac killer. Did they ever catch him? :confused:

[Dark Donnie]

Im pretty sure they never caught him

[Carmine Falcone]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v232/12398/pp/zodiac4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v232/12398/pp/zodiac3.jpg

From:
http://www.darkhorizons.com/2006/zodiac.php

:up: :up:

by the way there is one more pic on that site:

http://www.darkhorizons.com/2006/chronicles/zodiac5.jpg

[Dark Donnie]

Thanks for posting that!

[Carmine Falcone]

no thanks.

looks good BTW. and Robert Downey Jr. is almost unrecognizable.

[Dark Donnie]

The release date is being juggled around I read either Mid Summer of possibly Fall.

[Hunter Rider]

http://zodiacfilm.blogspot.com/

Apparently the trailer will be with Mi-3 and the reported release date is 11th on November

*Thanks to darkdonnie for the heads up:up:

[Hunter Rider]

http://www.hollywood-elsewhere.com/

Thanks to green for this:up:

Script review

The last truly exceptional hunt-for-a-serial-killer movie was David Fincher's Se7en (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000050FEN/qid=1144449660/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-7809693-0371060?s=dvd&v=glance&n=130). And the next one, I'm fairly convinced, is going to be Fincher's Zodiac (Paramount, 11.10).
I'm basing this on a recent read of James Vanderbilt's script, which runs 150-plus pages. This persuades me that what I heard last week is true: Zodiac is going to be a three-hour movie, or close to it.
http://www.hollywood-elsewhere.com/images/column/4906/jakeruffalo.jpg
Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo in David Fincher's Zodiac (Paramount, 11.10)
Scripts never really tell you that much, but reading Zodiac planted an idea that Fincher is again pushing the thriller boundary. Not just in the tradition of Se7en but also Alan Parker's Angel Heart, another chasing-a-monster film that ended with something pretty startling.
Zodiac is based on two best-sellers by Robert Graysmith, "Zodiac (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0425098087/qid=1144453887/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-7809693-0371060?s=books&v=glance&n=283155)" and "Zodiac Unmasked: The Identity of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer Revealed (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0425189430/qid=1144453887/sr=2-3/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_3/103-7809693-0371060?s=books&v=glance&n=283155)", which are first-hand accounts about the hunt for the Zodiac killer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiac_killer) who terrified the San Francisco area in 1968 and '69.
The chief Zodiac hunters in Fincher's film (as they were in actual life) are Gray- smith, a San Francisco Chronicle cartoonist at the time (Jake Gyllenhaal), and a blunt-spoken, never-say-die San Francisco detective named Dave Toschi (Mark Ruffalo).
Toschi is understood to have been the real-life model that Steve McQueen based his tough-nut San Francisco detective on in the 1968 Peter Yates film Bullitt (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0008ENHTE/qid=1144452667/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/103-7809693-0371060?s=dvd&v=glance&n=130).
And of course, the Zodiac killer was the model for Andy Robinson's psycho killer in Dirty Harry , the 1971 Don Siegel-Clint Eastwood classic...right down to the Zodiac claim about wanting to kill a busload of school children.
http://www.hollywood-elsewhere.com/images/column/4906/zodiacposter.jpg

Zodiac is partly about the thrill and fascination of the hunt (the scores of hints and clues that pile up are more and more fascinating as the story moves along), and partly about how the complex, seemingly never-ending nature of the case makes Graysmith and Toschi start to go a bit nuts.
Is there such a thing as being too determined to stop evil? At what point do you ease up and say, "I've done all I can." Is it always essential to finish what you've started? Should never-say-die always be the motto, even at great personal cost?
Zodiac isn't just about sleuthing. Deep down I think it's a metaphor piece about obsessions wherever you find them, and how the never-quit theme applies to heavily-driven creative types (novelists, painters, architects, musicians) as much as cops or cartoonists or stamp collectors or baseball-card traders.
Zodiac and Se7en have at least a couple of things in common: both are heavily focused on the bottled-up emotions and personal frustrations of their two main protagonists, and both films end on a note in which the "crime doesn't pay" motto doesn't exactly ring out from the belltower.
http://www.hollywood-elsewhere.com/images/column/4906/fincherzodiac.jpg
Zodiac director David Fincher during filming; laughing Gyllenhaal in b.g.
Let's just say it: these are two catch-the-bad-guy movies in which the good guys try like hell, but they can't quite manage to be McQueen or Eastwood in the end.
Partly because the up-and-down life of a cop generally isn't that heroic or simple. And because Fincher would probably have trouble staying awake if somebody forced him to direct a Bullitt or a Dirty Harry.
Fincher and screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker ended Se7en with a mind-blowing twist in which the killer won and the good guys lost, and in such a way that the final fate of the killer didn't matter as much as the fact that his vision (which had a certain moral foundation) ended up being fulfilled.
The more I think about Se7en, the more certain I am that it was and is a truly brilliant cop thriller. Not just in the way the story was put together and paid off, but because it echoed a certain clouds-are-forming, it's-all-starting-to-rot-from-within attitude...a kind of geiger-counter reading of the despair in the air in 1994 and '95, when Se7en was made and released.
http://www.hollywood-elsewhere.com/images/column/4906/zodiacnews.gif

I attended a Writers Guild event last night that celebrated the 101 Greatest Screenplays ever written, and bless their hearts but the WGA voters were blind as bats for not including Se7en.
I'm not going to spill the Zodiac finale in any detail, but anyone who's read even a little bit about the the hunt for the Zodiac killer knows the culprit was never charged or convicted, although his more ardent pursuers were convinced that he was a pudgy alcoholic and an ex-school teacher named Arthur Leigh Allen (http://www.hollywood-elsewhere.com/<br%20/>http://www.zodiackiller.com/AllenFile.html), who died in 1992.
The script uses a substitute name instead of Allen's. It wouldn't be that big of a deal to mention it, but I'm trying to go lightly here.
Graysmith is the best part Gyllenhaal has ever had, and I'm including Jack Twist in this equation. If he does it right he'll generate a lot of heat for himself, and I can't see how he wouldn't.
Graysmith is a very strongly written guy with a lot of struggle and frustration inside, and the pressure on him just builds and builds. The coup de grace comes at the end when Graysmith delivers a spellbinding 12-page oratory that ties up all the loose ends. (I was reminded of Simon Oakland's this-is-what-actually-happened speech at the end of Psycho.)
http://www.hollywood-elsewhere.com/images/column/4906/downeyjake.jpg
Downey, Gyllenhaal
Robert Downey, Jr. has several good scenes as a Chronicle reporter named Avery. It seems at first as if he'll be a prominent costar along with Gyllenhaal and Ruffalo, but nope. Anthony Edwards, as Toschi's partner, has a smaller role than Downey.
Dermot Mulroney, Chloe Sevigny, Ione Skye, Donal Logue and Brian Cox have supporting roles. The IMDB says Cox plays famed San Francisco attorney Melvin Belli, but my script doesn't even have Belli in it.

[Dark Donnie]

Oldman was slated to play Belli, then rumors were he dropped out and Cox joined....I wonder what is going to actually come of it. Nice post Hunter!

[Carmine Falcone]

Oldman was slated to play Belli, then rumors were he dropped out and Cox joined....I wonder what is going to actually come of it. Nice post Hunter!

It's Cox:

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/5650/cox6vo.png

It's from this video about Final Cut Studio with David Fincher, there are some bits of footage on the background. The rest of the video sucks. It's one big commerial and I can't stand the music :p

[Cinemaman]

Zodiac looks like really good movue.

Fincher is one of my favorite directors, I love Se7en, Fight Club and the Game.

[green]

billboard

http://www.mcnblogs.com/thehotblog/archives/2006/10/new_outdoor_fro.html

[Sava]

where is my god damn trailer

[Carmine Falcone]

Nice billboard.

[Hunter Rider]

The billboard is very cool but it's time for the trailer :woot:

[Cinemaman]

where is my god damn trailer

Wait for Nvember.

BTW, the billboard looks very intersting :up:

[Octoberist]

what is paramount doing? are they stupid? Sounds like they're 'iffy' on this movie, lameo

[BT18]

I really wish it didn't star Jake Gyllenhaal

[Cinemaman]

^^^

Why not? He is very good actor and I'd like to see something new from him.

[zer00]

I really wish it didn't star Jake Gyllenhaal
We all wish you didn't post. But you do. And we deal with it.

[Octoberist]

OMG. Jake is a good actor and now he's being labeled as "Sir Gay Cowboy". Damn!

[Hunter Rider]

Poster

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/6388/newspostzodiac1ip2.jpg

[Cinemaman]

Oh God, I can kill everybody to just see this f***ing movie! :eek: :up:

There is just so much of mystery and I just think it will be one of the best movies next year.

[Octoberist]

well, I still don't understand why on Earth they wanted to leave out Fight Club on the poster, which by is probably one of the best movies of the 90s hands down. THAT'S dumb marketing, and honestly, if Paramount's thinking "We don't want to rely so much on Fight Club because we don't want the ads to depend on it", then they need a new marketing team. You milk for what it's worth.

And I hope that they can move the movie at least to March. Janurary? Paramount's on a roll. It's friggin' David Fincher.

[Cinemaman]

well, I still don't understand why on Earth they wanted to leave out Fight Club on the poster, which by is probably one of the best movies of the 90s hands down. THAT'S dumb marketing, and honestly, if Paramount's thinking "We don't want to rely so much on Fight Club because we don't want the ads to depend on it", then they need a new marketing team. You milk for what it's worth.

And I hope that they can move the movie at least to March. Janurary? Paramount's on a roll. It's friggin' David Fincher.

