Mother!

Moving cinematography puts viewers in the feverish nightmare of an unamused muse abused. Mediocre digital effects and inconsistent pacing damage structural integrity of a creative internal haunted house built on a foundation of densely packed symbolism which ultimately devolves into Boschian cinematic orgy where generating exclamation seems the main point.

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

Sandberg votes himself off the Island in Spinal Rap, a mock/rockumentary that’s unflinching farcical while bizarrely believable. Ridiculous rhyme schemes and clever genre subversion compete for the spotlight against impressive lineup of cameos. Clever jokes come early, while later, longer set-pieces lack life. It’s no Mona Lisa, whatever that means.

Annabelle: Creation

Sandberg keeps the lights out as he Wan-ders into the past’s past, skillfully climbing the horror tent-pole by religiously conjuring his predecessor’s sense of cinematic misdirection. Brilliantly toys with terror by holding back as many scares as it delivers, but ultimately fails when the time comes to pay off plot.