Thursday, July 7, 2011

Horrible Bosses, Zookeepers, and Rap Stars

The big movie of the weekend, but probably not big enough to knock Transformers: Dark of the Moon out of the top spot, is Horrible Bosses, the latest R-rated comedy of the summer, this one about a bunch of dudes who want to knack each others bosses out-- am I the only one who counts this as a dumbed down version of Strangers on a Train, presumably with lots of fart and boob jokes.  Anyhow it's gotten me thinking about the greatest horrible boss the cinema has ever presented: Meryl Streep's wicked and monstrous Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, this year celebrating its five year anniversary; I can't believe time is moving by so fast, it seems like just yesterday she was torturing Anne Hathaway and playfully zipping her catchphrase, "That's all!" in such whispered, but frightening beats.  The majesty of the performance is Streep's hellbent commitment, and pleasure of it comes from the understated nuances of her creation, thinly veiled as Vogue's Anna Wintour; she comes within an inch of caricature, but retreats ever so, and so gracefully, that she comes across just human enough to be given credibility, but salacious and pointed to the point of mass hilarity.
An aside, Horrible Bosses, stars Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day, Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx.  Am I the only who feels that this might be a funny idea, but the trailer plays ridiculously flat.
Also opening this week:
  • Zookeeper- The latest Kevin James comedy (he talks to animals)
  • Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Named Quest- Documentary from Michael Rapaport (limited release.)
  • The Ledge- Thriller starring Terrence Howard, Patrick Wilson and Liv Tyler (limited release.)
  • Project Nim- Sundance favorite from director James Marsh (Oscar winner for Man on Wire; limited release.)

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