Zodiac

Zodiac (2007)

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R - 157 min - Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller - 2 March 2007
Big Blue Sky Rating : 7.7/10

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Director : David Fincher
Writers : James Vanderbilt, Robert Graysmith
Stars : Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards

A serial killer in the San Francisco Bay Area taunts police with his letters and cryptic messages. We follow the investigators and reporters in this lightly fictionalized account of the true 1970's case as they search for the murderer, becoming obsessed with the case. Based on Robert Graysmith's book, the movie's focus is the lives and careers of the detectives and newspaper people.

Using the Facts to Create a Pleasing Crime Thriller

Zodiac, David Fincher's film about the impact the San Francisco Bay Area serial killer's case had on three primary characters is delivered with great attention to detail and proper pacing. Zodiac is not a film that uses or relies on suspended disbelief to succeed and does not attempt to compress five years of story into one in order to keep viewers interested. Instead it relies heavily on the facts and uses all of its 158 minutes to present them in almost linear form and staccato fashion.

Set primarily in San Francisco in the late 1960's and 70's (and eventually the 80's) Fincher's Zodiac takes no artistic license by adding the obligatory car chase scene down Russian Hill, drug enhanced evening in Haight-Ashbury or conspiracy oriented behind the scenes moves by City Hall. Instead the audience is presented with a credible story that portrays how stress, tension, frustration and fascination play upon the lives of S. F. Police Inspector David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo), S.F. Chronicle Editorial Cartoonist Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhall), and S.F. Chronicle reporter Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.). Each of these people, as well as those surrounding them are operating well within the confines of every day life and the establishment. Fincher does not let Zodiac wander outside its central story, and therefore no editorial comment about the Vietnam War or similar events of the day are offered. Insights about the impact on the victims (who survive) or their families are only touched upon if they remain central to the story.

The initial scenes of the movie depict the killer in operation and they are not sugar coated. However, viewers wanting to see a film in the style of Fincher's Alien (3), Se7en or even Fight Club (i.e., blood and gore to almost surreal levels) should look elsewhere.

Zodiac is a well crafted production on all fronts. In addition to Fincher, the lead actors and extensive (and well known) supporting cast Zodiac producer's assembled a credible team. James Vanderbilt (Screenplay), David Shire (Score), Donald Burt (Production Design), Keith Cunningham (Art Direction), Victor Zolfo (Set Direction) and Casey Storm (Costume Design) all deliver quality work in their respective areas. There are no weak spots in this film. Zodiac may not (or attempt to) dazzle, but it does please.

Watch Zodiac Trailer :

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The Kids Are All Right

The Kids Are All Right (2010)

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R - 106 min - Comedy, Drama - 30 July 2010
Big Blue Sky Rating : 7.1/10

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Director : Lisa Cholodenko
Writers : Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg
Stars : Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska

Nic and Jules are in a long term, committed, loving but by no means perfect relationship. Nic, a physician, needs to wield what she believes is control, whereas Jules, under that control, is less self-assured. During their relationship, Jules has floundered in her "nine to five" life, sometimes trying to start a business - always unsuccessfully - or being the stay at home mom. She is currently trying to start a landscape design business. They have two teen-aged children, Joni and Laser, Nic who is Joni's biological mother, and Jules who is Laser's biological mother. Although not exact replicas, each offspring does more closely resemble his/her biological mother in temperament. Joni and Laser are also half-siblings, having the same unknown sperm donor father. Shortly after Joni's eighteenth birthday and shortly before she plans to leave the house and head off to college, Laser, only fifteen and underage to do so, pleads with her to try and contact their sperm donor father. Somewhat ...

Domestic Life in THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

The nuclear family takes on a different spin when both parents are same sex and the kids are the product of a male sperm donor in The Kids Are All Right. When traumatic upheaval and revelations strike such a family, the results can be amusing and also tragic. Annette Bening and Julianne Moore highlight an insightful script about domesticity turned on its head.

Nic (Bening) and Jules (Moore) are lesbian parents of two teens, Joni and Laser. One day the children research and contact their biological father, Paul (Mark Ruffalo), who agrees to meet his progeny. After an awkward first meeting, things actually go well as the new family connections are explored by the kids and their newly found father. The couple of Nic and Jules are a contrast; Nic is the physician who is totally controlling while Jules is still trying to find herself with a new business of landscaping. Laser hangs with the wrong crowd and begins to realize that he deserves better through his bond with Paul. Joni is trying to assert herself as an adult and prepares to go to college. The moms show a parental responsibility to watch over their children and want to meet the dad. When Paul hires Jules to do work on his restaurant landscape, the two connect. As Paul's influence begins to overcome the family, Nic feels left out. But there is an attraction between Jules and Paul that leads to a torrid affair, and when Nic discovers the truth, the family is torn apart. Into this mix are two maturing children whose emotions will be tested throughout.

