Revenge of the Nerds

Directed by Jeff Kanew and screenplay by Jeff Buhai, Miguel Tejada-Flores, and Steve Zacharias from a story by Tim Metcalfe, Revenge of the Nerds is the story about a group of misfit and oddball freshmen who decide to fight back against a jock fraternity with their intelligence in the hope that they can enjoy collegiate life. It’s a film that plays into the world of the underdog mentality as a group of young men deal with not just prejudice for being very different and weird but also realize that they can’t back down for who they are. Starring Robert Carradine, Anthony Edwards, Curtis Armstrong, Timothy Busfield, Larry B. Scott, Andrew Cassese, Michelle Meyrink, Brian Tochi, Ted McGinley, Donald Gibb, Julia Montgomery, David Wohl, Bernie Casey, James Cromwell, and John Goodman. Revenge of the Nerds is a wild and rapturous film from Jeff Kanew.

The film is a simple story about a group of newly-arrived freshmen students who arrive to Adams College as they’re being harassed and ridiculed by a jock fraternity forcing these group of geeky and brainy men to fight back with their intelligence. It’s a film that doesn’t just explore the social politics of college but also how this group of odd and diverse misfits who don’t really fit into any kind of clique come together and stand up for themselves. Along the way, hilarity ensues involving panty raids, a party with an equally-odd band of sorority sisters, and other antics. Especially as they find ways to humiliate the jocks in their own unique way and win over people who have dealt with prejudice or have a hard time with conformity.

The film’s screenplay not only bring in a lot of humor to the film as it plays into many of the antics that occur but also portray many of the characters as real people. Leading the pack are Lewis Skolnick (Robert Carradine) and Gilbert Lowe (Anthony Edwards) who are just a couple of freshmen that want to study computer science and have some fun. Yet, because of the carelessness of the jock fraternity in the Alpha Betas when they burned their house down during a party. The freshmen including Skolnick and Lowe are forced to live in the gym with other outcasts including a near-sighted geek named Poindexter (Timothy Busfield), a Japanese student in Takashi (Brian Tochi), a 12-year old aerodynamics expert named Wormser (Andrew Cassese), the openly-gay Lamar (Larry B. Scott), and a perverted slob named Booger (Curtis Armstrong). There, the band of outcasts eventually find a house to live in and apply into a fraternity where they’re given a tryout by a fraternity president in U.N. Jefferson (Bernie Casey) to be part of his all-black fraternity known as Lambda Lambda Lambda.

The script also plays into this back-and-forth conflict between the nerds and the Alpha Betas as the jock themselves in star quarterback Stan Gable (Ted McGinley), Danny Burke (Matt Salinger), and Ogre (Donald Gibb) try to intimidate them physically and pull off these very mean pranks. At the same time, they would abuse their own power as leaders of the school’s Greek council to get things their way which only drive the nerds to fight back with the aid of the equally-nerdy and oddball sorority in the Omega Mus against the Alpha Betas and the Pi Delta Pi sorority in an annual competition. The script doesn’t just showcase these Nerds trying to prove that anyone can do it by being themselves but also be proud of who they are. Even as they manage to be a threat to the Alpha Betas and their idea of conformity and power.

Jeff Kanew’s direction is very simple as it doesn’t go for anything stylistic as it’s more concerned with creating a film that is consistently funny. Shot on location near Tucson, Arizona, the film plays into the world of college life outside of academics as it focuses on a world that is changing. One of which involves a group of jocks and party animals who often get in their way and not think about what is ahead of them. Then you have the nerds who arrive not only to expand their own intelligence but also find a place where they can have fun and also think of a future for themselves. Kanew’s approach to compositions often involve a lot of medium shots and close-ups as he’s more concerned with maintaining a sense of energy that is happening during the antics that occur such as the panty-raid sequence and the party scene with the Omega Mus where the nerds get very high on marijuana provided by Booger.

The film also features these very offbeat moments in the humor such as some of the scenes at the annual fraternity-sorority competition as it reveals exactly what the nerds would do if they’re forced to take part in physical competitions. There’s also moments where some of the humor is quite crass as it involves some of Booger’s own gross antics where he is able to challenge Ogre into a belching contest. It all plays into the wild world of college as it proves that nerds can party to but also not be afraid to say who they are. Especially in the film’s ending where one of them has finally had enough of the abuse in the hands of the jocks and felt that something needs to be said. Overall, Kanew creates a wild yet enjoyable film about a bunch of nerds taking a stand against a bunch of idiotic jocks.

