* Director's Audio Commentary -- David Fincher provides a comprehensive guided tour through the genesis of 'Zodiac,' detailing his intentions, his research, and his deviations from the actual events. I was impressed with his attention to detail in each scene and imagine it was quite easy for the cast and crew to buy into his vision. Fincher has a quiet reverence in his voice anytime he talks about Avery, Graysmith, and Toschi. It's clear from his comments that he truly felt connected to their self-destructive obsession. This is a great starting point for anyone tackling the full set of features. * Cast and Crew Commentary -- Author James Ellroy, writer James Vanderbilt, producer Brad Fischer, and actors Robert Downey Jr. and Jake Gyllenhaal supply an additional commentary track that rarely encroaches on the information in Fincher's track. For the most part, the group has entirely different stories and points of view. As an added bonus, the conversational nature of the large group commentary keeps things interesting. The actors tend to keep the track light, Fischer throws in some excellent tidbits, and the writers give a fascinating dissertation on adapting the story for film. This is a wonderful track that shouldn't be missed.
* Zodiac Deciphered (HD, 54 minutes) -- Once again, I was pleased with the lack of repetition. This documentary doesn't feature any interviews with Fincher (he merely appears here and there in behind-the-scenes footage), but his commentary already establishes his thoughts on every aspect of the film. Instead, screenwriter James Vanderbilt takes center stage and sets about exploring the way the actual events were recreated for the film. A series of interviews reveal the excruciatingly thorough research, the on-set attention to detail, and the cast and crew's determination to make the film something unique.
* The Visual Effects of Zodiac (HD, 15 minutes) -- This featurette covers the subtle CGI work used to enhance the authenticity of key scenes. To be honest, I hadn't noticed that CGI was employed in the film, so I was particularly intrigued by this one.
* Previsualization (SD, 6 minutes) -- The only standard definition supplement in the bunch (note the lack of an "HD" indicator on the back cover), this featurette compares a handful of animatics to the scenes that appeared in the final film.
* This is the Zodiac Speaking (HD, 101 minutes) -- This feature length documentary is a monster, packed with more information than one person can possibly take in with one viewing. It includes dense procedural summations, a tour through the Zodiac case, and interviews with survivors and investigators involved in the case. This is an intricate tapestry of information that is worth the price of the disc alone. If you watch nothing else, spend time digging through this one.
* Prime Suspect: His Name Was Arthur Leigh Allen (HD, 42 minutes) -- This is another informative documentary that focuses on the prime suspect in the Zodiac killings. Another top notch component in the package. Source: bluray.highdefdigest.com -It looks like we get five extra minutes of footage in the actual movie itself?
-David Fincher: I think it's more like seven.
-Seven? O.K. So were these just time issues then, why these were cut?
-David Fincher: My answer would be two-fold. It's based not only on what it played like in the theater, but it's also knowing that certain things play differently in a home theater environment. You have different expectations when you're sitting with 700 people than when you're sitting with your friends or family. It's just a different world. You have the power to pause stuff and you have the power to go to the bathroom. You can do whatever you want in your own home. It's a much more relaxed thing. It's more like a book, it seems to me. That's kind of the way I watch movies. If I see a movie for the first time on DVD, I watch it all the way through, the lights are down, I don't pick up the phone. The third or fourth time you see a movie, sometimes you just have them on and you check in every once in a while with things that you liked. [...] Source: www.movieweb.com
"Yeah, you won't recognize Jake Gyllenhaal", Bruckheimer said in a press conference on Sunday in Beverly Hills, Calif., where he was promoting his latest film, Confessions of a Shopaholic. "I've seen most of Prince of Persia. It looks fantastic."
The producer added that Gyllenhaal got his swashbuckler muscles the old-fashioned way. "No, no drugs," he countered to jibes against Gyllenhaal's sudden bulk. "No drugs. [He] just worked really hard."Bruckheimer credited Gyllenhaal with a solid athletic foundation that was easy for his Hollywood trainers to manipulate in different directions. "Well, he's a cyclist anyway, and he bikes all the time", the producer said. "We just had to have him do a little lifting, but he looks fantastic."The movie is based on the hit Ubisoft video game. Despite hits such as Resident Evil and Mortal Kombat, game-based movies have yet to garner critical acclaim. But Bruckheimer is optimistic about Prince of Persian: "Let's hope. Let's hope."