I'll agree with you. FC is the best movie of last century and my #1, so it is worth to be put in tagline "from the director of...". I think Paramnount can't realize that FC became famous movie after all this critical negativity, which also disappeared.

Even if I can't wait for this movie, I will again agree with you. March is the best month for so great looking movie like Zodiac. Paramount has very bad marketing strategy for it and this sucks :(

[Octoberist]

yeah, to me March is now considered a safe zone for movies, which Janurary and Feburary still stinks of "Movies that we regret" from studios.

[Hunter Rider]

Fight Club is a cult fav as opposed to a massive hit,they chose seven because it's his biggest hit and Panic Room as it was his most recent and ppl will likely remember it

[Cinemaman]

Fight Club is a cult fav as opposed to a massive hit,they chose seven because it's his biggest hit and Panic Room as it was his most recent and ppl will likely remember it

Se7en was great movie and I am agreed with you there, but Panic Room isn't so good example of quality.

FC proved that critics can be wrong and made people re-understand itself as movie with very smart direction, which makes a lot of sense.

And why people don't remember such movie like FC? I thought almost every cinema goer loved it.

[Octoberist]

but which movie is David remembered most for? Se7en...and Fight Club.

Panic Room was just his most mainstream movie. In the long run, which movie had the biggest influence? And most recent? 2002? Hoy!

Everyone that I know loves Fight Club. To me, it's almost beyond a 'cult classic' now.

But..
I see what you're saying, Hunter. Honestly, bring this up to your friends and see what they say.

[Hunter Rider]

Se7en was great movie and I am agreed with you there, but Panic Room isn't so good example of quality.

FC proved that critics can be wrong and made people re-understand itself as movie with very smart direction, which makes a lot of sense.

And why people don't remember such movie like FC? I thought almost every cinema goer loved it.

Like i said it isn;t about quality it's about the fact Panic Room was the most recent and fresher in the regular movie goer's mind

Fight Club like i said is a cult fav but not a movie that the regular audience go ga ga over

[Hunter Rider]

but which movie is David remembered most for? Se7en...and Fight Club.

Panic Room was just his most mainstream movie. In the long run, which movie had the biggest influence? And most recent? 2002? Hoy!

Everyone that I know loves Fight Club. To me, it's almost beyond a 'cult classic' now.

But..
I see what you're saying, Hunter. Honestly, bring this up to your friends and see what they say.

I actually don't know anyone who likes Fight Club except me,most of my friends are casual film fans and it didn't appeal to them with it's cynical and depressing style

As for what he's remembered for again it comes down to the mainstream which is what movie studio's market for,FC is a cult fav,Panic Room was a mainstream hit
The Fincher fanboys know about this movie anyway so no need to catch there eye so they name the movies that were biggest with the regular audience to hopefully spark their interest

[Octoberist]

you sure? I disagree but what I said before, I see what you're saying.

You got weight on your take, but I think you're underestimating the power of Fight Club.

Look at Office Space: It didn't do well in theaters. How many people go 'ga-ga' over that movie? Personally, I've met a lot. Samething with Scarface, where it grew on video.

It gets to the point on where should you draw the line where a movie surpasses the cult classic status to an actual geniune classic.

[Cinemaman]

Like i said it isn;t about quality it's about the fact Panic Room was the most recent and fresher in the regular movie goer's mind

Fight Club like i said is a cult fav but not a movie that the regular audience go ga ga over

I thought regular audience and general public were positive about it :confused:

[Octoberist]

I actually don't know anyone who likes Fight Club except me,most of my friends are casual film fans and it didn't appeal to them with it's cynical and depressing style

As for what he's remembered for again it comes down to the mainstream which is what movie studio's market for,FC is a cult fav,Panic Room was a mainstream hit
The Fincher fanboys know about this movie anyway so no need to catch there eye so they name the movies that were biggest with the regular audience to hopefully spark their interest

that's strange. sounds like your friends are very very mainstream. I know casual film goers buds and they love FC. Maybe it depends on where you come from or whatever.

It doesn't matter, cuz Fincer is a God anyway :woot:

[Hunter Rider]

you sure? I disagree but what I said before, I see what you're saying.

You got weight on your take, but I think you're underestimating the power of Fight Club.

Look at Office Space: It didn't do well in theaters. How many people go 'ga-ga' over that movie? Personally, I've met a lot. Samething with Scarface, where it grew on video.

It gets to the point on where should you draw the line where a movie surpasses the cult classic status to an actual geniune classic.

Think of it the same way Ridley Scotts movies are never marketed with "From the director of Blade Runner" and are always more about him being the director of Gladiator
Being received over time by the movie boffins as a classic is not the same as being a smash hit the regular joe remembers

[Cinemaman]

that's strange. sounds like your friends are very very mainstream. I know casual film goers buds and they love FC. Maybe it depends on where you come from or whatever.

It doesn't matter, cuz Fincer is a God anyway :woot:

The truth is truth, he is great filmmaker.

BTW, on RT Fight Club has 95% from users, so I don't think usual cinema goer can't remember movie like this one.

[Hunter Rider]

I thought regular audience and general public were positive about it :confused:

Movie fans love it but i hardly think it's kicking Star Wars or LOTR of the regular movie goers ballot

[Cinemaman]

Think of it the same way Ridley Scotts movies are never marketed with "From the director of Blade Runner" and are always more about him being the director of Gladiator
Being received over time by the movie boffins as a classic is not the same as being a smash hit the regular joe remembers

Ok, now I see. But I don't think if they put FC in tagline, it wil hurt movie.

[Hunter Rider]

that's strange. sounds like your friends are very very mainstream. I know casual film goers buds and they love FC. Maybe it depends on where you come from or whatever.

It doesn't matter, cuz Fincer is a God anyway :woot:

I dunno they just don't seem to care about it,but most enjoyed and highly rate seven

[Cinemaman]

Movie fans love it but i hardly think it's kicking Star Wars or LOTR of the regular movie goers ballot

Yes, of course FC doesn't have so huge popularity, but still it is well known movie.

[Hunter Rider]

Ok, now I see. But I don't think if they put FC in tagline, it wil hurt movie.

I never said it would,i was just explaining why i thought they picked the two they did:cwink:

BTW the poster itself is moody,atmospheric and brilliant IMO :up:

[Cinemaman]

I never said it would,i was just explaining why i thought they picked the two they did:cwink:

BTW the poster itself is moody,atmospheric and brilliant IMO :up:

I see and I am agreed with you, not with them :D

Agreed :up:

[Cinemaman]

AICN has posted 3 reviews of this movie.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/30385

[Cinemaman]

1st positive:


Wow, I was lucky enough to catch a rough screening tonite of David Finchers "Zodiac" and was blown away by this. Its easily the best film I've seen this year and will and should become an insant classic. Not only is it a great piece of filmmaking but easily one of the best films about an investigation I've ever seen.

It stars Jake Gyllenhal, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffolo and Anthony Edawards. The cut I saw tonight was about 2 hours and 50 minutes and it flew by, the pacing is dead on. It's the epic story of two San Fransisco Police Detectives, Ruffolo in an a breakout Oscar Worthy performance and Edwards and San Fransisco Chronicle crime reporter Robert Downey Jr. who continues his fantastic few years of acting as Paul Avery and Jake Gyllenhal as Robert Graysmith in another great performance as cartoonist for the paper who get caught up in the investigation into the murders that occur at the hand of the Zodiac killer in the late 1960's all the way into the 1970's.
This is one of the first films I can remember seeing that I had not known anything about except my anticipation and a couple of still photos on the net and a small promo Fincher did talking about Final Cut Pro on Apple. It was filmed in the new Hi-Def system that Mann used earlier this sumer in Miami Vice and is equally as gorgeous and crystal clear. It is a totally different Fincher film from what we've seen before it's a very talky film with little to no action but the suspense when it comes is gut-wrenching and intense. Its also a very comedic film which took my by suprise for some reason especially a few scenes when Edwards is trying to get information from three other counties in California and Downey as once again a great comic relief who loses himself into drugs and alcohol. Scenes that involve the Zodiac and his victims are hard to take at times because of the intensity and brutality, especially one involving a young mother and her baby girl the dread is almost unbearable.
The movie starts out with a killer opening involving two young lovers and the Zodiac who then taunts the police with a phone call to 911. He continues to threaten and taunt sending letters to newspapers including cryptic coding and cloth of victims blood. Brian Cox also pops up in the film in a very good role as Melvin Belli who tries to talk the killer into a meeting on live morning television. We jump back and forth between the detectives efforts and the two San Fransisco Chronicle workers and years go by.
Two montages have some great Fincher flare including one that follows the detectives with writing from the letters appearing on the walls and all over the place. The one that I enjoyed the most was a cut to black for a few minutes where all you hear is newscasters talking about events that have taken place over the course of a four year span with nothing on screen except the voices of actual newscast, now I don't know if they'll place documentary footage over this but God I hope not. And with all rough screenings some things still have to be cleaned up including some shots where equipment is visible and special effects are not finished but this is top notch stuff. The soundtrack is fun and light and filled with some classic songs as one would expect from a film set in this period of time. Knowing the story of the Zodiac I was curious as to how they would wrap it up but a scene with Gylenhall and a suspect is as intense or even more so than the scene DiCaprio and Damon shared in The Departed when the two are on the phone and say nothing to one another. This is an almost perfect film which is tough for me to say, not one thing was spectacular and another thing fell short everything was perfect all across the board on this one.
To say why this film is set for a mid January release is beyond me this should be a November, December film cause of the quality. I thought maybe I thought to much of it but after talking with a friend on the ride home I we agreed on everything.....
A++

[Cinemaman]

Another positive:


