'Wild Tales': Some of the stories are first-rate, others are misfires

The Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nominee is a series of six thematically connected narratives. Its distinction is that each of the stories carries retribution to insanely comic extremes.

“Wild Tales,” written and directed by Argentine Damián Szifron, and a nominee for the best foreign language film Oscar, is a series of six thematically connected stories about revenge; some of them are first-rate, others are misfires.

Its distinction is that each of the stories carries retribution to insanely comic extremes. You sit back and say to yourself, “No, they’re not going to do that,” and, of course, they do that, and more. In the best (and last) episode, a festive wedding reception turns into Armageddon when the bride (played to the hilt by Érica Rivas) discovers her groom’s infidelity. If you’ve ever fantasized about busting up somebody’s nuptials, this movie is for you. Grade: B (Rated R for violence, language, and brief sexuality.)