Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010)

If you have seen any horror ever, then you will have some modicum of appreciation for Tucker & Dale vs. Evil. Brilliantly written and executed, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil is not your typical horror movie. It takes all the preconceived notions we have have about the Appalachian Mountains, hillbillies, and college frat boys and turns them on their head. Brought to by Zombieland director, Eli Craig and co-written by Eli Craig and Morgan Jurgenson, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil is a definite hidden gem.

The Premise

Best friends Tucker and Dale are heading up to their cabin in the woods for a little relaxation. After an ill-fated encounter with a group of college kids, they inadvertently take an unconscious woman home. Because of this, the collegiate group assume the duo are murderous hillbillies and resort to violent tactics to rescue their friend. Unfortunately, all their rescue attempts backfire and they all begin dying off around Tucker and Dale's property.

My Take

All Tucker wants to do is go up to his newly purchased vacation cabin ("it's a fixer-upper"), get a few chores done, sneak in a little fishing and hang out with his best friend Dale. All Dale wants to do is one day meet a nice girl and settle down. All a group of insanely good-looking college kids want to do is go camping in the deep woods of the Appalachian Mountains and not be murdered by a bunch of blood thirsty hillbillies. Everyone could have had what they wanted had it not been for one simple misunderstanding at the last gas station on the way out to their final destinations.

College kid Chad puts the idea in his friends' heads that Tucker and Dale just might be the dangerous murderous hillbillies that they are trying to avoid. After an accident while night swimming, Tucker and Dale are forced to save an unconscious and drowning Allison while the rest of the college friends run screaming from the hillbilly duo. This sets off a chain reaction in which each friend tries to save the perfectly safe Allison and ends up dying an unnecessary, however hilariously gruesome, death in the process. Unfortunately, the friends die on Tucker and Dale's property, feeding the illusion that the two friends are savage killers.

Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine, portray Tucker and Dale. They may as well be best friends in real life, they play off each other so well. Tudyk takes the reigns as the (slightly) better looking and (slightly) smarter Tucker as Labine takes the passenger seat as more dimwitted Dale. Every situation they get into, no matter how absurd, becomes completely believable as the pair draw you into the story with their quick quips and complete commitment to each other. While he could be, and at times is, altogether angry with Dale for dragging him into their predicament, Tucker is still trying to bail them out. You could even say this is a movie about true hillbilly friendship.

Meanwhile, in the college camp, Chad, played by Jesse Moss (who I thoroughly enjoyed in Ginger Snaps), is so busy trying to blame Tucker and Dale for kidnapping Allison (portrayed by the lovely Katrina Bowden) that he can't open his eyes long enough to see the truth. However, Allison has learned that Dale is a true gentleman and sweetheart. Also during the interim, chaos has broken loose. Kids are impaling themselves on spears, chucking themselves into wood chippers and running into ludicrously sharp branches. It doesn't end there. Brandon Jay McLaren (who I currently enjoy watching as I get caught up on The Killing), Christie Laing, Chelan Simmons, Travis Nelson, Alex Arsenault, Adam Beauchesne, and Joseph Allan Sutherland round out the talented cast as the inept college kids.

The Verdict

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil gives a nod to several horror classics from the past. If you are a fan of the genre, then you should be able to pick them out. This is one of the few movies we subject our guests to on a regular basis. If they haven't seen it, we cue it up just to have an excuse to watch it again. I give Tucker & Dale vs. Evil 9/9 college kids.

The Angels' Share (2012)

Are all criminals bad? If given a second chance can they do something good? In The Angels' Share, a group a ne'er do wells are looked down on by society and few would give them a second chance. Least likely to lend them a hand is the group's community service leader, whose love of whiskey gives them the inspiration they need.

The Premise

Robbie is sentenced to community service just before he becomes a father for the first time. Community service leader, Harry, takes Robbie under his wing and together, with a few new friends, they learn what makes a good whiskey. When a too good to be true opportunity presents itself, Robbie and his friends act on it, hoping to make better lives for themselves.

My Take

Set in Scotland, The Angels' Share is about Robbie, a young man with a checkered past who now wants to try to do right by his girlfriend and newborn son. While sentenced to community service, Harry, who is in charge, acts as a much needed father figure to him and a few other youths. He takes them on their first tour of a whiskey distillery. After that, Robbie, Rhino, Mo and Albert begin teaching themselves more about whiskey.

Paul Brannigan was brilliant as the down on his luck Robbie. He and girlfriend Leonie, the talented and beautiful Siobhan Reilly, want to get Robbie out of his old violent lifestyle and into a good job so he can support his new family. John Henshaw plays the wise and fatherly Harry. Harry sees something in Robbie and accidentally helps him find his talent in whiskey tasting.

When Robbie and his friends Rhino (William Ruane), Mo (Jasmin Riggins) and Albert (Gary Maitland) learn of a cask of whiskey going up for auction that could be worth a fortune, they hatch a plan to steal the contents before anyone has a chance to taste it. Of course, even the best of plans have a hitch.

Director Ken Loach and writer Paul Laverty bring The Angels' Share to life with this cast. It was humorous and touching and moving. It's not always easy to make an audience root for a bunch thieves. But in the end you find yourself hoping they get away with it.

My Verdict

As soon as we saw a preview for The Angels' Share we knew it would be a movie we would enjoy and, gratefully, we were not disappointed. There was some mild violence and language, but the language was disguised with a thick Scottish brogue which somehow makes it charming to this American's ears. I give The Angels' Share a sturdy 3/3 bottles. "One to keep, one to give away and one to share with friends." Cheers.