Terri
ATO Pictures
In Theaters: 08.19
Director Azazel Jacobs attempts to put an original spin on the “overweight high school student who’s teased by his peers as he swoons over the most popular girl” storyline, but actually falls into the same unoriginal plot points as seen in previous endeavors with mixed results. The hefty hero in question is Terri (Jacob Wysocki), a socially inept teenager who lives with and cares for his ailing uncle (The Office’s Creed Bratton) while enduring daily harassments from his insecure classmates. In an act of defiance, Terri consistently arrives late to school dressed in pajamas, which is never fully explained, but it may be best to leave it that way. Terri’s unusual outbursts eventually attract the attention of Mr. Fitzgerald (John C. Reilly), a charismatic assistant principal who schedules weekly meetings with special students and makes Terri his latest project. It appears Jacobs is unsure whether he is developing a sentimental drama or a charming comedy, which ultimately leaves an unsettling final creation. As always, Reilly is capable of distributing a wide spectrum of acting abilities, which plays nicely with his emotionally topsy-turvy character. However, while Reilly shines, his talents expose the mediocre acting capabilities of Wysocki. –Jimmy Martin

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil
Magnet Releasing
In Theaters: 09.30
There are two locations in this world you should never misbehave in: Disney World’s Security Offices and the backwoods region of the deep South. Being a smart aleck in either never results positively, especially in the latter. This fact is clearly misrepresented in Eli Craig’s horror comedy, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil. Redneck best friends Tucker (Alan Tudyk) and Dale (Tyler Labine) are on their way to spend a relaxing vacation in their recently purchased cabin in the woods, but after they cross paths with a group of preppy college kids, the standard prejudices (based upon classic horror films) are rapidly fired at the clichéd country boys. In a heroic rescue of one of the students, the helpful hicks are mistaken for vicious kidnappers, and the rest of the snobby suburbanites plan a deadly act of revenge. As a series of miscommunications lead to an increasing body count with formulaic misconceptions to blame, a mystery surrounding the dense forest begins to unravel. Craig delivers one comical sight gag after another by playfully tinkering with the horror genre’s most hackneyed components (i.e. a terrifying chainsaw wielding maniac). Craig perfectly mixes the comedy and horror genres with two charming lead characters appropriately portrayed by Tudyk and Labine. The laughs never stop as Craig hones in on every absurd horror attribute conceivable and generates the funniest gore fest since Shaun of the Dead. –Jimmy Martin