New Release Tuesday (7/5/11)!!!

Must Buy DVD of the Week!

HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN (BLU):  This was definitely one of ITMOD's most anticipated films of 2011 and I really can't believe it's already out on DVD/Blu Ray.  It seems like I've been waiting years & years for this to finally be on my shelf--There It Is!  Right between blus of Hitman and Hot Tub Time Machine!  Matt & I had a rollicking good time with this at the West End Cinema last month and I even managed to snag a Blu from a sneaky Best Buy last week.  I've watched it sheepishly while doing chores a couple days ago and I'm planning to attack my wife with it later in the week.  And then I need to tackle the shotgun mode and the rest of the special features.  Anyway, if yer a fan of exploitation flicks like Street Trash or the Toxie franchise than you have to do yourself a favor with this purchase.  

Buy!

13 Assassins:  Whereas Matt & I managed a theatrical outing with Hobo With A Shotgun, we missed seeing Takashi Miike's latest on the big screen.  Shame.  I've heard nothing but good things, and even though after burning out on Miike's The Great Yokai War and Sukiyaki Western Django, I am ready to return to his special brand of madness.  Just in time for Ninja Kids!

DAS BOOT (BLU):  Haven't watched this film since college and back then I don't think I was the film fan that I am today to properly appreciate it.  Looking forward to diving into the 209 minute Director's Cut.

HANNIE CAULDER (BLU):  The above photo is reason enough for this purchase.  I've never been much of a Raquel Welch fan, but she's hotter than the sun in this flick.  Do you need another reason to pick this up?  How 'bout Ernest Borgnine, Christopher Lee, Jack Elam, Robert Culp, and Strother Martin.  Some of the humor doesn't always work, but there's enough fun in that cast to warrant a purchase especially for all you Western fans out there.

OBLIVION:  I don't really like Full Moon flicks, but there are a few exceptions.  Oblvion is one of those.  Total cheeze with an incredibly weak leading man, but the Wishmaster himself Andrew Divoff relishes his brief screen time and Geroge Takai...yeah, George Takai man...he hams it up proper, "Jim...Beam Me Up."  When the mood is right Oblivion will satisfy.

TRAILERS FROM HELL VOLUME 2:  If you love movies than you should already be in love with Trailers From Hell.  I visit the site on an almost daily basis and I've been craving this DVD release since its announcement.  Thankfully, via Twitter and the Daily Grindhouse I scored a copy and it should be arriving on my doorstep any day now.  Aaaaaannnnnndddd, the other cool thing about this DVD besides the countless filmmakers rambling on about their favorite films & trailers is that it contains the original Little Shop of Horrors (and as the box says) for the first time in Anamorphic Widescreen!  That's pretty damn nifty.  Love that flick.

Rent!

BLOODRAYNE THE THIRD REICH:  I must be a sadomasochist cuz I'm not splashing this awfulness on the Avoid! list.  After Postal, I swore never to watch another Uwe Boll film.  I hated, hated, hated, hated that movie.  But I also really enjoyed the first Bloodrayne film.  It was so crappy.  But wonderfully crappily miscast with Michael Madsen and Michelle Rodriguez and Meatloaf and Billy Zane.  I loved it so.  The second Bloodrayne plopped down in the Western genre with Zach Ward's vampiric Billy The Kid and was nowhere near as entertaining.  And I'm sure this one is gonna suck too.  But I gotta find out.  Nazi Doctor Clint Howard...damn you Boll.

WINNEBAGO MAN:  I've heard mixed responses regarding this documentary centered around viral video star Jack Rebney and the origin of his commercial meltdown.  Part of me feels that this will just be an exercise in squirming, horrible awkwardness but another part of me thinks that there could be something interested to be said about the You Tube world we all live in.  Not sure this is gonna tackle that though.

--Brad

Jason Eisner's Treevenge!

Before Jason Eisner rocked ITMOD's world with Hobo With A Shotgun, he directed the Christmas Horror short film, Treevenge.  And ya know what?  It's another reason to buy fake trees for the apartment every year.  Not only will I not get pine needles forever embedded in the carpet, but I won't get my brain skewered.  Click On The Gorey Image Below To Watch, but be warned it's potty mouthed and quite gooey.

