Movie about solar flares ignites online

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - April 25, 2014 - PRLog -- Whether it’s art imitating life, or life imitating art, it should be no surprise that all the recent solar flare activity is featured prominently in a new Hollywood movie.  The sun is currently at the peak of an 11-year cycle of solar activity.  The Last Man on Earth uses that science fact as a jumping off point for a clever romantic comedy.  In the tradition of John Hughes, the film plays like a cross between Weird Science and The Breakfast Club.  It has its pseudo sci-fi roots that create an unconventional situation with a desirable female, and it’s more serious musings on teen issues of isolation and bullying.

Uniquely blending romantic comedy & science fiction, The Last Man On Earth is about two teenagers exploring the nature, and rejection, of first love, when a cataclysmic event leaves them inexplicably stranded and alone.  If they can each find a way to understand one another, then they might just have a chance at survival

“I’ve always loved John Hughes films.  When I was coming up with the idea for this movie, I decided that I wanted to make a romantic comedy for young adults, and that meant I would try my best to pay tribute to John Hughes, however impossible that is,” said writer/director Todd Portugal.

Once Portugal had the concept for his film, The Last Man On Earth, he had to come up with a way to realize that situation.  The options ran the gamut from pure Armageddon to a dream.  Then he looked skyward.  “When I researched solar flares, it seemed like a great fit.  They’re amazing, and dangerous, and misunderstood.  It had the right feel for fact and fantasy blended together.”

Although, the flares provide the cataclysmic event that sends the couple on their odyssey, they were never meant to be frightening.  After all, it’s not a disaster film.  When the script was initially written, solar activity wasn’t at the level it’s at now. “It’s amazing to see all these news stories on something that, at the time I wrote it, seemed more like an infrequent anomaly.”

The Last Man On Earth is available for $1.99 to rent and $7.99 to own. View the trailer and purchase the movie at vimeo.com/ondemand/thelastman

About the Filmmaker:

Todd Portugal is a Los Angeles based filmmaker whose films have been distributed worldwide on DVD.  He also directed “The Blair Thumb," which aired on Showtime.  Portugal is a five-time Emmy Award nominee and member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

www.thelastmanonearthmovie.com