Hesher

Thor

Hot-headed Thor (Chris Hemsworth), warrior and God of Thunder, is banned from the mythical world of Asgard by his father (Anthony Hopkins) and forced to live among humans on Earth. There, he falls for scientist Jane (Natalie Portman) and rallies around the humans to protect them against foes from his former world. The slick film provides quick-paced action scenes, as well as a fair share of laughs. DVD extras include cast commentary and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie.

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Hesher

Following his mother's death, 13-year-old TJ (Devin Brochu) develops an odd friendship with Hesher (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a foul-mouthed loner who is squatting in his family's home. In spite of his crass ways and bizarre hobbies, Hesher helps TJ and his family move past their grief. Hesher offers a crude and dark sense of humor that can be unnerving at times, but it's worth it to see Gordon-Levitt playing against type. The DVD features deleted scenes, outtakes, and a gallery of drawings that appear in the film.

54%

One more DVD when you read more

Thanks to a long-haired Joseph Gordon-Levitt, indie flick Hesher made some waves at last year's Sundance Film Festival, but we've been waiting since then for a release date and a trailer. Today, we have both; the movie comes out April 15, and we finally get a longer look at the film (more than just this clip), which stars Gordon-Levitt as a grungy mentor of sorts to Devon Brochu's character T.J., who has recently lost his mother.

With his father (Rainn Wilson) deep in the grieving process, T.J. is vulnerable to being befriended by the older, greasy Gordon-Levitt, an eccentric man who calls himself Hesher. Spouting odd words of wisdom and exhibiting the occasional destructive act like lighting furniture on fire, Hesher isn't exactly a great role model. T.J.'s other new friend comes in the form of a de-glammed Natalie Portman, a grocery store clerk on whom T.J. has a crush. It's tough to determine how exactly we're supposed to take the beloved JGL — is he weirdly sympathetic or just a weirdo? Decide for yourself when you watch the trailer after the jump.

Though I'm back in San Francisco, I still can't stop thinking about all the films I was lucky enough to catch at Sundance. We're coming down the homestretch, but I've still got a few more tricks up my sleeve. Read on for my review of Hesher, and be sure to check out all of my Sundance Snapshots.

• Who's behind it? Spencer Susser wrote and directed the film, which stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Natalie Portman, Rainn Wilson, as well as relative newcomer Devin Brochu
• What's it about? Brochu plays TJ, a troubled 13-year-old trying to cope with his mother's recent death. With his father in a daze and no friends to turn to, TJ spends his time trying to avoid a bully at school and crushing on a supermarket checkout girl (Natalie Portman). A twist of fate brings a foul-mouthed, greasy, tattooed pyromaniac named Hesher into TJ's life and his house, forming a strange bond and leading to all kinds of strange adventures that eventually affect TJ and his whole family.

Is Hesher another homerun for JGL? Find out when you read more