Mank

I get that Mank was David Fincher's way of fulfilling a dream for his late father by bringing his screenplay to life—a love letter to a time when Hollywood was at its peak, filled with actors, booze, and the chaos of an industry in full swing. And sure, Mank himself was no stranger to all of that. But honestly, the film felt a little too nostalgic for me. Over the course of two hours, so much happens, but you're given very little explanation, and the black-and-white aesthetic, paired with endless dialogue, made it hard to stay fully engaged. That said, Gary Oldman is incredible, especially in his drunken scenes, which are truly the highlight of his performance. I also really enjoyed Arliss Howard as MGM's Louis B. Mayer—he had limited screen time, but he absolutely made it count. And Charles Dance, as the powerful William Randolph Hearst, barely needed to say anything to command respect. Mank definitely has its shining moments, but overall, it's a dense, dialogue-heavy film that requires a lot of attention. By the end, I was struggling to keep up, but I’ll admit, the finale is a solid payoff. (12/22/2020)

In the first minutes, if not seconds, I was amazed by how Mank looks - truly like it was filmed 80 years ago, a beautifully restored film that made it to Netflix this year (and, sadly, not to movie theatres where it REALLY deserves to be). The best part is that the amazement didn't leave me by the end of the film, and it is also great in terms of the script, the actors (Gary Oldman is even better than you think), actresses (the magical Amanda Seyfried and Lily Collins) and music (untypical but excellent Reznor and Ross). If you don't want to watch Citizen Kane before Mank, then after Mank you will. And then you'll probably watch Mank again. (12/04/2020)

This year, David Fincher gave me an early Christmas present in the form of a 100% movie-lover experience, thanks to which I was lost for two hours in the Hollywood machinery and political jungle of the end of the 1930s and start of the 1940s. Jack Fincher's screenplay flows harmoniously like a poem and there are strong intense speeches from the characters that I haven't heard in a movie for a long time. Cult movie making maybe, but absolutely breathtaking and shot right from the heart! (12/28/2020)

A sea of name dropping, perfectly executed visuals, but emotionally speaking, Mank only barely whispered to me here and there, rather than speaking to me coherently. It is the completion of a homework assignment for me and David Fincher, saved from downfall primarily by its unintentional thematic relevance. (04/23/2021)

A formally precise and linguistically exquisite picture about the writing of the screenplay for Citizen Kane. Unfortunately, apart from context of that period, it offers nothing new. Filming according to his father’s screenplay, Fincher nurtured all aspects of this heart-felt project and the way he presents the topic in the style of a forties movie is very appropriate. You can’t tell the difference. The actors are great down to the last one. The music is perfect: Reznor and Russ are brutally moderate, obediently serving the story. But it was strange to listen to Trent’s typical piano playing in a movie that clearly must have been filmed eighty years ago... (12/06/2020)