The Bus Stop

1998
15m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

The be-speckled Tyler draws a comic-book fight ("Kapow!") one morning just before his mother tells him that he'll have to take the school bus today. He walks reluctantly and with trepidation... Read allThe be-speckled Tyler draws a comic-book fight ("Kapow!") one morning just before his mother tells him that he'll have to take the school bus today. He walks reluctantly and with trepidation toward the corner of Owl Creek and Bridge, where lots of kids already await the bus. The ... Read allThe be-speckled Tyler draws a comic-book fight ("Kapow!") one morning just before his mother tells him that he'll have to take the school bus today. He walks reluctantly and with trepidation toward the corner of Owl Creek and Bridge, where lots of kids already await the bus. The boys pick on Tyler, and before the bus arrives, he's been knocked down and his lunch vanda... Read all

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.6/10

YOUR RATING

9User reviews

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 2 wins total

Photos

User reviews9

7.635

Featured reviews

Kikla

I love this film!

"The Bus Stop" is great! I saw it recently in LA, and it's probabl the best short film I've ever seen. Fun, funny, with a great twist at the end, I would seriously recommend it to any film student thinking about doing a short that will get them attention in Hollywood, because the production quality is outstanding, from the acting to the camera work to the music.

2BrettErikJohnson

Now for a REAL review.

I don't know who they think they're fooling but the other comments on this page are HIGHLY suspect. The second and third comments are by the SAME person and the second time they actually used the name Tyler (the name of both the production company and lead character!!) when making their comments. That doesn't sound too objective.

Anyway, this is one of those dime-a-dozen fantasies where some kid is shy and awkward and imagines being popular and brave. To make things worse, the set-up of this short involves a group of Arab terrorists hijacking a school bus with a dozen or so kids on it. Of course, it's up to our hero and his chemistry kit (which is HUGE and he apparently carries it around with him...HA!) to save the day. To be honest, I don't really find the whole idea of armed terrorists threatening to kill elementary school kids to be rich fodder for adventure or humor. Maybe it's just me.

The "Arab" terrorists are obviously played by people who have no idea how to act or speak with a convincing accent. The kids act like, well, kids and their dialogue is too sparse. The "action" sequences on the bus are totally lame and there is at least one glaring goof. The sole bright spot was the music. One part of the score in particular was quite impressive. I can only hope that this experience helped Mr. Hartman become a better director because as entertainment "The Bus Stop" receives a failing grade. 2/10

10filmsbyfiona

A really cool, fun short film - one of the better shorts you'll see!

With the look and feel of a studio movie, Hartman has created a gorgeous short film. Interesting camera angles and unpredictable plot twists make this a wonderful film to watch.

Hartman gets great performances from a mostly child-based cast to tell a story that is not only dark but funny. It has a Tim Burton / Robert Zemeckis feel. I highly recommend this film and look forward greatly to what else this director creates.

10Tyler-24

An astonishing short film.

Congrats to the cast and crew for making a film they should be really proud of. Especially noteworthy is the performance of the young lead actor, Jameson Baltes, who conveys an astonishing range of emotion without uttering even a single word of dialogue!

Also to be commended are the cinematographer, Christopher Tufty, and the composer, Michael Verta, who, respectively, do a sublime job of shooting and scoring this film. "The Bus Stop" is an excellent short film.

9jsdiamond2003