puccioj

It would be redundant, I'm sure, to call 2009's "Thor at the Bus Stop" a quirky, little, low-budget independent film. I mean, "quirky," "little," and "low-budget" practically define independent productions, and this one certainly qualifies on all counts, an odd duck that combines a little comedy, parody, and pathos into a fantasy about the Norse god Thor wandering the suburbs of Las Vegas. No, it's not the Chris Hemsworth Thor; this one is the Jerry Thompson Thor, Thompson having co-starred in, co-written, and co-directed the project with his brother Mike. It's their first full-length feature.

As one might expect of a low-budget effort, the movie doesn't look as polished as a big studio production and doesn't benefit from many experienced actors. That's part of its charm, of course. With the exception of Thor, for instance, the players seem to be wearing mainly their everyday clothes. Moreover, the Thompsons appear to have shot the film in and around the same few neighborhoods on the outskirts of Las Vegas, and the homes easily substitute for any housing tracts in America. So, it all works out pretty well in its Everyman, everywhere, sort of symbolic approach.

Anyway, while some of its humor falls flat, "Thor at the Bus Stop" is mostly amusing in its own deadpan manner, the assorted skits lazily weaving their humorous courses into and through one another. I didn't find any huge, laugh-out-loud gags in the film, just a succession of gently comical moments. In fact, the film's convoluted narrative style may remind viewers of "Pulp Fiction," with some of the laid-back whimsy of "The Big Lebowski" thrown in. In the case of the latter, the Thompson brothers may be experiencing a bit of Coen envy, and that's not a bad thing.

I don't think you're going to mistake "Thor at the Bus Stop" for a major Oscar winner, yet if you're like me, you may find the longer you watch it, the more you'll like it. You've just got a sweet, humorous, poignant little film here. For a first-time feature-length effort, it's not bad.

Let me also add that there is nothing about "Thor" that is offensive, crude, or gross. Unlike most of Hollywood's big-screen comedies anymore, "Thor" contains no profanity, no nudity, no sex, and virtually no violence. It's kind of refreshing, actually.

For the good, the first episode is well produced, well acted by Kevin Bacon and the rest of the cast, and well paced, with a few good moments of tension and suspense. For the not-so-good, the plot is far-fetched, the circumstances contrived, and the villain one of those criminal masterminds who is practically invincible. To add insult, the police are idiots, and the hero must usually go it alone. If it's exaggerated melodrama you're looking for, "The Following" provides it in the right doses. If it's anything like a realistic police procedural you want, fergetaboutit. PS: There's also a remarkable lack of humor in this otherwise very dark show. It starts grim and stays grim for the duration.

I was mistakenly sent the DVD of "The Storyteller" by Sony (Columbia TriStar), apparently for review at DVD Town, but since Sony is one of the studios I no longer handle, another reviewer does, I was slow about watching it. Knowing nothing about this 1987 made-for-TV series, I was loathe even to put it on, thinking it was going to be so corny. But, lo and behold, every episode was wonderful! If you haven't seen them, and there are stories in all, I recommend them strongly and without hesitation.

The stories are all old fairy tales narrated by John Hurt as the storyteller and peopled by some terrific British actors (including Sean Bean in one of the many tales that features a handsome Prince). The stories are beautifully told, lasting about twenty-odd minutes each. Some of them moved me unexpectedly and immensely. Highly recommended, to say the least.

John J. Puccio, Review Editor