Excellent.  Now I have something else to watch next to Gremlins, Silent Night Deadly Night, Die Hard, Rare Exports, Lethal Weapon, Santa's Slay, The Proposition, and Black Christmas.

Thanks to cineAWESOME! for posting the video.

Bonus: Hobo Art:

--Brad

Matt’s Week in Dork! (5/22-5/28)

    This was an excellent week for this dork for many reasons.  As always, let me start with the movie reviews.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides:  More rip-roaring adventures on the fantastically weird seas.  If you enjoyed the first three, you should find plenty to like here.  Depp and Rush take the front seat here and they’re good.  Even Penelope Cruz, who I haven’t liked since first seeing in Belle Epoque (an otherwise great movie), is far less grating than usual.  My one major complaint is that the romance between the young missionary and the mermaid is completely uninteresting and serves to detract from the rest of the film.  The screen time would have been better served with more time for the villainous Ian McShane.  Overall, a nice addition to the series.

Doctor Who: The Mutants:  Again I’m glad to see Jon Pertwee in a story that takes him away from Earth.  This time, in the far future, he’s dealing with a fading human empire and a weird, primitive world plagued by mutants.  There are some very strange ideas, and the reveal is pretty cool.  Well worth viewing, and as they get away from the mostly Earth-bound years of Pertwee, the stories start to feel more like what you’d expect from the Tom Baker years.  A great supporting cast help this story out, as well.

Doctor Who: Frontier in Space:  Wow.  This story just keeps going and going.  And then it has another few episodes.  It’s not bad, and I think had I watched it an episode a week, I’d have liked it a lot.  But, watching it in one go is a slog.  I could have dealt without the Master, frankly.  But the rest of it is pretty good.  It’s just really, really long.

Attack the Block:  What happens when a bunch of nasty ape-dog things drop on some projects in London?  The local hoodlums may just have to step up to the plate and learn how to be men.  This movie balances humor with horror extremely well, mixing in a good dose of excitement and some genuine characters.  Yes, you’ve got to deal with accents and slang.  Deal.  It’s worth it.

Hobo With a Shotgun:  If you dig the shocking and degenerate antics of the early days of Troma, you’ve got to check out Hobo With a Shotgun.  Feeling like it was made in 1985, with some John Carpenter style synth music, plenty of goofy gore, and some delightfully off key dialog, it’s a blast for fans of that certain vibe.  If you’re easily offended, well, what are you doing even thinking about watching this?  Otherwise, check out some madness from our neighbors to the north.  And yes, Rutger Hauer has still got it.

Cadfael: The Virgin in the Ice:  More medieval investigations from the good Brother Cadfael.  Is his young friend Brother Oswin a murdering rapist?  Who is the mysterious woodsman?  And can a band of murderous bandits be stopped?  All will be revealed with a little sleuthing, a touch of politics, and some fancy sword work.  Sadly, Sean Pertwee’s short tenure as Hugh Beringar is over by this episode, being replaced here by Eoin McCarthy.

Kung Fu Panda 2:  As with the first film, this manages to be both a fun kids film and a solid homage to classic martial arts cinema.  Like Jet Li in Tai-Chi Master, Po must learn Inner Peace before he can triumph over evil.  Lots of fantastic fighting, beautiful animation, and surprisingly witty humor (mixed with some more typical slapstick) make for a fine family film that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

Undercurrent:  Katherine Hepburn is the tomboyish daughter of a fun old scientist.  When a dashing industrialist sweeps her off her feet, life seems pretty grand.  But the shadow of a long lost brother haunts her new love.  Who is this mysterious and hated man?  As Hepburn struggles to find out, we see a great deal of tension as hidden histories come near the surface.  Is Mike dead?  Was he a thief?  A monster?  The actual reveal interesting, I guess.  But in truth, the finale is kind of limp and overlong.  Part of the problem is that Hepburn starts out as an interesting, potentially strong character, but devolves into a screeching damsel.

