Exhibit 2.3

I watched Zodiac last night and for some reason was all prepared to hate it but came away loving it. I wish I even had a good reason to love it, but rather than having one overriding reason I mostly just liked a million little things about it. It's a phenomenally well-made movie. Everything just looks so perfect and flows so smoothly that it's absurd runtime (2 hours and 38 minutes) goes by like a flash.

In a lot of ways it's two movies in one. In the first, it's a police drama of the Law and Order variety, but, like, the best Law and Order ever. In the second, somewhat brighter half it's a story of intrepid journalism ala All the President's Men. If that makes it sound fractured, it's really not as the expansive cast of characters all hover around the story but find their roles shifting as the investigation goes from urgent public crisis to yesterday's news to seething lament. Such a large stretch of time passes--each jump carefully labelled to the point where 20 years seems like 50--that in a movie where the characters are so driven by one event, it would be easy to think they are less people than crime solving automatons (apparently malfunctioning). But Fincher uses the pervasiveness of the threat (and then its lingering hole in those closest to it) and a surprising amount of humor to humanizes each character. I don't even know what else to say. It was really gripping, and when I immediately ran to my computer to read everything I could about the Zodiac Killer, I found that there really wasn't anything else to know which is maybe the highest compliment a person can give a movie so carefully constructed.

(Ed note: I can't remember why I thought the movie was going to be awful. Partially seeing the runtime got me down, but I mostly remember thinking how it would probably be like The Black Dahlia which is very similar to this movie except for the fact that I thought Zodiac was one of the best movies I've seen in years while I thought The Black Dahlia one of the worst).

The movie did have some interesting casting choices. Anthony Edwards (Goose!) was positively Jeff Daniels-esque as Mark Ruffalo's partner. I like Anthony Edwards. He has a nice reassuring quality to him, even in odd roles like Northfork. Where has he been? This is only his fourth movie since E.R. ended. Maybe he's been dating Helen Hunt and that's why neither of them act any more.

There were a fair amount of famous people in minor roles: Philip Baker Hall, Chloe Sevigny, Dermot Mulroney (either wearing some belly padding or, um, not), Adam Goldberg, and the always great Brian Cox.

Then there were just enough random people to keep it fun:

John Ennis - The guy from Mr. Show. This one was really strange. If I had to guess a Mr. Show cast member to have been in this beforehand I totally would have gone with Brian Posehn.

Elias Koteas - Who played Casey Jones in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movies.

Clea Duvall - Who was in The Faculty among other late '90s flicks which, for some reason, means I know her name.

Donal Logue - Where's he been? Possibly hiding out with Helen Hunt, Anthony Edwards, and the 'D' from his first name.

John Carroll Lynch - Who I know from the Drew Carey Show despite being pretty sure I've never actually seen an episode of that show. It's not giving anything away to say that he plays the main suspect and will hopefully never work in comedy again as his appearance will cause me to breakdown weeping.

Zach Grenier - Whose name I didn't know, but who has been in every television show ever made for at least one episode. This is actually in the SAG contract. If you're reading this--and for the third time, you're not--and making a television show, he's probably standing behind you.

I mean, the guy who played Casey Jones (not to mention the asshole brother in Look Who's Talking Too) and Donal Logue? Um, yeah, I'll see that.

Anyway, don't let my name dropping take away from the main point here: It's a very, very good movie. I'd even say a great one. I'm not kidding about it being one of the best of the past few years--and probably this decade. I'm trying hard to think of anything I was so thoroughly impressed with recently. I'm sure there's something...