my two cents zodiac

My Two Cents: Zodiac

I normally don't go to the movies at this time of year. Part of the

reason why is because I'm still exhausted from the previous Oscar

race. Mostly, though, it's because the movies released between January

and March tend to, well, suck. Case and point: Because I Said So, a

shrill, by the numbers romcom that my sneaky friends duped me into

seeing.

But every so often a tiny diamond emerges from the rough. It happened

last year with Spike Lee's bank robber flick "Inside Man", which

earned Lee some of his best reviews and box office numbers to date.

Now, another gem has been found, this time by way of "Zodiac," David

Fincher's psychological thriller about the unsolved murders of the

Zodiac killer.

Despite a number of hits, Fincher has remained relatively under the

radar. And while "Zodiac" won't do much for his career awards wise,

it's nevertheless a testament to his consistency behind the camera. At

nearly 3 hours, Fincher dives deep into the case in a way that's both

engaging and down right scary. In fact, certain scenes are such a mind

fuck that become reminiscent of great thrillers like "The Silence of

the Lambs."

Of course, on the whole "Zodiac" is nowhere near as good as Demme's

Oscar-winning masterpiece. While scary, "Zodiac" can sometimes feel a

little tedious. Also, the film covers a huge chunk of time with little

makeup or costume change, which might confuse some. But it's still a

genuinely smart and well crafted movie, and in a season where films

like "Norbit" and "Wild Hogs" are hogging the box office, that's all

you can really hope for.