Cinematographer King Baggot does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography to play into the sunny look of the locations along with some unique lighting schemes for some scenes set at night. Editor Alan Balsam does fantastic work with the editing with its stylish cuts from the sequence of the nerds cleaning up the house they would live in to some slow-motion cuts for some of the competitive moments. Production designer James L. Schoppe and set decorator Frank Lombardo do terrific work with the look of the gym and the home the nerds would live in as well as the hall of the Greek council.

Sound editor Michael O’Corrigan does nice work with some of the sound effects as well as some of the craziness that occurs in some of the parties and collegiate activities. The film’s music by Thomas Newman is brilliant for its mixture electronic-based music with some orchestral elements while music supervisor Martin Schwartz creates a fun soundtrack that features music from Michael Jackson, Queen, Gleaming Spires, Ya Ya, Andrea & Hot Mink, Bone Symphony, The Rubinoos, Jill Michaels and Pat Robinson, and Revenge (not the U.K. 90s group of the same name).

The casting by Susan Arnold and Paula Herold is great as it features some notable small roles from James Cromwell as Lewis’ dad, Alice Hirson as Gilbert’s mother, Matt Salinger as the Alpha Beta Danny Burke, Donald Gibb as the caveman-like Alpha Beta named Ogre, and David Wohl in a terrific performance as the college’s dean who sympathizes with the nerds as he is often bullied by the football coach. John Goodman is fantastic as the college’s football coach Harris who doesn’t like the nerds as he would encourage his players to humiliate them. Ted McGinley is superb as the star quarterback Stan Gable who sees nerds as inferior as he often cares more about himself than his girlfriend. Julia Montgomery is wonderful as Stan’s girlfriend Betty who is often pursued by Lewis as she deals with Stan’s selfishness.

Michelle Meyrink is brilliant as the nerdy Judy who befriends Gilbert as she would help him and the nerds meet her sorority in the Omega Mus who are total party animals. Bernie Casey is phenomenal as Lambda Lambda Lambda leader U.N. Jefferson who is reluctant to have the nerds join his fraternity until he realizes what they’re capable of in being able to stand up for themselves. Brian Tochi and Timothy Busfield are excellent in their respective roles as Takashi and Poindexter as two very different nerds with Tochi as a Japanese exchange student and Busfield as a near-sighted nerd with thick glasses.

Andrew Cassese is amazing as the 12-year old genius Wormser who becomes very interested in women while Larry B. Scott is fabulous as the openly-gay Lamar who is quite smart but also has great fashion sense. Curtis Armstrong is incredible as Booger as a slob who doesn’t fit in anywhere as he parties with the nerds and gets them to have fun. Anthony Edwards is remarkable as Gilbert Lowe as the more sensitive nerd who is able to find a girl but is also the one guy that refuses to be intimidated as he rallies the nerds into standing up for themselves. Finally, there’s Robert Carradine in a marvelous performance as Lewis Skolnick as a nerd with a distinctive laugh that is eager to have a good time and be smart while is also someone that just wants to be accepted.

Revenge of the Nerds is a tremendous film from Jeff Kanew. It’s a film that manages to not only explore the social world of college cliques but also manages to find some heart and laughs into a bunch of people who don’t fit in while being able to be proud of who they are. In the end, Revenge of the Nerds is a spectacular film from Jeff Kanew.

Related: (Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise) - (Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation) - (Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds in Love)

© thevoid99 2015

Zodiac

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 3/25/07

One of the most infamous serial killers to emerge in San Francisco during the late 1960s was a mysterious killer known as the Zodiac Killer. The Zodiac Killer was a killer who taunted the press through mysterious letters in the early 1970s. The mystery remains unsolved as its identity yet it remains one of the most infamous murders. The notoriety of the case and murders spread through pop culture that involved two books by cartoonist Robert Graysmith. One of them has now become a feature film by David Fincher that is simply entitled Zodiac.

Based on Graysmith's book with a script by James Vanderbilt, Zodiac tells the story of the mysterious investigation of the murders that involved two cops and two journalists including Graysmith. When the investigation goes further, it leads into a puzzling world of madness that nearly destroys their minds. Directed by David Fincher of such films as Se7en, Fight Club, and Panic Room, it's a psychological mystery that explores one of the most notorious murders. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards, Chloe Sevigny, John Carroll Lynch, Donal Logue, Elias Koteas, Dermont Mulroney, Phillip Baker Hall, Adam Goldberg, Clea DuVall, and Brian Cox. Zodiac is a harrowing, puzzling thriller from David Fincher.

