SusannahHorror Comedy Challenge: Tucker & Dale vs Evil Vs Rubber
May 1st 2011 02:26
Horror Comedy Challenge: TUCKER & DALE VS EVIL (2010) vs RUBBER (2010)
Tucker & Dale vs Evil (2010)
Starring: Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk, Katrina Bowden and Jesse Moss
Directed by: Eli Craig
Tucker & Dale vs Evil is a horror comedy that plays with audience's expectations by manipulating the usual horror tropes. Our first look at the titular characters, Tucker and Dale, as played by Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine, is from the viewpoint of a group of teenagers, who glimpse them from a car as they pass them. They appear to be sinister hillbillies. We then follow Tucker and Dale, and, from their conversation, learn that they are not from round these parts neither, and are heading out to fix up Tucker's newly bought holiday home (a shack reminiscent of The Evil Dead). But the "college kids" are not to know this, and, encountering our two heroes at a truck stop, while stocking up on beer, the situation is only made worse when Dale takes a fancy to one of the girls, Allison (Katrina Bowden) and attempts to talk to her. Unfortunately, he approaches the group while clutching a scythe, and, under the advice of Tucker, laughs at the end of his question, "Are you guys going camping?" Instead of sounding confident as he intends, it comes out as a creepy giggle, causing the group to quickly scram. Other clichés are played upon, like the unwelcoming hick town, jump noises on the soundtrack, and, hilariously, one of the characters turns suddenly to see a sinisterly perched crow.
The film continues to set up horror situations, which you know will go horribly wrong for the college kids, as they continue to get the wrong idea about Tucker and Dale. Attempting to go skinny-dipping, Allison falls off a rock and gets rescued by Tucker and Dale. It soon emerges that this is Dale's story. Suffering from low self-esteem, and a lack of self-belief, Tucker tries to encourage Dale to take a chance and talk to Allison. Dale assumes Allison is out of his league. But while she recuperates, he gets to know her, and finds some of his own assumptions challenged. Not all college kids are full of themselves, and she learns that Tucker and Dale are not the hicks they appear to be: a sort of horror-comedy Pride and Prejudice if you will.
However, the others assume she has been kidnapped, and sociopath in the making, Chad, who has taken a liking to Allison, is determined to get revenge. After all, he has not been practising his axe-throwing for nothing. Chad spooks the college kids further by telling them about a massacre that took place in that very area 20 years before. Before long, the college kids are convinced that they have entered into their very own, real-life Deliverance, and launch an all out assault on Tucker and Dale. The horror sequences are well set-up. One hilarious sequence involves Tucker fleeing from a bee swarm, and another, the use of a wood-chipper. Being the good guys, Tucker and Dale don't actually kill anyone, but this being a horror film, the body-count is still fairly high. The subverting of horror expectations lessens as the film develops, and the plot progresses, but it still remains fairly funny towards the end. In the horror tradition there is even a little twist at the end.
Rubber (2010)
Starring: Stephen Spinella, Jack Plotnick, Wings Hauser, Remy Thorne, Roxane Mesquida, Robert.
Directed by: Quentin Dupieux
Rubber is not what you would expect. From the trailer it appears to be a simple horror-comedy about a killer tyre. An inanimate object chosen, presumably, for its complete lack of scariness: thus making it funnier. But no, Rubber's aim is actually to be a film without any purpose: to deliberately subvert the rules of cinema and to deflate expectations at every opportunity. This is demonstrated early on when a police car pulls up in front of a group of spectators, deliberately knocking down all the chairs placed in its route before coming to a stop. Lieutenant Chad (Stephen Spinella) then climbs out of the trunk, gets a full glass of water from the driver, and then proceeds to tell the spectators about famous movies that had no reasons for key parts of their plots. Why was the alien in E.T. brown? No reason. Why did the two characters fall in love in Love Story? No reason. And, hilariously: why did the pianist in The Pianist have to live like a bum when he was a brilliant piano player? No reason. (Well, maybe there was a reason for that last one). Once his speech is finished, he tips out the water, and climbs back into the trunk of the car before it drives off. This sums up Rubber. Everything and anything happens for no reason. Unfortunately, this makes Rubber an unsatisfying watch, as you keep hoping it will shift into a more traditional film and build some kind of narrative you can get involved in. Instead, deliberately, Rubber keeps you at a distance.
