Zodiac

[SarahIvy]

Anyone else gone to this one yet?

It was mighty long, but I really enjoyed it. It was just very straight forward and well done. But I'm very glad the Zodiac killer didn't rape/mutilate victims, because the stark way they portrayed his murders was pretty intense.

Everyone was very good (and it was a huge cast of good character actors). Amazingly, I didn't have too much trouble keeping track of who was who, they did a nice job of keeping things from getting too confusing. Robert Downey Jr. was just awesome, and Jake Gyllenhaal was very good too, he has such an expressive face (and as always, he's a pleasure to watch but I still think he's a bit young looking to play someone who is aged throughout a movie).

I loved that it didn't overly dramatize it all, they kept it very factual and didn't over-embellish.

The hubster likened it to All the President's Men...it had that same set-at-a-paper, shuffling around documents and solving a mystery feel.

Two thumbs up, I'll have to see it again when it comes out on DVD....I'm sure I missed a lot of little things, this was a movie packed with detail!

[DonnaJo]

Thanks for the positive review, sarah!

My two children who attend college are coming home for Spring break in a few days. My daughter loves going to the movies, as I do. We were talking about seeing this, as she knows I LOVE suspense, scary, thrillers. She also likes Jake Gyllenhall.

Will post my reviews.

[DNA]

NYDailyNews.com

I'm in heaven, says star
BY TANYANIKA SAMUELS

Brooklyn actor, 78, tells why role
on 'Zodiac' flick was 'fabulous'

For one Brooklyn professor, it's closeup time.
Ed Setrakian, 78-year-old professor emeritus at St. Francis College, is taking to the big screen in the new thriller "Zodiac," out in theaters today.

The film is based on a book about the Zodiac serial killer in northern California who taunted authorities with cryptic letters mailed to the press in the 1960s and '70s.

Setrakian plays Al Hyman, the San Francisco Chronicle editor who dealt with the Zodiac's letters.

"It was a fabulous experience," said Setrakian, who was in Los Angeles for yesterday's premiere.

Though his part in "Zodiac" is his biggest role yet in a major motion picture, it is hardly his first. Setrakian has been acting since 1971 and has appeared in episodes of "Law & Order" as well as "The Sopranos."

*He snagged the part after his pal "Law & Order" star Vincent D'Onofrio recommended him because of his resemblance to the real Al Hyman.*

Setrakian spent five weeks in November 2005 working in a converted Los Angeles warehouse shooting scenes with stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr., who respectively play a cartoonist and crime reporter.

"Working with those guys was great," he said. "Jake is a sweet young guy and Robert is a great presence in the film. He's stealing the movie."

Setrakian shot nine scenes with his hunky co-stars, although he's not sure which ones made it into the movie.

"On my last day on set, the crew stood up and applauded. That made me feel good," he said.

Setrakian spent 45 years as a professor at St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights teaching acting, directing, speech and TV studio production. He retired from full-time teaching two years ago, but that hasn't stopped students and other professors from gushing about him.

"I'm very proud of him," said Prof. Lynne Jackson in the communication arts department.

Former student Matt Pepitone was in awe.

"When he told me about it, I was like, 'Get outta here. That's awesome,'" said Pepitone, 24, adding that he will "definitely" see the movie.

Setrakian, who lives in Manhattan with his wife and his 11-year-old son, said he plans to continue acting.

[DonnaJo]

Isn't Vincent the greatest? Too bad he couldn't have landed himself a small role.

I did manage to see it this weekend. It was good, but unnecessarily long. Robert Downey Jr. was great, BTW. Such a talent. He should play a guest role on CI.