I Am Thor

7
2015 1 hr 22 min Documentary , Music

Jon Mikl Thor was a bodybuilding, steel bending, brick smashing rock star in the '70s & '80s whose band, Thor, never quite made it big. Years later he attempts a comeback that nearly kills him.

  • Cast:
    Lou Ferrigno , John Fasano

Similar titles

Shakira: Oral Fixation Tour
Shakira: Oral Fixation Tour
Grammy-winning international superstar Shakira offers up a series of energetic performances in this compilation of footage from her 36-country "Oral Fixation" tour, filmed live in 2006 and 2007. Songs include "La Tortura," featuring Alejandro Sanz, "Whenever, Wherever," "Underneath Your Clothes," "Inevitable," "Don't Bother," "Hey You" and more. Wyclef Jean joins Shakira for a rousing performance of her smash hit "Hips Don't Lie."
Shakira: Oral Fixation Tour 2006
Rock School
Rock School
It is about a music school in Philadelphia, The Paul Green School of Rock Music, run by Paul Green that teaches kids ages 9 to 17 how to play rock music and be rock stars. Paul Green teaches his students how to play music such as Black Sabbath and Frank Zappa better than anyone expects them to by using a unique style of teaching that includes getting very angry and acting childish.
Rock School 2005
Elements – The Best of Mike Oldfield
Elements – The Best of Mike Oldfield
Elements - The Best of Mike Oldfield is a video collection by Mike Oldfield released in October 1993. It was released by Virgin Records on VHS and Laser disc. A DVD edition of the video release, including additional extras, was produced in 2004.
Elements – The Best of Mike Oldfield 1993
NWA & Eazy-E: The Kings of Compton
NWA & Eazy-E: The Kings of Compton
Documentary looking back at the West Coast group who invented gangster rap. The original lineup of N.W.A consisted of Dr Dre, Ice Cube and Eazy-E, all of whom went on to be successful in their own right. The documentary looks at how the group influenced the world of rap music as well as the controversial life and death of Eazy-E and the career developments of Ice Cube and Dr Dre.
NWA & Eazy-E: The Kings of Compton 2016
The Comeback
The Comeback
After an absence of five years, six times Mr Olympia winner Arnold Schwarzenegger makes a comeback and attempts to take the World Body Building Championship for the 7th time.
The Comeback 1980
Adam Jacobs - Behind the Curtain
Adam Jacobs - Behind the Curtain
Adam Jacobs was the original "Aladdin" in Disney's smash Broadway musical, with a list of other hits like Les Miserables and Something Rotten, but this docu-concert – filmed as a special one-night-only performance – explores his emotional personal journey, from growing up as a Filipino American in California to landing the role of a lifetime.
Adam Jacobs - Behind the Curtain 2021
Bartholomew Cubbins 2006–2014
Bartholomew Cubbins 2006–2014
Named Bartholomew Cubbins 2006–2014 from Jared Leto's longtime directorial pseudonym, the video includes all short films directed by Leto from 2006 to 2014. It also features exclusive behind the scenes footage for the music videos of "The Kill", "From Yesterday", "Kings and Queens" and "Hurricane".
Bartholomew Cubbins 2006–2014 2015
Miss Nikki and the Tiger Girls
Miss Nikki and the Tiger Girls
After fifty years of military dictatorship Burma's first girl band faces a tough reality. When you're finally allowed to speak, what do you say? In a country undergoing massive change, five feisty young women break free of tradition in their search for an original voice.
Miss Nikki and the Tiger Girls 2012
We Are X
We Are X
As glam rock's most flamboyant survivors, X Japan ignited a musical revolution in Japan during the late '80s with their melodic metal. Twenty years after their tragic dissolution, X Japan’s leader, Yoshiki, battles with physical and spiritual demons alongside prejudices of the West to bring their music to the world.
We Are X 2016
Goodluck - This Might Sound Crazy
Goodluck - This Might Sound Crazy
Goodluck's cutting edge story recording their second album Creatures of the Night in the Namibian desert, after a period of creative stumps and loss of direction. The documentary is a journey into the writing process of the album.
Goodluck - This Might Sound Crazy 2013

Reviews

Redwarmin
2015/11/20

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

... more
CommentsXp
2015/11/21

Best movie ever!

... more
Plustown
2015/11/22

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

... more
filippaberry84
2015/11/23

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

... more
J-bot6
2015/11/24

I thought I knew a lot about music (and I even spent time in a band myself). So I feel kind of embarrassed that I didn't know about this band until watching this documentary. It was super late at night and I was thinking of stopping and getting some shut-eye. However, I'm glad I stayed up and watched this through until the end. It turned out to be quite the story of highs, lows, and sheer determination. No matter how bad things got, how questionable the situation, how tattered the band became, or how ridiculous a scenario was that was playing out in front of your eyes -- rest assured somehow and some way Jon Mikl Thor would face things with a positive attitude. The unabashed honesty in this documentary is fearless. Here's a person who wears his heart on his sleeve and is truly likable. And he's willing to put the good and the bad times out on display for everyone to see. No publicist filter here at all. It's actually really refreshing to see in this age of carefully scripted and curated presentation. It makes you laugh, cry, worry, and cheer. And that folks is entertainment. Bravo to Thor and all the musicians and loved ones that helped him on his journey here in midgard.

