Los Angeles Times Betsy Sharkey column

March 18--Indulging in a vicarious experience is one of the central pleasures of movies, and "Wild Tales" provides more than its share. Writer-director Damian Szifron conjures up six revenge fantasies in the tragicomical extravaganza from Argentina that earned a foreign-language Oscar nomination this year. The winner was "Ida," a somber nun's tale from Poland and very different from Szifron's light touch with dark forces. He's picked out varying degrees of betrayal to anchor each of the vignettes, starting with a road rage scenario that somehow manages to be hysterical, horrific and highly relatable. After a brief Oscar-qualifying run last year, it is back in town for a short stay. So should you feel the need to settle old scores, consider the zany contemplation of revenge in "Wild Tales" instead.