A brief report on Fincher’s “Zodiac”
I was thrilled to see an almost entirely finished cut of David Fincher’s “Zodiac” Thursday night at a test screening in L.A. Though I didn’t think it was quite as good as either “Se7en” or “Fight Club,” I nonetheless found it almost consistently compelling, suspenseful, and dramatically effective.
Like in “Se7en,” “Zodiac” maintains an almost constant sense of tension and unease during its ambitious depiction of the hunt for the Zodiac killer, spending most of its time on the San Francisco cops (played by Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Edwards) who lead the investigation, and the journalists Paul Avery and Robert Graysmith (Robert Downey Jr, Jake Gyllenhaal) covering the story, but also showing numerous of the Zodiac killer’s crimes in just enough detail to be wholly disturbing.
The movie, which was shot on uncompressed HD with Grass Valley Viper cameras, looked amazing. It appeared to be projected digitally, and the images were almost entirely noise/grain free, lending the period movie an additional sense of believability and often making me feel like I was there in 70’s with the characters, rather than watching a film in a theater. I’ve never seen HD look this good. Harris Savides’s cinematography, was, as usual, beautiful, with its low-key lighting and subdued hues, and the art direction was authentic and nicely unobtrusive, conveying the proper time period (the film is set mostly in the late 60s and early 70’s) without going overboard by throwing a bunch of period kitsch into every frame as some period films do.
The performances were all terrific, particularly Mark Ruffalo as one of the lead investigators, and Robert Downey Jr. as a reporter covering the Zodiac murders. Jake Gyllenhaal does his best work to date as Robert Graysmith, cartoonist-turned-amateur investigator who spends the first half of the movie hovering in the background, fascinated with the Zodiac case, but following it mostly from the sidelines, before taking center stage later in the proceedings, after the cops have all but given up on finding the Zodiac killer. I liked that the story was structured this way, focusing first mostly on the police investigation, then shifting over to Gyllenhaal. Also excellent is John Carroll Lynch (probably best known as Norm “son of a “Gunderson” from “Fargo”), with his subtly creepy turn as a suspect.
Despite its lengthy running time, the movie almost never drags, and its length allows the story to convincingly depict not only the cops’ increasing frustration over their inability to find the killer, but to adequately examine both the procedural aspects and the personal toll it took on the principals involved. This is perfect Fincher material, exploring the darker side of human nature, offering no easy answers. The only time the story started to lose me was in its later moments, during Gyllenhaal’s investigation, when some details/clues he was discovering were presented so quickly in dialogue that I found it hard to follow.
The movie unfolds very much like an “All the President’s Men” meets “Klute” mystery/thriller, as the police and reporters obsessively search for the identity of the Zodiac killer. The movie elicits plenty of genuine suspense from material that could easily have become either dry procedural or routine horror/thriller, though I wish there had been a stronger sense of subtext, drawing parallels between the existence of and hunt for the Zodiac and the political strife of the 70’s (Vietnam, Watergate, increasing public disillusionment with government), which would have made the film a deeper and darker experience more akin to “The Conversation,” “Se7en,” and “Fight Club.”
Fincher’s direction overall seems less “Finchery,” for lack of a better word, than “Se7en” or “Fight Club”; coverage of many scenes feels more conventional than his usually more controlled and careful compositions, though it works for the material; because of the complicated plot -- tons of details and investigation -- his style here often feels more functional, more unobtrusive, more designed to seem transparent and not get in the way of the story (not that it gets in the way of his films, just that the compositions in “Se7en” and “Fight Club” were in general prettier to look at, more deliberate).
Still, there are moments here that are pure Fincher, including the appropriately terrifying murder scenes, and you never doubt the sure hand of a master at work throughout the film. One murder scene set during the day at a lakeside was especially effective, since we’re so conditioned to seeing serial killers strike at night, slinking around in the shadows. It’s much scarier and more brazen when they’re just standing there in broad daylight. It’s a small detail, but there’s a terrific aerial (presumably CG) shot following a cab through the city streets, in which the camera seems to be invisibly locked to the cab, so perfectly in sync it is with the cab’s motion, turning precisely with the car as it turns various corners. Fincher’s taken a hackneyed shot (aerial shot looking straight down, moving over city streets) and put a terrific spin on it.
Loved the reference to Melvin Belli’s appearance on the original “Star Trek.”
The cut we saw seemed almost entirely finished, save for some effects shots (notably, a CG high angle of the Golden Gate Bridge, and a couple of shots near the end, in which the dolly track was blatantly visible, having not yet been digitally removed), and I gather from the preview card questions regarding the end of the film, that the end is still something they’re debating.
I liked the ending (which segues to 1991 from the late 70’s), in which one of the Zodiac’s surviving victims, Mike Mageau, finally ID’s the killer from a mug shot, but despite several title cards’ worth of coda, I still have questions when the movie was over, most of them pertaining to procedural police issues that weren’t entirely clear to me by the time the movie had finished.
Also, though there’s a scene near the end that’s intended to give closure to Gyllenhaal’s hunt for the Zodiac, I didn’t entirely buy that his character would stop his obsessive pursuit of the killer there; even though he finally figured out who the killer was (and realized that there still wasn’t anything more than circumstantial evidence linking him to the crimes, thus meaning the police couldn’t do anything), you think he’d find some way of bringing him to justice.
Obviously, this is based on reality (though apparently there’s much debate as to how accurate Graysmith’s books are), so they can’t have Graysmith gunning down the Zodiac like Dirty Harry gunned down Scorpio, but perhaps some further title card explanation of the intervening years of Graysmith’s life, a brief addressing of whether his relationship with his wife was over or whether they reconciled (the implication is that his obsession with finding the Zodiac killer cost him his marriage).
Overall, “Zodiac” is a terrific film, one that I was long looking forward to, and was not disappointed by. I can’t wait to see it again, and I can’t wait for the eventual DVD release, which will hopefully offer thorough “making of” of materials as Fincher’s previous DVD’s did.

[Cinemaman]

The last one - negative:



Hello lovlies, IndustryKiller! back with action satisfaction. I got a goodun for you today, a review of David Finchers Zodiac fresh from a test screening tonight at the Arclight. After seeing Little Children on Sunday for a whopping 14 bucks with ****ty assigned seating I was ready to swear off the overblown overpriced Arclight forever, but the free passes for an "Untitled" unreleased film were too much to pass up. Given that the back of the ticket said it was a two hour and forty five minute rated R thriller I was pretty sure it might be Zodiac and was pleasently surprised to be proven right.
Now I think Fight Club is an absolute masterpiece. With that film Fincher crafted something that not only speaks to, but perhaps defines the mentality of a generation. I thought Panic Room was sort of a weak choice of material for Fincher to follow that up with but the directing was more than solid and brimming with atmosphere. Nevertheless I felt something was amiss. Now after seeing Zodiac I can honestly use that dreaded cliche, Houston....we have a problem.
Now before I begin I want to tell you that this movie is God knows how far away from release. There is plenty of time left in the editing room, the music was temp, and the effects unfinished. So without further ado.
Zodiac starts off good enough, your classic two kids on lovers lane on the wrong night at the wrong time. Our introduction to the Zodiac killer is so real it hooks you from the start. There is a bumbling, indecisive, yet cold and completely matter of factness to the way his scenes are shot. From there we are introduced to Jake Gyllenhaals Robert Greysmith, a cartoonist for a San Francisco newpaper and star reporter Paul Avery played by that scene stealer Robert Downey jr. What we have in these moments is your typical exposition, set up as the Zodiac killer writes letters to the newspaper confounding everyone. Avery is tracking the Zodiac case while cartoonist greysmith...ummm...sort of just hangs around alot. i honestly have no idea what Gyllenhaal is doing in the first half of this film. My friend said it seemed like his job was to ask Robert Downey Jr. how his day was and that pretty much sums it up. Eventually he became so far removed from the actual storyline that every time he appeared onscreen my brain would scream "Oh now what the **** do you want?!" I would say you could completely cut him out of these scenes except that him suddenly appearing in the second half would make no sense without them.
After all that we get the best scene of the film, Zodiacs second killing. Like the first its stark and real. Just two kids and a murderer. No music that I can remember of flashy camera techniques. The facts of the story speak for themselves. The scene goes on longer than others of its ilk, maybe a full five minute dance of death, and the tension doesnt stop building until its conclusion. good stuff. And then...everything. goes. dead.
We are then introduced to the cops on the case played by Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Edwards. The first half of the film from here on bounces endlessly between them, Downey and Gyllenhaal in sidekick mode following one fruitless lead after another, after another, after another, after another. If Finchers aim was to make the audience feel as worn out and sick of this whole Zodiac bastard as the people tirelessly trying to crack the case then he succeeded. The problem here is the reality of the Zodiac murders. They never even came close to getting the guy. Very quickly the case devolved into copycats and dead ends lined up so far that you just want to tell the guys to pack it in and call it a day. And not like good, oh we almost got him but he slips through our grip barely, kind of dead ends. More like spend looooong minutes of exposition on scenes that go nowhere and end up meaning nothing sort of dead ends. Fincher does his best to make these endless walls seem interesting but you cant hide the fact that none of them ever turn out to be anything even close to actually catching the Zodiac killer. After all in a true story you can't add a Seven style cop and criminal chase that never happened. There is no cat and mouse game, just cops on
To top it off you only get one more Zodiac scene and its completely pointless and more than a bit confusing as to how it ends up the way it did. Afterwards the Zodiac killer goes away along with our interest. But even then the dutiful film stays with our heroes until finally even they give up.
"Four years later". Ummmm....ok. Keep in mind the film has gone on long enough at this point that if it ended I could live with that. The Zodiac has been MIA, Downey Jr. is out of the picture, and Gyllenhaal's Greysmith is now obsessed with the Zodiac case for reasons that are never explained (something about looking into his eyes). Oh and he's also married to Chloe Sevigney in scenes that are probably supposed to make him a more well rounded character but come off as meandering and pointless. So whats in store for us in Zodiac part 2? Well in this exciting adventure Gyllenhaal chases lead int eh Zodiac case over, and over, and over, and over. So its basically Zodiac part 1 with a different actor doing the exact same ****ing things. Chasing leads that go absolutely nowhere driving the audience to the point of boredom induced insanity.
Now I want to make it very clear that I am not one of those filmgoers who needs constant action or entertainment. In fact my favorite kind of films are character driven pieces that most people find boring. But this film is just ridiculous. You can only watch a person, or persons as it may be, walk into a wall so many times before you want to smack them. You just want to say "Can't you see you have nothing!?? Give it up already!" Especially near the end when Gyllenhaal gets a mysterious phone call pointing him toward a previously unheard suspect in the case. The tip leads him to the creepy house of someone with a possible connection to the Zodiac. This scene pissed me off especially since the scene builds and builds and what happens? Absolutely ****ing nothing. Right afterwards, this whole sub plot is dropped and attention turned to a totally different subject. Twenty minutes of the film, the only twenty minutes you think something might actually occur or progress will get made, is just forgotten without a trace.
So how does all this hard work and tail chasing finally end????!!! in a staredown. no really. The good guy and the maybe kinda but probably not since the evidence is so flimsy not a jury in the world would convict Zodiac guy stare at each other. An incredibly unsatisfying conclusion for three hours of head in your hands boredom. The tagline of "There is more than one way to lose your life to a killer" alludes to the fact that these guys spend years of their lives chasing a ghost. The problem here is that they never make you care to know the truth nearly as much as these characters do. When you spend so much time watching them grasp as the flimsiest of straws and fail over and over again you just stop empathising with them. It becomes an excersise in tedium.
Now as for the performances they are all pretty solid. The standout would be Downey Jr. as the flamboyant Avery. He bring a much needed light touch to the otherwise bland film and you wish the it would just concentrate on him. Ruffalo is also solid but there isnt much character there other than...well...cop guy. Concentration seems to be a big problem for Fincher here. Hes sort of in a tough position since Gyllenhaals Greysmith isnt really interesting enough to pin a film on, but has the only conclusion that could even come close to being adequate to this story. Since the Zodiac case dragged on for so long no character really owns it. It literally stops dead halfway through and switches focus of characters only to relive the same frustrating series of events. No big revelations, which is fine cause its reality, I dont mind ambiguity, but the story has repeated itself so many times its long out of the realm of interesting. If nothing new ever happens in the case why keep the film going?
Now Fincher has some time, and hes gonna need it to edit the **** out of this one. but I can't help but think the story itself isn't going to be able to sustain itself for very long. maybe in a book where you can flesh out explainations without losing the interest of a reader for chapters on end it works but seeing guys fail miserably over and over again and never succeed gets tiring. Also, maybe most surprising, the film lacks Fincher's trademark asmotphere and tells a very by the numbers cop story. No lush colors or keyhole shots to be found here. The poster has a more ominous tone than anything in the film. If I had seen the film not knowing who directed it the last person I would have guessed is David Fincher and, like Panic Room, I'm at a loss as to why he chose this material as it doesn't give him a whole lot of room to work. So on that unfortunate note I bid you all adieu. I know, I'm as disappointed as you are. Killer out.

