Come and get your Marvel Love

Come and Get Your Marvel Love

By 

Frank Tobin

Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), AKA Star-Lord, is a child of the 80s; from his pop culture references, to his Walkman cassette player (containing a tape of some of the best 60s and 70s classics this side of an episode of Soul Train), to his brash, devil may care, childlike enthusiasm. His fully fleshed out character is the heralded gem (no pun intended) in the gauntlet (pun slightly intended) that is the cast of "Guardians of the Galaxy." 

Right from the jump we are immediately grounded in reality, as a young Quill, fresh from dealing with the death of his mother to the unrelenting bully that is cancer, is abducted into a wildly raucous space-faring adventure.

Rife with talking raccoons (don't call Rocket [voiced expertly, and charmingly, by Bradley Cooper] a vermin), a sentient tree (Vin Diesel, the show-stopper), who's only three words are "I am Groot", a green-skinned sexy assassin (Zoe Saldana [my celebrity crush]), and a muscle bound, takes-everything-you-say-literally badass thug (Dave Batista, following the same thespian path as another famous wrestler-turned-actor who likes people to smell what he's cooking), the audiences instantly needs to stay connected with the space opera weirdness. Hence the aforementioned glorious soundtrack, and every-man lead character.

Witty, joyful, vibrant, fun (remember when comic movies could be fun, Zack "The Hack" Snyder?) and delightfully eclectic, it was complete and utter frown failure for me during the film's two hour running time. But it wasn't just my inherent love for space adventure films of this ilk (this is this generation's Star Wars... until Episode VII releases next year) that kept me engaged. Quite in fact, this flick had "epic fail" written all over it. Which makes a certain character's cameo at the end of the credits even more ironic and hilarious (if you're old enough to understand who the hell it was anyway).

Yes, it would have been easy for this cinematic foray into the weird abyss about a rag-tag group of murderers and thieves to fall flat on its face. Enter the director, co-writer, and savior of Marvel Cosmic Universe's initial space walk into the world's earth-addled heroes, James Gunn.

Fun-facts about the Gunn-meister (him and I are cool like that [no we're not]): originating from the Troma school of horror schlock, the man's first real Hollywood gig was "Scooby Doo" in 2002. He also penned the "Dawn of the Dead" remake. But before all that, he wrote, produced and performed in a widely known, and popular critical darling (is that sarcasm dripping from my lips?) super hero comedy "The Specials". Haven't heard of it? Don't be ashamed, it had a budget of $1,000,000 and only grossed $13,000, even if it starred some actual known acting entities (Rob Lowe, Thomas Hayden Church, Jaime Kennedy, Melissa Joan Hart, and Judy Greer... they must have lost a bet). 

While not a cinematic masterpiece, if you look hard enough into the plot, or even a casual glance at the Wiki summary, "The Specials" laid the foundation for what would become Marvel's interest in Gunn for his participation in 'Guardians'.

You see, 'Specials' is a movie about 6th and 7th tiered superheroes on their day off. It's vulgar and cheesy, but actually kind of funny. Subtract the vulgarity, and... you see where I'm going with this. Then you pepper in cult faves like "Slither" and "Super", and you have the recipe for lightning in a bottle. Which 'Guardians' surely is. Marvel and Gunn are a match made in sloppy, incoherent, nonsensical, B-movie heaven.

Okay, now that I shot a fraction of my elation load all over this review, let me focus on some of the negatives (don't worry this won't take long). Even though every scene where you think a character is about to have their "Oscar Moment", something humorous always stomps on it in the most hilariously genius way. This movie is all about subverting your expectations. Which ultimately works in the film's favor. However, the weakest aspect of the film is in its selection of rogues, which, unfortunately, fails to live up to the lofty expectations we have thanks to Loki's scene-eating screen time in the earlier Marvel flicks. 

We glimpsed a galactic sized cock tease with Thanos at the end of "The Avengers", and as glorious as that reveal was, Thanos (now voiced by the venerable Josh Brolin) receives his Emperor Palpatine screen time in 'Guardians'. I know Marvel is setting up the Infinity Gauntlet story-line, clarified once and for all in this movie with expository dialogue provided by the Collector (Benicio Del Toro's character), but Thanos was sparsely utilized in this film. The gravity of his presence is enough for most ardent comic book fans to cream their Spidey undies (yes, I own a pair myself, don't judge me) but I was underwhelmed. And Ronan (Lee Pace, who stars in my newest AMC obsession "Halt and Catch Fire") was little more than a cosmic thug with delusions of grandeur. His lap dog, Nebula (Karen GIllan), the deadly, modified, crazy sexy (and crazy crazy) assassin sibling to Gamora (Saldana) served little purpose other than to be face-punch fodder for her sister.

