OCR Text |
Show ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT Friday, March 2,2007 Page 4 Still on the loose The phenomenal 'Zodiac' examines obsession, murder career is more than just another Together, the two actors drum up some of the best banter and Hollywood fad. The Daily Utah Chronicle screen chemistry A cartoonist seen in a while. with a knack for With great cinematic thrillers "Zodiac" puzzles, GrayDon't believe me? like "Se7en" and "The Game" on Paramount Pictures smith becomes Two words: "Aqua his resume", director David FinchDirected by David Fincher interested in the Velva." er can safely be considered a masWritten by James Vanderbilt; Zodiac case after As methoditer of the genre. based on the book by the serial killer cally paced as the Given his history with such Robert Graysmith sends a letter to Zodiac's crimes material, it wasn't unexpected his newspaper, ad- Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Robthemselves, the when Fincher announced he was ert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, mitting to several film effortlessly working on "Zodiac," afilmbased Anthony Edwards, Brian Cox, recent murders glides between on the actual Zodiac killer who Dermot Mulroney and promising to segments of dry, terrorized California in the late and Donal Logue kill more unless idiosyncratic hu'60s and early '70s. What was Rated R/160 minutes an enclosed cimor, character unexpected was when the movie Opens March 2,2007 pher is printed on turned out not to be a thriller at drama and moody Three out of four stars the next edition's all, but a quirky, character-driven tension. Mark front page. •••' dramedy with a few thrilling moRuffalo's performents thrown in for good meamance of semi-faAlso covering sure. the Zodiac case is substance- mous San Francisco police detecabusing crime reporter Paul Av- tive Dave Tisch—the officer who Not that I thought Fincher inery (played by Robert Downey handled the Zodiac case—is especapable of such a hybrid. Anyone Jr.), whose cynical absurdity is cially nuanced. who's seen "Fight Club" will agree so charming (yes, I said charmAt almost three hours long, "Zothat Fincher can produce comedy ing) that Downey Jr. is bound to diac" bogs down transitioning into and quirk like Monet produced win some sort of award for his ef- the second hour, but the quagmire water lilies. But the quirk in "Zoforts—though one has to wonder doesn't last, and the film speeds diac" is in a totally different, drihow much "acting" Downy Jr. ac- up again near the end tofinishsater vein than the quirk in "Fight tually had to do to play a drunk. isfactorily. Club," and, like I said before, cerOf course, anyone who knows anything about the real Zodiac murders knows that the killer was never caught, so people expecting any sort of resolution are going to walk out of the theater feeling cheated and disappointed. Despite the title, thefilmconcerns itself less with the Zodiac as a character (though there's still plenty of that) and more with the impact his crimes have on the characters and the community. Graysmith, Avery and Tisch act more as commentaries on obsession and frustration than they do as traditional protagonists. Perhaps "Zodiac's" greatest success is the way Fincher captures and explores the dichotomy of cultural paranoia and fascination that seems to grip society when a serial killer is on the loose. Even with its open ending, however, "Zodiac" is worth watching for anyone who enjoys a good story, some tense moments and a trailer home full of squirrels. a.zundel@ "What do you mean? You told us you caught the Zodiac killer eating gas station hot dogs. Your lies are causing us pain." Jake Gyllenhaal chronicle.utah.edu and Robert Downey Jr. can't hide their agitation in "Zodiac." Aaron Zundel tainly surprising given the subject matter. With so much historical material to draw on, Fincher could have easily justified going the slasher route,fillingthe screen with guts, gore and buckets o' blood. Instead, he chose to make afilmthat most closely resembles the campy crimefilmsof the 1970s, complete with funky guitar riffs and muted colors. Orthodoxy aside, I suppose it doesn't really matter that Fincher defied convention when he decided to direct "Zodiac," because the end product is nothing less than stellar. Is it dark? Yes. Long? Sure. But stellar, nonetheless. Similar to previous Fincher films, such as "Fight Club" and "The Game," characters become the real focus of "Zodiac." This is especially true of Jake Gyllenhaal, whose portrayal of San Francisco Chronicle political cartoonist . Robert Graysmith is so softly eccentric and vulnerable that it finally convinced me Gyllenhaal's Anarchy on the stage Studio 115 presents work of controversial Italian duo Christopher Wallace Rame was born for the theater. The Daily Utah Chronicle Her family's ties to the art extend back into the 17th century. Her The U's Studio 115 production career in theater began early; she of Nobel Prize-winning Italian made her stage debut in the arms playwright Dario Fo's "The Ac- of her mother when she was eight cidental Death of