Zodiac

At 157 minutes, Zodiac is assessed as 57 minutes over Craig’s 100-minute ideal, though the panel would cut only about 15 minutes.

The panel proposes a new category here.

Roger Ebert’s four-star review is discussed, including its comparison to All the President’s Men.

The Arthur Leigh Allen interrogation is the final favorite after an unusually deep field spanning murders, investigation scenes, and character exchanges.

Folgers coffee and the difficulty of coordinating investigations across cities are the two explicit 1970s markers; the discussion then turns to the film as Gen X art looking back on that era.

Fincher’s repeated takes and exacting treatment of Gyllenhaal, Downey, and Ruffalo supply several production-shoot anecdotes.

Graysmith and Melanie’s marriage fails the proposed relationship test; the panel thinks the obsession would break it quickly.

The panel proposes a new category here.

True-crime culture, period San Francisco, Downey, the protagonist shift, Graysmith’s internet-like obsession, Fincher’s catalog, and several craft details populate the aged-best field.

Lake Berryessa, the opening fireworks, a phone booth, the Golden Gate Bridge, and rebuilt San Francisco compete for the most cinematic shot.

Hurdy Gurdy Man leads a field including Inner City Blues and Bernadette.

David Fincher wins the newly proposed award for digitally adding knuckle hair to Jake Gyllenhaal’s hands.

The panel proposes a new category here.

Memories of Murder is the favorite stealth homage, with All the President’s Men, The Most Dangerous Game, and Rosemary’s Baby also discussed.

The Zodiac Killer starring John Holmes is identified as an adult-film parody and discussed as Craig Horlbeck’s flex choice.

Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck

The Zodiac is judged surprisingly bad at his job because victims survive and he leaves conspicuous clues.

Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck

Avery’s Riverside detour, the missing first murder, and reliance on Donald Cheney’s claims are the main weak-link concerns.

The abrupt four-year title card, too little Downey–Gyllenhaal time, their fictionalized friendship, Anthony Edwards’s wig, and the film’s persuasive Arthur Leigh Allen framing draw aged-worst objections.

Melanie Graysmith is nominated for “sneaky suck,” but the panel disputes it: one case says she knew from the first date that Robert was obsessive, while the defense calls her reasonable and extraordinarily patient.

Robert Downey Jr.’s houseboat performance wins for making Paul Avery’s dissipation funny and sad.

Flex pick · Picker not identified

The panel offers two major takes: Zodiac is the greatest American crime film, and the Zodiac killer is the greatest serial-killer brand or legacy.

Gary Oldman, Orlando Bloom, Brad Pitt, and Jennifer Aniston appear in a detailed casting history.

John Terry, Charles Fleischer, and numerous veteran supporting actors are discussed without a clean single winner.

Clea DuVall wins the heat check over Charles Fleischer, John Carroll Lynch, Brian Cox, and Belli’s housekeeper.

Michael Keaton for Anthony Edwards is rejected as too large a presence; John Slattery is proposed for the ensemble.

John Carroll Lynch going toe to toe with Mark Ruffalo wins the episode’s spoken Action Is the Juice variant.

Flex pick · Sean Fennessey

The basement scene wins for pushing the film abruptly toward Halloween-level horror.

Flex pick · Sean Fennessey

Research covers period reconstruction, digital photography, a 1972 sting film, repeated straw takes, Ruffalo’s deal, and a cocktail.

The panel audits Fincher, Ruffalo as a detective, Gyllenhaal, San Francisco movies, Chloë Sevigny, Fincher villains, John Carroll Lynch, Donovan, wooden dildos, and Zodiac within Fincher’s filmography.

The panel role-swaps both actors: one audible choice favors Hanks and another favors Cruise, then the discussion explicitly says they do not really have to choose.

The panel splits on Scorsese versus Spielberg, with Bill favoring Scorsese.

Meetings, the roadside sequence, a clue, detective conduct, food history, and Herb Caen produce distinct nitpicks.

Asked for a sequel, prequel, prestige-TV version, or all-Black cast, the panel answers that the prestige-TV version became Mindhunter.

David Fincher is the choice if the film could receive only one Oscar.

The explicit questions ask who the Zodiac was, why police did not begin with people known to victims, what non-work obsession could consume a life, whether Graysmith saw money in the project, and how a 1970s handwriting expert established authority.

The I Am Not Paul Avery button leads proposals including the houseboat, letters, scrapbook, and an explicitly rejected dildo.

Two explicit lessons are offered: “it’s not finished until you type it up,” likened to movies being abandoned rather than finished, and a sarcastic instruction to keep investigating even at the cost of family and sanity because Fincher may adapt it.

Dirty Harry is the strongest pairing, with All the President’s Men also proposed.

David Fincher wins through three explicit affirmative responses; the Zodiac killer is then raised as a provocative alternative because the film burnishes his myth.