The Movie Club Redux, Part 16: The Director's Final Special Extended Edition

TO: Tavis, Levi, Lin
FROM: Boltron
RE: Director's Cut

How excited are we for the Zodiac Director's Cut coming to DVD today? (Slate has a piece about the film — but Lin, beware: it's got spoilers galore.)

I love Zodiac, but I was pretty pissed when the barebones DVD was dumped to stores last year. I rented it from Netflix and watched it again just because it's a great film (and just as strong on the second viewing), but if I'd rushed out to buy that disc I'd have been P-I-S-S-E-D.

Are we tired of the endless special editions yet? If there's one more goddamn Blade Runner or T2 variation, I'm gonna blow up a sci-fi convention, swear to God.

Then again, I was awfully pleased with the new edition of Serenity. And I was pretty happy with the old one. Nice to have a choice, I suppose.

Digression: Should we talk formats? Is anyone but me not the least bit interested in replacing his entire DVD library with HD-DVD or BluRay? Does the chance to count all the zits on Sharon Stone's ass up close really warrant the investment? Aren't these really just the laserdisc of our time, doomed to be specialty items that never really catch fire with the mass public like the DVD did — and destined to be replaced by whatever truly revolutionary new format hits the market in ten years? And what will that be, brain implants? And will they then offer HD brain implants to upgrade?

We now return you to Zodiac, already in progress.

I love David Fincher. I love his shot compositions, his mastery of tone, his dark sense of humor. I love his signature low-angle shots, even though he hardly utilizes any in Zodiac. I've enjoyed every single one of his films, even the "lightweight" entertainments like The Game and Panic Room, that are nonetheless first-rate thrillers — and, yes it's true, I confess, Alien 3. Above all, I love the fact that he makes $10-15 million movies that somehow cost $60-80 million. And I particularly enjoy the fact that mainstream critics are finally paying the due he deserves with Zodiac.

Hollywood execs must shake their heads when they see Fincher coming. Nobody wants to say no in case they're turning down the next Seven or Panic Room — but everyone must be terrified they're actually getting another Fight Club or Zodiac. I predict, like Fight Club (which similarly failed in theaters), Zodiac will develop a strong core of followers who found the movie on DVD.

This brings to mind a question Tavis has tossed at me more than once: the direct-to-DVD (or, coming soon, direct-to-download) release. Generally, "straight to video" has signalled a death knell for films, despite the fact that many theatrical flops find a second life in the home video market and become surprise hits over time (hello, Office Space!).

But with so many non-traditional avenues now open, and so many standard distribution channels clogged with junk like Underdog and Alvin and the Chipmunks (will we never tire of kicking those little CGI wads of pube?), how long will it be before the next big blockbuster-slash-Oscar winner is released "direct to MySpace"?