It's July 4, 1969 when a couple stopped at a beach side cliff when suddenly, a mysterious man arrives, kills the woman and leaves the man wounded. A month later at the San Francisco Chronicle, a cartoonist named Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) is doing his work on cartoons when a letter is sent to the editor of the paper, Al Hyman (Ed Setrakian). Hyman gives the letter to his publisher Charles Theiriot (John Terry) who reads it to the staff including Graysmith and reporter Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.) where attached to the letter is a strange code. Avery believes the murders is connected to one year before that Christmas. He calls Sgt. Jack Mulanax (Elias Koteas) to confirm the connection of the murders where reports about the murders circulate in the San Francisco area. Graysmith is interested by the whole murders since he is very good with puzzles. After another murder in a lake where a man named Bryan Hartnell (Patrick Scott Lewis) was wounded but his girlfriend (Pell James) was dead but claims he saw the man wearing a costume. Another murder involving a cab driver lead to a full investigation.

Leading the investigation are David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and William Armstrong (Anthony Edwards) who went to the corner on the night that was Armstrong's birthday. Immediately, the case becomes public with Cpt. Marty Lee (Dermont Mulroney) gets involved with the help of a code-breaker named Sherwood Morrill (Phillip Baker Hall) looking into handwritings and stuff. With Avery doing a lot of the reporting on the killings, a puzzle is made while Graysmith brings a lot of theories and ideas about what's going on about the murders. Toschi and Armstrong collaborate with the Chronicle where by 1970, the investigation gets more intense with Graysmith watching in the background. Things get worse when a woman (Ione Skye) claimed she was captured as Avery becomes more troubling with the reporting, even after getting a letter from the Zodiac killer. When a known attorney named Melvin Belli (Brian Cox) is contacted by the killer, he tries to talk to him via television but nothing comes around until Christmas when he received a letter.

With the investigation finally getting leads, they find a suspect in Arthur Leigh Allen (John Carroll Lynch) who becomes a big suspect but because of evidence and such, he is cleared. After some tension between Avery and Toschi, Avery is forced to leave the Chronicle due to his erratic behavior and by 1972, Armstrong leaves as Graysmith later meets Toschi at a screening for Dirty Harry. For now, the case is closed and going nowhere. Four years later as Toschi is still in the force and Graysmith still a cartoonist when Duffy Jennings takes Avery's job. Graysmith takes interest in writing a book about the investigation while trying to talk to Avery about doing the book. Graysmith ends up doing the book himself where he finds more loose ends and asks for help from Morrill and Toschi about the loose ends. With Graysmith taking on the investigation, like Avery and Toschi, he starts to descend to madness which affects his family life and marriage to Melanie (Chloe Sevigny). Finding new clues and people including a woman who knew Leigh at a party named Linda Ferrin (Clea Duvall). When Graysmith goes public, things become troubling when a letter from the Zodiac re-emerged but it's linked to Toschi who is suspected for writing the new letter.

With Graysmith getting closer, he tries to turn to Toschi, Mulanax, and Mel Nicholai (Zach Grenier) for help. They wouldn't publicly but when Graysmith believes someone else might've been the killer, he gets more than he bargained for. Finally, Graysmith confides in Toschi as they are forced to believe that the Zodiac murder might be unsolved after all.

While the film is based on a true story and is set from 1969 to 1991, the whole film doesn't play up as a conventional thriller or suspense film. Instead, it plays like a puzzle that doesn't get finished or has no sense of closure. Instead, the film plays up as a three-part act. The first being the opening of the Zodiac investigation. The second is about the suspicion of Arthur Leigh Allen being the killer which is based on theory that is suggested by the book. The third act is about Robert Graysmith and his own investigation that leads to him writing the book.

While the result pays off, it isn't entirely perfect on few instances. While director David Fincher has created a superb, unconventional mystery, the film does move slowly in its pacing though it is deliberate to understand what is going on. The eventual two-hour, 40-minute running time as opposed to his early three-hours and some odd minutes does make this film to be very long. Yet, it still works on some level including how Graysmith meets Melanie, his relationship with Avery, the friendship between Toschi and Armstrong, and everything else.

If Fincher is known for one thing that is prominent in all of his films, it's atmosphere. Shooting on location in San Francisco, entirely on digital camera, the film looks and feels like a 1970s film of sorts from its production and costumes, to the look. Even some of the camera work is reminiscent of early 70s American cinema based on its dark, shady look and how time moves on to those moments of San Francisco. Part of the film is like a reporters/investigators film where the guys just take a break and be themselves with a bit of backstory on who they are.