I can't say definitively that the villains were a wasted opportunity though, because the movie wasn't about them. It's just more of a struggling obligation on my part to provide some cons in this review to fool you into thinking I'm actually objective (which, when it comes to this genre, I'm clearly not). 

Truth be told, I've been starved, famished, for a quality space adventure film. Not since the greatest blue balls in cinematic history (the Star Wars prequels... I just threw up in my throat at the mere mention of those still-births) has the genre been front and center. But now we have it. A glorious return to the strange, weird, jovial, operatic outer space gallivanting adventures of a rag-tag group of would-be heroes

And honestly, I couldn't be happier. This movie is pure love; uncut adventurous greatness, wrapped in indie sensibilities. What are you doing wasting time reading this poorly written review? GO SEE THE DAMN MOVIE. Rocket the Raccoon will thank you... but only after tearing you a new one with his charming, razor sharp wit (I'm so buying a plush toy of that adorable little bastard).

Cluster Duck Dark Elf Blog movie review - Sushi Girl

Sushi Girl Review by Frank Tobin aka Cluster Duck

About 3 years ago I saw a trailer for a movie. I had no idea what the
plot was, who wrote it, or who directed it. It sorta just coalesced
out of the indie film ether. A patchwork amalgamation of niche genres
and indie tropes. It mesmerized me...

The song is perfect. The visuals are strikingly grind-house. The girl
is exquisite... and, wait, was that... Luke Fucking Skywalker?! And
Candyman? And Machete? Dwayne Hicks?! What is this nerdgasm,
physically manifested on my video-sharing website of choice? It
appears to ape, at least in spirit, Reservoir Dogs, and 70's
exploitation flicks, and the kind of gritty crime dramas made
mainstream by the likes of Tarantino himself.

Must. Watch. Now.

Fast forward ahead 3 years... A lot of shit happened, horrible movie
schlock was watched, and... that one cool looking indie grind-house
flick, what was it called, fuck, Fish Lady? Salmon Female? Erin
Brockovich?

Well whatever it was called, I completely forgot about it. Shit, it
took them a dog's age, it seems, to even get a limited release. So I
start digging...

After the movie was filmed, the director Kern Saxton and his
production crew raised the money for a premiere on Kickstarter.
(http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sushigirl/sushi-girl-world-premiere)
And was met with mixed reviews. But, seeing as I consider myself, at
least, a tourist in genre subversive independent film peeping, I
decided to finally give it a whirl.

How bad could it really be? Well... I was underwhelmed, to say the
least. It's hardly a cinematic abortion *cough, all Adam Sandler
films, cough* but the overly derivative nature of the narrative kept
it from reaching god-tier.

Let me explain; as is the case with any film, there's a right way, and
a wrong way to tell a story. And any story can be interesting, it just
boils down to execution. In the case of SUSHI GIRL (finally remembered
the damn name), the lurid, seductive, visually entrancing, memorable
opening pulls you in better than any indie flick I've seen in a while.
I mean, it's got Sonny Chiba chopping up raw fish and placing it on a
chart-topping unknown sex-exuding vixen (READ: the actual sushi girl).

The perfect curves of her naked flesh laying on a table, centered
amidst a Japanese themed hole-in-the-wall (which Mark Hamill's
character, Crow, sarcastically points out is more Ming Dynasty in its
design), effectively sets the mood for what's to come. It's a
fantastic opening sequence... but then the characters start talking.
Blah.

Tarantino perfected gangster speak in Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction
in such a fashion that, even though his characters are vile, mostly
immoral, scumbags, you actually enjoy hearing their diatribes. It's
one of the highlights of his films. Here, it just plays like a
hackneyed imitation, devoid of any genuine thought or cleverness.
Clunky is a good word for it.