[Hunter Rider]

2 New Stills

http://img58.imageshack.us/img58/5540/movieimage7090ei6.jpg

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/8498/movieimage7092sl0.jpg

[Cinemaman]

New? :confused:

I thought they had already been posted online.

But anyway, thanx, I am glad to see them again :)

[green]

http://au.movies.yahoo.com/mediaframe/index.html?c_id=7484&df=ZTHkXygeKZcitubwMixYiV5OS_DHAXekrKQmz.5Vn_cVVNb or7fI3Au90.r_CdujvAsIY96eETR78i7anzSazL9fPg--

trailer...I cant get it to work:cmad:

[french joker]

better link :
http://playlist.yahoo.com/makeplaylist.dll?id=1522103&sdm=web&qtw=640&qth=400
excellent

[green]

:up: Thank you.

[Carmine Falcone]

Great visuals. reminds me of the way Munich brought the 70's back to life. The trailer itself is kinda lacking something of excitement, but I'll see this regardless.

[Hunter Rider]

I love the eerie visuals and the way the killings were depicted plus the acting looks class but whoever chose the daffy music for the second half of the trailer needs sacking,it totally killed the mood

[WorthyStevens]

Good trailer, but yeah the music didn't fit.

However, I loved the part when Jake said "Are you sure there's noone else here?" or something to that effect. Creepy. :up:

[zer00]

Looks great. Like how they did the executioner outfit.

music was really out of place int he second half. Really out of place

[Cinemaman]

This movie looks excellent. Great cast, very intersting story and cool vissual style.

The only thing, which didn't work is music.

Can't wait to see the whole movie.

[Dark Donnie]

The trailer was great...but like everyone said the music is reallllllly out of place it felt like music that would be in a trailer for a comedy.

[Mentok]

Awesome trailer :up:

[Hunter Rider]

Some new stills from Comingsoon

http://img48.imageshack.us/img48/2637/zodiac3ev6.jpg

http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/5029/zodiac4yz5.jpg



http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/2975/zodiac8mk3.jpg

http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/3692/zodiac9zo1.jpg

http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/6008/zodiac13fv8.jpg

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/5316/zodiac14uf0.jpg

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/6969/zodiac20xa0.jpg

[Jolie_Desastre]

Some new stills from Comingsoon



http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/5029/zodiac4yz5.jpg



http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/2975/zodiac8mk3.jpg

http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/3692/zodiac9zo1.jpg







gyllenhaal :heart:

[Jolie_Desastre]

God the music totally killed it. i mean it usually puts a creepier mood when putting slightly cheerful music into a thriller or horror, but that was too cheery :(

[Triadkd]

I know this is off topic but they had a Q&A session with sly stallone over on aicn and he said one of his biggest regrets was turning down seven. Does anyone know what role he would have played.

[Cinemaman]

Wow, pics look awesome :eek: :up:

This movie will blow everybody's mind :D

[WorthyStevens]

Some new stills from Comingsoon

http://img48.imageshack.us/img48/2637/zodiac3ev6.jpg


http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/6969/zodiac20xa0.jpg

My favorite pics out of the whole lot. Poor kids. :( :cmad:

[Wolfwood]

I kind of like the music they used in the trailer. :o

I haven't really read much about the movie or looked into it, but I get this feeling Jake dies in it. I don't know why. :o

[Dark Donnie]

I know this is off topic but they had a Q&A session with sly stallone over on aicn and he said one of his biggest regrets was turning down seven. Does anyone know what role he would have played.
I would assume it was Freeeman's role (Somerset). I just read that Denzel turned dow the Brad Pitts role (Mills)

[WorthyStevens]

Advanced review:


Zodiac Review -- B-


From the first hour this had the makings of another great film from Fincher, but it's not sure what it wants to say, and a few plot turns seem out of character. Still, the film is commendable for what it does get right.

David Fincher’s thriller, Zodiac (opening in January), plays like an uneven follow-up to Seven (at 165 minutes) without the classic ending and rich layers. This is a film that builds upon its serial killer premise, but is too heavy on talk and too light on action; many scenes drag on for too long, and some are just unnecessary. Though Zodiac can stall in that regard, there are parts of this film that Fincher pulls off really well. The film looks really classy in its office settings (an obvious throwback to All the President’s Men), and Fincher does a great job of generating suspense. However, the pace is a real problem. From the first hour this had the makings of another great film from Fincher, but it's not quite sure what it wants to say, and a few plot turns seem out of character. Still, the film is commendable for what it does get right.

Zodiac is set in the late 60’s and early 70’s in San Francisco and is about a real serial killer who called himself the Zodiac. The murderer communicated with police throughout his string of endeavors, and fed them clues (through puzzles) as to what he might do next. The film starts off with an unsettling opening sequence that resembles Mystic River’s haunting intro; there is a sheer sense of realism in the way matters unfold (in a commonplace), and it sets the tone very well. Zodiac achieves this level of suspense several times with terrific atmosphere, but too much screen time is spent in the offices as characters endlessly talk about the synonymous Zodiac.

The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr., and also features Anthony Edwards, who I thought delivered a surprisingly Oscar worthy, subtle performance. Ruffalo might steal the show for some (as the main detective), but I found his character type as more of a cliché even though he does well with it. It is Robert Downey Jr. who really shines as his partner, but one can make the argument that he’s merely the same kooky character he’s commonly portrayed. Downey Jr. has been catching my eye in the last few years with some eccentric performances, and he brings a lot to this role (which was perhaps average before he signed on).

Zodiac ends up being more of a conventional detective thriller, but certain stretches save the film from being average. This was a work print when I saw it, and there were certain technical mistakes that will probably be cleared by the time of its release (a boom mike was in one shot, and a tracking shot {rail} was seen at the end). If the film does get edited down, it should help the flow a little bit, but the film still plays more like The Game (B-) and Panic Room (B-) than Seven (B+) and Fight Club (B+). It’s not a return to form for Fincher, but is still worth a shot.


Grade: B- (advanced screening version)


http://leesmovieinfo.net/Article.php?a=955

[Hunter Rider]

Supposedly new stills-might be more here:

http://www.comingsoon.net/films.php?id=10484

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/5118/zodiac7ca3.jpg

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/4899/zodiac22xq4.jpg

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/2092/zodiac23mt2.jpg

[Warhammer]

Movie looks great.