The roles are well acted especially by Benning as a betrayed spouse, and in particular, her scene of revelation about Jules is a marvel of expressiveness and devastating heartbreak. This culminates in a powerful moment with all the principals present at Paul's dinner table. Moore gives solid support and shines in her heartfelt plea to her family near the end. The ensemble is well cast particularly Ruffalo whose almost bystander role is suddenly elevated to catalyst and disruptor of the family's dynamic.

The story has a nice balance of serious tones and comedic elements born out of the situations. The themes work on several levels like ingredients of a zesty recipe: the family chemistry, the couple of Nic and Jules, the kids' developing bond with Paul, Paul and Jules, and shake and mix well. Everyone has needs and wants, and the strongest is a need to belong to a family and the need to connect with another human being whether it be Laser and his friends, Paul and Jules, Paul and his children, and Nic and Jules. Amid the conflicts, no one escapes unscathed. There are no real heroes or villains here, only hard truths about life and relationships.

The fact that two lesbians are having the conflict over infidelity may seem novel on the surface, but it could easily have been a heterosexual couple. In fact the notion of two lesbians virtually disappears as we witness and understand this family unit with its warts and all. It could be any family when you think about it. The fact that both Benning and Moore play their respective spousal roles so convincingly is a testament to their acting skills playing off an excellent script by Stuart Blumberg and Lisa Cholodenko, who also directs. The ending rings true and shows not only how far the relationships have come, but how that foundation, despite some serious challenges, is strong enough to survive. Life moves on, and there is hope for the future.

There are not a lot of loose ends in this story although, toward the end, it would be nice to get a bit more resolution to Ruffalo's character. The film does contains a couple of brief explicit sex scenes without which this would essentially be a PG rated film. There is little to quibble about, and the viewer gets to experience one of the more insightful domestic dramas in recent years.

Watch The Kids Are All Right Trailer :

OR

Thanks for Sharing

Thanks for Sharing (2012)

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R - 112 min - Comedy, Drama - 14 September 2013
Big Blue Sky Rating : 6.3/10

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Director : Stuart Blumberg
Writers : Stuart Blumberg, Matt Winston
Stars : Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, Gwyneth Paltrow, Josh Gad

A romantic comedy that brings together three disparate characters who are learning to face a challenging and often confusing world as they struggle together against a common demon: sex addiction.

Movie with a Lot of Heart

There is a lot to like about this movie. Great ensemble performances by Mark Ruffalo, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim Robbins, Joely Richardson, Josh Gad and Pink put a very human face on the different stages of dealing with and recovering from the real life tragedy of sex and love addiction. I consider this a wonderful "feel good" movie that has a broad range of emotions - both comic and tragic - the producers took a big risk to focus on this subject matter as there is the likelihood that a portion of the movie going audience could feel uncomfortable about the overt sexuality portrayed, even though I see it as tastefully done. Interestingly enough, the people I have talked to have echoed my sense that this is a wonderful movie....I wish it well.

There is a lot to laugh about in this movie but this movie is more than just a comedy. There is plenty of poignant drama in this movie also, and I found myself alternately laughing and crying as I found myself connecting and caring about the characters and hoping for good outcomes. As in real life, the results are mixed and at times, messy...

Joely Richardson plays Monica, the long suffering wife of Mike (Tim Robbins), a recovering "cross addicted" alcoholic/sex addict with 15 years of "sobriety" and unfortunately, there is not enough time in a 2 hour movie to flesh out her character. Clearly Mike (Tim Robbins) has made his recovery a big part of his life - what is sometimes called a "bleeding deacon" - and the relationship between Monica (Joely Richardson) and Mike seems harmonious until their addict son Danny (Patrick Fugit) returns home and the tension between a Mom and Dad dealing with their son in a dysfunctional family system gets played out.

Featured early on is Adam (Mark Ruffalo), a sex addict with 5 years of "sobriety" who is "sponsored" by Mike and ready to start dating again after choosing total abstinence to get his addiction under control. The great lengths Adam goes to in achieving sobriety seems rather ridiculous until you realize the powerful nature of addiction, which is the subject of a later portion of the movie and some of Ruffalo's best work as you feel his pain as he strives for "normalcy". Enter Phoebe (Gyneth Paltrow) as Adam's new love interest. Phoebe is a cancer survivor and her relationship with food and fitness are intriguing. A primary focus of their growing love and infatuation centers on Adam's deep fears around being love and accepted. The movie made me care about Adam and Phoebe both, hoping for a good outcome and a happy ending. I credit the writer's for taking us on some unexpected twists and turns that serve to highlight the reality of the disease of sex and love addiction and how it effects relationships.

