Offices and Hillbillies

The Belko Experiment (2017): written by James Gunn; directed by Greg McLean; starring John Gallagher Jr. (Mike), Tony Goldwyn (Barry), Adria Arjona (Leandra), John C. McGinley (Wendell), and Melonie Diaz (Dany): A mysterious corporation with an office in Colombia is actually a social experiment in... well, Social Darwinism. It's an amiable comedy-horror movie with far too many recognizable actors to be effective when it comes to suspense: if you guess that the most recognizable actors will survive the longest, you'll mostly be right. James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) scripted this, a movie that would be a lot more fun if it were a lot cheaper, had a no-name cast, and were about 50% more vicious in its satire. Lightly recommended.


Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil (2010): written by Eli Craig and Morgan Jurgenson; directed by Eli Craig; starring Tyler Labine (Dale), Alan Tudyk (Tucker), Katrina Bowden (Allison), and Jesse Moss (Chad): Hilarious satire of the slasher film gives us Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine as hillbilly heroes whom a group of college kids believe to be serial killers (they're not), primarily because those college students have clearly watched too many backwoods-slasher films. Tudyk is great, as is Katrina Bowden as a college student who's not comfortable with the stereotype she's been stuck with by society. Tyler Labine gets pretty much the role he was born to play here -- comedic, sweet, disheveled. It's a clever film disguised as a buffoonish comedy, much like Labine. Highly recommended.