It’s the weekend again, and that means Film Focus. Here’s Mike Laidman with what’s new in local theaters.

Another week means another edition of Film Focus is upon us.

Halloween is past, and we’re firmly in fall weather, the leaves are falling, or have fallen already, and there’s a crispness in the air.

I usually talk about cooling down in the theatre in the summer, but now it’s time to head in to see a show for exactly the opposite reason.

This week, a disgraced chef returns to London to take a shot at winning three Michelin stars. But first, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg take us on a thrilling ride through American and Soviet Cold War tensions.

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Mike Laidman

Welcome to another edition of Film Focus. I’m Mike Laidman.

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Bridge of Spies (2015, Steven Spielberg)
An American lawyer defends a Soviet spy in court.

At the height of the Cold War, lawyer James B. Donovan is recruited by the CIA to negotiate the release and exchange of a U-2 spy-plane pilot for a Soviet prisoner. Francis Powers was arrested and taken alive after his plane was shot down by the Soviet Union during a mission. And with KGB intelligence officer Rudolf Abel being arrested for espionage in the US, the stage is set for James to become involved in what could be perhaps one of the most tense wartime negotiations ever.

There’s not much to say here that won’t already be known or couldn’t be guessed. With Hanks in the lead role and Spielberg directing there isn’t a whole lot that can go wrong. Together, they breathe new life and heart into the Hollywood political thriller formula, and tell a stylish tale about a great negotiator. The film connects Cold War paranoia with today’s threats of terror, and is certainly a great movie from great artists worth watching.

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Burnt (2015, John Wells)
A disgraced chef returns to London to redeem himself.

Chef Adam Jones had it all - and lost it all. A two-star Michelin rockstar with the bad habits to match, the bane of the Paris restaurant scene did everything different every time, and only cared about the thrill of creating explosions of taste. Now, back in London, he’s cleaned up and is ready to give his all to earn his third Michelin star and a proper place in the books.

Sounds fun, especially with how popular cooking shows are on TV these days. But Burnt never really breaks free from its two-dimensional characters nor its routine narrative. Best to head someplace else for dessert.