Then when the suspense happens and the murders are shown, it is done with a fear and terror where the audience knows what's going to happen but couldn't ignore. Fincher stays true to the timeline and structure from screenwriter James Vanderbilt though there's a scene involving a projectionist (Charles Fleischer) that doesn't totally work. Yet, it raises more questions on the killings as well as suspects. In reality, the film is about three men taking on a case that eventually descends them into madness and how they come out of it. Despite a few of the film's flaws, David Fincher has crafted a solid yet intriguing film.

Cinematographer Harris Savides does some amazing camera work in capturing the nighttime look of San Francisco with some intimate lighting in many of the film's night, interior shots as well as some gorgeous exterior lights. The sunlight scenes also work to convey the beauty and griminess of some of the locations. Savides' work is truly amazing. Production designer Donald Graham Burt and art director Keith P. Cunningham do excellent work in capturing the look and feel of 1970s San Francisco with the looks of the TVs, the cars, and everything to present that feel of the 70s including a horrifying design on the trailer of Leigh filled with some peculiar creatures.

Costume designer Casey Storm also plays to the film's 70s look with the wonderfully prim clothing of Chloe Sevigny to the suits that Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Edwards wear along with Robert Downey Jr.'s hippie-like, ragged clothes. Editor Angus Wall does some nice editing to convey the action of the killing as well as bringing the tense atmosphere of the investigation with perspective shots and jump cuts. Sound designer Ren Klyce does some amazing sound work to convey the sound of the murders, TVs, phones, and the opening murder sequence that is mixed with the song Hurdy Gurdy Man by Donovan. Composer David Shire, who is known for his score work in 70s classic like Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation and Alan J. Pakula's All the President's Men brings an ominous film score that plays up to the suspense and atmosphere of the film. The soundtrack also includes cuts from Marvin Gaye, Santana, and other late 60s/early 70s songs.

The film's cast is wonderfully assembled with some memorable small performances from Pell James, Ione Skye, Patrick Scott Lewis, Jimmi Simpson as an older version of a victim of the Zodiac, James LeGros as an investigator, John Getz as the new Chronicle editor who kicks out Avery, Adam Goldberg, Charles Fleischer, Clea Duvall, Zach Grenier, Donal Logue as investigator Ken Narlow, Candy Clark as Hyman's secretary, John Terry, Ed Setrakian, and Charles Schneider as the ill-fated cab driver.

Playing the different roles of the Zodiac killer are Richmond Arquette, Bob Stephenson, and John Lacy who each bring in a great presence to the killer without giving away anything to the audience. John Carroll Lynch is excellent as the mysterious Arthur Leigh Allen with a swagger that makes him suspicious and complex about the idea if he's really the man. Brian Cox is great as the celebrity defense attorney who tries to talk to the Zodiac while Phillip Baker Hall is also in top form as a manuscript expert.

Chloe Sevigny is excellent as Graysmith's girlfriend Melanie who tries to ground Graysmith in his role of being a family man though is forced to see his madness up close. Elias Koteas is great as a sergeant that confirms the murders to the press as he helps out Graysmith looking into files and such. Anthony Edwards is great as Toschi partner Armstrong whose years in working the investigation begins to burn him out as the more cynical, realistic cop who has yet to try sushi.

Mark Ruffalo is in amazing form as David Toschi who becomes obsessed with a corner where one of the killings happen as he later tries to bring himself back into reality only to see that he might've overlooked something. Robert Downey Jr. is also brilliant as the eccentric Paul Avery whose unconventional reporting makes him a sense of annoyance to some as his obsession leads to his own madness as he is forced to retreat. Jake Gyllenhaal gives an outstanding performance as a young cartoonist who looks on in the background only to take over as he sees how far he nearly loses it. It's a more mature yet solid performance from Gyllenhaal who proves that he ain’t no pretty boy or weirdo.

While not as entertaining as Fight Club or Se7en, Zodiac is still a very solid, entrancing film from David Fincher. Fans of Fincher's work will no doubt be challenged by his unconventional style to the mystery genre though audiences will have to take note of the film's long running time. With a great cast led by Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo, it's a film that not only pays tribute to the films of the 70s but also to the people who worked tirelessly on the Zodiac murders, which remains unsolved. In the end, Zodiac is a thrilling film from David Fincher that shouldn't be ignored.

David Fincher Films: Alien 3 - Se7en - The Game - Fight Club - Panic Room - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - The Social Network - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Gone Girl

The 15 Essential Videos of David Fincher - The Auteurs #61: David Fincher

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