The narrative of Rubber itself is intriguing. Robert the tyre awakens alone and abandoned in the desert. Why has he achieved consciousness? No reason. He then takes tentative steps; trying to roll, and falling over. Soon he is cruising along, investigating things that cross his path, and blowing up what he cannot roll over - with his mind. Why is Robert so angry? No reason. Robert's rage begins with rabbits and birds being blown up, and then extends to people, blowing up their heads in a gory fashion. The tyre effects are actually quite good. Robert rolls along effortlessly and independently. The head exploding effects are reasonable. At times Robert is actually quite sinister. He ends up stalking Sheila (Roxane Mesquida). He is also the most developed character. He watches motorsport! In an extended flashback sequence he thinks over his life so far, even flashing back to when he was on a car wheel. In the closest the film comes to a climax, Robert comes across several men burning tyres, and gazes menacingly through the wire fence at the holocaust. You can sense the rage.
Rubber uses numerous devices to break the fourth wall. The first is an inclusion of spectators. Within the film of Rubber are spectators who have gathered together to watch the film develop in real time. They are managed by The Accountant (Jack Plotnick - awesome name), but not given any food or anywhere to sleep; only binoculars with which to view the antics of Robert from a distance. But the film will only play out as long as someone is watching. Therefore, The Accountant tries to do away with the spectators in order to make the film stop. The characters of the spectators are fleshed out a little, and they make some humorous commentary on the film, such as it’s a bit slow and boring at the start. Their role even extends to a plot suggestion later on, and a request to hurry up the action. There is also a sequence where, thinking that they no longer need to play out the events of the film because no one is watching, Lieutenant Chad attempts to convince the other actors that the film is not real and that they can all go home.
Thus Rubber attempts to subvert traditional cinema at every turn. Negating every opportunity to build suspense and create involvement in the narrative. It is reminiscent of Brechtian theatre, but without the emotional connection that Brecht's plays produce in addition to reminding you that you are watching a play. It is a shame because Rubber had the potential to create a clever and satirical take on the horror genre in the vein of the Scream franchise, if it had only been more of a film, and less of a statement against film; if it had had a message behind its satire rather than just the touted "no reason." Therefore it is just breaking the fourth wall and subverting the traditional structure of film for the sake of it. I guess in that sense it truly achieves its aim of "No reason." The end of the film also suggests director Dupieux is waging a personal a war on Hollywood, the heartland of traditional, formulaic filmic structure.
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Tucker & Dale vs Evil (2010)
Starring: Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk, Katrina Bowden and Jesse Moss
Directed by: Eli Craig
Tucker & Dale vs Evil is a horror comedy that plays with audience's expectations by manipulating the usual horror tropes. Our first look at the titular characters, Tucker and Dale, as played by Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine, is from the viewpoint of a group of teenagers, who glimpse them from a car as they pass them. They appear to be sinister hillbillies. We then follow Tucker and Dale, and, from their conversation, learn that they are not from round these parts neither, and are heading out to fix up Tucker's newly bought holiday home (a shack reminiscent of The Evil Dead). But the "college kids" are not to know this, and, encountering our two heroes at a truck stop, while stocking up on beer, the situation is only made worse when Dale takes a fancy to one of the girls, Allison (Katrina Bowden) and attempts to talk to her. Unfortunately, he approaches the group while clutching a scythe, and, under the advice of Tucker, laughs at the end of his question, "Are you guys going camping?" Instead of sounding confident as he intends, it comes out as a creepy giggle, causing the group to quickly scram. Other clichés are played upon, like the unwelcoming hick town, jump noises on the soundtrack, and, hilariously, one of the characters turns suddenly to see a sinisterly perched crow.
Tucker & Dale vs Evil poster
The film continues to set up horror situations, which you know will go horribly wrong for the college kids, as they continue to get the wrong idea about Tucker and Dale. Attempting to go skinny-dipping, Allison falls off a rock and gets rescued by Tucker and Dale. It soon emerges that this is Dale's story. Suffering from low self-esteem, and a lack of self-belief, Tucker tries to encourage Dale to take a chance and talk to Allison. Dale assumes Allison is out of his league. But while she recuperates, he gets to know her, and finds some of his own assumptions challenged. Not all college kids are full of themselves, and she learns that Tucker and Dale are not the hicks they appear to be: a sort of horror-comedy Pride and Prejudice if you will.
