1. Ryan Gosling in Drive (2011) with Carey Mulligan
2. Carey Mulligan in Shame (2011) with Michael Fassbender
3. Michael Fassbender in 300 (2006) with Lena Headey, who stars in The Purge
4. Lena Headey in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) with Busy Philipps
5. Busy Philipps in Freaks and Geeks (1999) with Seth Rogen and James Franco and Jason Segel and David Krumholtz
6. Seth Rogen and James Franco and Jason Segel and David Krumholtz in This Is the End

Playing double duty today.

A few weekends ago I watched and unlikely double feature: Blumhouse Productions’ The Purge and the Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg‘s directorial debut This Is the End. One movie is about the end of society; the other movie is about the end of the world. The movies fit together better than I thought, but I did leave the theater feeling a little depressed.

First up was The Purge. Though it didn’t take full advantage of its premise, like many critics have stated, I was pleasantly surprised in the directions that it went. In fact, sometimes the places it went were so different that entire storylines were completely abandoned (some for the better). I would’ve liked to see the world a little more fleshed out, but I’m still disturbed by the last few scenes of the movie where (***spoilers***) characters are just simply sitting in a room. I only wish the rest of the movie was that evocative.

Now, the second half of my double feature: This Is the End. Though most of the movie’s big gags had already been spoiled for me my the Internets, I still found myself chuckling to the movie’s throwaway jokes and banter. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg have really mastered the balance between dick jokes and heartfelt stories of male friendship, and that formula is on full display here. The movie’s best scenes are between Rogen and Jay Baruchel, former BFFs (conveniently) reunited on the eve of the apocalypse. Most people will talk about demon penises and cameos when they talk about the movie, but the strongest element here is the friendship. Though Superbad still showcases their best writing, I can’t wait to see what this team does next.

Go celebrate society’s downfall! Check out these movies before they leave theaters… FOREVER.