Josh Gad is the comic relief in the movie - His character Neil is a young ER Doctor in the early stages of recovery from sex addiction and the movie takes a sympathetic look at the challenges and slips of making big changes in life to achieve sobriety early on. Neil is like a lot of sex addicts in early recovery - not taking it seriously until his addiction forces him to go deeper. Pink is a scene stealer as Dede, a female sex addict also going through the torment of early recovery from sex and love addiction...yes, it happens to females too. The growing friendship between Neil and Dede is another element where you really care how things will turn out.

OK the movie is far from perfect. Some might see the Paltrow character as shallow but that is the point: she has her own albeit different issues - dealing with her own demons - and the attraction between Adam and Phoebe makes sense as they are both finding a mirror into some deep stuff. Will they stay or will they run? The family drama and tension around Mike, Monica and Danny seems somewhat contrived and I attribute that to the movie choosing to deal with the deep topic of family dynamics and attempting to wrap things up in less then 2 hours. Trust me - everything that happens is plausible in real life even if you may see it coming ahead of time.

So yes, I like this movie. I like this movie a lot. I will confess my bias as I am a sex and love addiction professional (and recovering myself) and yet, my only stake in this all is that I hope the movie will succeed enough that it will allow others in the movie industry to take risks like this to entertain and educate us in the sense that the movie handles this controversial movie topic with sympathy, humor and accuracy in depicting the disease and the road to recovery.

And, at the end of the day, I left this movie entertained. I laughed...a lot....I got choked up and cried. I applauded endings that were not totally cliché and yet, offered hope for a brighter tomorrow.

Go see this movie. Go see this movie with someone you love and care about. It will open you up and make you feel....If you remember and enjoyed "My Life as a House" with Kevin Kline...this is your kind of movie...

Watch Thanks for Sharing Trailer :

OR

Zodiac

Zodiac (2007)

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R - 157 min - Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller - 2 March 2007
Big Blue Sky Rating : 7.7/10

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Director : David Fincher
Writers : James Vanderbilt, Robert Graysmith
Stars : Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards

A serial killer in the San Francisco Bay Area taunts police with his letters and cryptic messages. We follow the investigators and reporters in this lightly fictionalized account of the true 1970's case as they search for the murderer, becoming obsessed with the case. Based on Robert Graysmith's book, the movie's focus is the lives and careers of the detectives and newspaper people.

The Stranger Urban Americans Fear

The era in which Zodiac takes place bridges two eras in urban America. The Zodiac appeared on the tail end of a crime-spree that rampaged across the US in the late 1960's. His settling in the SF Bay Area may be one of a number of social phenomenons that pushed America's view of itself out of an innocent 1950's sensibility and into a harder and darker view that became more prevalent starting in the 1970's and into the 1980's. People, even in urban areas, used to be far more trusting of one another, friendly, and civil. Many of the events of the 1960's gave urban Americans a much more cynical and cautious attitude toward people they didn't know. Don't trust or talk to strangers. Better to sacrifice helpfulness than to wind up dead. People are out to take advantage. At least in urban areas nowadays, it seems, people are much less willing to take the risk to meeting someone they don't know, largely out of fear.

The film Zodiac chronicles the strange unknowable and faceless figure that emerged as a serial killer in Northern California in the late 1960's and early 1970's. The point of view is largely from the side of the press with a character from SF Homicide that is also tracking the case. One character, Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) is an SF Chronicle cartoonist who at first takes an amateur's interest in the case, often bothering fellow beat journalist Paul Avery, played brilliantly by Robert Downey Jr. Only later does the cartoonist engage on his own investigation of the identity of the Zodiac.

One of the most brilliant aspects of the film is its pacing. It never lets up and the suspense is always there, which becomes unsettling when you realize that these events actually took place instead of purely in the imagination of a modern suspense novelist. There is an eeriness which pervades the entire film. A car stopping unexpectedly in a nearly-deserted area is more frightening than most scenes in your average low-budget slasher flicks.

I do have a couple of shortcomings to this film. There are a couple of scenes where the cruelty and brutality of the violence is such that not all viewers will be able to handle this movie. I found I did have to turn away at a couple of scenes. Also, there are a couple of moments when the state of the investigation is not made clear. However, even given these shortcoming, Zodiac is a brilliant movie that tackles a subject-matter that probably could not have been brought to the screen during the period it depicts.