Bruckheimer, who also produced Disney's well-received Pirates of the Caribbean movies, added that he hopes Prince will earn similar kudos. "I hope so", he said. "I think we have a terrific story and great characters and a wonderful cast, a great director. Mike Newell is a master." Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is due in theaters May 28, 2010.
Separately, MTV.com reported that the first poster for Prince of Persia will appear in Confessions of a Shopaholic, appearing as a Times Square advertisement about halfway into the film. It joins posters for a number of other Bruckheimer productions, including the upcoming G-Force, though Persia is unique in that it marks the first time the film's artwork has been seen anywhere, with Gyllenhaal in full-costume as Prince Dastan, the site reported".Source: scifiwire.com
"Fans looking for a first look at the poster art for the upcoming, “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” will have to head to the movie theater to see it, though it won’t be in the place they might expect.
Mega-Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has hidden the poster inside his latest film, “Confessions of a Shopaholic”, appearing as a Times Square advertisement about halfway into the film. It joins posters for a number of other Bruckheimer productions, including the upcoming “G-Force”, though “Persia” is unique in that it marks the first time the films’ artwork has been seen anywhere.
Prominently featured on the poster is lead actor Jake Gyllenhaal in full-costume as Prince Dastan. The film, based on the classic videogame, is an action/adventure that, in the words of it’s originalcreator, combines the Arabian Nights genre with the style of “Pirates of the Caribbean.”Source: moviesblog.mtv.com
"Fox Searchlight is the most powerful, and tasteful, studio specialty division going -- they're the company that acquired Little Miss Sunshine, Once, and Waitress at Sundance; they're also the distributors of Juno, The Wrestler, and Slumdog Millionaire -- so when it was announced that Searchlight had acquired an offbeat romance called Adam at this year's festival, I was intensely curious to see what the appeal was. It became obvious within the first 10 minutes of the movie. The title character, played by the up-and-coming British heartthrob Hugh Dancy (you'll be seeing him in just a few weeks in Confessions of a Shopaholic), is a 29-year-old electronics engineer with Asperger Syndrome, and yes, he is one of those charming saintly afflicted misfit boy-men. The way that Dancy embodies him (with great skill), he's like Norman Bates meets Forrest Gump as played by Jake Gyllenhaal". Source: Hollywoodinsider.ew.com
aren't you a little taken aback when you read these chained comparisons meets actor x meets actor y mixed with actor z's mannerisms? Here another example: "Dancy’s performance is on par with Hanks in Forrest Gump (a film which actually gets a shout out) and calls to mind Ryan Gosling in Lars and the Real Girl, minus the quirk and with some Rainman thrown in"Source: Hughdancy.info
* Director's Audio Commentary -- David Fincher provides a comprehensive guided tour through the genesis of 'Zodiac,' detailing his intentions, his research, and his deviations from the actual events. I was impressed with his attention to detail in each scene and imagine it was quite easy for the cast and crew to buy into his vision. Fincher has a quiet reverence in his voice anytime he talks about Avery, Graysmith, and Toschi. It's clear from his comments that he truly felt connected to their self-destructive obsession. This is a great starting point for anyone tackling the full set of features.
* Cast and Crew Commentary -- Author James Ellroy, writer James Vanderbilt, producer Brad Fischer, and actors Robert Downey Jr. and Jake Gyllenhaal supply an additional commentary track that rarely encroaches on the information in Fincher's track. For the most part, the group has entirely different stories and points of view. As an added bonus, the conversational nature of the large group commentary keeps things interesting. The actors tend to keep the track light, Fischer throws in some excellent tidbits, and the writers give a fascinating dissertation on adapting the story for film. This is a wonderful track that shouldn't be missed.
