Emmys 2012: Who Should (and Who Will) Get a Nod

It's nearly that time again, that time when I will inevitably be disappointed by the disparity between who I fervently believe ought to be recognized for their work on television, and who will actually be nominated come July 19th.  Thus I've compiled a list of predictions here, to be taken with a heavy grain of salt (most of them are just who I'm personally pulling for after a season spent studying television avidly), of some of the individuals who likely will receive a nomination, and those who are already (and will sadly only ever be) winners in my mind.

Best Supporting Actress, Drama:

Maisie Williams, Game of Thrones
Now I know people aren't going to take me seriously on this one (despite the fact that the execs at HBO themselves submitted Williams for consideration), but I am absolutely convinced that this girl deserves some recognition.  Her scenes with Charles Dance in particular were extremely impressive, and for me definitely improved a couple of episodes that were otherwise just a little lackluster.  I don't think she's ready/has enough of a presence on the show just yet to merit a win (I'm pretty sure Christina Hendricks is the actress to beat in this category this year), but a nomination would be huge for the show and for Williams.  And no, I'm definitely not biased because she portrays my favorite character in the entire series.

Christina Hendricks, Mad Men
I'm not nearly caught on up Mad Men yet, but the buzz surrounding Hendricks and her performances during the series' long-awaited fifth season are almost impossible to avoid.  I love the character of Joan, and from what I can tell she's come a long way since we met her five years ago.  Hendricks certainly deserves a win, even if she's not my personal favorite of the bunch.

Jessica Capshaw, Grey's Anatomy 
Another one I feel some people might scoff at, given the somewhat depleted reputation Grey's has had in the past couple of years.  However, as someone who loyally watched every week this season and tracked the many, many goings-on at Seattle Grace with renewed enthusiasm, I would like to honestly endorse Ms. Jessica Capshaw, who plays Dr. Arizona Robbins on the show.  I know a lot of people would like to see Sandra Oh recognized for her work this season (and I acknowledge she did have quite the dramatic arc), I think what Capshaw did with her character's admittedly diminished screen time was much more subtle and at least equally, if not more, impressive.

Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey 
I think Smith is a shoe-in for a nomination again this year, because her character has emerged as the representative icon for this show as it has exploded in popularity.  Sure, some of the Dowager Countess' zingers lacked a little of their season one sting, but we got to see a different side of her during some of the more dramatic scenes during this past season.  That, and Maggie Smith is a gosh-darn living legend, people.  



Best Supporting Actor, Drama:

Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Can you tell yet that Game of Thrones is pretty much the only drama I watch regularly?  Well, that and Downton Abbey, but I think the second season of the former did a better job avoiding the sophomore slump than the latter.  Peter Dinklage will definitely be nominated-- his character and the actor himself are fan favorites-- but whether he'll win is still up for debate.



Best Supporting Actress, Comedy:
I think it speaks to how wonderful some of the comedic ensembles on TV are right now that I can think of many more candidates for the Supporting categories than the Lead ones.  The six women here (and the six men in the next section) are the result of narrowing down an even lengthier list of deserving candidates.

Aubrey Plaza, Parks and Recreation
Plaza continued to do something amazing during Parks' fourth season:  slowly growing a heart in the once-empty chest of one April Ludgate while continuing to be snarky and hilarious to boot.   Her arc this season had her growing up alongside her husband Andy, from tackling an ambitious bucket list to auditing college courses to making steps (baby steps, sure, but steps nonetheless) toward actual careers and adulthood.  She also surprised just about everyone by turning out to be the most logical stand-in for Leslie at the Parks Department during the latter's campaign.  She did set up Tom and Ann, who quickly became one of the more tedious couples on television, but I think we can forgive her that one.

Eliza Coupe, Happy Endings
She plays the neurotic, sometimes too-serious Jane to absolute perfection every week.  Coupe is an example of someone who knows her character so well you get the sense she could play the part in her sleep.  She also adds a different nuance to the show's humor, with most of her co-stars relying on more goofy humor in contrast to her snark. This is a show that is gaining more and more momentum with each episode, and it's about time it (and its performers) started gaining the recognition they deserve.  I'd love to see that start with Eliza Coupe.

Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live
This season on SNL was basically The Kristen Wiig Show, featuring Some Other People.  And hey, she's earned it.  Wiig has been honing her craft and only getting funnier since she started on the show, inventing dozens of hilarious and memorable characters and helping to bring the show back from a bit of a slump.  I would honestly love to see Wiig honored for her last year on the show, and I think a lot of other people would, too.

Julie Bowen, Modern Family
 I'm including her in here not because Modern Family's third season was really awards-worthy, but because Bowen and her on-screen counterpart, Ty Burrell, continue to be consistently funny even in the face of lackluster writing and beaten-to-death jokes.  That, and she'll almost definitely be nominated, and I don't want people thinking I guessed wrong.

Maya Rudolph, Up All Night
Her crazy talk show host Ava provided some often much-needed wackiness to the plight of the Brinkleys during the show's freshman season.  I'm not expecting a win (I'm not even realistically expecting a nomination), but Rudolph would be my pick to round out this category, and I'd like to see the show get a nod to recognize the things it has done well so far.

Cobie Smulders, How I Met Your Mother 
Normally things get complicated when the Emmys try to honor someone for their more dramatic work in the comedy category; however, it is not unprecedented.  And Smulders did some fantastic work with Robin's personal arc this season, carrying the action during several episodes that were a bit less than the show's gold standard.


Best Supporting Actor, Comedy:

Nick Offerman, Parks and Recreation
 Not giving this man the win in this category would be an outrage.  Not giving him a nomination would be a crime, for which I would expect the Emmy voters to be arrested immediately.  Offerman keeps Ron Swanson dimensional, intriguing, and hilarious episode after episode, and after four seasons has not disappointed yet.  Also, Offerman is one half of the team presenting the nominations on July 19th, so it'd be kind of an additional bummer for him to have to stand there while he goes unrecognized in his category yet again.

Danny Pudi, Community
Let's be honest here.  Abed was the true star of Community's third season.  He carried many of the major plots, and played a character who was equal parts multi-faceted and dramatic as well as hilarious in his own, hyper observant way.  Pudi deserves a nomination at the very least; it would be a damn shame to let an episode like "Virtual Systems Analysis" go to waste.

Chris Pratt, Parks and Recreation
Pratt's Andy is consistently funny, every single episode, and he owes that less to his cemented status as the resident lovable dummy than to Chris Pratt's impeccable timing and instincts.  He is that rare performer who I absolutely believe is capable of taking material that lies flat on the page and taking to a whole new and unexpected level.  I'd love to see all the men (and ladies) of Parks up for nominations, but I'll settle for at least this guy.

Aziz Ansari, Parks and Recreation
Again, consistently funny, and Ansari was given a bit more to work with this season with Tom's Entertainment 720 story line (we can just ignore the Tom/Ann arc, right?).  I think Aziz is repeatedly underestimated and undervalued, and that he deserves a shot at this prize at least as much as any of the increasingly boring dudes over on Modern Family.

Rainn Wilson, The Office
Wilson deserves a medal for carrying The Office this season.  It seemed the show could not go on without Michael Scott (and in many ways, it has failed to do so), and even fan favorites Jim, Pam, and Andy seemed to fall flat in season 8.  But it was Dwight--crazier than ever, always power-hungry Dwight--who continued to strive for hilarity every damn time.  Give him the recognition he deserves for accomplishing a seemingly impossible feat.

Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Burrell will be nominated, and he's the only Modern Family cast member I feel has actually earned it again.  He continues to combine his awkward humor with some genuine emotional moments in a way that is just downright pleasing to watch.


Best Actress, Comedy:

Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
If Amy Poehler doesn't walk away with this award this year there is just no justice in the world.  This was the year she took a character (Leslie Knope) whom most people found annoying at best when the series premiered, and brought her to an unexpected and absolutely delightful moment of triumph and likeability.  That's on top of her never-wavering ability to be both the most sincere character on television as well as one of the most hilarious.

Lena Dunham, Girls
Dunham will get a nomination, as the Emmy voters are perennially in love with quirky new shows as well as pretty much anything to air on HBO.  Throw in the fact that Judd Apatow has a producer credit, and they'll be queuing up to hand awards to the girls of Girls (see what I did there?).  I'm perfectly okay with Dunham being nominated, but there is no universe (and I think she'd agree) in which she deserves this award over Amy Poehler.

Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
 Ugh.  Much as I'd like to hope people are over Deschanel and Jess Day, I'm sure they aren't.  I'm sure she'll be nominated, but again, Poehler is the one to top here.

Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Another likely lock for a nomination, but 30 Rock's sixth season just didn't measure up to its predecessors.  I think Fey is also the co-nominee most likely to be outraged alongside me if Amy Poehler doesn't win.

...Is it clear yet who I'm rooting for here?  I basically watch the Emmys to see if they finally validate Poehler and Parks.  I hope this is the year I'm finally not disappointed.

Best Actor, Comedy:

Joel McHale, Community
I think this nomination would please me just because McHale probably takes himself the least seriously as an actor out of everyone in the field.  He really has grown as a performer and as a character on Community, though, and it shows throughout season three.  I would also love to hear his acceptance speech.

Adam Scott, Parks and Recreation
Oh Ben Wyatt, do you even understand how many women out there adore you?  That alone would be reason enough for Scott to deserve a nomination.  But romance aside, Ben had a lot of wonderfully witty, genuine moments of his own this season on Parks, which is why the powers that be likely saw fit to submit him for consideration as a Lead Actor.  I will definitely be rooting for him come Emmy night.




Best Drama:

Game of Thrones
I just love this show so much, and I would love for it to unseat a favorite like Homeland or Mad Men.  Let's show the world (or at least, the fraction of the world who pay attention to the Emmy awards) that a little show about dragons and magic and kings and kick-ass ladies can beat a navel-gazing drama or a lackluster procedural fair and square.

Downton Abbey
Downton took a big risk moving themselves to this category (they could have dominated in the Mini-Series department), and I'm not entirely sure it will pay off, given the competition.  I'd love to see it creep into the list of nominees, though, and I think it has a decent chance at doing so.

Mad Men
Will be nominated, will probably win.  Will probably surprise no one.


Breaking Bad
Again unsurprising, though a potential contender to unseat Mad Men. 


Best Comedy:

Parks and Recreation
Please, TV gods, please just once give the award to my all-time favorite comedy series.  Please.


Modern Family
The third season was extremely sub-par compared to the previous two, and I think everyone knows it, but doesn't want to admit it because of the show's popularity.  This will win if the Emmy voters continue their unfortunate habit of simply checking the same names year after year.
 
Happy Endings
More people need to be watching (and appreciating) this show.  End of story.  But seriously, this is one of the best ensemble casts on TV, with some of the sharpest writing. Hopefully Emmy voters take notice.


Community
Maybe all the controversy over its near-cancellation, move to Friday nights, and loss of producer Dan Harmon will finally have earned this show the notice it so sorely deserves.
 

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Part 2

So what I've learned over the past week or so is that May sweeps as we once knew it basically doesn't exist anymore.  For one thing, it apparently starts in April now, which bumps the whole schedule forward by several weeks (remember back in the day when the season finale of your favorite shows would coincide with the last days of school?).  Most of the shows discussed below will end in the first two weeks of may, and have already begun to ramp up their plot lines accordingly.  Let's get to it.


Parks and Recreation

Last week's "The Debate" continues to present new things for me to gush about (especially now that I've watched the director's cut, which has even more glorious extra laughs).  And things are only going to get more exciting from here.  The remaining two episodes will determine Leslie's political fate, and rumor has it there are going to be some major complications before the end of the race.
*I've already watched this evening's episode, "Bus Tour," and am holding off on elaborating here so I can post a better review later.


Grey's Anatomy

I have to applaud the current arc centering on the residents taking their medical boards, which I thought might grow tedious but which has been really very interesting to watch.  It's the first time in a while that Grey's has really emphasized the journey each character is on as an individual, rather than simply exploring their romantic relationships with one another.  The hype for the finale has been on the rise for a few weeks now, with several cast members cryptically giving interviews about how anyone's death is fair game in the season finale, due to air May 17th (although rumor has it Meredith, Alex, and Christina are safe, at least from death).  Of course, anyone following the show knows that this has more to do with ongoing contract negotiations with the actors than anything on the creative side, but it definitely feels like things are in flux, and that everything is about to change, for better or for (probably) worse over at Seattle Grace-Mercy West.