Continuing with that theme, as the plot chugs along, and you start to
understand why these characters are meeting in a dive, partaking of
the delicious spread, you realize what you're in for... Now, if I
weren't dead inside already, I'd call the torture scenes graphic,
gory, and ultimately unnerving. But alas, my imagination, and ability
to suspend my disbelief, is so shot to shit that nothing grosses me
out or unsettles me (unless I'm looking in a mirror... GET A TAN, FOR
FUCK SAKE). Horror movies bore me, unless they're hilariously gory.
Torture porn is a big yawn. But thankfully the story is written in a
way that, as you piece together where it's all going, the twist ending
actually slaps you in the genitals. You forgot about the bad jokes,
and forced genre dialogue. It was so memorable and out of left field,
I honestly want to watch it again.

Great music, pointless, albeit appropriate, cameos by horror and
grind-house regulars, excellent cinematography, subpar performances,
with a few bright-spots here and there, and an unexpected twist, Fish
Lady (pretty sure that's what it was called) was a surprising treat
that unfortunately wasn't necessarily worth how long I waited to see
it. But then again, that was my own dumbass fault. I recommend it.

Now if I could only eat some SUSHI off a beautiful GIRL...

"Mud Sport" A Cluster Duck Article

Mud Sport

A Cluster Duck Article

Written by

Frank Tobin  

I’m a simple man; I enjoy playing video games (AKA getting verbally accosted by racist twelve year old suburban brats), procrastinating to do important things, going out of my way to limit my physical activity, stuffing my face with saturated fats and carcinogen-filled Twinkies (rest in peace, you little delicious cylinders of impending obesity and eventual death). Ya know, true red-blooded American type stuff. 

So imagine my delayed surprise after the words “yeah, that’s sounds fun” escaped my lips in response to being asked to run (that’s right, I said run, as in walking so fast you’re not walking anymore) in a 5K; an obstacle littered, volunteer-zombie chasing, pretend you’re in a post-apocalyptic backwater barren wasteland (or Clermont, for short), no hope for survival unless you can outrun your attackers, three mile hike. Kill me. Please.

Now, you may be saying to yourself  “wow what a lazy jerk it’s just a three mile run who cares I do that stuff all the time it’s called being active and exercising.” To which I reply, “I hate run-on sentences.” And also, I’M A SLOBBINGLY INEFFECTIVE TROGLODYTE. I’m not built for this, at all.

These events are reserved for young athletic rapscallions, active runners, and people who actually walk down their driveways to check the mail. In other words, everything I stand fundamentally opposed to. 

 

But it was done. I’d sealed my fate. In six months, I was to take part in the “outdoor experience” with other people; living, breathing, socially adept and physically trained, human beings. Excuse me; got vomit in my throat.

What was I to do? I couldn’t back out of my obligation; my word is as good as the paper it’s printed on; which isn’t worth much, but I was trying to turn that around. Can’t be a crass, cynical, lazy prick my whole life… or can I?

The decision was made, pretty early on, that I was to (gulp) get in… shape. Which, a decade and a half ago, wouldn’t have been a problem. I mean, there was a time when playing marathon games of basketball was the dominant time-suck in my day, and the sun and I were on speaking terms. A rambunctious little blur of twitchy energy would have been an apt description of me. Hell, I even had calf muscles (aw yeah, ladies). But those days died off faster than a [insert appropriate analogy here… I suck at these]. 

Fast-forward five and a half months: I’ve been jogging, doing jumping-jacks, eating “healthy” (READ: fast food two nights a week instead of five), and just making an effort to power through the burning lungs and wet noodle legs from my body’s stubborn insistence to convince me that this was the worst idea in the long, sad history of bad ideas. It didn’t matter, though; I was going to throw a 12-inch knife into this 5K’s sternum and quip “stick around”, Dutch-style (uncomfortable knee pat to anyone who gets that reference). 

The actual event itself was a mix between outdoor concert festival and Ninja Warrior tournament. They had it all; live music, fried foods, scantily clad middle-aged men, and the kitchen sink! It was sort of infectious. The enthusiasm, the energy from a throng of younglings with their whole lives ahead of them, older folks with an ironclad grasp on their health, was starting to inspire me. 

My inner pep talk was the stuff of legends: “Now it’s time to see if you have the heart. Now is the time to prove to yourself and to everyone out there that even though you are woefully out-of-shape, you are somebody. You are worthy of something… Are you ready to go out there and take what’s yours? What you’ve worked hard for? (Well actually, I didn’t work THAT hard.) Are you ready to accept the challenge?” And yes, before you ask, I ripped that off from Dwayne Johnson’s seminal classic, Gridiron Gang.  But nevertheless, I was pumped, primed and ready to… puke, apparently (pro-tip: Don’t eat greasy food before exercising). 

