Zodiac's here and the stars party! And Jake's still in LA...

I'm sure that tonight, across a sizeable chunk of the western hemisphere, all will be quiet except, that is, for the gentle whirr of DVD players. The reason being, of course, Zodiac is here! And it's longer, it looks better, it sounds better and it has so many extra features jammed onto its two discs, I'm surprised they fit in the box. But amazingly they do and I hope that many of you have that box tonight, or that it's flying its way across the pond as we speak, or should that be swimming?



I'm not giving anything away, not least because I have yet to see all of the extras (it's going to take a full weekend for that), but I will say that what I have seen - the film as Fincher intended accompanied by the commentary by Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr, producer Brad Fischer, writer and producer James Vanderbilt and novelist James Ellroy - is sensational and will devour hours of your time, if you let it. My advice? Let it!



Jake and Robert are not constant commentary companions unfortunately but they provide the icing on the cake and reinforce the fascinating insights and asides of the other trio of commentators. I think we can all imagine that Jake and Robert have great mutual respect and some considerable liking for each other and that is evident throughout their contribution to the commentary, which is full of giggles (mostly by Jake), funny voices (by Jake), mock sobs (by Jake) and funny or frustrating tales of what a day in the life of a Zodiac actor was like (mostly Jake). Jake seems to enjoy listening to Robert as much as we do, and it's a nice touch at the end when Jake thanks us for letting the two of them into our homes. But don't be disappointed the duo are not in it throughout - Brad, James and James present fascinating background to key scenes and moments and highlight the genius of Fincher while throwing light on how everything was brought together to produce a film that will surely be the definitive account of this episode of San Francisco history. And that's before listening to the David Fincher commentary!



For those who have yet to get their mitts on the DVD event of 2008, you can visit the ZodiacMovie website and download bits and pieces. Plus the site looks great.



So before I settle down for another Zodiac evening of extras, I thought it would be fun to look back at the theatrical release of the film itself. Many of you probably remember the frustration that preceded the release of the big screen version of Zodiac. It suffered postponement after postponement, with no explanation, and it seemed like it would never come. Then it did, finally, and I coudn't wait - so much so I flew to the US to see it on its opening day (at the Grove and Farmer's Market in LA). While in LA, I learned that a screening of the film had taken place in NYC - on 28 February at the Tribeca Grand Hotel.

Here is a video of the event, which was sponsored by GQ magazine and features stars Jake and Mark Ruffalo (the one who wore the 'chafing plaid pants').


I knew little about it at the time but now I know that the Cinema Society screening was followed by a whopper of a party at the Soho Grand. The guests at the screening and party included: 'Bono, Joaquin Phoenix, Tim Robbins, Patricia Clarkson, Willem Dafoe, David Schwimmer, Debbie Harry, Helena Christensen, Terry George, Darren Aronofsky, Bart Freundlich, Elizabeth Berkley, Moby, Saturday Night Live’s Bill Hader, Rob Thomas, Petra Nemcova, Rufus Wainwright, Frederique Van Der Wal, Damon Dash and Rachel Roy.' The party was hosted by Andew Saffir (the founder of Cinema Society) and GQ's Jim Nelson. How great that favourite Rufus Wainwright was there.



And talking of Jim Nelson (pictured below with Jake) - GQ has always loved Jake and this may be why. Jim told the NY Daily News 'Nobody is more down-to-earth and genuinely cool than Jake Gyllenhaal. I just like him a lot personally. I feel that he has not been affected much by stardom.'



While we're talking of early screenings of Zodiac, it seems wrong to forget Cannes. This Dutch video starts off at the Hotel du Cap and takes us to the Zodiac press conference where Jake talks to us of this 'movie about the unknown.' Then, we're at the Palais for those priceless moments on 17 May (and then there's an abseiling bee...).



PS - Jake out with Naomi

It turns out that Jake wasn't back on the New Mexico filmset yesterday after all. Instead, he was having lunch with mum Naomi at familiar favourite Joan's on Third. I think, by the grafitti, you can tell where the picture is from...but great to see Jake out with Naomi nevertheless (loving the Nike, Jake).


Includes pictures from IHJ and here.