Contagion

IMDb Link

Just in time for flu season, the germophobe's scariest film ever!

Germs a'plenty! Everywhere! Many people die, including some famous actors. And kids! Hahaha! Death is everywhere! Happy new year!

To be honest, it shouldn't be that much fun to watch, because so many people die, but it is! The whole first act feels like an opening scene from 'House,' but with famous people. Who die! And not famous people. Who die, too! So, yeah: you never know who will die and when and if it will end happily or not. But, as you're watching, you know that even if they find a cure, all the dead people will still be dead. All the looted people will be still looted. All the paranoid people will still be paranoid.

Drinking game: call out the actors' names first and everybody else has to take a shot.

Wait, what? Is that Demetri Martin as a scientist? Awesome! But I really wanted him to crack a joke! Or draw something! 'We can either cut to a sketch, or have the entire world die... Hmm... Okay: the entire world dies.'
And I'm always happy to see Mr Colantoni, that dude's cool.

But so many germs... on credit cards, on door handles, in elevators, on books, in buses, glasses in restaurants, when you shake people's hands! And people always ignore that (loved the line about the plastic shark)... That's why I wash my hands first thing when I come home. But still, I'm gonna die because one of you is gonna touch me!

Argh! I'm never going out anymore! Well... that shouldn't change my life much.

Anyway, if you hadn't understood it by now, it's about, well... a contagion (duh!), but it's also about conspiracy theories and paranoia and red tape and opportunism and greed and, well... how we humans are targeted and we, as humans, fuck everything up. But, we, as humans try to make it all okay. But nature will still try to kill us, because we try to fuck with it (nature, that is).
Simplistic, but effective. And probably accurate.

There are so many famous actors that keep popping up on screen that, after a while, I was looking at the extras, to see if I could recognize anyone, like George Clooney.

So... Yeah. Happy day. And fun film! And, I have to say: One of Soderbergh's (sorry, I meant Peter Andrews') static shot, with no actors, conveys more than all of Michael Bay's and James Cameron's films combined.

I admit I could have done without Gwyneth's autopsy. Happy birthday, Apple! Let's watch one of mommy's films, shall we? The next Coldplay album could feature the song: 'My wife's got her face peeled off.'

Speaking of which (music, I mean): I enjoyed the music, which felt very Vangelis/Blade Runner like, in a good way. Retro 80s, minimalist, not overbearing. Hey, I wonder if Cliff Martinez composed it!

So, yeah: I am saying I enjoyed it because it is entertaining, sometimes disturbing, sometimes unpredictable, always well acted and, of course, always perfectly directed. Steven: fuck painting! Stay a director! Pleeeeeease!

In conclusion, a quote from the film: 'Blogging is not writing. It's graffiti with punctuation.'
Haha! Punctuation? On the internet?! As if.