I kid you not, a half mile in (a three mile hike, a three hour tour [couldn’t resist]) I hit the wall; in the worst way. Ya see, the way everything is set up, you have obstacles (mud pits, freezing cold water you have to wade through under ACTUAL barbed wire, low voltage fencing, climbable walls, and did I mention a kitchen sink at one point above?) and freaking-frocking zombies trying to steal your flags! I had waking nightmares of being harassed by the bigger kids during middle school bouts of “kill the man with the ball” except this time I had three flags (which represented my health bar) and I didn’t cry (much). 

Remember when kids liked Physical Education?

I was out for the count; expended what little lung capacity I had from my years of smoking on the first leg of the first mile by sprinting, and expertly dodging (I juked a few undead out of their socks, literally) every zombie I passed. I had to take a knee. My head was swirling, my legs wobbly, my chest tight…

Then it happened, after what seemed like a lifetime, through the muddy slog, the blood, sweat, tears and low voltage shock treatment, the obstacles, and embarrassment from losing my cool so early in the race, I crossed the finish line. Even though I lost all my flags, even though I was physically, mentally, emotionally, metaphysically, philosophically, ethologically (you get the point) EXHAUSTED, I’d finished; completed an event meant to promote physical wellness and fun through outdoor activity. 

And I had a load of fun doing it. The event was executed without a hitch. The volunteers were friendly and hysterical (a particularly whimsical “fairy” zombie actually muttered to her fellow undead “aw, let him pass, he only has one flag.” YAY FOR ZOMBIE PITY). Come next year, after I pretend to get in shape, I’ll be doing it again, make no mistake. 

After struggling to finish, I received a medal, took in a show, relaxed, and that night asked myself just one question: “How freaking badass am I”?

Answer: I ran a two and a half hour 5K, so not that badass. Figures.

Tom Hanks Electric City Review

Review by Ron Phillips

Edited by Amanda Blake Sutter

The idea of a web-series is to tell an intricate story in a serial format. However, with the attention span of the current average web user this proves to be a difficult task that must be accomplished in an average of seven minutes or less. Tom Hank's animated webseries Electric City has been all the buzz in this social media generation and for good reason. The story encompasses you in the tale of a post apocalyptic world where the luxury of living in bright lights and heat is a treasure. The series is about 20 episode long averaging around five minutes per episode. The show not only captures the audience with its premises, but it's delivery in conveying the story as well. This show has become such a success because the show creates traffic and makes people want to become part of the world created.

The series launched on July 17, 2012 with 10 episode out the gate.  Each episode gave the audience just enough to whet their appetite while managing to leave them always wanting more. The careful marketing stratagies assisted in making this possible. Careful consideration was used in deciding placement on the web and the accouterments that would be used. Collaboration with the Yahoo website allowed the show to be hosted on the Yahoo screens. This was the first plan to gain exposure. With Yahoo being many of today’s go to search engine and email carrier, the advertisment for the show was constantly shown to the website's users.  The second marketing plan to gain exposure was the gaming aspect. Hanks teamed up with iTunes and Google Apps  to create little games that corresponed to the show. The games were fun and addicting and helped the players becomes part of the intricate story.

Hank's project used every means to help make the series so inclusive that just seeing the first 10 episodes leaves the audience begging for more. By using himself and other big name actors such as Ginnfer Goodwin to help back up the show through voice acting, fans were already stirring up chatter. However, Hanks knew that fan chatter would lead to media chatter on shows such as Good Morning America. He also created buzz by Comic-con. Its is only natural for a collaboration such as this to get so much attention. This is a marketing concept that creates opportunity that can not and should not be ignored. Learning from this concept would be very benficial because it brings the community in.

These statagies show that the time you invest before the show actually airs come to fruition. The website hosted by Yahoo is so elaborate and detailed that the maps go along with the show. Instead of doing a full screen view, the page shows things such as the sun setting as it sets on screen. This is so engaging becauase the game downloaded from the app store serves a distinct and integral purpose to the flow of the show. This keeps users on the page and keeps them clicking on all the available snippets of the story that can be used to be a citizen of this new world. This generates more buzz through the best marketing tools available which is word of mouth. Others are brought on to be a part of this new feeling and community. The share button is hit on facebook and tweets are made about the show. Others make comments to add to the conversation and then more exposure is created. It becomes a cyclical  cycle in the method of human on human exposure to the show.

