Here's the link:
http://www.varesesarabande.com/details.asp?pid=vsd%2D302%2D066%2D799%2D2

That's a surprising amount of material; I thought people were saying there was hardly enough score to make a decent score only release...

Incidentally, NP "Zodiac" song album. The song album is a coherent collection of 70s troupe. Good stuff in here, and together with Shire's score album, these two should revive our love for the gritty SF movie and music 70s scene (for those of us who love it, anyway). I don't think either album will get in the way of the other.

I'm going to walk into this review by saying this: this will be regarded as David Fincher's Miami Vice; meaning that, many people - some may claim to be Fincher fans - will be completely turned off by this picture. Others, whether they be true enthusiasts or cineasts will understand exactly what Fincher was trying to do here. Off the bat, this is a long film; so much so that many in the packed cinema were checking their watches. The simple fact is this: there's a lot of ground to cover in this film, and I never thought the run-time interfered with how the story was developed. It's a very 70s-stylish film (YAY!) - this includes Shire's score, which I'll go onto later - meaning that the actual serial killings are merely afterthoughts compared to the detailed and precise investigation. I remember Franz talking about how police procedure is handled in films - I believe last years shining examples were the aforementioned Vice and The Departed whereas the culprit was The Black Dahlia, a film I still appreciate for its technical wonder - Mr. Conrad, I'm calling you out, you're going to love Zodiac. This film handles its police procedure and investigation so vividly and maturely that this should set some example for future filmmakers. It's detailed and intricate, and many movie-gers going just expecting some by-the-numbers serial killer film will be unimpressed and bored to the point of perhaps leaving the theater before things start to get really good. They may even note the lack of tension or suspense, because often its played for laughs, but that's the films intention. Speaking of the laughs, they are very welcome in a film of such lurid subject matter. Literally every pun and gag is a hit, the audience did seem to really enjoy the great humor provided by screenwriter James Vanderbilt. The acting is on par with many great ensemble piece; every actor compliments each other and its such a welcome relief seeing Anthony Edwards up on a big screen again is a major role - it's too bad his character is merely a side note in the third act. Mark Ruffalo is an engaging cop (Dave Toschi, the basis Steve McQueen used for his definig role as Frank Bullitt), as is Robert Downey, Jr.'s abused reporter. At first, I thought Jake Gyllenhaal's role as cartoonist Robert Graysmith (he who wrote the books that the film is based upon) was lagging, but, as the story progressed and became more about his obsession and writings the more his character becmae three-dimensional. It's just a shame such a poor actress like Chloe Sevigny was chosen to play his girlfriend/wife; a role that would've been more important had a stronger actress been chosen. The film chronicles nearly 30 years of investigation and false leads, and each actor ages subtly with the times; the oppposite of which seems to be common amongst Hollywood films these days (i.e. The Good Shepard and Brokeback Mountain). The digital camerawork here is impressive, but certain moments of camera movement show the flaws of a digital camera's light and motion reception.

Now, onto the soundtrack, which is very Scorcese-esque. The film opens with "Hurdy Gurdy Man" performed by Donovan and it's used very ominously. The rest of the songs included in the mix are very fitting for the times, and not distracting. I remember hearing Miles Davis (not sure of the song, but the style was all him) and smiling. So, already the soundtrack of the film rather evokes the 60s and 70s rather than reminding you every minute like some other films; too me, that's a thing of beauty. David Shire's score is pure Silver Age: dark, string and woodwind influencd, and frequently atonal. The remarks made a few weeks back about there not being enough score for a good, full-length CD were off, way off. I heard a lot of score; some of it was more ominous rather than blaringly obvious, but that's the beauty of a film scored by Shire: it compliments the picture rather than reminding you that "this moment is important because this or that theme is playing". The few themes that do exist are simple and understated; but it's what the film needed. I remember a lonely trumpet solo being a strong highlight. I, for one, can't wait to get my hands on the score.

quote:

---

Originally posted by PeterK:
86% is still pretty good for RT....

---