Weekend Movie Preview: 'Horrible Bosses,' the 'Zookeeper' and Other Horrors
by Andy Neuenschwander
The past few weeks have seen the opening of big-budget summer movies like "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" and "Green Lantern," but Hollywood is slowing it down this weekend and offering a couple of comedies and a horror flick. Which ones should you go see? Read on to find out.
There are a lot of people on the poster for "Horrible Bosses," and there's a good reason for it: the cast of this movie is crazy good. Jason Bateman ("Arrested Development"), Charlie Day ("It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia") and Jason Sudeikis ("Saturday Night Live") star as three put-upon employees who decide to kill their awful bosses, played by Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell and Jennifer Aniston.
Despite the talent of Day, Bateman and Sudeikis, it's the horrible bosses of "Horrible Bosses" that provide the most entertainment. Spacey and Farrell are always great, and Jennifer Aniston plays against type as a sex-crazed, foul-mouthed dentist. Isn't that reason enough to go see it?
Rotten Tomatoes has "Horrible Bosses" at 75% among critics, with an 80% positive audience score.
See it if: You've always wanted to hear dirty words coming out of Jennifer Aniston's mouth.
Former "The King of Queens" star Kevin James stars in "Zookeeper," a comedy that attempts to appeal to kids and grown-ups alike. Whether it accomplishes that feat is a matter of opinion.
James plays zookeeper Griffin Keyes, who loses his hot girlfriend (Leslie Bibb) and wants to get her back. That's when the animals at the zoo reveal a secret to Griffin: they can talk, and always could...they just didn't. Since animals know all about attracting mates, they coach Griffin on how to win back his dream girl.
Rotten Tomatoes has "Zookeeper" at 13% among critics, with a 59% positive audience score.
See it if: You're a Leslie Bibb or Rosario Dawson completist. There aren't many other reasons.
"The Ward"
A small title that snuck into this weekend with little fanfare, "The Ward" is a psychological thriller/slasher flick starring "The Playboy Club" actress Amber Heard. Heard plays an institutionalized woman who, during her stay in the ward, encounters a vengeful supernatural force.
There's nothing new here really, we've seen the institutionalized woman thing before in "Gothika" and the scares aren't anything original, which is shocking considering the movie comes from horror master John Carpenter. Still, if you enjoy horror flicks and you liked "Shutter Island," you might enjoy this one. Tread carefully, though.
Rotten Tomatoes has "The Ward" at 33% among critics, with a 31% positive audience score.
See it if: You want to know what would happen if "Shutter Island" met "Sucker Punch."