Burnt (2015)

A chef who destroyed his career with drugs and diva behavior cleans up and returns to London, determined to redeem himself by spearheading a top restaurant that can gain three Michelin stars.

Bradley Cooper does his best to portray a disagreeable narcissistic man-child, but the makers' celebration of unnecessary competitiveness and their misunderstanding of the culinary art doesn't help much; the impressive cast serves as mere extras to the one-man show.

Sienna Miller

Bio:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sienna_Miller

The Edge of Love (2008)

Two feisty, free-spirited women are connected by the brilliant, charismatic poet who loves them both.

Nicely produced with good period detail, this melodrama lacks any dramatically meaningful development, and Dylan Thomas is portrayed as such a disagreeable person that one wonders what all the fuss is about.

Maltin*1/2: "Mawkish soaper...Means to be lyrical and insightful, but the characters are superficially rendered and the actors fail to rise above the material. It seems of minor importance that the poet is Dylan Thomas and the story is "inspired, in part, by actual events.""

The Lost City of Z (2016)

True-life drama, centering on British explorer Col. Percival Fawcett, who disappeared while searching for a mysterious city in the Amazon in the 1920s.

Nicely-made adventure with a sturdy cast and some good nature photography manages to convey the dangers of the jungle, but not much of the explorers' real compassion.

Sienna Miller

Bio:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sienna_Miller

High-Rise (2015)

 

 

Life for the residents of a tower block begins to run out of control. 

 

A J.G. Ballard adaptation that offers lots of goods: cast, visual execellence and some memorable, scenes; but it doesn't quite manage to translate the novel's stringent logic of a society drifting into chaos. 

American Sniper (2014)

Navy S.E.A.L. sniper Chris Kyle's pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield and turns him into a legend.

Professionally directed, but quite unpolitical and cursory study of a war hero's life; the (many) conventional war scenes are staged as timeless and with hardly context to the actual conflict.

Just Like a Woman (2012)

Two women get on the highway heading to Santa Fe, one dreams of winning a contest held by a famous belly dancing company, while her friend has a secret: she's a fugitive from justice - accused of her mother-in-law's death.

Subtle, touching and at times exciting road movie reminiscent of Thelma & Louise, but less action-driven and with more feminist poignancy.

Stardust (2007)

In a countryside town bordering on a magical land, a young man makes a promise to his beloved that he'll retrieve a fallen star by venturing into the magical realm.

Good production value and a star cast can't conceal that this fairy tale's story is overburdened and quite confusing.

Maltin***: "Wondrously imaginative fantasy yarn, adapted from Neil Gaiman's novel, creates a world all its own and is dotted with colorful characters, but goes on far too long."