Zodiac - Dir: David Fincher

This is a superlative film in every area. As you would expect from David Fincher, the film looks great giving the audience an extra filthy look to every scene. The script is also great and even though this has a 2h 30 mins running time, you are hooked by the twists and turns in the story. Based on true events surrounding the infamous Zodiac killer in America in the 1960s and 1970s, Jake Gyllenhaal plays a cartoonist on the San Francisco Chronicle who doggedly keeps on the case when others fall by the wayside over the years. Some excellent performances from Robert Downey Jr and Mark Ruffalo make this an essential watch this year. This is a JM RECOMMENDS.

Scanner Darkly - Dir: Richard Linklater

This was disappointing considering it was from Richard Linklater, director of one of my fave films Before Sunrise. It was doubly disappointing in that it is a story derived from the portfolio of famed sci-fi writer Phillip K Dick whose stories also include Total Recall and Blade Runner. The movie is presented in a sort of live animation that looks like real footage that has been colourised, in a process called rotoscoping. It looks really neat for the first five minutes and then becomes irritating beyond belief. It makes it difficult to follow a story that you really need to keep tabs on. Stars Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Woody Harrelson and Robert Downey Jr. This is a JM THUMBS DOWN.