I'm seeing it.
When does it come out again? :confused:

[Cinemaman]

Release date is moved to March 2nd.

That's not so soon, but I guess it's better month for movies like this one. Besides, Fincher will have more time for working on editing (as I think the studio wasn't glad with early reviews, so they make Finch to change some parts) :up:

[Hunter Rider]

TV Spot

http://www.iklipz.com/MovieDetail.aspx?MovieID=860e9ef9-3ec6-4a61-b49c-df31f261dad2

[Cinemaman]

Awesome, thanx hunter.

I feel there will be much more tv-spots for this movie than usual thrillers have :up:

Could somebody give me download link? :)

[green]

Pretty cool interactive timeline.

http://www.zodiacmovie.com/timeline/

[Cinemaman]

^^^

Cool, thanx.

[Hunter Rider]

http://www.iklipz.com/MovieDetail.aspx?MovieID=c4f7d7fc-6089-4c0f-ae1b-b56a3367ff84

New TV spot

[Cinemaman]

^^^

Thanx hunter :)

[Warhammer]

When does this come out?

[Shifty]

When does this come out?

See Cinemaman's signature above your post.

[Warhammer]

Oh crap.
Duh.

:D

[Hunter Rider]

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/31514


A Brief Review Of ZODIAC!

Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here.

Boy, I hope I see ZODIAC soon.

I can’t even read this review. I don’t want to know anything. I don’t want to see anything. I just want to walk in cold and see what Fincher’s done.

Here’s someone I hate because they’ve already seen it. I’d give them a spy name, but I hate them. Grrrrrr.

This is Memflix writing in to let you film lovers know a bit about David Fincher’s Zodiac. I have posted reviews here before, but under a different moniker. From here on out, I will be known as Memflix.

I was a freshman in college when I saw ‘Seven’ in the theater. The college was in a podunk town and I knew no one. The theater was where I found my company. It was a rather lackluster year compared to the previous one, but all that changed when Seven was released. I was blown away. I loved films before this, but Seven made me really see how a genre, when approached from a fresh angle, could be completely turned inside out. I have loved every one of his films since, with the exception being Panic Room. It was a solid thriller, but I felt the story could have been told by anyone. I wanted something much heftier.

It was almost as if Fincher felt he owed more to the genre than he had supplied.

Seven was geared towards the theatrics of the serial killer genre, where “Zodiac’ seems more concerned with telling a well rounded and detail (maybe too much at times) oriented story. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the plot, it is based on the book by Robert Graysmith. Graysmith was a cartoonist at the San Francisco Chronicle back in the late sixties. Around that time, a serial killer made himself known by sending in a letter and a cipher. He called himself ‘Zodiac.’

I haven’t read the book, but I would be surprised if this film wasn’t a faithful adaptation. There doesn’t seem to be a climax in the movie. It flows like a written account of the events that unfolded over years and years. That may sound boring, but it wasn’t. At least not until the halfway mark. It started to seem a bit too tedious after sitting in there for over an hour. I knew how long it was going in, so I was starting to look at my watch every 5 minutes. However, once Graysmith starts piling all of the evidence into his book, the steam picked up. As with a lot of films, the middle is its weakest point, but Zodiac shouldn’t be faulted for this. It stayed true to the style it started. it was a good overall film. It isn’t my favorite Fincher film, but if you go in expecting an extremely well-made retelling of a horrific time in San Fransisco’s history, then you should have no problem enjoying it.

There were good performances by the cast. The standout here is Robert Downey Jr. He played an arrogant, alcoholic, drug addicted reporter. I’m sure several comparisons to his off screen lifestyle will be made, but it would be a shame to overshadow his brilliant portrayal of a man during a downward spiral. The big surprise here is Ruffalo. I grew tired of his schtick in the first movie I saw him in, You Can Count on Me. Up until now, I thought that was his entire bag of tricks. I was wrong. He has far more range than most actors working today.

There were only a few scenes where you could see the Fincher from Seven standing proud and that was when we see ‘The Zodiac Killer’ earning his name. The murder scenes are the most intense and suspenseful bits of film I’d seen in quite awhile. The most bone chilling scene involves Ione Skye and her characters baby. The scene alone should revitalize her career.

It wasn’t exactly an ‘out of the park’ addition to Fincher’s resume, but it is definitely a different film than we are used to expecting from such a talented director. It is always inspiring to see a director drift away from the comfort zone.

[Cinemaman]

Wow, so Zodiac is going to be more olike The Game and Panic Room, am I right?

[Dark Donnie]

Wow, so Zodiac is going to be more olike The Game and Panic Room, am I right?

Meaning?

[Carmine Falcone]

I think this movie looks very well made and entertaining, but not really exciting.

[Sava]

the trailers for this movie have sucked ass... just like the ones for The Departed... but i'll still see this

[Joe Kerr]

cant wait for this flick, i've been obsessed with this guy for a LONG time,

will be there opening day.

[Cinemaman]

the trailers for this movie have sucked ass... just like the ones for The Departed... but i'll still see this

But don't forget The Departed kicked ass as the movie ;)

[Cinemaman]

http://download.ifilm.com/qt/portal/2823087_300.mov

http://download.ifilm.com/qt/portal/2823867_300.mov

http://download.ifilm.com/qt/portal/2823088_300.mov

http://download.ifilm.com/qt/portal/2822915_300.mov

http://download.ifilm.com/qt/portal/2822916_300.mov

5 Clips!!! :up:

From what I have just seen, dialogues and acting in the movie will kick ass :)

[Caliber]

Good to hear but the previews aren't that bad.

[Wilhelm-Scream]

Weird, I just saw the commercial for the first time last night and was very excited because it looked exactly like I wanted it to look.
I haven't seen a full trailler but I can't imagine how it could "suck".
Looks awesome. Love the authentic looking 60's-ness.

[Caliber]

Weird, I just saw the commercial for the first time last night and was very excited because it looked exactly like I wanted it to look.
I haven't seen a full trailler but I can't imagine how it could "suck".
Looks awesome. Love the authentic looking 60's-ness.

I don't get what people want it to look like. It looks great the full trailer throws in music from the sixties so what more can people ask for?

[Wilhelm-Scream]

That's what intrigues me about it, this more innocent, idyllic-looking time, dudes with short hair and dress shirts and bouffant hairdoed chicks and that mild, washed out polaroid look and then this twisted, evil sociopathic genius terrorizing them all for no good reason and never being caught. Awesome. :up:

Maybe some uninformed kids wanted it to look like "The Cell" or "Freddy vs. Jason" or something. :o

[Caliber]

That's what intrigues me about it, this more innocent, idyllic-looking time, dudes with short hair and dress shirts and bouffant hairdoed chicks and that mild, washed out polaroid look and then this twisted, evil sociopathic genius terrorizing them all for no good reason and never being caught. Awesome. :up:

So true, it is interest to see a story where the killer is never caught. Its really interesting to read the letters the Zodiac wrote the cops and newspaper. The guy was a genius.

[Arcturus]

I can't wait to check this film out, it looks pretty damn good.

[green]

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/31652

There's a clip up at AICN, not much though.
I didnt know we were going to see the killer with his victims like we do in it.

[Movies205]

I'm a little confused by the trailer, what exactly is the tone of this movie going be? Is it going to be dark and suspensful, or more tongue in cheek?

[green]

You know Movies, Im not too sure. That clip, the tv spots Ive seen and knowing it's Fincher would lead me to believe its pretty dark but that music in the darn trailer throws it completely off.

[green]

http://emanuellevy.com/article.php?articleID=4651

It's quite an interesting review.

[Dark Donnie]

did anyone see the 20/20 thing last night on Zodiac?? Had some clips from the film and it talked about how they reopened the case recently

[Movies205]

You know Movies, Im not too sure. That clip, the tv spots Ive seen and knowing it's Fincher would lead me to believe its pretty dark but that music in the darn trailer throws it completely off.

I try to stay away from movie reviews now a day, I find a film is more enjoyable when you know less, like in terms of set-up so I try to stay away from reviews. It could be more or less in line with Fight Club which Fincher considers a dark comedy, especially since they never catched the real zodiac killer, right? Anyway I'm excited, I love Fincher, he hasn't delievared a bad movie yet!

Nice Avy, Tim Sale's Batman artwork is awesome.

[green]

I try to stay away from movie reviews now a day, I find a film is more enjoyable when you know less, like in terms of set-up so I try to stay away from reviews. It could be more or less in line with Fight Club which Fincher considers a dark comedy, especially since they never catched the real zodiac killer, right? Anyway I'm excited, I love Fincher, he hasn't delievared a bad movie yet!

Nice Avy, Tim Sale's Batman artwork is awesome.

Yeah, I try to stay away from most of em too, I like reading them after Ive seen the movie to compare. Here's an excerpt though that gives nothing away.

Overall, Fincher has made a mesmerizing picture that recalls the most significant movies of the 1970s (for some critics, it's the last "Golden Age" in American film), when most of its story is set. "Zodiac" recalls films like "The French Connection," "Klute," "Serpico," "Dog Day's Afternoon," "The Conversation," "All the President's Men," and "Network." The best compliment I can pay Fincher is to suggest that Sidney Lumet, Hal Ashby, Sydney Pollack, Allan Pakula, and Coppola, to mention the decade's masters, would be proud of his intriguing picture, which as of today, is the best American film of the year.

And Emanuel Levy is a pretty picky reviewer.

Thanks, and obviously I agree:up:
I cant stand his Superman work though.

[Movies205]

Yeah, I try to stay away from most of em too, I like reading them after Ive seen the movie to compare. Here's an excerpt though that gives nothing away.


And Emanuel Levy is a pretty picky reviewer.

Thanks, and obviously I agree:up:
I cant stand his Superman work though.