If a webseries is to be successful it must pop and shine out the gate. But sometimes that is not always enough.  By using social media as a means of exposure, the cycle begins and then starts anew.

Series can be found at http://electriccity.yahoo.com

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JourneyQuest The Webseries Review

JourneyQuest Review

By

Amanda Sutter

Journey Quest is an over the top fantasy web series that follows a group of characters on their epic quest for glory. Along the way a series of unforseen events leads the characters into a whirl wind of mischeif, battles, and awkward moments. From the creators of "The Gamers" and "The Gamers: Dorkness Rising," the series is a goofy comedy that leaves the viewers laughing continuously.

    Although the language takes a bit getting used to and the many subplots require careful attention, the series definitely has a unique quality to its story that will create a following in certain audiences.  The series has an overall good production value and intricate costume design. The series uses a combination of clever humor with slapstick comedy throughout its entirety that hit at the right moments in the plot line.  The actor's bring a lot to the table with portraying the character's humorus moments organically. Watching their performance is entertaining and is successful in creating an emotional connection with the audience.  The episodes are also kept short and the plot continuously advances at a steady, but fast pace. Journey Quest will deffidently gain support through specific cult followings, comedy lovers, and fantasy lovers.

    The pilot is a bit slow and confusing, however, the series as a whole is definitely worth watching.Ultimately Journey Quest is a fun and unique expereince for all viewers following this magical journey.

You can find more info about this series at: http://www.journey-quest.com/

You can also follow Dark Elf on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/darkelffilms  and on Twitter: www.twitter.com/darkelffilms 

Film Review: Machete

Machete

Vivian Gil

Absolutely over-the-top in every way imaginable, Machete wasn’t billed as a comedy but the movie has so many outrageous kills, ridiculous lines and eccentric characters it’s impossible not to laugh your way through the movie.

Director and writer Robert Rodriguez, along with writer Álvaro Rodríguez and director Ethan Maniquis, created Machete. Machete, played by Danny Trejo, is an ex-federale myth known for his crazy killing skills and weapon of choice. He’s hired to shoot the Texas Senator (Robert De Niro) as a part of a larger plot formulated by politicians to control the border and therefore the drugs. But, instead, he’s double-crossed and enlists the help of Jessica Alba and Michelle Rodriguez to engage in a crusade against the corrupt government.

 If you get sick at the sight of blood, this movie is not for you. Intestines are ripped out of bodies and heads are blown away in a gruesome display of death. This movie is an epic action flick where the cheesy lines make the film. Fans of Rodriguez’s previous work or the works Quentin Tarintino will thoroughly enjoy this movie.

Film Review: Mortal Kombat

Film Review: Mortal Combat

Vivian Gil

To enter the great realm of Earth and take over our world, the Outerworld must win ten Mortal Kombat tournaments. Once in a generation the greatest fighters in the world are rounded together to fight for the safety of our Earth. Now, after winning nine tournaments, the Outerworlds need one more win to invade and conquer Earth. Three fighters, Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade band together to fight for the safety of Earth.

Based on the video games, Mortal Kombat, directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, is an action-packed film that brings to life the characters from which it was inspired. On their journey to win the tournament, each fighter must battle with their demons to truly become the winners of Mortal Kombat. Helped along the way by Raiden (Christopher Lambert), the God of lightening, he tries to help his chosen fighters overcome their demons to win. Liu Kang (Robin Shou) seeks revenge on Shang Tsung (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa), a sorcerer and tournament host, for the murder of his brother, Johnny Cage (Linden Ashby) aims to prove himself after the actor finds himself the center of the media’s joke, and Sonya Blade (Bridgette Wilson-Sampras) hunts for revenge after the murder of her partner.

Although this movie dates back to 1995, it still enjoyable today. The lines sound cheesy now, but to anyone who has played the videogame, lines like “finish him” are classic. To those who have never played the game, the movie is easy to keep up with and the fight scenes do not disappoint and the film even throws some funny lines and hints of romance, effectively expanding its audience.

