Serena

Director: Susanne Bier
Year Released: 2014
Rating: 1.0

Lumber tycoon Pemberton (Bradley Cooper) - who runs a shady operation with his friend Buchanan (David Dencik), has run-ins with the Sheriff (Toby Jones) and sired a son with a local woman (Ana Alaru) - has his world up-ended when he marries the strong-headed - and manipulative - Serena (Jennifer Lawrence). Not only is there a tiresome string of disasters and inane decision-making, the movie lacks a sympathetic center: Cooper's corrupt to the core (and even kills his best friend), Lawrence's playing a barren (and tortured) Lady Macbeth rehash and Lawrence's castrated 'henchman' Galloway (Rhys Ifans) thinks nothing of murdering an elderly woman and kidnapping a baby. I had a sense I was in for a bad ride when in the beginning Serena agrees to marry Pemberton immediately after he introduces himself - so much for courtship! - and it's ludicrous how both Serena and Pemberton find 'clever' ways to end their lives (by fire and panther, respectively).