Earth vs. the Paper Airplanes is Robert's submission for a school assignment wherein the students had to make movies that "included the construction of a paper airplane." I don't know what the other kids were like at Westhill High School in 2001. Something tells me though that there weren't too many submissions like this one.

In this movie, a madman played by Mike Lydon gives a guy named Dr. Frothblagon a tour of his moon-based facility, where he is manufacturing a fleet of paper airplanes that proceed to invade the planet Earth. The madman's motivations are never made clear, which perhaps is the most interesting thing about this project. In Robert's sick mind, no motive was necessary. At the same time, it is the most frightening thing about this project.

Another thing that remains unclear is why Mike Lydon was cast as the madman, considering he could barely deliver his lines. I can think of a few possibilities:

- He looked like a madman, which was more important to Dastolis than how the lines were delivered.

- Dastolis figured a madman would have a speech impediment.

- Dastolis didn't give a shit, because they never do about school assignments.

I think it is quite possibly a combination of all three things. But probably the most remarkable thing is that, even when neither one of them gives a shit about a school assignment, they will still manage the minimal effort of putting in massive explosions.

Another thing about this movie that I love and hate at the same time is the reference to the city of Ogdenville, which is from The Simpsons. I'm relieved to say that they would never put in a reference like that today, because I'm sure they understand that it pulls everyone out of the reality of this paper airplane invasion movie.

Here is what the Dastolis have to say about Earth vs. the Paper Airplanes:

JAMES:

"Earth vs. the Paper Airplanes should have been only a trailer. In fact there is a trailer for it, and it includes everything that we really wanted. The movie contains a lot of unneccessary things that don't make a lot of sense."

ROBERT:

"As of this point in Mike Lydon's Dastoli Digital career (just prior to In Plane Sight), he had always been shot in front of a bluescreen, which of course you can see in the couple shots where we actually did not key out the bluescreen (it was a class project and clearly we were treating it a bit too much that way). Supposedly he may have lost his retainer while doing the crazy laughing shot. All of this seems to justify his top billing for the insignificant part he played in The Black Iris."