Film Review: Miracle at St.Anna

Miracle at St. Anna

Vivian Gil

Director Spike Lee brings us a story by New York Times bestseller James McBride. Miracle at St. Anna follows four Buffalo Soldiers from the Army’s Negro 92nd Division during World War II. After they cross over German lines, the Buffalo soldiers find refuge in a small Tuscan village. Fighting a war for a country that doesn’t respect them, the soldiers manage to find solace in the unlikely peasant village. Although they are fighting along Buffalo soldiers, the white American soldiers still experienced racist feelings towards their fellow comrades. On the other side, is the Buffalo soldiers’ unfamiliar friendships with those of white skin. The film stars Derek Luke, Michael Ealy, Laz Alonso, and Omar Benson Miller as the African American soldiers.  

Along with tackling the racial tensions that occurred in the period, Lee tiptoes around the mysterious and unexplained.  After finding the head of a statue, the soldiers begin to experience life or death situations and prevail numerous times. They begin to treat the head as a superstitious magical power. When one of the soldiers rescues a little boy (Matteo Sciabordi), the boy returns the favor by helping them in inexplicable ways. It becomes a war movie with a touch of fantasy.

Lee confronts a side of war that is often never portrayed: the African America point of view. He not only tackles a difficult story, but also shoots in an exhilarating way. With slow death scenes yet quick transitions, he leaves you no time to mourn the losses until the final shot that scans over the dead bodies so you can take in the full effect. 

The film does struggle with length and fluency. At around 160 minutes you have to make a conscious effort to focus on the story. Different sub plots occur that intertwine and it becomes difficult to keep track of them all. But in the end, the movie captures an emotional story with lead characters that hardly ever get their story told in Hollywood.

Film Review: Snow White and the Huntsman

Snow White and The Huntsman 

Vivian Gil

Director Rupert Sanders’ Snow White and The Huntsman tried desperately to be something it’s not: epic.

A poorly written, one-dimensional character, Snow White’s (Kristen Stewart) mother dies of an illness and her father remarries only to be killed by his next wife, Ravenna (Charlize Theron). The new queen takes over his kingdom and locks her stepdaughter away in a tower. The queen asks the infamous question to her mirror “Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who is fairest of them all?” And so the queen tries to kill snow white, who escapes conveniently now but never before, and the queen hires the huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) to track her down. 

It’s sad that the huntsman and the queen had more depth to their characters than Snow White herself. 

            One of the main problems with this film is, Snow White played by Kristen Stewart. Her moody acting was great for a role where her character is almost always found in a grey, cloudy darkness. The problem with Snow White is that you never feel that she’s this awesome and amazing person. She’s described in the movie as being “life itself” but she doesn’t DO anything. She can’t fight, doesn’t know magic, and they never glamorize her to be the most beautiful person in all the land. It’s completely unbelievable that she’s treated with such specialty.

Overall, the film had good imagery, set, and costumes but it fell short with the plot. It had the potential to be good; you go in there thinking it’s going to be a whole new spin but instead it’s a five minute story made into a two hour movie.

Film Review: Melancholia

Melancholia 

Vivian Gil

Written and directed by Lars von Trier, Melancholia follows two sisters’ Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg), relationship while a planet threatens to collide into Earth. Justine, whose wedding party is being thrown at her sister’s estate, is unconcerned about the whole affair. The first half of the film is her indifference towards the reception but trying for the sake of her husband, (Alexander Skarsgård), her sister, and her brother-in-law, (Keifer Sutherland).  She struggles with depression on a day of celebration. Claire is forced to mediate the situation with the guests and care for her sister but she’s obviously disappointed at Justine’s attempt at happiness. 

The eerie tone set through the instrumental music, the crisp, clean visuals, and the melancholy state of its main characters sets a different tone on our doom. These days, films about the end of the world focus on the destruction of our planet and how to defend Earth and protect humanities. The characters are in a constant state of panic. Here, instead, we’re given a situation and shown two different responses.  The film opens with the end of the world; you know it is going to happen. It’s not about the suspense of saving the planet; it’s how people react, their personalities.

Dunst and Gainsbourg deliver opposite reactions: numb and nonchalant and panicky and chaotic. At one point in the film Justine utters to her sister, “And when I say we're alone, we're alone. Life is only on earth, and not for long.”  She leaves you thinking: how would you react if you knew the world was ending; if there was nothing left but to die?  And that’s what makes this film unique.