Hobo With A Shotgun review...

[MinionZombie]

Without a doubt, my #1 film of 2011.

Usually I just do 'musings' - a brief 'whatever-comes-to-mind' bit of chit-chat - but I bothered to do a proper review for this flick, so follow the link:

http://deadshed.blogspot.com/2011/08/hobo-with-shotgun-jason-eisener-2011.html

In 2007 Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino brought us Planet Terror and Death Proof respectively, in the form of Grindhouse - a modern-day exploitation double bill (featuring fake trailers, one of which - Machete - has since become a feature), that flopped at the American box office, but which caught much more attention on home video. Grindhouse might not have set the world alight when it came to dollars exchanged at the ticket booth, but it has inspired a resurgence within the horror genre of pseudo-exploitationers inspired by the gritty and lurid fare that was synonymous with drive-ins across America and flea pit theatres on New York's 42nd street. Flicks such as Run! Bitch Run! (Joseph Guzman, 2009), and Nude Nuns With Big Guns (Joseph Guzman, 2010), hark back to infamous rape/revenge movies such as Last House on the Left (Wes Craven, 1972) and I Spit On Your Grave (Meir Zarchi, 1978), while more tongue-in-cheek outings such as Black Dynamite (Scott Sanders, 2009) are half-homage, half-parody (in the latter instance, of the blaxploitation cycle). Some of these post-Grindhouse movies spoof the era of sleaze-filled low budget titilating shockers, while others embrace it with true affection...

Continued via the above link.

[JDFP]

Proof that different tastes reign supreme with folks, MZ! I can appreciate your opinion, but I thought it was one of the worst films I've ever seen and felt ill at actually sitting through the whole thing!

j.p.

[AfterMovieDiner]

I didn't hate but it would never make my top film of the year list because the bad guys were just so frustratingly annoying and whiny. Just some of the worst acting I have seen in a long time. Plus, sometimes, in terms of the effects and gore, sometimes less is more. It didn't make me sick but it didn't shock me either and boy were the film makers trying to shock!

my review : http://aftermoviediner.blogspot.com/2011/05/hobo-with-shotgun-8th-may-2011.html

[rongravy]

Proof that different tastes reign supreme with folks, MZ! I can appreciate your opinion, but I thought it was one of the worst films I've ever seen and felt ill at actually sitting through the whole thing!

j.p.
I started to watch it myself, but then realized it was going to suck so I switched over to watching Hatchet. Wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy better movie. Looked like some kickass old school gore. I highly recommend it.

[MinionZombie]

I started to watch it myself, but then realized it was going to suck so I switched over to watching Hatchet. Wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy better movie. Looked like some kickass old school gore. I highly recommend it.

I'll have to totally disagree with this. I thought Hatchet was the most pointless load of old copycat cobblers ever.

[rongravy]

I'll have to totally disagree with this. I thought Hatchet was the most pointless load of old copycat cobblers ever.
Haha, maybe the fact that I started to watch Hobo and that it sucked so bad helped. Maybe I should try watching it before anything else so that whatever I watch afterwards doesn't seem to suck so bad. Ehhh, I liked it. Sure, it's all been done before. At least they didn't have a zombie baby, lol...
Effects were good, though.

[MikePizzoff]

I just think some people don't 'get' the genre which Hobo With A Shotgun falls in. Movies like that are intentionally over-the-top, with bad acting and gratuitous gore/nudity. You can tell the difference between when a movie is unintentionally bad and when the film maker is having fun paying homage to the movies that inspired him. Hobo falls in the latter category. However, like I said, a lot of people just don't get it and it's certainly not for everyone.

I can understand why people would hate it. However, considering the types of old action and horror movies I love, Hobo is right up my alley.

[bassman]

#1 film of 2011? Wow. I was hoping the film would be as enjoyable as Grindhouse, but I wasn't expecting THAT kind of reaction.

Now i've got to track this warlock down...

