Mank: A Look Back At Classic Hollywood

Mank, directed by David Fincher, takes a look back at 1930s Hollywood through the eyes of Oscar-winning screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz. If there is one thing that Mank gets right, it’s Herman J. Mankiewicz being an alcoholic.  Well, that and writing Citizen Kane.  Oh, and the drama with Orson Welles (Tom Burke) over credit for writing the screenplay.  This is where I must recommend Sydney Ladensohn Stern’s biography, The Brothers Mankiewicz. We know that Mank…

"Mank: A Look Back At Classic Hollywood"

Summer Night: Coming of Age in California

Summer Night is a coming-of-age story about finding love in a small Northern California town towards the last days of the summer. While the evening’s headliner is a concert at The Alamo, just about everyone is dealing with something going into the night.  On the one hand, we have Jameson (Ellar Coltrane) torn between Harmony (Victoria Justice) and Corin (Elena Kampouris).  Yeah, there’s certainly something going on here when Jameson isn’t completely over Corin.  I’m…

"Summer Night: Coming of Age in California"