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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (March 8, 2007)
BY JASON BLAIR Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) gives Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.) his two cents in Zodiac SNEAK PEEK: THE LAST NUMBER 23 R 12:05, 2:35, 5:00, 7:35, 10:10 MIMZY PG ONLY ON SATURDAY 3/10 AT 5:30 RENO 911: MIAMI R PM METROPOLITAN OPERA – TAD DUN’S THE FIRST EMPEROR ONLY ON SUNDAY 3/11 AT 1:30 PM 300 R 11:55, 12:40(EXCEPT SUN 3/11), *1:10, 3:00, 3:35(EXCEPT SUN 3/11), *4:10, 6:35, 7:00, *7:35, 9:30, 9:55, *10:30 *DIGITAL TIMES 12:30, 3:05, 5:25(EXCEPT SAT 3/10), 7:40, 9:55 AMAZING GRACE PG 1:30, 4:30, 7:30, 10:35 BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA PG 1:20, 3:10, 4:00, 7:05, 9:40, 10:15 GHOST RIDER PG13 1:50, 4:35, 7:45, 10:30 BREACH PG13 WILD HOGS PG13 12:10, 7:25 12:20, 2:50, 1:15, 1:45, 3:55, 4:25, 5:30, 7:00, 7:30, 8:05, 9:35, 10:05, 10:40 MUSIC AND LYRICS PG13 ZODIAC R 1:25, 4:05, 7:20, 10:00 NORBIT PG13 2:55, 10:10 12:00, 2:25, 3:30, 6:30, 7:10, 10:05, PAN’S LABYRINTH R 10:45 12:15, 6:55 BLACK SNAKE MOAN R 12:45, 3:40, 7:10, 10:15 CURSE OF THE GOLDEN ROCKY BALBOA PG [11:40] 4:55, 10:05 FLOWER R [11:30] 2:10, 4:45, 7:20, 9:55 NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM THE PURSUIT OF HAP- PG [11:20, 12:00] 1:55, 2:30, 4:25, 5:00, PYNESS PG13 [11:35] 2:20, 5:10, 7:50, 10:30 6:55, 7:30, 9:40, 10:00 HAPPY FEET PG BABEL R [11:15, 12:05] 2:00, 2:40, 4:30, 5:15, 3:05, 10:20 7:05, 7:45, 9:35, 10:15 CHARLOTTE’S WEB G [11:45] 3:00, 6:45, 9:50 [11:25, 12:10] 2:05, 2:45, 4:40, 5:05, THE DEPARTED R 7:10, 7:40, 9:45, 10:10 [11:50] 7:00 Serial Monotony HAPPILY N’EVER AFTER CHILDREN OF MEN R PG 2:25, 7:35 The new film from the director of Seven CASINO ROYALE PG13 [11:55] 2:15, 4:35 STOMP THE YARD PG13 6:50, 9:30 ZODIAC: Directed by David Fincher. Written by James Vanderbilt, based upon the book by Robert Graysmith. Cinematography, Harris Sevides. Music, David Shire. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Chloë Sevigny, Anthony Edwards, Robert Downey Jr., Brian Cox, Elias Koteas, Dermot Mulroney and Donal Logue. Paramount Pictures, 2007. R. 158 minutes. 44411 T Call Theatre for Showtimes 300 (R) - ID REQ'D ★ DIG (100 400) 700 1000 W il la me t te • E ug e ne O R D ONALD D EXTER J R AMAZING GRACE (PG) DIG (1130 210 455) 735 1015 ZODIAC (R) - ID REQ'D DIG (1145 310) 645 1010 WILD HOGS (PG-13) DIG (1205 235 510) 745 1020 DMD LLC DENTISTRY THE NUMBER 23 (R) - ID REQ'D DIG (1245 300 515) 730 945 GHOST RIDER (PG-13) DIG (1115 150 435) 720 955 BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA (PG) DIG (1155 220 445) 710 925 Adv. Tix on Sale REIGN OVER ME (R) - ID REQ'D ★ 300 (R) - ID REQ'D DIG ★ Fri. (340) 700 950 Sat. & Sun. (1220 340) 700 950 THE NUMBER 23 (R) - ID REQ'D DIG Contemporary care with traditional values. Fri. (220 450) 720 940 Sat. & Sun. (1200 220 450) 720 940 RENO 911: MIAMI (R) - ID REQ'D DIG RESPECT • HONESTY EMPATHY • HUMILITY Fri. (240 510) 740 1010 Sat. & Sun. (1230 240 510) 740 1010 BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA (PG) DIG Fri. (230 500) 730 1010 2233 W ILLAMETTE S T , B LDG B 541-485-6644 28 MARCH 8, 2007 Times For 3/9 - 3/11 Sat. & Sun. (1210 230 500) 730 1010 ©2007 wo years after Leonardo DiCaprio proclaimed himself king of the world, David Fincher actually occu- pied the throne. No, Fincher wasn’t Brad Pitt or Gwyneth Paltrow — who met, as it hap- pens, on the set of Fincher’s Seven — but among Hollywood directors in 1999, David Fincher was a star. Seven, a grisly but unfor- gettable crime drama, was a surprisingly in- telligent film, propelling Kevin Spacey into Tom Hanks-like ubiquity and revealing Morgan Freeman at his weary best. As good as Seven was, however, it was Fight Club that mobilized the Fincher fraternity. Deranged and nihilistic but wholly original, Fight Club portrayed males as so culturally malnour- ished that organized fights become acts of healing. Fincher was immediately labeled a genius, which is like getting a college degree or malaria: Once it’s yours, it’s with you for- ever. Although Fincher attended high school in Ashland, he grew up in Marin County during the Zodiac years. That proximity might give Fincher an advantage — or at least some in- spiration — when recreating the milieu of San Francisco in the late 1960s. (What it doesn’t give Fincher is psychological insight into the Zodiac or the men who pursued him. That he has to earn.) Fincher knows art direc- tion more than his contemporaries: He worked at Industrial Light and Magic, so “pe- riod” means more to him than sideburns and polyester. Even his first feature, Alien3 , had a bold, cohesive look. But while the period look and feel of Zodiac can be mesmerizing at times, the overall film resembles an episode of Law and Order. Only Zodiac is three times longer. To be fair, the story of the Zodiac killer al- most resists coherent storytelling. No suspect was ever arrested, so Fincher’s job is to bring some resolution to the story of the man most associated with the case, Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal). But therein lies a problem: This is not Graysmith’s story. The film be- longs to David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo), the in- spector originally assigned to the case. The real-life Toschi was the model for Steve McQueen in Bullitt, so Toschi clearly has the most to lose. Except this is also the story of Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.), the alcoholic reporter who covered the murders in print. Graysmith, a former cartoonist at the San Francisco Chronicle, finally takes over the case when everyone else gives up (or gets re- assigned). So it should be a little- guy-makes-good story, but how can it be when Gyllenhaal disappears for long stretches? In order to encompass three decades of police work, Fincher relies on a structure that’s both linear and highly episodic. The re- sult is a rigid and procedural film. Each scene begins with a notation — eight hours later, four months later, two years later, etc. — giv- ing Zodiac a bumpy, lurching rhythm with dozens of bruising time-cuts. Zodiac has no natural center: I felt whiplashed just trying to get a handle on something, some person or idea containing a clear expression of a theme. There are many career-fortifying perform- ances in Zodiac, including Anthony Edwards (from ER) as an inspector and Dermot Mulroney as his boss. But Zodiac has too many stories to tell. It’s still a David Fincher film, which ought to count for something. But after Panic Room and now Zodiac, one wonders how long we’ll be able to say that. ew
