Pajiba

Erm...Did you mean to use the word consciousness in your first sentence? The usual expression is "in good conscience." But if you were being a little creative there, I can get behind that.

Do I even need to say it was a great review? It's always a great review. That's why I keep coming back to pick these nits.

It was less a creative usage than the fact that I was trying to make a broad political statement with the misuse. Nah. It was just stupidity. Noted and corrected. -- DR

So...not a sweet date movie, then?

Seriously, I'm strangely ambivalent about this film. I'm normally a total sucker for disaster movies, even terrible ones. This one just somehow fails to capture my interest. Maybe it's because no one gets eaten by anything? Any movie where people get eaten by something is automatically good. It's true.

Forgive me for my obtuseness on this (very bad work week to date and counting), but despite the fact that you say you can't recommend it and that you hated it, I still think you thought it had some merit?? I mean when you wrote "it's a very uncomfortable film to watch", I got the sense that you weren't putting it in the same category as "uncomfortable" watching Lohan pretend she could sing in Praire Home Companion while Streep and Tomlin suck up the embarrassment for the sake of Altman and his swan song. It seemed more as if it worked on enough a of a level to make you feel uncomfortable about the situation between husband and wife and therefore, was okay-ish??? No? I mean most films just make me feel numb, so uncomfortable might be okay. Maybe the work overload and the humidity is just getting to me today.

I really want to see this (though it will likely not show anywhere near me), but at the same time I don't know if there is enough ice cream and Prozac in the world to counteract the sadness.

Blarg, that just sucks.

"...I'd be under my desk sucking despair through a straw and blowing great big bubbles of sudsy anguish."

GREATEST.LINE.EVER.

BLA;

Just have a movie in reserve to watch directly afterward. Either an old happy favorite or a new comedy.

I had to do that when I watched The Prestige.

My dad loves to watch disaster movies, so I saw all the clasics as a kid. I hated them then and I hate them now. I understand your mixed feelings on this movie. Children of Men was like that for me. Sure it was a good movie, but also just about the most depressing thing I'd seen in years. Maybe I should have realized that from all the reviews I read, but I somehow missed just how bleak it would be. My resulting opinion was that it was good, but I couldn't stand it and wouldn't recommend it. This one actually seems like it would be worse than that. No thanks!

A lot of reviewers will say they want thoughtful and thought-provoking films -- something beyond the usual pablum. But when given something which challenges them and makes them question themselves and their own motives (putting them in the "What would you do?" seat), they tend to pan such films as "uncomfortable."

Elaine... I don't know that the reviewer "panned" the movie. I think he felt it was uncomfortable (which certainly seems true), but he did say that it's a well done film. But it did make him uncomfortable. Kind of like my view on Leaving Las Vegas - great film, but I never want to see it again. Panning a movie is saying it's BAD. Stating a film makes you uncomfortable is not a judgment of it's inherent quality.

This reads like two hundred pounds of suck.

Download, to make a statement THEN, delete.

I don't get it - didn't this review basically give away the whole movie? I'm pretty sure I can ponder the dilemmas that the characters face for the remainder of the picture all by myself after hearing the setup. Do I really need to go see a whole movie now? My curiosity as to what more could possibly transpire after Lexi returns may actually get the better of me and have me go see it. But I really don't know what the point would be.

Katy - you thought Children of Men was bleak? I couldn't get into it. I figured out why - it's because situations in that film are really happening RIGHT NOW on this very planet and it just seems stupid to make a pretend movie about it. Kinda the same reason why I had to stop watching Law & Order SVU. Why make up realistic, horrifying shit that actually goes on? It's weird to me to go to a movie and get all enthralled in it's depressing vibe and then see basically the same thing on CNN.

But then, I love Sophie's Choice. But that's a story from the past. I guess I only have a problem when it's so similar to current events - and it's that handheld shooting style that looks like news footage, too. Sophie's Choice could not ever be mistaken for a documentary.

Although I DID appreciate the hell out of those long shots in Children of Men where the camera was following the actors around FOREVER. . . but I digress.

"BLA;

Just have a movie in reserve to watch directly afterward. Either an old happy favorite or a new comedy.

I had to do that when I watched The Prestige."

Same here, only it was after watching Requiem for a Dream, I immediatedly put in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, simply because I needed a reason to feel joy again...

