Thor at the Bus Stop

Thor at the Bus Stop This review will be a little different than usual. I am reviewing a movie that hasn’t been released yet. And, I am also pitching the movie. All will be explained.

Thor at the Bus Stop is a local production. It was written, produced, filmed, edited . . . everything . . . here in Las Vegas. It is an off-beat, quirky little existential comedy about the God of Thunder (Thor) and his date with Ragnarök, in which he is destined to fight a really big snake, die, and usher in the end of the universe. We find him, as the movie opens, sitting at a bus stop somewhere in Summerlin (a suburb of Las Vegas for you out-of-towners), with an annoying little girl, trying to find a ride to his destiny. From then on we loosely follow Thor’s progress—or lack thereof—and the myriad odd but memorable characters which inhabit this contemporary fantasy. We are treated to—as the trailer says—Thunder Claps, Fruit Snacks, and the Power of Cool.
We meet Big Zed and L’il Ned, two petty thieves who specialize in lunch boxes, White Trash Chuck who wants to be good but is having a bad life, Passenger-seat Pete, who intends to slide through life with as little effort as possible, and several others. My two favorites are the wounded guy, who has a yield sign stuck in his chest throughout the movie, and someone known only as “Milk Strider”, who we see countless times, always hurrying, wearing boxers, a tee shirt and a robe, and carrying several gallons of milk. All will be revealed.
Several people are killed, including the annoying little girl who opens the film, and two cops are on the job, trying to find clues in the small mounds of ash which is all that’s left of them. Bernard Bernard, an apparently agency-less news man with a camera-slash-sound man, a van, and a satellite dish made out of cardboard, follows the cops, trying to beat them to the scoop. The eternal questions about life, relationships, the meaning of Cool, God, and why it’s so hard to find good medical help in an emergency, are all asked and answered—sort of. In the end, everyone learns something, and Thor accepts the inevitability of his fate, enters the cavern, and faces the serpent. I quite liked it, despite the obvious lack of a budget or any name-actors. I don’t think it has been rated, but I would give it a PG. There is no cussing (White Trash Chuck used to cuss until his little sister was born—he is obviously frustrated but trying hard), no sex or skin, and only one attempted, then aborted, murder. Cool Prevails. Any violence is off camera except for our petty thieves roughing up a few elementary school kids, and Thor killing a basketball standard and the Serpent of Midgard.
The music was done by local talent as well, by two groups, “A Crowd of Small Adventures” and “Hungry Cloud”. Both are fronted by Jackson Wilcox, who is credited with the soundtrack. (Jack is a cousin, my uncle’s grandson, but those of you who know me, know I have thousands of cousins.)
Now, here is why I am pitching it. My daughter’s boy friend and his brothers made the movie. Mike and Jerry Thompson wrote and directed it, G. Scott Thompson (the boyfriend) co-produced and plays Big Zed, and they all took part in the filming and editing. One of the brothers plays White Trash Chuck, and another is Thor. Even Chani, my daughter, has a two-second scene near the end. ( Hint—She is the reason for all the milk.) The movie has played at several film festivals, including Sundance, and won some acclaim. They managed to put together a week at the Brenden theaters here in town. (At the Palms Resort). The premier is September 25 (the day after Thorsday—get it?).
I highly recommend the film on its own merit. Beyond that, I think we should do what we can to support and encourage the arts in this valley. So I am inviting everyone to go see it that week. If enough people go, the stay will be extended, and we might start a phenomenon, like we did with Napoleon Dynamite. Take a friend or twelve, make an evening of it. If nothing else think of the awesome trivia questions you’ll be able to generate, and annoying quotes you can share with friends in the know!
Those of you who live out of town are welcome to come and stay with us for a day or two while you take in the movie.
Addendum: The film is out now. We went to the world premier here in Vegas. It was kind of a family reunion for the Thompson boys. It gets better every time I see it.