    So I managed to get out and see four movies this week, which is a rare treat indeed.  One of those was the special showing of Attack the Block, which my fellow Dork, Brad and I saw in DC at the pretty nice little Regal theater right by Chinatown on 7th Street NW.  It was fun to take a trip into DC via the metro line, where the people watching is always a lot of fun.  In spite of living so close, I don’t actually get in to DC that often, and usually by car late at night for some midnight show at E Street.  The other especially cool viewing was of the soon to be cult classic Hobo with a Shotgun which Brad and I got to see at the West End Cinema on 23rd Street NW.  A fun little hole in the wall theater with a very friendly guy working the counter.  It looks like their general fodder is a touch high-brow for me, but I’ll keep my eye out for upcoming stuff.  I’d like to go back.  And, I got some free popcorn on the way out, which was an extra pleasant ending to a cool film.

    I’ve also been enjoying a bunch of music.  Thanks to my old chum Joe, I picked up Oh Land’s US debut CD.  And I’ve been listening to a bunch of Goldfrapp, too.  Kind of a retro-80s vibe to the music this week.  And Garfunkel and Oats put out a new song, too.  Oh, those girls are so perverse.

    Sadly, I did not finish any books this week (close, though).  I did read a bit of the 70s Conan newspaper strip.  That was fun, though it's the goofy Marvel-style Conan I'm not as much of a fan of.

-Matt

Hobo With A Shotgun DVD/BLU RAY Release Date!

It's been a while since we've posted anything on Hobo With A Shotgun, one of my most eagerly anticipated films of the year.  It's playing On Demand Right Now!  But I've kinda been crossing my fingers that some place like E Street or Cinema Arts is going to be playing it on the Big Screen around my neck of the woods.  However, today they announced that Hobo is gonna hit the retail streets on 7/5/11.  So at the very least, I'm waiting for Blu.  Details below:

--Brad

More Hobo Art + The Official Green Band Trailer Revealed!

Hobo With A Shotgun hits On Demand in the states this Friday, but won't land in theaters till May 6th.  I'm guessing that I won't be able to wait for the theater experience.  I'm hitting up iTunes as soon as humanly possible.

--Brad

When Bears Attack They Attack Savagely! More Hobo Madness!!!

Here at ITMOD, we are making it our mission to get you as excited as we are for Jason Eisner's Hobo With A Shotgun-and apparently as much as the good folks over at Rue Morgue.  Just check out that cover!  The first thing that pops into my head after loosing myself to its exploitative beauty?  What's the deal with that bear?

Well, maybe original Hobo David Brunt knows a thing or two about this savage beast?

Still not excited?  What are you, simple?  Here's a nifty Making of Hobo Trailer to inspire that lump of coal trapped in yer chest.  "More Blood, More Heart!"

--Brad

Criterion New Release: Hobo With A Shotgun!?!?!?!?!

Uh, just kidding.  However, over on his twisted little blog, director Jason Eisner recently posted this demented bit of fan art that just had me chuckling.  I'm glad to see that we're not the only ones chomping at the bit to witness Rutger's Hobo shotgun some punks.  A couple days ago I rewatched JCVD's Hard Target and I've been mulling over in my head what other flicks to consume as a way to properly prep for Hobo.  I feel like I need to watch some Troma stuff, Toxie or maybe Surf Nazis Must Die?  I definitely need to get Street Trash in sometime quick.  

--Brad

A Fistfull of Hobos! (Matt's Picks)

As Brad said, in honor of the upcoming film, five of my favorite film hobos.


5.  Boxcar Bertha (Barbara Hershey):  A strange waif, she manages to befriend some tough hombres and get stuff done.

4.  Bum (Bonnie Aarons):  I’m never going behind Winkey’s, no matter how many blue boxes and keys you offer me.  Never.  Scaryass Bum.

3.  Street Schizo (Alice Cooper):  He’s got a message.  But frankly, I don’t want to hear it.

2.  Miette (Judith Vittet):  A streetwise little girl working as a thief, she is willing to go the distance to help her friends.  When she hooks up with Ron Perlman’s circus strongman, they make a dynamic duo of lost souls on a quest to find some missing kids.