New Girl

(Yes, this is the overrated freshman show I was talking about in my previous post.)  Although the writers and actors seem to have finally found something of a groove in terms of humor, storytelling, and minimizing the "isn't she ador(k)able?" aspect of Zooey Deschanel's character, I still think the finale of this show's first season will be (somehow) both predictable and anti-climactic.  Fans are rooting for a Jess and Nick hookup with a fervor reminiscent of the early seasons of Friends and the Ross/Rachel tension.  Now, New Girl could potentially pull off a satisfying conclusion and/or cliffhanger if they go a similar route (that is, resolving it and not resolving it simultaneously, a la season 1 of Friends, where Rachel goes to the airport having realized her feelings only to see Ross with Julie).  I predict that by the end of next Tuesday's episode, either Nick or Jess will have an epiphany of sorts (though it could be argued that Jess kind of did at the end of this week's installment), but I doubt that anything with a clear resolution will happen.  I'd also like to see Nick go through with his decision to move out of the loft, if only because it presents more possibilities for the start of season 2.


Cougar Town

Jules and Grayson are going to get married, which is probably the official moment this show will demand a new title, as there is no substantial age difference between the two.   But rumor has it that Laurie might be assuming the role of a cougar of sorts, if the murmurs of something real happening between her and Travis are to be believed.  My only reservation with this story line is that if the writers aren't careful about handling it, they may run into the same criticism that plagued the show in its early days about how appropriate and/or realistic its interpretation of relationships is.  As someone who's been very happy to see how far this show has come since the pilot, I'm hoping they can pull off an acknowledgement of the palpable chemistry between these two characters in a way that fits with the show we know and love.

Movie Review: The Descendants

If the Oscars (or moviegoers) are looking to take the family tearjerker route this season, The Descendants is an obvious choice.  Not only does it star George Clooney who, let's face it, is wonderful in just about everything, but it tells a genuinely compelling and heartfelt story, tragic without veering into melodrama. 

The story centers on George Clooney's character Matt, whose wife has slipped into an irreversible coma after an accident, and who must also make a huge decision which will have a life-changing impact on both his career and his family.  This of course, is made no easier by his rebellious teenage daughter (played by the surprisingly fabulous Shailene Woodley, who I'll get to in a minute), his rebellious younger daughter, and the small revelation that his wife has been carrying on an affair behind his back.  Cue a family journey (both literal and metaphorical) that is at times wacky and a times truly heartbreaking, as Matt and his daughters set out to try and locate his wife's paramour while simultaneously trying to navigate the arrangements surrounding her impending death.

Cynical as it may sound to say, I find that many films or television shows involving someone in a coma (and most especially anything featuring scenes of characters talking to the person in a coma), has about a 95% chance of coming off completely cliche and ridiculous.  This film somehow manages to subvert that, and in spectacular fashion.  By the time Matt actually makes it to his wife's bedside,  there is a tension that has accumulated which can't be relieved in any other manner.  The film's final scenes provide an extremely powerful catharsis, which is all the more affecting thanks to a cast of characters who demand a genuine empathy from the very first minutes of the film.

Let's get to the acting, though, because that's what people are really buzzing about when it comes to this film.  Clooney is wonderful, multi-faceted and surprisingly convincing as a family man in emotional turmoil.  I still think Ryan Gosling gives a better performance in The Ides of March, but having to settle for Clooney as a close second really doesn't feel much like settling at all.  Shailene Woodley is the film's biggest surprise, though, not least because her biggest claim to fame prior to this was a starring role in ABCFamily's nonsensical Secret Life of the American Teenager.  It is easy to see where she could have defaulted to playing the stereotypical caricature of the wayward daughter, but instead she brings something deeper to the role, something that evokes sympathy and indeed (at least, in my opinion), paints her as the heroine of the film. 

On the whole,  this film tells a great story of one family, while also exploring the larger theme of what it means to be a descendant, to carry on a legacy and what that means.  I think for this reason it is not only likely to earn awards for its stellar individual performances, but for the story itself.  The combination of these elements makes it a top contender, in my opinion, for an award for screenwriting as well as a strong candidate for Best Picture of the Year.

Movie Review: My Week with Marilyn

So I might be disgracing lots of ladies my age (and older) by saying this, but I've never really seen Marilyn Monroe as a personal icon, as someone to emulate or even someone all that fantastic, really.  My interest in this movie was initially sparked out of a need to see Michelle Williams (whom I consider to be a much more fitting aspirational figure for myself) in her much raved about performance.  And I have to say that while Ms. Williams was indeed fantastic, the film did something I wasn't expecting, which was making a woman I've long considered overrated come across as both intriguing and sympathetic.

