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Thor: Love and Thunder
Thor: Love and Thunder
Comedy Confessions
(Mnibus Entertainment DVD)
“It’s kind of a choice,” says standup comedian Steve Lolli on living in his Toyota Carola. Unable to afford rent in LA on his wages as a comedian, he could find a fulltime job but then, he explains, he wouldn’t have the time or energy for standup at night. Doc Jones could live in shelters but prefers the solitude of his pickup truck to the crazies he’d encounter. Tiffany Haddish turns down offers from men to flop on their couches. “If I thought men were decent creatures, I probably would,” she says.
Filmmaker Gabrielle Sebastian follows the three struggling comedians from work in often rundown comedy clubs to home—their cars parked on quiet streets where they were less apt to draw unwanted attention from cops or criminals. They incorporate their lives and choices into their routines. The crowds appreciate their humor but their goal of making a living is hard to reach. Haddish have gone on to become stars.
Unlike many of the 58,000 homeless people in LA, the three comedians were able to carry themselves forward with objectives in mind and self-respect intact. (David Luhrssen)
The Road to Galena
(Limited Theatrical Release and Streaming on AppleTV, July 8)
For Cole Baird (Ben Winchell), what his parents consider success fails to bring him happiness. Cole’s dream is to live in his small hometown, eventually taking over the family farm. However, believing family farming a bad bet, Cole’s farming mom and dad (Jill Hennessey and Jay O. Sanders), packed the boy off to law school. A decade later, Cole’s accomplishments are everything they could wish. Yet, dreams of working the family spread refuse to die. The film observes that corporate farming is killing family farms and insists “You can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy.” That belief is shared by old flame Elle (Aimee Teegarden), the girl back home now married to Cole's rival. It’s a soapy-savvy R-Rated drama, as writer-director Joe Hall takes another look at self-fulfillment. (Lisa Miller)
Thor: Love and Thunder
(In Theaters July 8)
Taika Waititi, chapter three’s director, once again directs and this time, co-writes the fourth Thor film. Chris Hemsworth (salary $20 million) returns as the title character. He’s taking a time out, searching for inner peace, when galactic killer Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) arrives to exterminate the gods. No longer able to wield his hammer, Thor discovers his ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) now controls it.
Still a hazard with lightning, Thor carries a torch for Jane, whom he enlists, along with King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and Korg (Taika Waititi), to help him defeat Gorr. Russell Crowe appears as Zeus, shaming Thor when possible and trying Thor's patience. Despite the film’s many battles and too many big-name actors (Matt Damon, Melissa McCarthy, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill and more) jammed into small roles, director Waititi claims his focus is the romance between Jane and Thor. The jokes fly wry and high in this two-hour epic, a never-ending cast party that Disney expects will gross $400 million in the U.S. alone. (Lisa Miller)
