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Reviews
Zodiac (2007)
David Finche is back! (to form? Not quite)
This is what we have been waiting for from the great David Fincher? Not to say that this flick is bad-- because it is not-- but it just is not quite living up to some of his previous greats (The Game, Fight Club...). The film is a bit of a complicated mess. Multiple main characters make it difficult to really tell you the story from one perspective. The film pretty much covers, in great depth, the case of the "Zodiac" serial killer throughout the 60's and 70's. Jake Gyllenhal, Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr are all the main focus at one time or another. This leads me to my only real problem with the film -- the script. It was unfocused, ramblings of facts, fiction, suspense and odd-ball humor. For much of the film, I felt as if the script was so crazy that I wasn't compelled to even have a reaction. And the period's of time this movie jumps through is ridiculous. Sometimes we go weeks in advance, other times just months. Occasionally we skip over some years; but none the less, we are always skipping around every 10 or so minutes. Pretty good performances, excellent cinematography, and decent direction (beside the script)-- this piece is extremely easy to watch and does draw true fascination from time to time. An interesting experiment with mixed results. Rent it!
Indio, USA (2004)
One of the Best Student/Short Films I have Ever Seen
Indio, USA is defiantly one of the better student films I have ever seen. The director, Travis Peterson, tells the tale of a young girl trapped in a small town. The movie is both physically and technically sound. The Cinematography is of a higher quality then 90% of the crap out there. The film consumes you with its soft images and harsh reality. The main girl Mary-Ann (Veronica Brown) is played with such internal emotional anguish that you are willing to follow her to the ends of the earth. With a stellar supporting cast and a spot on soundtrack, Indio, USA is without a doubt a solid short. Expect great things from these people. If only Hollywood were to make film like these, then people might actually go to movie theaters once in a while.