Horrible Bosses: Good for a few laughs

Nick, Dale and Kurt are all miserable at their jobs thanks in large part to their bosses. One night, after drinking heavily, they come up with a plan to eliminate them. They even go so far as to hire a murder consultant to help them go through with the evil deeds, but will they?

Taking its cue from the Alfred Hitchcock classic Strangers on a Train (or the Danny DeVito classic Throw Mama from the Train if you believe Dale), Horrible Bosses attempted to give the audience a comedic look at three guys trying to enact the ultimate scenario for those people that cannot stand their boss. Most of the laughs in the film were provided by those horrible bosses, which included Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell (who did not get nearly enough screen time as Kurt's cracked out boss Bobby) and Jennifer Aniston. Aniston in particular was hilarious as Dale's maneater of a boss Julia for the character was so unlike the "good girl" character she usually plays that every nasty comment that came out of her mouth (and trust me, there were a lot of them) was all the more shocking and funny. Jason Bateman and Charlie Day pitched in with some comedic gems of their own (Jason Sudeikis was just as slimy and unlikable as his boss Farrell) but the film failed to be anything more than a mean-spirited comedy with little to offer beyond its last gross-out gag or sexually charged line from Aniston.

This is not a bad thing, sometimes it's nice to just turn off one's mind and giggle at the insanity happening on screen but if you are looking for a comedy with layers and depth, Horrible Bosses is not the film for you.

Grade: C 

Shadow of a Doubt: A hidden Hitchcock gem.

When people start discussing the greatest directors of all time, one name certain to be mentioned is Alfred Hitchcock. Most directors of modern suspense/thriller films owe a great deal to him because his influence is still felt to this day. But even the "Master of Suspense" has a film or two that falls between the cracks and is never given the spotlight it should. Shadow of a Doubt is one of those films.

Charlie Newton is waiting for something to spice up her life and save her from the boredom of suburbia. There is not much for a teenage girl like Charlie to do in a small town but her prayers are soon answered when her favorite relative Uncle Charlie (for whom she was named) decides to visit. Everything seems wonderful until Uncle Charlie begins acting strange and young Charlie starts to suspect he is hiding something.

As with most of director Alfred Hitchcock’s better films, Shadow of a Doubt was a suspenseful thriller with a great story, memorable characters, and just enough black humor to keep it from being too dark and gloomy. Teresa Wright played young Charlie as an intelligent, resourceful girl. She started off the film as an innocent teenager wanting to experience more than her mundane suburban life could offer but by the end, thanks to the unbelievable stress and drama the whole ordeal with Uncle Charlie caused, she had matured and learned that her little suburban life was not all that bad. Uncle Charlie, played by Joseph Cotten, was the opposite of his niece. Having grown up almost completely alone and in the big city, he saw the world as an ugly place. And in order to make his way through the world, he was willing to do just about anything. He could be kind and giving one minute but then nasty and hateful the next. Due to Cotton’s excellent performance, it was hard to tell if he was a man on the lam or a quiet, misunderstood gentleman. This hidden gem amongst the vast canon of Hitchcock films, is not to be missed.

Grade: A