... more
Wuchak
2015/11/25

RELEASED IN 2015 and directed by Ryan Wise, "I Am Thor" is documentary on the life of flamboyant body-builder/metal front-man Jon Mikl Thor and his band, Thor, from its beginnings in the 70s-early 80s to more recent years.I remember seeing albums by Thor (the band) at record stores back in the day and my response was always, "Um... no." I guess I dismissed them because I wasn't sure if I was to take them serious. The guy looked like the superhero Thor come to life, but as a rock god; and I wasn't sure how I was supposed to take it. I finally heard some of their music a few years ago on Youtube, like "Let the Blood Run Red" and "Triumphant," and I found it catchy, raw & passionate in the manner of early Anvil and Twisted Sister. There's also a little Venom, but without the goat-sucking buffoonery (but a LOT of other buffoonery), not to mention the occasional wannabe Norse epic-ness of Manowar (e.g. "Warriors of the Universe"). Meanwhile, their stage antics recalled KISS, Alice Cooper and (again) Twisted Sister. The music's simplistic, but kinetic & fun metal that gets your blood pumping. I'm just trying to establish how little I knew about Thor, the man or his band, and yet I found this movie entertaining from beginning to end. I can't tell you how many times I busted out laughing. For comparison, "I Am Thor" is superior to 2008's "Anvil: The Story of Anvil" and 2004's "Some Kind of Monster," at least as far as being more compelling and amusing. The last act is the best, covering the reunited band from their glory days 1983-87, albeit with a new, younger bass player. That was the era when the band had their biggest success in England before abruptly ending when Jon decided to try his hand at acting. A decade later Jon decided to "get the band back together" and that's when his ex-porn-star wife said "Buh bye." In 2009, with his reunited band, Thor landed three concerts at sizeable festivals in Scandinavia, where the band is generally hailed. Say what you will, but Jon & co. know how to put on a show and Jon loves what he does and loves the people, despite the many hassles and unforeseen setbacks. Speaking of which, there's a montage of statements by fans or people who've worked with Jon and they unanimously said he's one of the nicest guys to know and work with. That tells you everything you need to know. Lastly, remember this: Before there was Manowar, there was Thor. THE FILM RUNS 82 minutes, never overstaying its welcome. GRADE: A

... more
MartinHafer
2015/11/26

Jon Mikl Thor is a very unusual subject for a documentary and very, very few people even know who he is, so it makes this film a difficult sell. However, I instantly recognized the name and was incredibly thrilled that a movie about him just debuted on Netflix. I recognized him because I am a bad movie film nut...and Thor has appeared in some amazingly bad films. But I must point out that his films are lots of fun to watch and "Rock 'n Roll Nightmare" is a classic for bad film geeks like me...every bit as much fun to watch as "The Room", "Plan 9 From Outer Space" or "The Apple". Plus, while the movies are incredibly bad, I must admit that the music performed by Thor and his band in the films is amazingly good....so good you wonder why the guy never became more popular in the music world. Well, this film is all about Thor and his musical career...and it helps explain what happened to Thor and reveals that despite many setbacks, he's definitely here to stay and only death could possibly stop him!The narrator for this documentary is Jon Mikl Thor himself and it follows him from his childhood in Vancouver, Canada to the present day. Early in life, Thor gained notoriety for his body building and decided to eventually parlay this fame into a rock and roll career. However, the road was not easy nor fast. In between, he worked as a nude waiter in the 1970s and even created the persona of 'Space Elvis' for a Vegas act! Not surprisingly, there wasn't much future in either of these ventures and he soon came up with the idea of combining his amazing physique with rock and roll along with a lot of showmanship. His act consisted not only of singing with his metal band but dressing up like the Norse god, Thor....as well as bending steel bars and exploding water bottles with his amazingly strong lungs!! One thing you gotta say about Thor is that you certainly got a show when you went to see him....and in the 70s into the 1980s he started to develop a following and success seemed well within his grasp. But the giant auditorium shows, record deals and the like never quite materialized. Lesser folks would have just given up....but not Jon! Instead, he's like the Energizer Bunny...he just keeps going and going and going and the film follows him from his comeback in the early 2000s to today. In some ways, the film is rather comical, as at times Thor and his musical career seem a lot like the fictional band Spinal Tap....but for Thor it's real. Yet, at the same time, the film is also incredibly inspiring. Even when he was performing in venues where his band members practically outnumbered his audience, he kept pushing ahead and delivering an insanely energetic show. Even after nervous breakdowns, a failed marriage and a stroke...Jon Mikl still refuses to give up on his dream and, fortunately, by the end of the film you see this 60-something rock star wannabe finally achieving some measure of success...and the energy and his drive are amazingly infectious. In fact, I noticed as he and his band were performing to crowds of fans of all ages, I couldn't help but smile...as he seemed to love the life and his new-found success singing in Scandinavia...which, when you think about it, is very fitting for a guy named Thor!As for the documentary, it's very engaging and very well made. There are plenty of interviews and old footage but even more of it consists of following Thor as it tours the world....or at least parts of the US and Europe. My only reservation is that the film does have some adult content, so it's not the best choice to show your kids or mother-in-law. By the way, I checked the Thor website (thorcentral.net) and his last concert was back in the Spring and no additional dates are listed. In addition, he's up on Facebook and most of his posts are about this documentary. In the page, he seems quite approachable...and this also seemed to be how he was during his concerts you see in the film. So perhaps you might want to drop him a line and wish him well...or buy an album or tell him how much you also enjoyed Rock 'n Roll Nightmare.

... more
vintageleagues
2015/11/27

I have seen many documentaries. I believe that I have never been so moved or enthralled by a movie. Ryan Wise has created a masterpiece. If I can make a comparison to other films that have given me so much intrigue, emotion and excitement I can mention The Wrestler or Rocky. But this is a documentary. Yet it plays like a docudrama. It is captivating. I cried and I laughed and got up and cheered. Yes I got up cheered for Jon Mikl Thor. This wonderful and amazing human being. What he goes through and the obstacles that are overcome are sheer amazement. We are having a party this weekend with my friends and we will watch this together and be inspired.

... more