arts // no. 10 The greatest complex story written by an alcoholic >» ‘Mank’ movie review Jerrison Oracion Senior Columnist kkk Kw Y hile Gone with the Wind is the highest grossing film of all time after inflation, many people would consider Citizen Kane the greatest film of all time (although I have not seen Citizen Kane yet). The film is famous for a lot of reasons, not just because of its use of closeups and the iconic “Rosebud” mystery, but because it was one the first examples of complex storytelling—and it was Orson Welles’ first film with RKO Pictures. Citizen Kane could be said to have somewhat predicted now former President Donald Trump, as its main character is a newspaper owner running for president. The movie Mank is made possible by director and star Orson Welles paving the way, but the idea for Mank is instead focused on New York theatre director, playwright, and screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz (played by Gary Oldman) writing Citizen Kane. In the film, David Fincher—director of movies like The Social Network and Gone Girl—examines what inspired Herman write his greatest work. The film also was inspired by a script written by Fincher’s late father, Jack Fincher. Originally, it was going to be released locally at the VIFF Film Centre last November, but Mank was pretty much released straight to Netflix. After Herman gets involved ina car accident while writing Citizen Kane, he stays in a villa in a desert while his assistant, Rita Alexander (Lily Collins), writes his ideas for him. It is two weeks before he must submit the script to the studio—and he drinks a lot of alcohol. The film is presented in the style of Citizen Kane; we see flashbacks of Herman when he worked at MGM Pictures, and the lighting of the film is Welles’ style. We learn that some of the characters in the film were inspired by actual people that Herman met—including a close friend that he talks about politics with named Marion Davies (Amanda Seyfried). I am not sure if Fincher directed the film with his favourite film camera, The Cake isnt a he » Retrospective on the band Cake Sonam Kaloti Arts Editor here are two songs by California band Cake that everyone should—and probably does—know. “The Distance” off 1996 album Fashion Nugget and “Short Skirt / Long Jacket” off 2003 album Comfort Eagle. However, there're some other successful hits that you may have heard including but not limited to “Sheep Go to Heaven,’ “Never There,” and covers the likes of “I Will Survive” and “War Pigs.” Their cover of “I Will Survive” was regarded as an insult to the original due to Cake’s vocalist John McCrea’s deadpan and sarcastic tone of voice. Yet, despite some huge MTV-level hits and popularity in the gos and early 20008, Cake’s uniquely ironic sound didn’t guarantee them fame forever. So, pretending we're back in Cake’s golden age, here’s a review of their other songs. “The Distance” is off of 1996 album Fashion Nugget which has similar bops and bangers all throughout. The album comes together very well with similar sound and tone. It doesn’t feel too bizarre either, with the same instrumentation being used throughout the 14-track album. Due to how well the songs merge into each other, the album can be labelled easy listening. Acon to the same point is that many of the songs sound so similar that it’s hard to pull favourites. The first song besides “The Distance” and “I Will Survive” that really has a different listening experience is “Nugget,” featuring aggressive lyrics and compressed electric guitar. Call and response yells and hard panned horns make this song feel a little out of nowhere, and this is exactly what the album needed to ground listeners back into the album before it ended. To hit the nail on the head, the chorus goes: “Shut the fuck up, no / Shut the fuck up (shut the fuck) / Right, now / Learn to buck up (shut the fuck).” Comfort Eagle is a fantastic listen and my favourite Cake album. Starting with “Opera Singer” the album already has a much different feel. It definitely has more the RED Camera, or if he filmed it in Panavision. Mank also shows how powerful the entertainment industry is with politics and a lot of people not having creative freedom during the golden age of Hollywood. Welles had to go through that when making his films as all the major studios did not accept his ideas until RKO Pictures gave him an opportunity while he was still the golden boy of radio. The sound quality in the film has the nostalgic art house cinema sound of the 1940s. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score has recognizable atmosphere, but the electronic-sounding drums, but the mix has live instruments so far forward that it doesn’t take away from the staple Cake in-your-face concert vibe. Harmonies are much more prevalent in this album and they hit right from the start. Onto “Meanwhile, Rick James” you hear the combination of over-compressed guitars and light, airy analog synths once again, but with enough far panning that every instrument has its own space to be the star of the show. It’s difficult to do that with just how much sound there is, but Cake pulls it off. A reason for this is WZ, N oh Photo by hpux735 via Flickr theotherpress.ca Promotional image for 'Mank' via Netflix sound is reminiscent of the score in Citizen Kane. Oldman’s portrayal of Herman was great, and it would be interesting if he got Best Actor in the Academy Awards this year. The movie also shows that the 1940s were similar to the present because communism and socialism were both hot and controversial topics. I would really like to see Citizen Kane and after watching Mank, and | will try to find similarities between both films. Then I can definitively say whether or not it is the greatest film of all time. because every few seconds the instrument at the front of the mix gets changed, whether it’s a hard left guitar during the chorus, strings taking over in the second half of the chorus, or keys in the verse—it’s always different. This playful take on sound and form occurs differently throughout the album, offering an exciting listening experience. “Commissioning a Symphony in C” deserves a shoutout simply because of how great the song is. The deadpan vocals ease up to evoke a little more emotion this time around. The widely spread guitar melodies, backing riffs, crispy snare, and the synth matching the vocal riff allows the song comes together as one of the more emotional ones. “Comfort Eagle” is a heavier song on the album with just as heavy lyrics. It’s a reflection on consumerism, specifically on the music industry taking musicians and turning them into nothing more than a brand—a product—with references to public figures denouncing politics altogether with lyrics like “the wacky morning DJ says democracy’s a joke.” “World of Two,” the last song on Comfort Eagle, provides a beautiful ending and surprising relief after all the big sound and heavy instrumentation the rest of the album boasts. To be frank, Cake’s sound is not for everyone, but for those who enjoy songs like “The Distance” and “Short Skirt / Long Jacket” as anthems, there’s plenty more where those came from.