Tucker & Dale
Chad and Allison
However, the others assume she has been kidnapped, and sociopath in the making, Chad, who has taken a liking to Allison, is determined to get revenge. After all, he has not been practising his axe-throwing for nothing. Chad spooks the college kids further by telling them about a massacre that took place in that very area 20 years before. Before long, the college kids are convinced that they have entered into their very own, real-life Deliverance, and launch an all out assault on Tucker and Dale. The horror sequences are well set-up. One hilarious sequence involves Tucker fleeing from a bee swarm, and another, the use of a wood-chipper. Being the good guys, Tucker and Dale don't actually kill anyone, but this being a horror film, the body-count is still fairly high. The subverting of horror expectations lessens as the film develops, and the plot progresses, but it still remains fairly funny towards the end. In the horror tradition there is even a little twist at the end.
Wood-Chipper
Rubber (2010)
Starring: Stephen Spinella, Jack Plotnick, Wings Hauser, Remy Thorne, Roxane Mesquida, Robert.
Directed by: Quentin Dupieux
Rubber is not what you would expect. From the trailer it appears to be a simple horror-comedy about a killer tyre. An inanimate object chosen, presumably, for its complete lack of scariness: thus making it funnier. But no, Rubber's aim is actually to be a film without any purpose: to deliberately subvert the rules of cinema and to deflate expectations at every opportunity. This is demonstrated early on when a police car pulls up in front of a group of spectators, deliberately knocking down all the chairs placed in its route before coming to a stop. Lieutenant Chad (Stephen Spinella) then climbs out of the trunk, gets a full glass of water from the driver, and then proceeds to tell the spectators about famous movies that had no reasons for key parts of their plots. Why was the alien in E.T. brown? No reason. Why did the two characters fall in love in Love Story? No reason. And, hilariously: why did the pianist in The Pianist have to live like a bum when he was a brilliant piano player? No reason. (Well, maybe there was a reason for that last one). Once his speech is finished, he tips out the water, and climbs back into the trunk of the car before it drives off. This sums up Rubber. Everything and anything happens for no reason. Unfortunately, this makes Rubber an unsatisfying watch, as you keep hoping it will shift into a more traditional film and build some kind of narrative you can get involved in. Instead, deliberately, Rubber keeps you at a distance.
Rubber film poster
The narrative of Rubber itself is intriguing. Robert the tyre awakens alone and abandoned in the desert. Why has he achieved consciousness? No reason. He then takes tentative steps; trying to roll, and falling over. Soon he is cruising along, investigating things that cross his path, and blowing up what he cannot roll over - with his mind. Why is Robert so angry? No reason. Robert's rage begins with rabbits and birds being blown up, and then extends to people, blowing up their heads in a gory fashion. The tyre effects are actually quite good. Robert rolls along effortlessly and independently. The head exploding effects are reasonable. At times Robert is actually quite sinister. He ends up stalking Sheila (Roxane Mesquida). He is also the most developed character. He watches motorsport! In an extended flashback sequence he thinks over his life so far, even flashing back to when he was on a car wheel. In the closest the film comes to a climax, Robert comes across several men burning tyres, and gazes menacingly through the wire fence at the holocaust. You can sense the rage.
Robert is up to no good
Rubber uses numerous devices to break the fourth wall. The first is an inclusion of spectators. Within the film of Rubber are spectators who have gathered together to watch the film develop in real time. They are managed by The Accountant (Jack Plotnick - awesome name), but not given any food or anywhere to sleep; only binoculars with which to view the antics of Robert from a distance. But the film will only play out as long as someone is watching. Therefore, The Accountant tries to do away with the spectators in order to make the film stop. The characters of the spectators are fleshed out a little, and they make some humorous commentary on the film, such as it’s a bit slow and boring at the start. Their role even extends to a plot suggestion later on, and a request to hurry up the action. There is also a sequence where, thinking that they no longer need to play out the events of the film because no one is watching, Lieutenant Chad attempts to convince the other actors that the film is not real and that they can all go home.
Lieutenant Chad tips out the water
Thus Rubber attempts to subvert traditional cinema at every turn. Negating every opportunity to build suspense and create involvement in the narrative. It is reminiscent of Brechtian theatre, but without the emotional connection that Brecht's plays produce in addition to reminding you that you are watching a play. It is a shame because Rubber had the potential to create a clever and satirical take on the horror genre in the vein of the Scream franchise, if it had only been more of a film, and less of a statement against film; if it had had a message behind its satire rather than just the touted "no reason." Therefore it is just breaking the fourth wall and subverting the traditional structure of film for the sake of it. I guess in that sense it truly achieves its aim of "No reason." The end of the film also suggests director Dupieux is waging a personal a war on Hollywood, the heartland of traditional, formulaic filmic structure.
Robert does some damage
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