Mank. Visually stylish if dramatically somewhat flaccid picture of the screenwriter of Citizen Kane

https://youtu.be/aSfX-nrg-lI

This was a very pleasant viewing - as implied by the heading, no great dramatic insights but an interesting account of the genesis of the Kane script. The real-life connections were plausibly done and the picture of Mank was an honest and interesting one - as was the very touching and sympathetic portrayal of his very long-suffering wife.

Given the time and place, the number of ‘big names’ that appeared was remarkable - at the start it was almost ridiculous but, perhaps because there were so many, the picture given of each of them was relatively short and not of any great depth. To be honest, any one of them would make a fascinating subject for such a biographical drama. The picture of Marion Davies was a touching and sympathetic one though.

Enjoyable if, ultimately, unmemorable.

His House. A remarkably original and effective ghost/horror story with a very unusual contemporary political slant

If Anything Happens, I Love You: Wonderful 12-minute gem of an exploration of parental grief after a school shooting