The Howling: Reborn (2011)

I don’t see “The Howling Reborn” so much as a reboot of “The Howling” as a dramatic twist on “Teen Wolf.” That’s basically the premise behind this re-launch of the infamous “The Howling” franchise. It basically takes it back to high school with a fresh young cast of Canadians, all of whom are embroiled in the tooth and snout of the full moon madness. Landon Liboiron who is becoming a very well versed Scream king is the Teen Wolf this picture sets down on who is merely your average friendly neighborhood geek who has a destiny he is not yet aware of. Considering we barely see any werewolves at all, “The Howling Reborn” really could have been so much worse.

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Horrible Bosses (2011)

horrible_bosses2“Horrible Bosses” has an interesting premise. It’s about three men, all with three variously demented and wicked bosses, who decide one night to murder them each. Do they dare live out the American Dream? But within the good intentions and sharp casting (Colin Farrell with a comb over is hysterical, nevertheless) lies a fairly unpleasant movie that tries to be about as outrageous as your humdrum Farrelly Brothers film and fails to even remotely funny or laugh inducing. Three men with three different bosses decide enough is enough begin planning, with the help of a hit man, their untimely demises.

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The Hangover Part II (2011)

It’s nice the producers of “The Hangover 2” loved the original so much they gave us the same movie again except in Bangkok. Unoriginal sentiment? Yes, but “The Hangover 2” deserves it for being an unoriginal movie. Unusually dark and lacking in the adventurous tone the original possessed, “The Hangover 2” is essentially the same formula except switched and mismatched for the audience to believe they’re watching something new. Of course, I put myself in to the mindset of the writers and wondered where else they could have gone with the sequel. It’s called “The Hangover,” there was a first movie about a hangover, and now we’re back to the sequel which will deal with what exactly? A hangover, I presume.

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Hobo With a Shotgun (2011)

hwasgJason Eisener’s “Hobo with a Shotgun” was such a long time coming it’s ridiculous. With a movie that’s dared to defy all expectations, it’s very much a twisted balance between Troma and pure unadulterated Grindhouse madness that has the potential to reach mainstream audiences with a wider theatrical release. With “Grindhouse” flopping, and “Machete” floundering at the box office, “Hobo with a Shotgun” is a breath of fresh air, a movie so utterly filled with mind-blowing grindhouse tropes and a genuinely interesting story that you can almost feel the piss stained theater floor under your feet, while watching what essentially adds up to being a tongue in cheek and darkly disturbing take on the class warfare in America. This is Jason Eisener’s America, a world where the battle of rich and poor amounts to trips in to Scumtown USA where we lay our scene.

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Hop (2011)

hopUnpleasant, unfunny and uninspiring, “Hop” is so much more awful than I’d originally predicted primarily because it took my rock bottom expectations and dashed them by delivering an even worse movie than my optimism would have allowed. I had hopes for “Hop” originally, and I’d opted on giving it a fair shake, but found myself genuinely annoyed by every inch of this disingenuous holiday commercial that is about as much about the holiday as Garry Marshall’s “Valentine’s Day” was in 2010. “Hop” is such a corporate tool that it feels like upon its original conception it was marketed to Hallmark and American Greetings for the sole sake of EB.

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Horno (2009)

hornoDirector Terrence Williams shows real promise on occasion, especially with films like “The Hood Has Eyez,” and with his newest film entitled “Horno,” he has an interesting concept but one that doesn’t pan out to an interesting movie. I wish I could have loved the shameless disgusting tripe that was doled out as something Troma angled, but in the end it’s just a good concept with a pretty faulty delivery. Williams has the right idea by inventing a concept within a concept, almost like a meta-movie, but the fact remains that hornos are a relatively established concept. Joe D’Amato infamously did it with films like “Sexy Erotic Nights of the Living Dead.”

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Howlin' for You (2011)

Howlin-For-You-620x250Leeroy: I’m pretty sure god would consider it a sin not to glorify that ass!

2008’s “Grindhouse” did not by any means revive the infamous double bill in movie theaters mainly because audiences attention spans are slim to nil. But on the bright side, the massive financial failure did breed a legion of indie and under ground filmmakers who would for many years re-invent the mock grindhouse movie trailer we saw displayed during “Grindhouse.” Subsequent the success of “Machete,” and “Hobo with a Shotgun,” every single filmmaker with a wild imagination are concocting their own mock grindhouse trailer. The Black Keys “Howlin’ for You” can now be seen as an exclusive music video where the group not only touts their fantastic rock song but also tells the tale of Alexa Wollf and her journey for vengeance!

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