I finally got to see Tucker & Dale VS Evil. It played last year at SXSW, and I didn’t have a chance to see it then—even though I interviewed the director Eli Craig following the premiere. The first thing he said to me:

Eli: So, how’d you like the movie?

Me: Uhh. I didn’t have a chance to see it.

Eli: Really? Oh man!

Me: [thinking how bad that sounds and how much of an idiot he must think I am for interviewing him about a movie I haven’t actually seen] Well, everyone who’s seen it seems to have liked it.

Eli: Really! Cool!

The interview picked up from there, thanks to the fact that Eli’s a really nice and enthusiastic guy who was perfectly content to talk horror movies. The fact that it was a gorgeous day in Austin and we were seated on the patio of one of its most pleasant restaurants—I forget the actual name, but it overlooks some water, has the décor of an old saw mill, and I believe has either the word “Tractor” or “Goat” in the title”—helped.

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There was a kind of grandeur to the science-fiction films of the 1960s. Naturally they didn’t have the kinds of special effects that we have now, but they worked on big ideas, from the nature of humanity in 2001: A Space Odyssey to the contemporary fears of overpopulation in Soylent Green to the timeless question of whether apes will be our masters in the original Planet of the Apes.

I can’t think of many (or any for that matter) modern remakes that recapture or even attempt to emulate that grandeur of their bigger-thinking predecessors (however silly their concerns may have been). Instead of big ideas, Rise has a pretty simple story: James Franco is a researcher at a drug company, working on a cure for Alzheimer’s that accelerates the creation of brain tissue.

During a board meeting with the investors, one of his brightest test subjects escapes and crashes the party at exactly the wrong time. The beast is put down, but she’s revealed to have been pregnant, and Franco adopts her son (prophetically named “Caesar” by Franco’s senile father, played by John Lithgow). As the years go by, Franco realizes that the cure injected into the mother has been passed on to Caesar, who’s developed into a Superchimp, exhibiting an uncanny intelligence.

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Tucker & Dale vs Evil is a comedy horror film about two hillbillies on their dream vacation to a cabin in the woods who get mistaken for kidnappers when they try to help out a girl that fell into the lake.  Completed in 2010, this film has had a tough time finding a distributor after it premiered at Sundance.

I sat down with the director, Eli Craig, to talk about his experience with this film.  The conversation started off light, with him telling me about the new trailer that was premiering that weekend at their panel in Hall H.

The Flickast: So are you having a good weekend?  Have you gotten to experience Comic Con at all?

EC: I haven’t.  I’ve just been doing these interviews.  But I do want to go check it out.  My 5 year-old son is in there somewhere running around with a chainsaw and a hillbilly costume.

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The MPAA is a funny organization. Depending on the director, producer, or studio, it will determine a film’s overall success by slapping it with a rating that could cut its possible audience down to a third.

A few years ago, there was a dispute between the MPAA and Kevin Smith (go figure) about the title of his film, Zach and Miri Make a Porno. The organization wanted to give the film an NC-17 rating based purely on the premise and title, without taking into consideration the fact that it was a satire. After a debate, the film got released with an R rating and everyone was happy (except for those who saw the flick).

Now, another film with an iffy title and premise comes along and gets a hard R rating right out of the cage. We present to you the synopsis for A Good Old Fashioned Orgy.

Jason Sudeikis is Eric, a thirtysomething party animal famous among his close circle of friends for his lavish summer theme parties at his father’s swanky Hamptons pad. But when members of the crew start settling down, and Eric’s dad announces plans to sell the beach house, Eric decides it’s time for one last bash to go out with a proverbial bang—a good old-fashioned orgy. The only obstacles to overcome are actually convincing each of his reluctant friends to join in on the bacchanal, and an inconveniently blossoming romance with the real estate agent threatening to sell the house out from under him before the main event can even take place.

Giving credit where credit’s due, the film looks hilarious. A cast of Sudeikis, Tyler Labine, and Nick Kroll alone is enough to keep the laughs coming. When you add a pending orgy, things only get better.

Check out the first official trailer for the film and catch it when it hits theaters on September 2nd.

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When you run a website like The Flickcast, you are often lucky enough to see movies in advance of their release to the general public. Or, in the case of the horror comedy Tucker & Dale Versus Evil, way in advance.

I first saw this movie last year during Austin’s South By Southwest Film Festival and reviewed it for the site. Now, over a year later, the film has finally found distribution through Magnolia Pictures Magnet Releasing arm.

To save you the trouble of reading my review I will tell you that at the time I didn’t fall madly in love with the movie. However, it was fun and leads Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk and Katrina Bowden are likeable and very watchable.

The film has problems, of course, as to many movies these days. I don’t really blame it for its problems, though, as it aspires to do a lot and is mostly limited by its extremely modest budget. I definitely give director Eli Craig points for at least trying to do something.

So, I’m happy more people will get a chance to experience Tucker & Dale Vs Evil. Plus, if the film does well we may be able to see what director Craig does with a larger budget.

Expect Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil to hit VOD on August 26th and then theaters on September 30th. For more info, click through for the full press release.