Very interesting I absolutely love some of hte pictures mentioned there, like Network. I like Fincher style but how he doesn't lose sight of characterizations so I look forward to this.

Are you talking about Superman for All Seasons because I ahven't read that yet. I been so busy the last thing I read was Age of Apocaylse TPB VOl. 2, I ahve an unread New X-Men omnibus at home waiting for me(1000 pages of Grant Morrison goodness)

[green]

Very interesting I absolutely love some of hte pictures mentioned there, like Network. I like Fincher style but how he doesn't lose sight of characterizations so I look forward to this.

Are you talking about Superman for All Seasons because I ahven't read that yet. I been so busy the last thing I read was Age of Apocaylse TPB VOl. 2, I ahve an unread New X-Men omnibus at home waiting for me(1000 pages of Grant Morrison goodness)

That review got me pretty intrigued to see the movie, I think the problem is people are going to go into this thinking its something it's not. I personally cant wait though, Fincher's work is always compelling to me.
There's also a link at AICN that leads to a New York Times article about how Fincher shot the film thats pretty cool.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/18/movies/18halb.html?ex=1329454800&en=41d4248507170297&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss)http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/18/movies/18halb.html?ex=1329454800&en=41d4248507170297&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

Yeah, it's a good story I just dont care for Sales Superman design.

[zer00]

So true, it is interest to see a story where the killer is never caught. Its really interesting to read the letters the Zodiac wrote the cops and newspaper. The guy was a genius.
He truly was a real life Batman villian

[Dr. Evil]

Could this fim re-start the investigation?

I remember a segment on Unsolved Mysteries where someone said that he believed that the Unibomber and the Zodiac Killer were the same guy.

[Dark Donnie]

The investigation is reopened. They guy who Graysmith believed was the Zodiac died a few years back. They did DNA tests on the letters though and they found the DNA on the letters didn't match the DNA of the supposed killer.

[Cinemaman]

You know Movies, Im not too sure. That clip, the tv spots Ive seen and knowing it's Fincher would lead me to believe its pretty dark but that music in the darn trailer throws it completely off.

The music won't matter, it's all about the movie itself.

[Wilhelm-Scream]

I don't know what music you're all talking about but I would like to say that after seeing Boogie Nights, "Sister Christian" by Night Ranger sounds haunting and scary to me.

It used to sound like a clown's moist fart.

[Hunter Rider]

Quint deciphers David Fincher's ZODIAC!!! (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/31671)


Review

[Cinemaman]

Quint deciphers David Fincher's ZODIAC!!!



Ahoy, squirts! Quint (quint@aintitcool.com) here with my second review of the day. I jump from Joel Schumacher to David Fincher.
I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, but the Zodiac killings were before my time. However, it's impossible to grow up there without hearing all about it from neighbors, parents and grandparents. And there's always some schmoe on the news who revisited the killings. I moved before the big Zodiac book hit, so everything from then on, including the assertion as to just who was the Zodiac killer, was something I missed.
I was very excited going into this movie. I loved SE7EN to death and the idea of Fincher taking on the Zodiac killer sounded great to me. I prepared myself for a different film from SE7EN thanks to some early word on the film and I'm glad I did because there's very little resemblance to Fincher's previous serial killer movie.
What is similar is the level of talent in front of the camera working at their absolute best. You have Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Brian Cox, Anthony Edwards, Chloe Sevigny, Elias Koteas (Casey Jones!), Donal Logue, Philip Baker Hall and even Charles Fleischer, Roger Rabbit himself! And they're all ****ing great. Especially Robert Downey Jr.
Downey plays a smart-ass reporter named Paul Avery who catches the eye of the Zodiac killer. Avery's a man of great ego, so this is very flattering, but soon the reality sinks in and Avery begins to have this haunted quality that was just fascinating to watch.
The movie is long and as a result we spend different segments in the shoes of different players in the whole Zodiac story. It's not until the end that we really spend a lot of time with Gyllenhaal, which was really surprising to me, but this part of the film was filled with the most suspense, mainly because of all the characters Gyllenhaal's gets the closest to discovering the killer. There's a sequence in a house that had me tense.
You also spend a lot of time with Anthony Edwards and Mark Ruffalo, two cops, partners, that spend decades tracking the Zodiac killer.
The descent into obsession is fascinating to watch. It's fascinating because you see so many different characters become obsessed with the Zodiac. Avery, Gyllenhaal's Graysmith, the two cops... every main character.
The killings are shown without much razzle-dazzle, making them feel very real, like you could be sitting there with the victims.
Fincher's film feels epic and you really feel they left no stone unturned. Everything you can imagine wanting to see about the Zodiac case is up there, on the screen and you have one of our most interesting filmmakers bringing it to life with a brilliant cast.
I highly recommend this one.




Nice review :up:

[War Party]

I'm hyped for this. Nice review.

[green]

http://www.mypartypost.com/search.php?terms=zodiac

there's clips up but they arent working for me.

[Hunter Rider]

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/31679

another review

[green]

http://justjared.buzznet.com/2007/02/24/zodiac-movie-clips/#more-1424

working link for clips.

[Cinemaman]

100% on RT :eek: :up:

Everything is great except one thing - negative review from LR :( :down

[Secret_Riddle]

How did i not know about this???!?!?!?

I love fincher.

[zer00]

No idea if this was posted in here...been a while since I've been in this thread hasn't it


Posted on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2007 @ 6 p.m. (Pacific Time)
In the last week, the San Francisco Chronicle discovered an envelope in its library of Zodac materials. Inside the envelope was a greeting card. Apparently its importance had never been recognized, or it was thought to be a hoax.

A few days ago I was shown images of the envelope and card to help determine authenticity. I believe it is authentic. (I promised I wouldn't publish any images until they appear in the Chronicle.)

The Chronicle is busy preparing a huge story about this amazing and important development. Keep an eye on its website, SFGate.com, for the latest.

The date of the postmark left me in a state of shock.

Tom Voigt
Webmaster
Zodiackiller.com

[Joe Kerr]

No idea if this was posted in here...been a while since I've been in this thread hasn't it


Posted on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2007 @ 6 p.m. (Pacific Time)
In the last week, the San Francisco Chronicle discovered an envelope in its library of Zodac materials. Inside the envelope was a greeting card. Apparently its importance had never been recognized, or it was thought to be a hoax.

A few days ago I was shown images of the envelope and card to help determine authenticity. I believe it is authentic. (I promised I wouldn't publish any images until they appear in the Chronicle.)

The Chronicle is busy preparing a huge story about this amazing and important development. Keep an eye on its website, SFGate.com, for the latest.

The date of the postmark left me in a state of shock.

Tom Voigt
Webmaster
Zodiackiller.com

:eek:
.

he once wrote that he'd be waiting for a good movie about him...

[Dark Donnie]

202/20 had a story about the Zodiac the other day. They said three new letters have resurfaced.

[Cinemaman]

88% on RT :cool:

[GoldGoblin]

The Zodiac Killer could be sitting in the theater watching this movie when it comes out.

[zer00]

hopefully next to me

I feel Zodiac should win best picture

cause if he's still alive, no way he'd keep quiet:o

[WorthyStevens]

The Zodiac Killer could be sitting in the theater watching this movie when it comes out.


Never thought of that. Creepy.

I won't be watching this alone in a empty-to-near-empty theater because of that thought.

[Tempest19]

Wow... that is scary. Just reading the book and thinking, "what if he's still alive today" that is a really creepy thought of him watching the film...

Can't wait. Going to be a 'long' movie too, which for this subject matter is great.

[Edd Extraordinaire]

I can't wait to catch this tomorrow.

[Cinemaman]

Now 92% on RT, it grows :up:

[GoldGoblin]

Anyone watch the 05 movie of the Zodiac,that was pretty good.But why would they make another movie of it when that just came out two years ago?

[zer00]

A. 'The Zodiac' went into production after 'Zodiac' but was a small budget indie film that kind of did its own thing.
B. 'The Zodiac' was limited release and went to DVD soon after.
C. If anything 'The Zodiac' was just following Fincher's 'Zodiac' announcement.

[Secret_Riddle]

Oh man, im so pumped for this movie. Ive been researching the zodiac killer, man, would i be evil if i thought he was probably the coolest serial killer out there? I mean hes a muderer, and of course thats terrible, but he outsmarted everyone. I can just imagine the panic that must have been going on as they found a letter and knew they only had a bit of time to save someones life. I hope Fincher catches that aspect in the film.

[GoldGoblin]

^Do you think this movie will be even better than the 05 version?

[WorthyStevens]

^Do you think this movie will be even better than the 05 version?

That shouldn't even have to be asked.

One word: Fincher.

[GoldGoblin]

That shouldn't even have to be asked.

One word: Fincher.

^Yeah,he made Seven.

[LastSunrise1981]

The movie theater I work at is having a private screening for employees tomorrow night.

I'm thinking of checking it out or seeing it on opening night. Overall it looks great, sounds great, and I most likely will enjoy it since I LOVED Se7en and Panic Room.

And about letters resurfacing? Who knows. Could be someone playing a trick or could be the real person. Either way it's pretty damn creepy.

[GoldGoblin]

What if the Zodiac killer went on a shooting spree in the theater he is in.If drive-ins were still around I wonder if anyone would even watch this movie in one.

[Edd Extraordinaire]

While I am a big Fincher fan, Fight Club is probably my favorite movie of all-time, I did not enjoy Panic Room one bit. I mean, it could've been so much more but in the end it just turned out to be money. It could've been something completely awesome like a rare artifact or some ****. But it was just money. Kinda spoiled it.

[Octoberist]

That shouldn't even have to be asked.

One word: Fincher.