The Zodiac came to personify one of the constant fears of living in urban America: a faceless, emotionless killer that comes out of the shadows of a dark alley to commit heinous violence. In the end, we fear strangers because of this, but we end up sacrificing love. It is an ironic aspect of human nature that people can do to strangers what would be almost unthinkable to do to people that we know. In addition to the poor innocent people that were brutally murdered, the Zodiac committed another crime against humanity. He compromised our sense of trust, civility, and in many ways, love for our fellow human beings even when we might not know them.

Watch Zodiac Trailer :

OR

Thanks for Sharing

Thanks for Sharing (2012)

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R - 112 min - Comedy, Drama - 14 September 2013
Big Blue Sky Rating : 6.3/10

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Director : Stuart Blumberg
Writers : Stuart Blumberg, Matt Winston
Stars : Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, Gwyneth Paltrow, Josh Gad

A romantic comedy that brings together three disparate characters who are learning to face a challenging and often confusing world as they struggle together against a common demon: sex addiction.

Movie with a Lot of Heart

There is a lot to like about this movie. Great ensemble performances by Mark Ruffalo, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim Robbins, Joely Richardson, Josh Gad and Pink put a very human face on the different stages of dealing with and recovering from the real life tragedy of sex and love addiction. I consider this a wonderful "feel good" movie that has a broad range of emotions - both comic and tragic - the producers took a big risk to focus on this subject matter as there is the likelihood that a portion of the movie going audience could feel uncomfortable about the overt sexuality portrayed, even though I see it as tastefully done. Interestingly enough, the people I have talked to have echoed my sense that this is a wonderful movie....I wish it well.

There is a lot to laugh about in this movie but this movie is more than just a comedy. There is plenty of poignant drama in this movie also, and I found myself alternately laughing and crying as I found myself connecting and caring about the characters and hoping for good outcomes. As in real life, the results are mixed and at times, messy...

Joely Richardson plays Monica, the long suffering wife of Mike (Tim Robbins), a recovering "cross addicted" alcoholic/sex addict with 15 years of "sobriety" and unfortunately, there is not enough time in a 2 hour movie to flesh out her character. Clearly Mike (Tim Robbins) has made his recovery a big part of his life - what is sometimes called a "bleeding deacon" - and the relationship between Monica (Joely Richardson) and Mike seems harmonious until their addict son Danny (Patrick Fugit) returns home and the tension between a Mom and Dad dealing with their son in a dysfunctional family system gets played out.

Featured early on is Adam (Mark Ruffalo), a sex addict with 5 years of "sobriety" who is "sponsored" by Mike and ready to start dating again after choosing total abstinence to get his addiction under control. The great lengths Adam goes to in achieving sobriety seems rather ridiculous until you realize the powerful nature of addiction, which is the subject of a later portion of the movie and some of Ruffalo's best work as you feel his pain as he strives for "normalcy". Enter Phoebe (Gyneth Paltrow) as Adam's new love interest. Phoebe is a cancer survivor and her relationship with food and fitness are intriguing. A primary focus of their growing love and infatuation centers on Adam's deep fears around being love and accepted. The movie made me care about Adam and Phoebe both, hoping for a good outcome and a happy ending. I credit the writer's for taking us on some unexpected twists and turns that serve to highlight the reality of the disease of sex and love addiction and how it effects relationships.

Josh Gad is the comic relief in the movie - His character Neil is a young ER Doctor in the early stages of recovery from sex addiction and the movie takes a sympathetic look at the challenges and slips of making big changes in life to achieve sobriety early on. Neil is like a lot of sex addicts in early recovery - not taking it seriously until his addiction forces him to go deeper. Pink is a scene stealer as Dede, a female sex addict also going through the torment of early recovery from sex and love addiction...yes, it happens to females too. The growing friendship between Neil and Dede is another element where you really care how things will turn out.

OK the movie is far from perfect. Some might see the Paltrow character as shallow but that is the point: she has her own albeit different issues - dealing with her own demons - and the attraction between Adam and Phoebe makes sense as they are both finding a mirror into some deep stuff. Will they stay or will they run? The family drama and tension around Mike, Monica and Danny seems somewhat contrived and I attribute that to the movie choosing to deal with the deep topic of family dynamics and attempting to wrap things up in less then 2 hours. Trust me - everything that happens is plausible in real life even if you may see it coming ahead of time.

So yes, I like this movie. I like this movie a lot. I will confess my bias as I am a sex and love addiction professional (and recovering myself) and yet, my only stake in this all is that I hope the movie will succeed enough that it will allow others in the movie industry to take risks like this to entertain and educate us in the sense that the movie handles this controversial movie topic with sympathy, humor and accuracy in depicting the disease and the road to recovery.

