An intricate study of a cinematic masterpiece or two hours 11 minutes of Gary Oldman lying around and getting tanked in bed? Mank is both. After Roma, David Fincher gets his turn at a monochrome, prestige Netflick with this look at screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz, otherwise known as the guy who wrote Citizen Kane with Orson Welles. Or, more accurately, as the film is interested in, for Orson Welles. All that old Hollywood fancy and snappy dialogue is here but Fincher’s also interested in movie moguls, fake news, the women behind the men and creative credit. And Amanda Seyfried is wonderful as actress Marion Davies. Oscar voters will be beside themselves.
Zodiac

Merrick Morton/Paramount/Warner Bros/Kobal/ShutterstockThere’s been an explosion of interest in true crime content in recent years, and David Fincher’s 2007 film Zodiac helped set the tone – based on the true story of the Zodiac killer, who sent cops cryptic clues after his crimes and evaded capture for decades. It stars Mark Ruffalo as the beleaguered police officer in charge of the investigation, and Jake Gyllenhaal as a newspaper cartoonist who gets drawn into the case.
The Wolf of Wall Street

Paramount PicturesDirected by Martin Scorcese, The Wolf of Wall Street follows Jordan Belfort (Leonardo Dicaprio), who starts as a stockbroker on the Wall Street trading floor in the late 80s. As he makes more money and his lifestyle races to catch up, he sets up a firm, Stratton Oakmont in the early 1990s and starts to swindle wealthy financiers out of their fortunes, even as the authorities close in. It’s all the more compelling because the film is based on the memoirs of the real-life Jordan Belfort, who is now a motivational speaker. With an all-star cast featuring DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, and Margot Robbie, The Wolf of Wall Street is ridiculous and exhilarating.