an Anarchist" days old, playing the newborn son highlights the struggle between of Genevieve of Brabant.. the bourgeoisie and the proletarFo and Rame's career together iat with the vivacious satire that has been fundamentally defined permeates Fo's work. by their struggle against censorBased on the 1969 incident of an ship and dedication to the liberaanarchist railway worker's contro- tion of values from the dictates versial death in the custody of po- of authority. Fittingly, their exlice and the subsequent cover-up, tensive resume of performances the play moulds outlandish com- and innovative body of work is edy into a scrutinizing lens that augmented by an equally impresbrings the reality of our political sive number of countries in which climate into sharp focus. their works have been censored The play's director, Sydney and banned—54, from Austria to Cheek O'Donnell, spent time Zimbabwe. with Fo in Italy, doing doctoral rePerformances of "The Accidensearch regarding his life-long the- tal Death of an Anarchist" will be atrical collaborator Franca Rame held on the first floor of the Perand gaining valuable insight into forming Arts Building, adjacent to the couple's socialist philosophy the U Bookstore, in Studio 115. and satirical methodology behind Evening performances are their theatrical performances. scheduled for today and tomorFo has been writing for the row at 7:30 p.m., along with matistage since the early '40s, eventu- nees today at 4:30 p.m. and Sunally immersing himself in every day at 2 p.m. Tickets are $9 for the aspect of theater, from acting and general public and $5 for students. directing to costume design and For information regarding tickets, set construction. Approaching call 581-7100 or visit wwwMngdx. age 8i, he maintains his dedica- com and www.theatre.utah.edu for tion to political activism and ar- general information. tistic freedom. c.wallace@chronicle.utah.edu ARTS Friday, March 2 Theater "Accidental Death of an Anarchist" $5 to $9 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Studio 115 Dance Ballet Ensemble $7 to $10 7:30 p.m. • Marriott Center for Dance "Sounds in Motion" $14 7:30 p.m. JeannS Wagner Theater (50 W. 200 South) Concerts "Brahms'4th Symphony" Student tickets: $8 8 p.m. i Abravanel Hall (123 W. South Temple) Trentalange $7 9 p.m. Urban Lounge (241 S. 500 East) Lecture Roger Kahn Free 7:30 p.m. •''- Main Library (210E. 400 South) Saturday, March 3 Theater "Accidental Death of an Anarchist" $5 to $9 7:30 p.m. ^ Studio 115 Dance Movies Opening on 3/2/07 Sounds In Motion $14 7:30 p.m. "Black Snake Moan" Directed by Craig Brewer A blues musician (Samuel L. Jackson) chains a young woman (Christina Ricci) to his wall, intending to exorcize the nymphomaniac demons from her. Progress seems to be going well until the woman vomits green slime all over Jackson, breaks free and rejoins her best friend, Nicole Richie. (R) "Zodiac" 'Inland Empire" Directed by David Lynch Rubber ducky underpants, ding-dong slap, man on fire, man on fire, green eggs and ham, Eskimo pie. What you just read is probably more comprehensible than whatever David Lynch has thrown up on the screen in his newest movie, shot entirely on digital video, starring Laura Dern, Henry Dean Stanton, Justin Theroux and somebody in a giant rabbit costume. (R) Directed by David Fincher Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr. obsessively track down the Zodiac Killer in 1970s San Francisco. The detectives' investigation is interrupted when a hysterical Jim Carrey bursts into the room, waving his arms and shouting, "The movie's coming out on .3/2, which is 23 backward!" after which Downey Jr. shoots him dead and the investigation continues. (R) Jeann£ WagnerTheater (50 W. 200 South) 'Breaking and Entering" Ballet Ensemble $7 to $10 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. ® Marriott Center for Dance Concerts Brahms' 4th Symphony Student tickets: $8 8 p.m. Abravanel Hall (123 W. South Temple) Directed by Anthony Minghella A landscape architect (Jude Law) has an affair with a Bosnian widow (Juliette Binoche) whose son repeatedly breaks into the architect's office. The audience groans when Law says to Binoche, "Your son may have broken into my office, but you, m'lady, have broken into my heart." (R) Sunday, March 4 Theater "Accidental Death of and Anarchist" $5 to $9 2p.m. "Seraphim Falls" Directed by David Von Ancken On a break from mentoring some angst-ridden future leader somewhere, Liam Neeson hunts down a feral-looking Pierce Brosnan in this grim Western. The . bushy beard Brosnan sports was grown during an alcoholic bender he went on after realizing what a pretty-boy, pansy-reared Bond he was compared with Daniel Craig. (R) "Wild Hogs" Studio 115 Directed by Walt Becker John Travolta received a free Harley-Davidson for appearing in this slapstick comedy about four buddies who hit the road on their hogs, looking for adventure and whatever comes their way. And what does the audience get? A refund, maybe? Hopefully? (PG-13) Compiled by Aaron Allen Concert The New Trust $6 7:30 p.m. Kllby Cpurt" (741 S. 331 West) |