And, at the end of the day, I left this movie entertained. I laughed...a lot....I got choked up and cried. I applauded endings that were not totally cliché and yet, offered hope for a brighter tomorrow.

Go see this movie. Go see this movie with someone you love and care about. It will open you up and make you feel....If you remember and enjoyed "My Life as a House" with Kevin Kline...this is your kind of movie...

Watch Thanks for Sharing Trailer :

OR

The Kids Are All Right

The Kids Are All Right (2010)

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R - 106 min - Comedy, Drama - 30 July 2010
Big Blue Sky Rating : 7.1/10

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Director : Lisa Cholodenko
Writers : Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg
Stars : Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska

Nic and Jules are in a long term, committed, loving but by no means perfect relationship. Nic, a physician, needs to wield what she believes is control, whereas Jules, under that control, is less self-assured. During their relationship, Jules has floundered in her "nine to five" life, sometimes trying to start a business - always unsuccessfully - or being the stay at home mom. She is currently trying to start a landscape design business. They have two teen-aged children, Joni and Laser, Nic who is Joni's biological mother, and Jules who is Laser's biological mother. Although not exact replicas, each offspring does more closely resemble his/her biological mother in temperament. Joni and Laser are also half-siblings, having the same unknown sperm donor father. Shortly after Joni's eighteenth birthday and shortly before she plans to leave the house and head off to college, Laser, only fifteen and underage to do so, pleads with her to try and contact their sperm donor father. Somewhat ...

Domestic Life in THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

The nuclear family takes on a different spin when both parents are same sex and the kids are the product of a male sperm donor in The Kids Are All Right. When traumatic upheaval and revelations strike such a family, the results can be amusing and also tragic. Annette Bening and Julianne Moore highlight an insightful script about domesticity turned on its head.

Nic (Bening) and Jules (Moore) are lesbian parents of two teens, Joni and Laser. One day the children research and contact their biological father, Paul (Mark Ruffalo), who agrees to meet his progeny. After an awkward first meeting, things actually go well as the new family connections are explored by the kids and their newly found father. The couple of Nic and Jules are a contrast; Nic is the physician who is totally controlling while Jules is still trying to find herself with a new business of landscaping. Laser hangs with the wrong crowd and begins to realize that he deserves better through his bond with Paul. Joni is trying to assert herself as an adult and prepares to go to college. The moms show a parental responsibility to watch over their children and want to meet the dad. When Paul hires Jules to do work on his restaurant landscape, the two connect. As Paul's influence begins to overcome the family, Nic feels left out. But there is an attraction between Jules and Paul that leads to a torrid affair, and when Nic discovers the truth, the family is torn apart. Into this mix are two maturing children whose emotions will be tested throughout.

The roles are well acted especially by Benning as a betrayed spouse, and in particular, her scene of revelation about Jules is a marvel of expressiveness and devastating heartbreak. This culminates in a powerful moment with all the principals present at Paul's dinner table. Moore gives solid support and shines in her heartfelt plea to her family near the end. The ensemble is well cast particularly Ruffalo whose almost bystander role is suddenly elevated to catalyst and disruptor of the family's dynamic.

The story has a nice balance of serious tones and comedic elements born out of the situations. The themes work on several levels like ingredients of a zesty recipe: the family chemistry, the couple of Nic and Jules, the kids' developing bond with Paul, Paul and Jules, and shake and mix well. Everyone has needs and wants, and the strongest is a need to belong to a family and the need to connect with another human being whether it be Laser and his friends, Paul and Jules, Paul and his children, and Nic and Jules. Amid the conflicts, no one escapes unscathed. There are no real heroes or villains here, only hard truths about life and relationships.

The fact that two lesbians are having the conflict over infidelity may seem novel on the surface, but it could easily have been a heterosexual couple. In fact the notion of two lesbians virtually disappears as we witness and understand this family unit with its warts and all. It could be any family when you think about it. The fact that both Benning and Moore play their respective spousal roles so convincingly is a testament to their acting skills playing off an excellent script by Stuart Blumberg and Lisa Cholodenko, who also directs. The ending rings true and shows not only how far the relationships have come, but how that foundation, despite some serious challenges, is strong enough to survive. Life moves on, and there is hope for the future.

There are not a lot of loose ends in this story although, toward the end, it would be nice to get a bit more resolution to Ruffalo's character. The film does contains a couple of brief explicit sex scenes without which this would essentially be a PG rated film. There is little to quibble about, and the viewer gets to experience one of the more insightful domestic dramas in recent years.

Watch The Kids Are All Right Trailer :

OR