MANK
After bagging Martin Scorsese last year, Netfl ix’s
big prestige director coup this year comes in the
form of David Fincher. Hollywood screenwriter
Herman J. Mankiewicz was co-author of Citizen
Kane, and his clashes with Orson Welles during
production are brought to life from a script
co-written by Fincher’s father, with Gary
Oldman playing the Mank himself.DA 5 BLOODS
Spike Lee enlists Chadwick Boseman to head up
this epic-sounding Vietnam War drama. Da 5
Bloods follows four African-American veterans
who return to ’Nam in search of their fallen squad
leader’s remains as well as, erm, buried treasure.I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS
It’s fi ve years since Charlie Kaufman’s last
big-screen off ering — the brilliant Anomalisa
— so this is a welcome return for everyone’s
favourite surreal miserablist. Kaufman directs
Jesse Plemons, Toni Collette and Jessie Buckley
in this psychological horror about a meet-the-
parents trip that takes a disturbing turn.REBECCA
We know Ben Wheatley does “deeply unsettling ”
verywell, so his new adaptation of Daphne du
Maurier’s classic Gothic novel has the potential
to be brilliant. Armie Hammer and Lily James
star as the newlyweds haunted by the memory of
his deceased first wife, the first Mrs de Winter.EXTRACTION
Avengers sort-of reassemble here, as Chris
Hemsworth takes the lead in this Joe Russo-
penned actioner, directed by Captain America
stunt double Sam Hargrave. Hemsworth
is a death-wish-harbouring ex-soldier who
muddies his LinkedIn page by working for
a notorious drug baron.SERGIO
Ana de Armas is on something of a roll at
present, and Sergio looks likely to see it
continue. This tense biopic of UN diplomat
Sérgio Vieira de Mello, set directly after Iraq War,
is directed by Greg Barker (who also directed the
2009 documentary of the same name).THE OLD GUARD
The other comic book team hitting screens in- Charlize Theron heads up a cast that
includes Kiki Layne and Chiwitel Ejiofor in this
adaptation of Greg Rucka’s dark graphic novel
miniseries from Image Comics, about a gang of
ancient, immortal mercenaries.
THE PLATFORM
This Spanish sci-fi /satire earned decent
notices when it played at last year’s Toronto
International Film Festival. It’s set in a
dystopian future tower-prison where inmates
are fed by a descending platform, with the lower
levels getting next to nothing — think
Snowpiercer, but vertical, perhaps?JINGLE JANGLE
The powerfully cheesy Yuletide movie
has become one of Netfl ix’s stocks-in-trade,
and Jingle Jangle could well be 2020’s
The Knight Before Christmas. Music, fantasy
and Forest Whitaker combine in this tale
of an embattled inventor who creates
a magical toy.EUROVISION
Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams are Lars and
Sigrit: an Icelandic singing duo hoping to avoid
‘nul points’ at Europe’s oddest cultural export.
Dodgy accents, outfi ts and tunes are all
guaranteed, but the real question is:
will Myf Warhurst and Joel Creasey
feature as themselves?SPENSER CONFIDENTIAL
Mark Wahlberg is looking to fi nd his own take
on the Lethal Weapon buddy-cop formula in
this thriller about an ex-cop (Wahlberg) and MMA
fi ghter (Winston Duke) who reluctantly begin
solving crimes. It’s based on a series of novels and
Netfl ix is clearly hoping for franchise potential.COFFEE & KAREEM
Coming off like a discarded mid-’90s
Schwarzenegger vehicle, this comedy sees Ed
Helms playing a cop who reluctantly teams up
with an unusual new partner...his girlfriend’s
11-year-old son! Expect LOLs — and questionable
parenting galore.TOM ELLENCanNETFLIXtop a year that had bothThe Irishman and The Knight
Before Christmas? We sift through its heaving 2020 film slate
No. / 12
Netfl ix’s 2020, unpacked
NETFLIX & BRILL!
THE HEAVY-HITTING AWARDS CONTENDERSNETFLIX & THRILL!
THE EDGE-OF-YOUR-SEAT BLOCKBUSTERSNETFLIX & SWILL
THE FILLER, LET’S BE HONESTGetty ImagesPREVIEW