Tale of Tales

Interwoven fantasy yarns featuring an astonishing amalgamation of cheesy dialog and emotionally impressive performances. Big-budget visuals are given an odd tone by slow editing and a monotonous but pretty score. Passionate project allows complexity to consume its own heart and the method of telling is telling but ultimately lacks any

Game Night

Fincheresque cinematography alludes to and elevates The Game while simultaneously sending it up and ripping it off. Plemons’ arresting performance perfectly complements his neighbors’ development while supporting cast play perfect pieces in this deliberately opaque puzzle. Constant callbacks craft a clever comedic model, nearly as perfect as the establishing shots.

The Nun

Conjures up all of franchise’s religious weight but nun of its trademark subtlety and suspense. Sister acts well but Demian’s Damian-hunter feels like even more of a caricature than Frenchie the Frenchman. Branches out from base series to hang itself on a fraid yarn and bury itself in shallow shocks.

Shazam!

DC’s E.T. manages marvel-ous mixture of comedy and heart to easily hurtle past decade’s low bar. Though inconsistent with Asher’s performance Levi’s caricature hero untangles problematic plot while diverse and talented supporting players band together to out-sparkle their third act avatars. Even ends alarmingly well because that’s the exclamation point!