Zodiac

[SPTO]

Re: Zodiac

Why do all movies have to end with the good guy winning to make it a good movie? Personally I think this is one of Hollywood's biggest problems, predictability. Of course in this case it is predictable in the sense you would be surprised if there was that moment but I'm just saying, an unhappy, inconclusive ending is not necessarily a bad thing, unless you have become addicted to how Hollywood formula.

Oh I agree but when you invest a little over 2 and a half hours to a film it'd be nice to have that kind of closure. That's why this movie reminds me of ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN so much because if you recall the movie didn't end with the most conclusive ending because IIRC it came out before Watergate fully resolved itself.

[mike01]

Re: Zodiac

This movie had potential but was a swing and a miss.

Some parts were boring, others were just pointless. WTF happened when Jake was at the guys house near the end and he found out it was HIS handwriting, not Rick Marshalls? That was random, but at least interesting. There was about an hour in there after the beginning of the movie that was pretty boring. The last 30 minutes saved it from me thinking that it was a really bad movie. And I love stuff like forensics, cold cases, etc. Oh well.

[SPTO]

Re: Zodiac

This movie had potential but was a swing and a miss.

Some parts were boring, others were just pointless. WTF happened when Jake was at the guys house near the end and he found out it was HIS handwriting, not Rick Marshalls? That was random, but at least interesting. There was about an hour in there after the beginning of the movie that was pretty boring. The last 30 minutes saved it from me thinking that it was a really bad movie. And I love stuff like forensics, cold cases, etc. Oh well.

Yeah the middle part of the movie dragged a little but I can overlook that due to the strong acting in the film. I still think this was a terrific movie as I think if it was handled by a different director then we'd see something that would emphasize the more superficial aspects of the story. At least Fincher and the folks that wrote the film stuck to the facts.

[chrisd70]

Re: Zodiac

Saw it yesterday, and while I agree that the movie was very long, it didn't bother me one bit (even though I had about four cups of coffee earlier and had to run to the bathroom at about the one-hour mark).

Overall, I thought that Fincher did a superb job weaving the two parallel storylines together. Telling a mystery movie is difficult; telling one with no logical conclusion, even more so.

Fincher's presentation of San Francisco during the late 60s - early 70s was very effective. I especially loved the scene of the Transamerica building being constructed to denote the passage of time.

And the performances were great, especially Mark Ruffalo as detective David Toschi. Has he ever <i>not</i> nailed a role? Every time I see him, he's fantastic. Downey was also excellent as SF Chronicle reporter, Paul Avery.

Overall, it's a very immersive piece. Fincher transports the viewer back to a more naive time. Law enforcement officials weren't as cooperative with people outside there jurisdiction, people were less guarded with strangers, and information didn't flow as freely as it does today. In a way, it forces the viewer to wonder whether the case would remain unsolved had it happened today. I happen to think not.

My $.02.

[mike01]

Re: Zodiac

The acting was definitely great.

And I agree this case would have been solved quickly today. People seemed to KNOW who the Zodiac was, yet it took them 10 years to pick Lee.

Can someone remind me why people thought it was Rick Marshall? I just remember he worked in the movie theatre that showed the "game" movie. And "his" handwriting was similar to Zodiac's, but what else was there? Just people calling and giving tips on him?

And what happened when Avery went to meet a tipster in Sacramento? There was just nobody there right?

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: Zodiac

Supposedly Avery actually met the Zodiac because he released a letter or statement on TV.

[chrisd70]

Re: Zodiac

The acting was definitely great.
Can someone remind me why people thought it was Rick Marshall? I just remember he worked in the movie theatre that showed the "game" movie. And "his" handwriting was similar to Zodiac's, but what else was there? Just people calling and giving tips on him?

There were two things--first, Graysmith got an anonymous phone call who mentioned Rick Marshall and his friend, Bob Vaughn. Then, the handwriting specialist, Sherwood, told him that he received an anonymous call about Rick Marshall. I might have the sequence mixed up, but I can't remember for sure.

Which is why I'm looking forward to the DVD release.

[VanCitySportsGuy]

Re: Zodiac

The first 2/3rd's of the movie felt like an hour while the final 3rd felt like it was 2 hrs long. It's pretty rare to see movies that are over 2hrs 30+ mins long. I thought the performances by the 3 main actors were outstanding. Fincher did a solid job of making a movie that was entertaining despite not having a concrete Hollywood ending.

A lot of clues point to Arthur Leigh Allen as the Zodiac but his fingerprints didn't match. Much like the Anthrax Killer, we will probably never find out for sure who the Zodiac is.

B

[MizzouBravesFan]

Re: Zodiac

Finally watched the movie last night, friggin' tremendous.

As an avid follower of the Zodiac case over the years, I was anxious to see this...wasn't let down at all.

Yes it was long but for me it never seemed to drag and kept me drawn into it the entire time.

And almost everything pointed to ALA outside of THE two crucial pieces of evidence...the fingerprints and the handwriting. That's why it's so intriguing to me...there's a ton of evidence against him and it really looks like he could've been the guy but those two things make it hard to believe that it actually was him. It's weird and eerie to think that Zodiac could still be out there wandering around, living a normal life...similar to the BTK Killer.

[Kodiak33]

Re: Zodiac

That picnic scene was one of the more intense scenes I've ever witnessed. Fincher does it again.

[oakfan162]

Re: Zodiac

I really enjoyed this movie. I saw it last night and can't stop talking to people about it. And Kodiac33 that scene was intense. That is just great drama IMO. Great movie, dragged a little in the middle, but very cool.

[Beantown]

Re: Zodiac

Great movie.

[p2xgamers]

Re: Zodiac

Wanted to see 300 but instead got Zodiac, been interested in the case and was just a fantastic film all around. Dragged a little but that's the single complaint I can think of.