Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Zodiac (2007)

This is topic Zodiac (2007) in forum Film Handlers' Movie Reviews at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=4;t=001243

Posted by Richard Greco (Member # 2032) on 03-03-2007, 12:43 AM:

Ok, I'm usually for a good crime movie. I really liked "The Good Shepherd". I like those types of movies. However, this wasn't like that. The main problem with it is it is about 45 mins too long. This was one of the most BORING movies I have ever seen!

The majority of the action comes within the first hour.

****************SPOILER******************************

You find out who the killer is halfway through it...but the cops don't realize it...

********************End Spoiler********************

After that, it is a mess, with Jake Gyllenhall(sp) trying to figure out the identity of the guy. Then through the course of 22 years we see people come and go and then it ends so anti-climatically....

There were a few quick witted lines thrown in for laughs, but that was all this movie had going for it.

Overall the best performance was by Robert Downey Jr. He really had some nice wit and helped with some of the comedy...

Since I did laugh a bit, I give this a 1.5/5...

Otherwise, I would've snored my way through it...

I feel sorry for those who had to screen this... [Roll Eyes]

Posted by Allison Parsons (Member # 2728) on 03-03-2007, 01:32 AM:

Richard,

I take it there's no hot girls in the movie, is there? [Wink]

Posted by Richard Greco (Member # 2032) on 03-03-2007, 02:03 AM:

Not a one...but I don't think even a hot girl would have helped this movie...

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 03-03-2007, 02:42 AM:

Did Richard Greco just write that??? [Eek!]

Posted by Alex Grueneberg (Member # 2652) on 03-04-2007, 01:27 AM:

I loved it. From the classic Wanner Brothers and Paramount logo to the page credits.

Not to go off but I watch 85% of what comes into my 18 screen complex and this really stood out. The camera work, and some of the angles are beautiful with scope and can honestly say I'm honored to be presenting Zodiac in our 3 largest houses. I've always been a fan of David Finchers work. For me at least (being one with a short attention span and all) the slower moments passes by with ease and I even lost track of what reel I was on because I was so into the characters. But yet again, this movie is basically a bunch of my favorite actors who've I've seen with much worse material which an actual good story. Anthony Edward's (who I've grown up with watching ER) was particular on the spot and impressive. I must add one thing to this though. I had to stop the movie because a currier showed up early. I was exactly half way threw the movie so maybe an intermission helps.

The sound mix might be low, but its just as meticulous to detail as everything else. Screened in a 6 channel SDDS house there is amble (but subtle) surround usage and a great sub system is recommend. I would have loved to screen this in a auditorium larger then 430.

4/5 but thats because there was some color fading and management throws up too much of a fuss to get a new one. ...Who else misses getting more technicolor prints.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 03-06-2007, 05:27 AM:

I liked it, too. It's a very solid film, although I can see where some would think that it was too long (I didn't). Great acting all around. I thought that there was some muddy dialogue in a few spots, but the sound was otherwise fine.

The print that I saw looked pretty shitty, complete with negative dust and no shadow detail to speak of. A big [thumbsdown]

to Loews (AMC) Boston Common for shutter ghosting and nasty flicker (dying bulb?).

Posted by Richard Greco (Member # 2032) on 03-06-2007, 07:45 AM:

I didn't mind the length at all, Troy, The Departed, and many others were this long and I liked them

Maybe it was because I didn't read the book that I didn't like it?

Posted by Paul Linfesty (Member # 214) on 03-06-2007, 10:07 AM:

Was this shot in HD? That lack of shadow detail mentioned above reminded me of the way SUPERMAN RETURNS looked, with some pretty bad contrast of the darkly lit scenes, as well as pasty skintones. If this is not a DP choice but embematic of HD production, its got quite a long ways to go before it matches film.

Posted by Mike Schindler (Member # 1309) on 03-06-2007, 12:31 PM:

Yes, this was shot in HD with the Viper, which was used on MIAMI VICE and (I think) COLLATERAL.

I liked how it looked quite a bit, and I agree with Alex that the sound was awesome. On the whole, not a bad movie, but it was a little too straight-forward and procedural, especially for how long it is.

Robert Downey, Jr. is fantastic, as per usual.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 03-06-2007, 07:34 PM:

Well, it didn't look like video, which is the good news. It looked more like a digital-intermediate-gone-wrong combined with lousy lab work. There were a few scenes with visible jagged edges, but it was mostly sharp (I usually think of HD as being a bit soft). I thought it looked bad regardless, though. The negative dirt is a different issue and was really bad on the print that I saw.

Why do people settle for this crap?

Posted by Mike Schindler (Member # 1309) on 03-06-2007, 07:45 PM:

Our print had a bunch of negative dirt too. What's up with that?

Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 03-07-2007, 10:02 AM:

I thought this was a nice portrayal of the obsession, desperation and facination the author (and others involved in the case) went through during these killings. Unlike other serial killings, the Zodiac crimes and taunts took place over such a long period of time I could just imagine how it must have pecked away in the back of their minds years after the case was cold. Also, a serial killer that never gets caught, and especially one that just decides to quit killing, is quite a rarety, so I was not bored at all because I have always found this case interesting.

This was not a typical "crime movie" in that (if you knew anything at all about the case or book) you knew coming in who the author thought the killer was. I did not like Jake Gyllenhaal as the lead (as any lead do date, actually) but the rest of the cast did a bang-up job.

Posted by Chad M Calpito (Member # 3736) on 03-14-2007, 05:16 PM:

Well, I just saw this movie today at Regal Parkway Plaza 18, in Theatre #1. Overall, the movie was decent enough. Normally, I can't stand very long movies, but, this was an exception. While there were some slow & boring moments, I did manage to keep watching it. One thing that was reminicent during my childhood days was the PSA (Pacific Southwest Airlines) scene. Otherwise, I thought that movie was ok, a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Oh yeah, the sound was good, but, I did notice some dust on the print at various points, mainly at the splices.

Posted by Damien Taylor (Member # 4255) on 05-22-2007, 11:41 AM:

I really enjoyed all 185 reels of that behemoth. The thing that most stood out for me was the excruciating correctness for period details, which i am usually a nit-picker for. Also, if the movie theater worker was showing silent films, would that make all the cans in his basement nitrate?

Excellent storytelling, the experience was ruined by the pirates trailer, I'm really beginning to loath blatant franchise pictures. I feel very cheated seeing a movie that turns out in the end to be filler for a series. Downright insulting

...Oh yeah, like 10 huge breaks in various points *KA-THUNK* I used my own detective skills to discern that this particular print was made up in the car-park.

Like Greco said, sans babe. The girlfriend had a definite Marsha Marsha Marsha quality to her.

3.5 stars, I felt sorry for the movie because I have complaining friends.

Posted by Jennifer Pan (Member # 2035) on 05-25-2007, 12:41 AM:

Reminded me of Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind.

Felt long and not really happy with the ending. It was an ok movie, just creeps me out... still kinda paranoid out now. There weren't major crazy elements. Just the thought of this stuff happening in life creeps me out and puts me on end.

[The Jen]

out of 5