This film is an eloquent love letter to the golden age of Hollywood while shying away from the romanticized aspects of the time. Though it may confuse true crime fans who are deeply invested in the Manson family story, it’s a wonderful bromance between two of America’s greatest actors. For those unfamiliar with the time (and the Manson family), do your homework—Tarantino doesn’t give much background. One minute you’re watching the characters be themselves, and the next, you’re watching them film an entire TV pilot in front of your eyes. Finally, the final 20 minutes torch your understanding of history.

High Tension director Alexandre Aja’s latest film is an efficient, lean thriller. Following a father and daughter (Barry Pepper and Kaya Scodelario) who are trapped in a house by alligators during a Florida hurricane, Crawl melds well-placed scares and pathos. Backstory informing their strained relationship allows the audience to care for them, a necessity in genre pictures of this variety. Surprisingly, some characters miraculously retain limbs despite great injury. Although pacing and tone issues exist, the film serves as a textbook example on how to effectively build and release tension. Most importantly, Crawl reawakens our fear of being eaten alive.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters delivers on the action with plenty of kaiju fighting. Godzilla going thermonuclear and Mothra are worth the price of admission. However, its human element becomes lost due to a nonsensical plot and cardboard-thin characters. It is truly a shame how the film wastes the potentials of Sally Hawkins and Ken Watanabe, who reprise their roles from Legendary Pictures’ 2014 reboot. Similarly, it cribs elements from other Godzilla films and inserts them without context. Check your brain in at the door for this orange-teal-gray color-timed CGI slugfest. Let’s hope next year’s Godzilla vs. Kong fares better.