I love Fincher's work on Se7en and of course, my most fav movie of all time...FIGHT CLUB.

[Octoberist]

The movie theater I work at is having a private screening for employees tomorrow night.

I'm thinking of checking it out or seeing it on opening night. Overall it looks great, sounds great, and I most likely will enjoy it since I LOVED Se7en and Panic Room.

And about letters resurfacing? Who knows. Could be someone playing a trick or could be the real person. Either way it's pretty damn creepy.

Not a Fight Club fan? Or is it WB's lame marketing?

[LastSunrise1981]

Not a Fight Club fan? Or is it WB's lame marketing?

To be honest I haven't seen Fight Club. I've seen like bits and pieces, but never actually sat down and watched it. Heard a lot of great things about it though.

[Cinemaman]

I love Fincher's work on Se7en and of course, my most fav movie of all time...FIGHT CLUB.

You can just say people "Read Cine's sig to know what I think about FC" ;)

[War Party]

The only complaint I been reading is the running time. But from what I been reading in many reviews, it seems necessary for the amount of content in the film. I can't wait to see this tomorrow, because the Zodiac has been an interest in mine.

[Rez]

Just got back from a preview screening.

Yes, it's amazing. But I'd say Se7en and Fight Club are far better, and while obviously more forgettable, Panic Room still edges it out by quite a bit. The Game is perhaps what I would be able to contend it with, but it has been a while since I've seen it. Alien3, well, the less said the better.

After hearing about how nonlinear and unconclusive it was, I was very pleasantly surprised. Of course these same things were also said about A Prairie Home Companion, and just because a plot is simple doesn't mean it's nonexistant.

The film is bookended very well, and contrary to many early reviews I'd read, Jake Gyllenhaal is very much the main character and doesn't just pop out of nowhere for the third act. There's also a decent amount of humor(my favourite reminding me of the Paxton "have you ever been mistaken for a man?" bit from Aliens) and some great creepy moments.

There's a few really cool shots, most notably an overhead following a car, and the best- centered on the Golden Gate Bridge.

But in between it all there's a lot of fluff, a lot of name dropping, and leads and plotlines that go nowhere or dissappear for so long that when they return you just get lost in it all. I don't think it's hard to say that it is less about the Zodiac and more about the people who become obsessed with the Zodiac, and while I got more closure than I thought I would with the actual "Whodunnit" of the case, the characters are just left to never be seen or heard from again until those annoying paragraphs of text pop up at the end of the movie(and there's a ton of them, a good 12 or so)telling you who's died and who's divorced since 1991.

1991 you say? That's another thing. The movie plays out like a nearly 3 hour episode of Law & Order, skipping around to different locations and dates complete with white subtitles telling you exactly where and when **** is happening every 2 minutes. Not exaggerating. I think Babel had fewer subtitles(ha).

Also annoying are the slow motion parts in the death scenes, it's jarring and out of place for something that's supposed to be so real- I didn't expect a bunch of people to be shot and stabbed the same way Jack blows Tyler's brains out in Fight Club.

Ultimately, it pains me to see so much talent put into a project like this. I don't want to call it a waste, that's untrue. Everyone here is at top form, and while there are things that could have been done to improve upon it, there is one massive problem that could never be dealt with: It's a true story. And true stories just aren't as good as some masterful work of fiction, and unfortunately for Fincher he already made a masterful movie about a serial killer that toyed with police... except he didn't have to bog it down with all the stuff that actually happened.

I can't help but feel like the best parts of this we've already seen all before.

[War Party]

So wait.. is it amazing or just ok?

[Rez]

From a technical aspect, it's amazing. But the film fails to engage; I didn't particularly care or feel for any of the characters(Downey Jr. excluded) and just hoped to see all the talent involved make something, well, else.

[War Party]

From a technical aspect, it's amazing. But the film fails to engage; I didn't particularly care or feel for any of the characters(Downey Jr. excluded) and just hoped to see all the talent involved make something, well, else.

And you're right in thinking it's more about the people investigating the zodiac than the zodiac himself. At least that's what I been reading and according to Fincher.

[Rez]

But the problem with it is, for a movie ABOUT the characters I just didn't give a damn about them... it shows them obsessed with the zodiac but little else. When one character faces a divorce because of his obsession, I was like, "Oh, ok." When one character ruins his life and job over it, I was like, "Oh, ok.. guess we won't see much of him anymore.."

It should have had some emotional impact; it had none.

[War Party]

But the problem with it is, for a movie ABOUT the characters I just didn't give a damn about them... it shows them obsessed with the zodiac but little else. When one character faces a divorce because of his obsession, I was like, "Oh, ok." When one character ruins his life and job over it, I was like, "Oh, ok.. guess we won't see much of him anymore.."

It should have had some emotional impact; it had none.

Well, I'm seeing it tonight. I'll let you know what I thought about the film.

[WeeZiTe]

A review I did for my site:

Zodiac (2006)

I’ll get this out of the way. I love David Fincher movies. LOVE THEM. I even enjoyed Panic Room, even though I admit it was not one of the greatest flicks around. But come on, this dude made Fight Club and Seven, two of my favorite movies. I was really hoping that this film was going to help boost him out of his cult film reputation and push him into the spotlight.

And you know what, I think it will.

Going into this movie, you really shouldn’t be expecting another Seven, because they’re two entirely different movies. While Seven focuses on the murders, this movie focuses on the investigation of who the killer is. That being said, there are certain parallels to Seven that you’ll notice here, such as phone conversations and other small things. If anything, going into the theatre you should be expecting a mishmash of JFK and Seven, with more emphasis on JFK.

This movie is about 2 hours and 50 minutes long and the best thing about it is that it basically covers all bases. You ever see a movie that you absolutely hate in theatres and then see an extended version and absolutely fall in love with it? This is that Directors Cut. Nothing is glossed over and everything is thoroughly explained. And unlike many movies that almost have a 3-hour long running time, this one is completely bearable. You never look at your watch to see when it’s going to be over. Never have I been on the edge of my seat for the entirety of a movie almost 3 hours long… Until today.

The film is beautiful to look at. The techniques that Fincher and co. used while editing really make it look nice. Unlike Seven where everything is dark, the bright colors are accentuated and it makes for a film that is very pretty to look at. The film also captured the feel of the 70’s very nicely. While the TV spots use music to make the film seem tongue in cheek, it blends in seamlessly during the actual movie and you realize that there is no joking around at all.

The cast is great. While Gyllenhall is made out to be the lead, he’s mainly just a side character until the last third of the film. He does a great job of showing how a clean cut, boyscout type of man can become completely consumed with the case. Robert Downey Jr. was also really great in it. Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Edwards play frantic cops that become more and more disheartened as their leads fail. Just overall a great performance by everyone.

So Zodiac is definitely a film you should see. While it’s not one of my favorite movies, it’s probably the most interesting film I ever saw. It keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout and there was never a dull moment. I highly recommend it to all.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v34/Weezite/weezite.png

Talk about it in our forums! (http://www.gamerrejects.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=341)

[Tempest19]

WeeZ, I absolutely agree with everything you said... although, I'd say it's one of my FAVORITE movies.

If you guys love President's Men, then you'll also probably fall in love with this film. It's that kind of film. Keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end, even though we know what the ending is going to be... which is not that easy to do.

I wouldn't be surprised if Gyllenhall gets nominated in the next academy awards, or if someone gets nominated. All amazing performances that I hope will be recognized by the academy. Especially Gyllenhall due to this character arc of going from "boy scout" to someone who's absolutely obsessed with the case.

The cinematagraphy is beautiful as well, the scene that stands out in this category is the investigation on the crime scene of the murder of the taxi driver.

The ending, as Graysmith said, is the only ending that such a story like this can ever have- in a good way- and you'll see what that quote means when you see the film. Don't want to give anything away, but it will definitely illicit a certain response from the audience.

Gyllenhall in an interview said that the film is something that will stick with you and I have to agree. It takes you directly into this hunt for the Zodiac and how this has 'destroyed' everyone's life around the case.

The film leaves you wanting more, which- it's already 2 hrs and 40-50 minutes anyway... and for those who want more, Fincer said that he has a more than 3 hour cut of the film! : ) Definitely buying that along with theatrical.

All, in all, as I said in the beginning- the movie keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. It's one of my favorite movies, up there with "All the President's Men." And I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up with many nominations (hopefully) come next academy awards.

[Spider-Man Luvr28]

They're playing something on WE called Case Reopened & it's about the Zodiac. That guy is creepy.:(:eek:

[Secret_Riddle]

I just saw a little movie called zodiac.

And it blew my mind, its many times better then seven and fight club. Its engaging, gory, well acted, amazingly directed, any aspect that makes a movie good, this one possesses.

It deserves oscar noms for best pic, best actor, best director, best editing, and perhaps best screenplay.

I enjoyed it way more then the departed, and i loved the departed.

See this film, its the first movie of 2007 that has made me think...wow i love movies.

By the way, by the end of this movie, i dont think theres much doubt to who the zodiac was, and its amazing.

[zer00]

They're playing something on WE called Case Reopened & it's about the Zodiac. That guy is creepy.:(:eek:

I watched that. The guy that did Zodiac's voice was too young and unsure sounding. And they glossed over a lot of info during that special.

[Spider-Man Luvr28]

I watched that. The guy that did Zodiac's voice was too young and unsure sounding. And they glossed over a lot of info during that special.

Well, I'm sure it was just a re-enactment. I only cared about what they said.:o

[zer00]

I've seen better

[Motown Marvel]

saw zodiac today. overall i really liked it, by the end i was pretty freaked out. but it was too long. the first and third act were great, the second act was kinda weak. with how it was written, there isnt much they coulda cut out...but im sure the act could have been written better to tighten it up a bit and cut down on the running time. overall, i'd definitely reccomend it.

