Ten Quick Thoughts on...Horrible Bosses

1. My wife actually thought this flick was better than Bridesmaids. I definitely didn't think that Bridesmaids was as spectacular as most people did, but I would have to agree to disagree with her on that thought. It had a few funny moments, but for the most part it was run-of-the-mill.

2. Definitely think it is past time for the whole "get a bunch of funny guys together, throw out the script, and let the actors improv the whole movie" school of filmmaking to go away. Sometimes the jokes are funny, but for the most part it just seems like what it is: guys indulging themselves, throwing stuff at the wall trying to see if anything sticks. Guess we have to blame Judd Apatow for this new genre?

3. How bummed is Jason Bateman that Arrested Development didn't just run forever. Ever since that show went away, he has been stuck doing idiotic movies with actors that have nowhere near the smarts and comic timing that he is capable of generating. Not to say that he is good in the flick. Basically, he just seemed bored.

4. Jason Sudeikis is not a movie star. But then again, I'm not even prepared to say that he has ever been hilarious on TV. Has he ever created an indelible character on Saturday Night Live? The fact that he actually pops up in movies is kind of inexplicable. Who is he bringing to the box office?

5. Charlie Day was OK. He pretty much recycled his shtick from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Of course, he's much bettter there since the material is hilarious, brave and unpredictable, while this one is the same buddy movie you've seen a million times over.

6. Colin Farrell WAS actually horrible in this movie. So was the person who made his hairpiece. It actually looked like he was wearing a football helmet. I'm not sure the "director" should actually get a director credit in this movie. Farrell was basically able to do pretty much anything he wanted with his wild-eyed character and I would say that maybe 12.74 percent of his antics were funny. Not a good percentage.

7. In the literal definition of the term "Oh, how far the mighty have fallen," Kevin Spacey pops up as Bateman's boss. He has decent moments, but for the most part, he sort of just stands there with a look that says, "For f*ck's sake, why can't Alan Ball write another decent part for me so I can stop doing dumbazz roles in forgettable movies?"

8. I could repeat the same exact paragraph for Jamie Foxx only he never acted in a film written by Alan Ball and he didn't play Bateman's boss. Instead he played an ex-con named M*therf*cker Jones. Let's just say, it's a long way from Ray (in which his performance was overrated and he stole Leonardo DiCaprio's Oscar for The Aviator). I'm scared that he will soon be acting in Tyler Perry movies.

9. Probably giving the best performance in the film is Jennifer Aniston, who plays wonderfully against type as a dentist who has the hots for Day's attached dental assistant. She is actually a hoot as she sprays Day's crotch with water, mounts patients while they are knocked out, and generally makes you wonder why Day wouldn't just get with her and dump his mousy spouse. I mean, she's a little psycho, but still. She looks like Jennifer Aniston.

10. By the way, remember way back when Angelina Jolie stole Aniston's man and everybody was taking sides as to who they were backing in the conflict. Team Aniston vs. Team Jolie! Well, take a look at Aniston in this movie. Then take a look at Angelina Jolie at just about any award show she appears at these days. Or more like any awards show where her skeleton appears. There's no doubt about it, man. Brad Pitt done picked the wrong horse.

--

The Pizza Project
Just a nibble: http://twitter.com/ThePizzaProject
Single slice: http://www.facebook.com/ThePizzaProject
The full pie: http://thepizzaproject.blogspot.com/

Twenty Bold Predictions on the 2011 Oscars*

1) The Artist will shock absolutely no one by winning Best Picture. It’s a silent movie and there are a lot of old heads in the Academy who will feel really good about themselves by carrying it to a Best Picture Oscar.
2) There will be a shocker in the Best Actor category. George Clooney already has an Oscar and people will not want to vote for the French guy who didn’t do any talking (Jean Dujardin). The vote will be split between Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Brad Pitt for Moneyball. This leaves the winner as Demian Bichir, star of the little-seen Bicycle Thieves rip-off A Better Life.

The Pizza Project Goes to the Movies...Well, Not Really!

Saucy loves to go to the movies. But he can't afford them anymore. So until someone starts paying us to do this sh*t, he is going to have to improvise. So here's this week's blind movie reviews.

MoneyballEven if you don't like baseball (who doesn't?) or nerdy statistics (who does?), you will love this movie. Why? First of all, it stars Brad Pitt, perhaps the most charismatic movie star in the world and one of the screen's most underrated great actors. Don't believe me? Check out The Tree of Life when it comes out on video. Or just watch Fight Club or 12 Monkeys again. Second, it is directed by Bennett Miller, who, while no means a household name, did direct Philip Seymour Hoffman (who is also in this movie) to an Oscar with 2005's Capote. I'm betting that he does a very good job with this material as well. Then there are the writers. The first version of the script was written by Steve Zaillian, who also had a hand in writing the modest indie hits, Gangs of New York and Schindler's List. When the makers of this film decided the piece needed a little touch-up, they went ahead and threw money at Aaron Sorkin, the guy who just won an Oscar for penning The Social Network. So yeah, the pedigrees here are quality. The only thing that could ruin this flick is the fact that it also stars Jonah Hill, also known as "the worst thing about every movie he has been in thus far in his career." However, early reviews have even been positive about his performance. Bank on it. This one is worth the 20 dollars you will pay for a large soda alone.