1.  Nada (Roddy Piper):  This dude knows how to get by, and he just wants a fair shake.  But when he puts on some magic sunglasses and sees that the world is being run by pizza-faced aliens, he can’t just stand by.  He’s gonna take ‘em down, no matter how many cardboard boxes they throw in his way.  (And an Honorable Mention to his sparing partner and companion Frank Armitage, played to sunglass hating perfection by Keith David).

-Matt

A Fistful of Hobos! (Brad's Picks)

In honor of the upcoming release of Hobo With A Shotgun (April 1st On Demand, In Theaters May 6th), we here at ITMOD are celebrating our favorite street urchins.  Honestly, this was one of the toughest lists to cobble together.  There have been lots of great cinematic hobos, from David Carradine's Woody Guthrie to Ice-T's game survivor Jack Mason.  I almost dropped Randolph and Mortimer Duke onto the list, but their brief screentime in Coming to America made them ineligible.


5.  The Kid (Dick Tracy):  After spending years stealing food for The Tramp and being rewarded with constant beatings, The Kid is rescued from the street by sharp dresser Dick Tracy.  He hates dames and is always ready for the next meal.  "When do we eat?"  And when you're tied up in a basement 'bout to blow he's mighty handy with a baseball.

4.  Romulus (The Caveman's Valentine):  Possibly the craziest bastard on this list (well, let's reevaluate that after #1), Sam Jackson's former Julliard trained pianist believes that a faceless being named Stuyvesant is controlling the world via rays from the Chrysler Building, and is also responsible for the corpse he just found hanging from a tree outside his cave in Central Park.  The Caveman's Valentine is a strange, neo-noir with a brilliant if completely nuts-o unreliable narrator in Romulus.  Enjoy your awkwardness with your procedural.

3.  A No. 1 (Emperor of the North):  Nobody can beat a man to the ground with a live chicken like Lee Marvin's rail rider A No. 1.  And when he goes up against Ernest Borgnine's pscyhotic 'bo chaser Shack he's gonna need an ax and a whole lotta Hobo strength to take him down.

2.  Chance Boudreaux (Hard Target):  Jean Claude Van Damme and his achy breaky mullet might be homeless, but thanks to some bayou upbringing and military killing skills he's quite the formidable opponent to Lance Henriksen's most dangerous game hunters, and they really should have given up the hunt once they saw him balancing on that dirt bike.  Oh yes, Hard Target is easily John Woo's best American movie (sorry Face/Off).

1.  Bronson (Street Trash):  Street Trash is THE Homeless Movie.  And Bronson is The King of All Hobos.  He's a Monster!  A deranged Vietnam Vet who sits upon a Junkyard Throne like some Frazetta Death Dealer, Bronson must go fist-to-fist with the equally badass Bill The Cop while partaking in the most disgusting and ridiculous game of hot potato ever put on screen.  Once witnessed, he's impossible to forget.

--Brad

Hobo With A Shotgun: The Game???

Yesterday, we posted Mondo Tees new Hobo With A Shotgun Poster.  Today, comes word that Mondo is getting into the Video Game business...or at least the Itunes App business.  Play as The Hobo in this 16-bit NES style side scroller, blasting your way through endless punks until your ammo run out--then it's time to beat 'em down with your shotgun!

Wired Magazine spoke with Alamo Drafthouse founder, Tim League about this new venture into the world of geekdom.  He expresses interest in other indie App games like the whacked-out mindbender, Timecrimes and I can't help but wonder what a Monsters App would look like.  The game will be available March, 11th and will cost excited dorks everywhere $2.99.  Check out the game's trailer at http://hoboshotgungame.com/

--Brad

Mondo Poster: Hobo With A Shotgun

SO NSFW

Bloody Disgusting has scooped the next poster in Mondo Tees SXSW series and it's a brutal bit of Troma-like Sickness.  Hobo With A Shotgun started out as the Fake Trailer contest winner for Quentin Tarantino & Robert Rodriguez's Grindhouse.  

But director Jason Eisener quickly found the funding for the feature length adventure starring everyone's favorite furiously blind swordsman (what? Am I the only one who prefers Blind Fury over Zatoichi?) Rutger Hauer.  

Gosh, I just love Rutger's Hate-Filled speech to the babies.  And I'm really hoping that this can take that Troma vibe and elevate it.

--Brad