Fortunately for viewers of 42 Story House, filmmaker Todd Langen displays a deliciously wacky view of life in his first independent movie. This 90-minute film contains 42 unique comedy shorts -- from 1 to 4 minutes in length -- and Langen appears in almost all of them. That’s good news, for this guy is photogenic and amusing even in the most outrageous situations.

Everything in 42 Story House takes place in one location; everything in the film is done by one person (Langen); and almost everything is hysterically funny. Do you think there’s anything amusing about such items in your house as the living room furniture or your washer and dryer? Langen does. Have you ever wondered how an egg could commit suicide? Langen has. Do you know what happens to rolls of toilet paper when they figure out their destiny? Langen has a pretty good idea. And that’s just the beginning of the fun.    

Production values in 42 Story House may be quite primitive, but that only adds to its charm and hilarity. Langen’s creativity shines through in the way he uses simple everyday things like printers, wastebaskets --  even different types of breakfast cereals -- as props to make his comic points. And Langen’s sound effects still have me chuckling! Just try making your voice sound like a depressed egg or a household appliance in heat and you’ll see how difficult a task that is.

Langen, who wrote the first two Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies, claims he’s been writing scripts, mostly unsuccessfully, for a very long time. “During most of that very long time, I've told myself, ‘I should really just go ahead and make a damn movie,’” he explains. “Well, in recent years, technology has finally shamed me into it. Cost is no longer the limiting factor, it's time. So I decided to take a year, buy a (not great but decent) camera, learn a (surprisingly powerful) consumer editing program, and see what I could put together. The result is 42 Story House.”     

I hope we’ll be seeing more from the talented Langen and his great sense of humor in the future.  (Capsule review)     

(For more information about 42 Story House, please go to www.42storyhouse.com.)