[clanglee]

Meh. . . I like Hobo. . . quite a bit really. . . . .but I didn't get a Grindhouse feel from this movie at all. . . . I got a Troma feel. This movie was so Troma, I was surprised Lloyd Kaufman didn't have an ad for his book posted halfway through.

[AfterMovieDiner]

I just think some people don't 'get' the genre which Hobo With A Shotgun falls in. Movies like that are intentionally over-the-top, with bad acting and gratuitous gore/nudity. You can tell the difference between when a movie is unintentionally bad and when the film maker is having fun paying homage to the movies that inspired him. Hobo falls in the latter category. However, like I said, a lot of people just don't get it and it's certainly not for everyone.

I can understand why people would hate it. However, considering the types of old action and horror movies I love, Hobo is right up my alley.

I got this and I don't mind that, I don't even mind the gore and nudity or the weirdness (octopus in a cupboard anyone?) but having just watched a pile of Joe Dante films for my next podcast, who is a guy who strings homages and references throughout his films, as do Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg, the thing these guys have that Hobo didn't are actual plots and actual scripts.

The comparison with Troma is a great one because there were things in it I love but a lot of the acting was just atrociously annoying and the plot/script just seemed frustratingly lazy.

The idea, a lot like Machete, was funny as a trailer but it takes real skill to string that out into a good feature length movie. Much like movies based on SNL sketches, most of them are crap in comparison to the idea behind them.
All that said, this was loads better than Machete and I would watch it again.

-- -------- Post added at 12:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:43 AM ----------


Meh. . . I like Hobo. . . quite a bit really. . . . .but I didn't get a Grindhouse feel from this movie at all. . . . I got a Troma feel. This movie was so Troma, I was surprised Lloyd Kaufman didn't have an ad for his book posted halfway through.

couldn't agree more.

[MinionZombie]

I just think some people don't 'get' the genre which Hobo With A Shotgun falls in. Movies like that are intentionally over-the-top, with bad acting and gratuitous gore/nudity. You can tell the difference between when a movie is unintentionally bad and when the film maker is having fun paying homage to the movies that inspired him. Hobo falls in the latter category. However, like I said, a lot of people just don't get it and it's certainly not for everyone.

I can understand why people would hate it. However, considering the types of old action and horror movies I love, Hobo is right up my alley.

I agree - you're either into it, or you're not, and there's no doubt going to be a section of the potential audience who won't chime with the vibe of it ... to each their own, I guess. Glad you were into it though, Mike. :)


#1 film of 2011? Wow. I was hoping the film would be as enjoyable as Grindhouse, but I wasn't expecting THAT kind of reaction.

Now i've got to track this warlock down...

Yeah - I loved it. If you were down with Grindhouse, and down with Machete, you should be down with Hobo With A Shotgun too.

As for the comparison to Troma - I don't see that at all. For one thing, Hobo is far more professionally put together in front of and behind the camera than any Troma production, and it's nowhere near as self-aware as any Troma production. While audiences of both types of film will possibly merge to a degree at least, they're very different approaches to filmmaking in my view.

Not once when watching Hobo did I ever think of Troma.

Bassman - you should definitely check out Hobo. :) Who knows, you might not like it quite as much as me, but seeing as you dug Grindhouse (and I assume Machete), then this should be a fun time for you. It's worth seeing for Rutger Hauer alone.

[clanglee]

INot once when watching Hobo did I ever think of Troma.

.

Really?!?!? I don't think you've seen enough Troma Movies my friend. Hobo was almost indistinguishable from a Troma film. It had the same gore level, the same wacked out/cheezy villains, the same tone even. It was a Troma film in all but name. And I don't say that like its a bad thing.

[AfterMovieDiner]

It was really only worth it for Rutger Hauer....

[MinionZombie]

Really?!?!? I don't think you've seen enough Troma Movies my friend. Hobo was almost indistinguishable from a Troma film. It had the same gore level, the same wacked out/cheezy villains, the same tone even. It was a Troma film in all but name. And I don't say that like its a bad thing.

I've seen quite a number of them actually, including ones not by Troma but under their banner, and yeah - didn't once get a Troma vibe from it.