[The Riddler]

i'm gonna have to see this.

[porchmonkey408]

Yeah, the middle was merely really good, the rest was fantastic! Its so weird this film HAD to be this long, and the middle portion could have been more engaging but even it had its great moments (like the scene with Leigh at his work in the break-room...)

Overall, this is just as awesome as Fight Club (not as amazing as Se7en however) and contrary to what someone said above, I was completely engaged in the characters and their obsessions and the subtlties were astounding with each character.

Fincher has never done work this character-oriented or sprawling before, but in the process lost a bit of his sense of style midway through, only to regain it for act 3. The first half was brilliant, the first half of the second half was good and the ending was great but cut short. I wanted one final shot of them waiting and then someone else comes in to tell them the news. Black-out. But I do enjoy me some McPoyle.

EDIT: Screw it, after looking at Se7en...this may be Fincher's best film. Its battling it out with Se7en right now in my head and I watch Se7en just to be sure.

Oh and the part with Graysmith and Leigh...holy damn. "No." Yeah. Amazing.

Fincher, I love you for making amazing films, albeit really long ones. But thats how it had to be, no doubt.

[slipknotrocks]

I liked this movie alot.

[chesslover]

I liked this movie alot.

ditto :woot:

[Motown Marvel]

Yeah, the middle was merely really good, the rest was fantastic! Its so weird this film HAD to be this long, and the middle portion could have been more engaging but even it had its great moments (like the scene with Leigh at his work in the break-room...)

Overall, this is just as awesome as Fight Club (not as amazing as Se7en however) and contrary to what someone said above, I was completely engaged in the characters and their obsessions and the subtlties were astounding with each character.

Fincher has never done work this character-oriented or sprawling before, but in the process lost a bit of his sense of style midway through, only to regain it for act 3. The first half was brilliant, the first half of the second half was good and the ending was great but cut short. I wanted one final shot of them waiting and then someone else comes in to tell them the news. Black-out. But I do enjoy me some McPoyle.

EDIT: Screw it, after looking at Se7en...this may be Fincher's best film. Its battling it out with Se7en right now in my head and I watch Se7en just to be sure.

Oh and the part with Graysmith and Leigh...holy damn. "No." Yeah. Amazing.

Fincher, I love you for making amazing films, albeit really long ones. But thats how it had to be, no doubt.

while i definitely prefer Se7en over zodiac, i do find zodiac to be lingering in my head longer than i remember Se7en doing so.

[M@ssEffect]

To think. I'm old enough to actually remember the Zodiac killings of yesteryear.

[L0ngsh0t]

I actually just got home from the movie as we speak


My personal opinion is it is one of the best detective movies I have ever seen

and this was one of the first times I have ever been impressed with Mark Ruffalo, if not the most I have ever been impressed with him

and RDJ is still one of the greats out there

[BMM]

Yep, Mark Ruffalo does a great job... as well as Robert Downey Jr.

[kane9321]

damn this movie was deep as hell...10/10
all these actors should get some kind of award for this

Growing up here in the bay area,this freaked out a whole lot of people..My mom still thinks the zodiac is out there.scary ****e

[L0ngsh0t]

damn this movie was deep as hell...10/10
all these actors should get some kind of award for this

Growing up here in the bay area,this freaked out a whole lot of people..My mom still thinks the zodiac is out there.scary ****e

I obviously don't know what movies are coming out in 2007 oscar season, but if it where released in 06 I could easily have seen this be up for best picture, cause I think it is much better than Little Miss sunshine, and Babel, and the Queen, but not better than Departed

[Cinemaman]

^^^

Hey, sure Zodiac can be better than Babel or Queen, but LMS really rocked :up:

[L0ngsh0t]

^^^

Hey, sure Zodiac can be better than Babel or Queen, but LMS really rocked :up:

My personal opinion is LMS is a nice movie that got way over hyped, and that overhypeness ruined it for me, I think it is actually like a 7/10, but it got way to hyped, like I work at a video store, and everyone tells me how awesome it is, and I just think it is okay, and that kind of ruined it for me

I think its good, but way overrated, and like it won best original screen play verses Pan's Labrynth, and my reaction was how could this be more original than Pan's Labrynth, and imo was no where near as good.

but that is all me, I think its a good movie, way overrated

I think there where two low budget comedies that where far superior last year in Clerks 2, and Thank you for smoking

that was my LMS rant...

I think Zodiac is far superior but thats just me

[Cinemaman]

^^^

Well, that's your opinion. As for me, LMS was great movie, it had very different and unique characters and excellent story sctructure. Actors were great and the whole idea of the movie is funny.

[L0ngsh0t]

^^^

Well, that's your opinion. As for me, LMS was great movie, it had very different and unique characters and excellent story sctructure. Actors were great and the whole idea of the movie is funny.

Outside of a cliched disfunctional familey, i.e. Cursing grandfather, cute child, rebelious teenager, work-aholic out of touch dad, and a wierd uncle....yeah I'd say their a bit unique:o

[Prognosticator]

PHENOMINAL movie if anything because of the subtle approach to intricate detail. The casting was brilliant. I don't think there was a bad performance, personally. All three male leads were GREAT. And I also love it when Elias Coteas (sp) slips into a movie!

Fincher is brilliant. Again, because of the underplay in direction. He's not hitting you over the head with his color matte, a la Fight Club, The Game, but you know it's him.

I didn't have a problem with the running time. In fact, I thought it helped make the movie, since the film expands through several decades.

I enjoyed the mixture of genres. You didn't feel like the film makers were pushing too hard with the violence or the profanity...it all came naturally which is something almost everyone misses the boat with nowadays.

It's too bad it's so early because I feel like this thriller could be a contender with the right push.

It may not be Finch's flashiest "studio" effort, but that shows his maturation as a director when he doesn't have to stamp himself all over it.

Finally, I know a film is good when it leaves a lasting impression. I couldn't get the haunting images out of my head all weekend! I was even checking all my locks twice, and waking up to unheard noises...that's when I know I've seen something special.

[Cinemaman]

Outside of a cliched disfunctional familey, i.e. Cursing grandfather, cute child, rebelious teenager, work-aholic out of touch dad, and a wierd uncle....yeah I'd say their a bit unique:o

I can't find there anything close to cliche, maybe you could give a clear example? ;)

[BMM]

PHENOMINAL movie if anything because of the subtle approach to intricate detail. The casting was brilliant. I don't think there was a bad performance, personally. All three male leads were GREAT. And I also love it when Elias Coteas (sp) slips into a movie!

Fincher is brilliant. Again, because of the underplay in direction. He's not hitting you over the head with his color matte, a la Fight Club, The Game, but you know it's him.

I didn't have a problem with the running time. In fact, I thought it helped make the movie, since the film expands through several decades...

I didn't have a problem with the running time either. It didn't bother me at all. In fact, I didn't realize the movie was as long as it was until after I left the theater.

[L0ngsh0t]

I can't find there anything close to cliche, maybe you could give a clear example? ;)

Whats not cliche about a old cursing grandfather, a Rebelious teenager, and a cute kid, out of touch dad, and weird uncle? In every example of a dysfunctional familey those are the exact same elements used

for one, Full House sans cursing grandfather; cute kids, semi rebelious teenagers, out of touch dad, weird uncle joey

how about frasier; loud mouth grandfather, strange uncle, out of touch dad (to his rebelious son who doesn't wanna be a straight arrow like his father)

How about every National Lampoons Chevy Chase griswald vacation movie, LMS is pretty much point for point carbon copy of that familey

I could go on, and I do like the movie so I don't wanna run it into the ground, but I think it was the most overrated movie of 2006 and that is saying alot cause Superman Returns and the Da Vinci code both came out that year too. I think LMS is okay, even pretty good, but great? best picture nominee? no

[Cinemaman]

^^^

You know that you use "overrated" too much, so it sounds like cliche :o

[L0ngsh0t]

^^^

You know that you use "overrated" too much, so it sounds like cliche :o


Probably, I do think a lot of movies are overrated, and that pretty much is my no. 1 turn-off to a particular movie, but nevertheless I think LMS is overrated

to keep this Zodiacness

Zodiac is better:woot:

[Cinemaman]

^^^

I haven't seen it yet, but I hope it will be great one :up:

[L0ngsh0t]

^^^

I haven't seen it yet, but I hope it will be great one :up:


It's pretty awesome

300 has its work cut out for it, though I think it will dominate

[Cinemaman]

^^^

300 is going to own, it already has so much positivity from critics :up:

[porchmonkey408]

So, thats cool, right? A thread about Little Miss Sunshine and 300...

Not Zodiac though. That'd be too easy.

[Dark Donnie]

Just got back, great film! One of Fincher's best IMO. I loved everything about the film. Great perfomances by Ruffalo, Edwards, and Gyllenhall, but RDJ owns!! Great direction by Fincher of course. Some of the shots were amazing. I really liked the pacing as well....the movie was almost three hours long, but it didn't feel like it to me. Fincher did a great job of showing the ins and outs of police work. I really loved it 9/10

[L0ngsh0t]

So, thats cool, right? A thread about Little Miss Sunshine and 300...

Not Zodiac though. That'd be too easy.

there isn't much to say about zodiac, it pretty much was as good as you can be in almost every part of the movie

outside of the lenght (which didn't seem that long while watching it)
and the abrubpt jumps in time in which the characters act like last scene was yesturday when it might be a half a year

I see no problems with this movie at all

so what is left? Comparisons, how good is it? compare it to something, I chose LMS, 300 comes out one week after Zodiac did

[Cinemaman]

87% :eek: :up: