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The Coming Apocalypse(s) In Summer Film

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An image from Guillermo del Toro's film "Pacific Rim." (Warner Bros. Pictures)
A promotional image from Guillermo del Toro's film "Pacific Rim." (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Memorial Day is the traditional kick-off for the summer movie season. This year, apocalypse is in the air with films including "World War Z," "Pacific Rim," "After Earth," "This Is the End" and "Elysium."

Boston Globe film critic Ty Burr attributes this trend to two factors.

"Number one is the commercial movie imperative of summer blockbusters, which is that every summer's blockbusters have to have bigger explosions than the summer before it. And eventually, it just has to go planetary."

And second:

"I do think think that our culture does re-mulch a lot of our feelings about what's going on in the world, about what's going on in our planet, about what's going on in our city and our country and in other countries and channels those anxieties into entertainment."

Burr also recommends these non-apocalypse films:

Guest:

This segment aired on May 27, 2013.

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