I saw RAYD some months ago and really liked it.
Bleakest fallout film since Testament.
Low budget gem.

What if a dirty bomby happened at the drama department of High School Musical, and the Wildcats were contaminated? and what if the mathlete had to watch her jock boyfriend, suffer and die outside the cafeteria entrance?
Sounds like a sequel, the plot for High School Musical 4!

Really people, if you want to get all paranoid, upset, and depressed at the same time, just turn on any 24 hour news channel and watch for exactly 15 minutes....good fun, like slitting your wrists with a butter knife..

Let me get this straight....her husband locks her out, and she just stays outside and slowly dies for the rest of the film? I don't know about the other married folks out there, but if my husband locked me out in that situation, I'd go into the garage, get the axe, apply axe to window, and the dirty bombs would be the least of his problems.

Well, Kate, I guess you and your husband both die no matter what. How romantic!

This sounds like the feel-good hit of the summer.

I know this isn't really the point the film was trying to make, and that I'm being way too literal, but I can't help feeling that 'let her in and die with her' or 'keep her out on the porch to die slowly' can't possibly be the only options. Diseases aren't spread by magic. Especially if she is able to remain conscious and talk for two days with no medical intervention/nursing, then how bad can it be? Cobble toghether some kind of face mask, put on rubber gloves, change your clothes and wash before eating yourself. (OK I'm not a doctor, but I assume even Ebola patients can get some kind of nursing without the nurses all dropping dead). Nursing can make a big difference to survival, even something as simple as salt and suger rehydration therapy can bring cholera from something like 70% mortality down to 1% mortality. And even if we assume that this is some magic new disease created in some lab (as if anthrax and plague aren't bad enough to be getting on with) at least, Mother Theresa style, she could die with some dignity and comfort.

ChrisD, the reason he isn't letting her in is because the entire area is contaminated by the dirty bombs and whatever toxins they have spread into the air. So if he opens the door enough to let her in, he lets in the toxic air.
Plus there is the handyman that is there as well, who may not want to die along with the married couple, making the choices a bit more muddy.

Also, how many people have an unlimited supply of rubber gloves on hand? And my guess is that water and power will probably be turned off, making the washing up part troublesome.

And to Kate who commented a while back, would you expect, if the tables were reversed, for your sick husband to smash his way inside and demand that you die with him? Or would you just kill yourself and the handyman by letting him inside on your own?

MaryWoo said: it's because situations in that film are really happening RIGHT NOW on this very planet and it just seems stupid to make a pretend movie about it.

It is? I see little kids running around all the time. And what countries are actually rounding up all non-citizens and murdering them?

And if you are just referring to violence, what else is new? We shouldn't make any films with violence because people somewhere are fighting?

I just reread my comment and I guess it WAS a bit harsh.

Rather than breaking the window with an axe, I would use a fluffy white baby seal.

Either that, or throw some cute little kittens at it until it shatters...

I seem to be the only one that agrees with Kate's unique brand of justice. When you get married, you make the sacred vow "Till death do us part." If I was gonna die of some bioweapon disease, I'd do everything in my power to make sure Mrs. Shaun went down with me, no matter how many fluffy seals or cute kittens it would take.

ChrisD, the reason he isn't letting her in is because the entire area is contaminated by the dirty bombs and whatever toxins they have spread into the air. So if he opens the door enough to let her in, he lets in the toxic air.

Of course whenever you have bad scenarios like this I always have to come up with some reason that they are unrealistic, mostly as a sort of comfort/protection mechanism. Though of course bad stuff really does happen.
Anyway I'll bite and say that opening the door for three seconds surely couldn't cause significant *aditional* contamination (beyond what would get in despite the duct tape). I read that in a nuclear war you *don't* have to worry about fall out in the air supply as all the fine grained stuff would stay up in the atmosphere and the radioactive stuff that rains down would be gravel-like and could (later) be swept up. Therefore, whatever the toxin is, the situation may well be bad, but opening the door for three seconds couldn't cause much *additional* risk.

Leaving aside the disease risk from the wife because, afterall, it's only a film :-)

I did assume from the review that he was somehow outside the main zone of destruction and had infrastructure. If he's inside the zone of destuction, and water is cut off and they can't set foot outside the house, then they are kind of screwed anyway (maybe they could eat some of the fluffy seals and cute kittens).

