LIFESTYLE THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014 Music38 & Movies Film Review Horrible Bosses 2’ doesn’t work he characters of the modern work- place comedy, like the rest of us, Vulgar gags Tdon’t know how to make a living “Horrible Bosses 2,” directed and co- anymore. Having haplessly tried to murder written by Sean Anders, is built on its their bosses in the first “Horrible Bosses,” hydra-headed leads who appear almost Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason tethered together, crowding the frame Sudeikis return in “Horrible Bosses 2” as like the Three Stooges. Bateman, Day and hopeful inventors. “Let’s bet on ourselves,” Sudeikis are each talented comic actors they tell each other, making a clearly who have their riffing rhythm down, questionable wager. They go into busi- skillfully weaving and overlapping their ness with a bath product dubbed “Shower idiotic antics. But this gratuitous sequel Buddy,” and with their abysmal guest fails most because their triangle offense, spot on a morning show promoting it, it’s while smooth, isn’t dynamic enough. With clear they may have backed the wrong Bateman playing the straight man and horse. It’s become a familiar genre trope Sudeikis’ smiley, glib shtick wearing thin, of recent years: The idealistic self-starter the only source of laughs is the slapstick of business that almost certainly wouldn’t Day - a reliably funny, high-pitched ball of stand a chance in real life. Dwarfed by anxiety. The “It’s Always Sunny in Philadel- corporations or left behind by the digital phia” star is like an electrocuted chipmunk, economy, comedies are routinely littered his fearful eyes always darting. with plucky upstarts, from Kristen Wiig’s So “Horrible Bosses 2” goes for what- would-be baker in “Bridesmaids” to Vince ever cheap, vulgar gags it can collide Vaughn and Owen Wilson’s middle-aged into. Most unfortunate is the sex-crazed Google aspirants of “The Internship.” debasement of Aniston, who lights up While the first “Horrible Bosses” tried the movie but suffers some of its lowest to tap into the widely held fantasy of kill- jokes. Really, it’s an altogether likable cast, ing the overloads of the office, its sequel all of whom appear quite game despite mines the farce in being your own boss. the lacking material. That the film skitters The entrepreneurial efforts of the film’s aimlessly away from the office is a wasted ever-yammering trio, of course, fail, and opportunity, too, since today’s workplaces the film descends into a thinly sketched could use the levity. Someone should have kidnapping plot that serves mainly to given “Horrible Bosses” a real job. “Horrible space its celebrity cameos. Hoodwinked Bosses 2,” a Warner Bros. release, is rated by a rich distributor (Christoph Waltz), the PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association guys - Nick, Kurt and Dale - plan to kidnap of America for “some sexual references, the executive’s playboy son (Chris Pine). mature thematic material and historical The ill-conceived scheme returns them to smoking.” Running time: 108 minutes. One their criminal adviser (Jamie Foxx, who the and a half stars out of four.—AP film could have used more of), Nick’s now imprisoned former boss (Kevin Spacey) and Dale’s old torturer dentist (Jennifer In this image released by Warner Bros Pictures, Charlie Day, from left, Jason Sudeikis, Jason Bateman and Chris Pine appear in a Aniston). scene from “Horrible Bosses 2.”—AP Mitchell ‘Squelched’ lights up Australian music industry awards possible Swift Sia ia and her “Chandelier” lit up in a lot of effort. “It might seem like an Australia’s Aria music awards, even overnight success, but we’ve been work- casting in biopic Swithout appearing on stage. The ing at this for five years or more, so we singer-songwriter won album of the work hard,” she said. Boy band 5 Seconds oni Mitchell revealed that she shook off the pos- year for “1000 Forms of Fear” as well as of Summer opened the ceremony with sibility of having Taylor Swift portray her in biopic best pop release, best video and best “She Looks So Perfect,” which won the J“Girls Like Us,” according to an interview with the female artist. She didn’t attend yester- public vote for song of the year. “Every Sunday Times. “I squelched that,” Mitchell told the day’s ceremony in Sydney, but Katy Perry single Australian has been behind our newspaper. “I said to the producer, ‘All you’ve got is a accepted the best female artist gong on band and we’re just from Sydney and girl with high cheekbones.’ It’s just a lot of gossip, you her behalf. Iggy Azalea was named best we can’t believe what’s happened to us,” don’t have the great scenes.” “Girls Like Us” was the breakthrough artist, and “Fancy” col- Ashton Irwin said. would-be film adaptation of Sheila Weller’s book of laborator Charli XCX accepted the award One Direction caused hysteria on the the same name that examines the lives and music of in her absence. red carpet before accepting the publicly Mitchell, Carly Simon and Carole King. Mitchell also “I’m going to drop it off to her and voted award for best international artist, commented on the Weller book itself, having nixed the she’s going to enjoy it,” Charli XCX said. to whoops and cheers from the crowd. biopic. Best male artist was electronica musician The host of a long-running TV show “There’s a lot of nonsense about me in books. Chet Faker and Sheppard was named “Countdown,” Molly Meldrum, received .assumptions, assumptions, assumptions,” she said. best group. On the red carpet, Faker a standing ovation as he was inducted Variety reported that Swift was circling the role in April talked about his excitement. “It’s cool to into the Australian Record Industry As- 2012. Allison Pill (“Midnight in Paris”) was reportedly be here, this is my first Aria’s so I’m not sociation’s Hall of Fame. “I am just like in talks to play Simon at the time. Swift said in October really looking at winning anything. I’m everyone in this room. I am here because 2012 that she was eager to play the role, but it had not just here,” he said. I love music,” he said.—AP been confirmed yet. Swift has since appeared in “The Boy Band 5 Seconds of Summer arrive for the Australian Recording Industry As- Amy Sheppard said the band put Giver,” another book-to-film adaptation.—Reuters sociation (ARIA) awards in Sydney, Australia yesterday. –AP photos Talking songs with She & Him he musical duo She & Him - that’s Zooey record is pretty timeless, and I think she gets it a treat. “We recorded it live with three Deschanel and M Ward - convened a put in a bubble of ‘80s music because of microphones in the same room and did only T20-piece orchestra to make “Classics,” ‘Smooth Operator,’” he said. one take,” she said. “There’s something very a collection of songs written between 1930 Deschanel’s choice: “I Like It” by DeBarge. special about not just recording a song, but a and 1974. It’s an eclectic list of compositions “The song is really well written and versatile. single moment in time as well.”—AP popularized by the likes of Frank Sinatra, I think it would actually make a great country Australian singer Megan Washington Australian singer Delta Goodrem Herb Alpert, the Righteous Brothers and song,” she said. Honorable mention is Mariah Dusty Springfield. So we thought it would Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” “I be fun to talk to the artists about songs that would really like to hear it without those stick out in their minds for various reasons. keyboards.” Latin pop star Prince Royce Q: A song you’d like to cover but intimi- dates you Q: The hardest song you’ve ever had to Ward’s choice: “This Is Radio Clash” by the sing hopes to cross over Clash. It’s one of his favorite bands, but he Deschanel’s choice: “Sleigh Ride,” written doesn’t think it’s in his vocal range. “There is by Leroy Anderson. (The Andrews Sisters rince Royce says although he’s a certain attitude to their music and to the recorded the first vocal version in 1950.) “It working on his first album in Ramones’ music, that I think is untouchable,” seems like it would be simple, but it changes PEnglish, his fans can still expect he said. keys twice in the bridge so it’s quite difficult,” to hear his signature Latin and tropical Deschanel’s choice: “Paris 1919” by John she said. “In spite of its trickiness it’s worth it sound in his new music. The 25-year- Cale. “I don’t think I could pull it off,” she said. because it’s a fantastic song.” old star released his first English Ward’s choice: “The Red and the Black” language single, “Stuck on a Feeling,” Q: A song from the last 20 years or so that by Blue Oyster Cult. He still has nightmares on Monday. It features rapper Snoop will someday be seen as a classic about the time Mike Watt invited him Dogg and samples R&B group 112’s hit Deschanel’s choice: “Open up Your Door” onstage to cover it, and it turned out to be song “Dance With Me.” “It’s a fusion of urban, it’s a fusion of R&B, it’s pop, it by Richard Hawley. She also loves Hawley’s much faster than he remembered.