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Tucker & Dale Vs Evil is a film I went into with low expectations and, for the most part, I was not disappointed. Showing at midnight on the first day of SXSW, it was a perfect way to start off the late night screenings. However, the film works best and can be most enjoyed if you don’t take it too seriously or expect too much from it.

While the two leads, Tucker (played by Firefly and Dollhouse‘s Alan Tudyk) and Dale (Tyler Labine, recently of Reaper and the upcoming Sons of Tucson), are immensely likable and have good chemistry and banter, the film falls short and doesn’t live up to their potential. This is unfortunate on many levels because given more effort and time, it probably would have turned out a lot better and been a more fitting vehicle for these two actors.

The premise of Tucker & Dale is very simple and in most cases when it comes to filmmaking, simple is a good thing. Sadly, a simple premise alone does not a complete movie make and as the movie progresses, the slender thread of that premise starts to unravel. This is where this film chiefly falls in that while it does have a simple premise, it doesn’t expand much beyond it and instead offers a string of somewhat uninspired and progressively repetitive “accidents” that go along, leading the film to its inevitable conclusion.

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Many people were saddened when the comedy/sci-fi series Reaper was taken off the air. Mostly because it was a funny and ambitious show, but also because that meant we wouldn’t get any more of Tyler Labine reprising his role as “Sock.” It looks like that hole will finally be filled, as he’s playing a very similar character in the new Fox sitcom Sons of Tucson.

The show looks to bring in elements of some of America’s favorite family situation comedies. From a Fox press release:

In the tradition of “Malcolm in the Middle” and “The Bernie Mac Show,” SONS OF TUCSON is a family comedy about three brothers who hire a charming, wayward schemer to stand in as their father when their real one goes to prison. What begins as a simple business relationship evolves into a family like no other.

Alongside Labine, the show stars Quarantine’s Benjamin Stockham, Doubt’s Frank Dolce, and newcomer Matthew Levy. Check out an exclusive 7-minute preview of the pilot after the jump, and be sure to catch Sons of Tucson this Sunday at 9:30PM ET on Fox.

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2010 might be the year for unexpected comedy successes, between Hot Tub Time Machine and now Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil. The latter is looking better as it mashes the genre of slasher and comedy like never before. Don’t believe me? Here’s the official synopsis:

In the vein of Shaun of the Dead, Tucker & Dale is a wild, wonky tale of two hillbilly buddies trying to survive their vacation in the woods when they are mistaken for killers by a gang of college kids. Our heroes valiantly save one of the college girls from drowning but are accused of wrongdoing. The chase ensues, not treating the students too well, leaving us with a gory but hilarious tale of two hillbillies and their hearts of gold.

Two hillbillies that aren’t the killers, but just on the wrong end of a series of mishaps? Sounds too good, no? Well it gets better when you hear that the titular roles of Tucker and Dale will be played by fan favorites Alan Tudyk (Serenity) and Tyler Labine (Reaper). 30 Rock’s Katrina Bowden also stars as one of the accident-prone college kids.

The film officially debut’s at Sundance, and is expected to have a distributor and release date shortly thereafter. Check out two brand new clips from the film after the jump.

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Shaun of the Dead started a new trend of horror comedies that was once lost after the mainstream success of the Ghostbusters franchise in the late 80s. From there, films like Zombieland and Fido took the ball and ran with it. It was only a matter of time before the formula was used on something other than the zombie genre.

Enter Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, a new horror comedy in the works that puts the “teens killed by hillbillies in the woods” storyline on it’s head. The film shows what it’s like from the other end of the scale, and what if the hillbillies weren’t really all that evil.

Starring Firefly’s Alan Tudyk and Reaper’s Tyler Labine (what could become the American equivalent of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost), the film could help the genre mash-up of Horror Comedy grow some real legs, after Zombieland helped put it on the map this summer.

Check out the first trailer for the film after the jump, and we’ll be sure to have more info on the film (such as a hard release date) as soon as it comes to us.

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Even though its not on Matt Raub’s list (at least I don’t think it is), Reaper is one of those shows you’re not watching, but probably should be. The story of a boy who collects souls for his father Satan and sends them back to hell with the help of his two bumbling pals hasn’t exactly been a ratings darling for the somewhat struggling CW network. Sadly, given its ratings, it seemed cancillation and oblivion was the likely scenario for the show. Not so, according to an article over at The Hollywood Reporter.

According to the article, sources say show producer ABC Studios is in talks with CW affiliate stations about continuing Reaper as a syndicated series on Sunday night — seeing as how the CW recently gave Sunday back to its affiliates and they need programming besides local car commercials and reruns of Jerico. Another possible scenario is for the show to continue on cable. However, both of these are considered longshots mostly due to the cost of producing the show for cable or syndication and to series co-star Tyler Labine’s new Fox comedy series Sons of Tuscon, which was recently picked up by Fox. 

To be honest, Reaper was an interesting and intriguing show with a good cast when it first started but, for whatever reason, lost me half way through this season. Perhaps the show could find its stride once again if given a new lease on life in syndication or on cable? Or, maybe its time to just let the show die a dignified death like so many other quality shows these days that can’t seem to find an audience.