Aaargh now I've overanalysed this far too much.

Wow...

I guess I'm just strange for feeling that I would be happy that someone I loved was going to possibly survive whatever disaster had occurred. It never crossed my mind that I would force my loved one to die with me if I could save them.

It would make a remake of Titanic more interesting, however. "Get off the lifeboat, bitch, you're going down with me!"

Kate, Shaun, in your zeal to make sure your respective spouses don't outlive you, you're forgetting about that poor sap, Alvaro. He's the one who insisted on sealing up the house in the first place, essentially saving that selfish husband's life. I think the only way to resolve this issue is for the hubby to off himself while wifey watches to make sure he's dead. Then she can shuffle off this mortal coil in peace. Hopefully there'll be enough plastic and duct tape left over for Alvaro to wrap Brad's soon-to-be-rotting corpse.

Shaun, leaving you and Mrs. Shaun aside, what about the threat you are inposing on THE HANDYMAN??? You can't kill THE HANDYMAN!!! You just don't know who else could be in the house who could die! What if Strawberry Shortcake is in the house? Or the Care Bears??? You want to kill the Care Bears, you asshole? Huh?

As a UK reader, I'm curious - when is this film being released in the States ? I saw it at home (DVD ? Via my cable supplier ?) a few months ago. It's incredibly unusual to get films in the UK before they're released in the US.
For those that say 'how could he let her stay outside', it does explain why, sort of. You have to see the film, but it seemed fairly realistic to me.
The trailer promised a much more exciting film though, or maybe advertising it before a showing of "Snakes on a Plane" was leading the audience on...

Hey Dustin,
Haven't posted in awhile- two straight weeks of 100+ SC heat & humidity have driven me to (or perhaps over) the edge of sanity, and it's all I can do to concentrate on just not sweating, so I've been getting enough computer screen heat at work alone that I can't take much more on a weekend.
I'm probably not in the best state of mind to see an intensely uncomfortable film like this at this time, and TK's comment above regarding Leaving Las Vegas was spot-on for me.
But sadly, my friend, I can hardly take your reviews of ANY films seriously any more, when their inaccuracies are blaringly exposed after reading truly well-written pieces by the great Owen Gleiberman of 'Entertainment Weekly'. Does that name sound familiar, Mr. Reviewer Man?? His writing is genius and directly contradicts any rational acceptance you might have once gained from me.
Allow me to enlighten you: on page 53 of August issue #948, this amazingly thoughtful and relevant reviewer managed to "out" your oblivious notions of good filmmaking by directly contradicting you and Pajiba in his reviews for Rocket Science (C) and Underdog (B-), and on one single page, no less! How's THAT for an "intensely uncomfortable" reality check, you hack?!?
Now take me out back and shoot me in the head- my brain truly IS fried from this heat when I try praising an asswipe like Owen Glieberman, even as an excercise in sarcasm and/or humor.
I had some more smartass remarks lined up, but I've taken enough of your time. Thanks for the always great reviews, and forgive me for reading 'EW', I have to keep something in the bathroom, at least for company's sake.

I have never gotten caught up in such bleak disaster flicks, because, despite being part of Gen X, I actually have a great deal of love and optimism for humanity. Am I the only one left? I don't know, I think people are far too pessimistic these days about what's going on right now in the world; I think we are doing pretty good, considering our history.

How would most people deal with the Black Death if we're getting all suicidal over a war quiet a few thousand miles away? I'm not saying don't care; I'm just saying; we only have one life, relax and enjoy. I for one don't plan on crawling under any desk any time soon... even if Dustin is sweetening the pot with big bubbles of sudsy anguish.

On a side note, I kind of agree with Kate. I don't mean that rationally, it doesn't make sense to stay outside, but come on, you're dying of a deadly disease, the whole world went to hell, and your husband is making the rational decision and keeping you OUT. I'd bang on that fucking door with whatever was handy ...

Seeing as how there is a surprise ending...why are we concerned about the handyman? You know that after Brad watches Lexi die, he'll turn around and see pox or whatever all over the handyman. Or better yet, the handyman had been having a tawdry affair with Lexi and has suffered silently watching his beloved die with her cuckold husband in the room. Or, that bastard of a handyman overcharges Brad for his labor when helping to hang all the plastic sheeting.
I say screw the handyman!