Your Say on Contagion
Jetta Weinstein
I just saw Contagion today. Last week I saw (and absolutely loved) Out of Sight, so I was eager to see another Steven Soderbergh film. Contagion certainly isn't the best film I've seen this year, but it was still pretty thought-provoking. I agree that I was unable to connect to most of the characters, with the exception of Matt Damon. That scene near the end when Damon is breaking down was a really emotional moment. Using "All I Want Is You" made the scene even stronger for me since it's my favorite U2 song. As far as I'm concerned, Damon's character was clearly the most sympathetic in the film.
YES, the score was fantastic! And I get the Social Network sound connection. Again, you should watch Out of Sight - the score is similarly effective.
While it's true that there weren't any bad performances in the film, you're right in saying that the talent was not put to the best use. Cotillard's character didn't need to be there at all. Hawkes' character wasn't necessary either, though because he's one of my favorite actors (having just seen the chilling Martha Marcy May Marlene last week gave me another reason to want to see Contagion) I enjoyed the few scenes he had.
One of things I was mulling over after the movie ended (and funnily enough, when taking the train home I didn't think twice about holding onto railing) was whether or not the nose spray vaccine actually worked. There was no real proof shown, was there? Also, I guessed who the culprit was from the moment I saw the footage that Cotillard looked at. I just had a feeling... so when the ending confirmed it, I wasn't surprised.
With regard to the editing, the only thing I have to say is that the freeze frame moments were my favorite aspect. Out of Sight has freeze frames too, so I guess it's a touch that Soderbergh likes to incorporate.
Anyway, Contagion was a good film and I enjoyed reading your review!
I just saw Contagion today. Last week I saw (and absolutely loved) Out of Sight, so I was eager to see another Steven Soderbergh film. Contagion certainly isn't the best film I've seen this year, but it was still pretty thought-provoking. I agree that I was unable to connect to most of the characters, with the exception of Matt Damon. That scene near the end when Damon is breaking down was a really emotional moment. Using "All I Want Is You" made the scene even stronger for me since it's my favorite U2 song. As far as I'm concerned, Damon's character was clearly the most sympathetic in the film.
YES, the score was fantastic! And I get the Social Network sound connection. Again, you should watch Out of Sight - the score is similarly effective.
While it's true that there weren't any bad performances in the film, you're right in saying that the talent was not put to the best use. Cotillard's character didn't need to be there at all. Hawkes' character wasn't necessary either, though because he's one of my favorite actors (having just seen the chilling Martha Marcy May Marlene last week gave me another reason to want to see Contagion) I enjoyed the few scenes he had.
One of things I was mulling over after the movie ended (and funnily enough, when taking the train home I didn't think twice about holding onto railing) was whether or not the nose spray vaccine actually worked. There was no real proof shown, was there? Also, I guessed who the culprit was from the moment I saw the footage that Cotillard looked at. I just had a feeling... so when the ending confirmed it, I wasn't surprised.
With regard to the editing, the only thing I have to say is that the freeze frame moments were my favorite aspect. Out of Sight has freeze frames too, so I guess it's a touch that Soderbergh likes to incorporate.
Anyway, Contagion was a good film and I enjoyed reading your review!