The thing that really jumps out at me about this movie is the phenomenal cast, full of British icons as well as new faces, all of whom absolutely excel in telling this story, and providing a snapshot of not only Marilyn's life, but the lives of those around her, and exposing the profound impact this one woman was capable of having on them.  Michelle Williams certainly adds new dimensions to Marilyn, including a strong awareness of the role playing demanded of her as a celebrity, but her admirer Colin (played by the charming and relative newcomer Eddie Redmayne) stands out as equally, if not more compelling.  Yes, his is a typical journey through the marshes of naivete and ensuing heartbreak, but he captures the spirit of it in a very honest, fresh way.  Of course, there are many supporting players who fill out the rest of the film, from Dominic Cooper and Emma Watson, whose respective presences are minimal but impactful, to Dame Judy Dench and Kenneth Branagh, who bring their usual level of skill and command of the screen.  Overall, this film needs its actors to carry the story, which covers only a brief portion of the tumultuous story of a very complicated woman, and the performers tasked with this have risen to the occasion.

My Week with Marilyn is not the film to watch if you're interested in Ms. Monroe's life story or an expose of the many scandals associated with her.  It isn't even, I would suggest, a film to watch if you don't have at least a minimal insight into the sort of person Marilyn Monroe was (or might have been).  The infamous instability of the woman at the center of this story is what drives it, and its nuances can be much more appreciated if you approach the film with this condition in mind.  And as far as awards season goes, I think this one is a contender, but a bit of a long shot.  Sure, I can easily see Michelle Williams winning the Golden Globe for this turn, especially separated as she is from some of the other heavily favored contenders, because this movie somehow got pushed into the 'Musical or Comedy' category.  However, I think there might be other better performances out there, and I certainly feel that Williams' performance in last year's Blue Valentine trumped this one by a hundred miles.  That said, there is every possibility she might earn a surprise "one year too late" Oscar nod (it's happened before: see Denzel Washington, among others), but for now it's anyone's guess.  And the film is not a likely favorite for Best Picture-- a nomination, maybe, even probably, but not a win.

Movie Review: Like Crazy

If you've seen the trailer for this movie, in a way you've kind of seen the whole movie (except the trailer is kind of better, what with the great music and all).  Like Crazy is charming and full of angst and an overuse of montages, which of course makes it indie-film-junkie heroin.  I enjoyed the film on the whole, and I grant that the two lead actors (especially Felicity Jones) compensate for a lot of plot problems with their undeniable charm and chemistry.  However, they don't make up for how frustrating the very premise of this film becomes if you're like me and you start really thinking about it right there in the theater.

The biggest issue I have with it is that the entire central problem of the film arises because Jones' character Anna, makes an extremely stupid decision.  If that were all I could maybe forgive it, but she knows exactly what she's doing when she does it, and is just (apparently) dumb enough to not consider the possible consequences.  The basic gist is this:  Anna is an immigrant from England, in Los Angeles on a student visa.  Her visa expires upon her graduation, and she has to spend two months in England for the summer before she can come back to her beloved boyfriend of one year, Jacob.  As anyone who's ever dealt with a visa or even looked into it, you know that these deadlines are not by any means flexible, and the consequences of violating a visa deadline are extremely severe (I'm also certain they impress this upon you many, many times in the application process).  Anna, however, decides even after she and Jacob have accepted this necessary two-month hiatus that she'll just stay in the States through the summer.  Who's going to notice, right?  Wrong.

Because these two are absolutely stupid for each other (and I mean that in the least flattering way possible), Anna gets herself banned from the US indefinitely because she can't bear to spend 8-10 weeks away from her boyfriend (and of course he idiotically agrees to anything she says).  The rest of the film is basically them as an on-and-off couple, with Jacob visiting intermittently as they try to get the ban lifted (and never once realizing that he could simply move to London until Anna is allowed to leave; his flimsy excuse is that he sells furniture in LA, which apparently is impossible in any other country).  They whine and cry (a lot, there are a ton of tears in this movie), and date other people and send each other letters, and the entire time I cannot bring myself to root for them because of their shared stupidity. 

Eventually they decide to get married, but even that doesn't immediately succeed in getting Anna's ban lifted.  And then, naturally, their relationship begins to really unravel due to jealousy and of course the angst of being two idiots in love.  The film ends on a somber note, with Anna's ban lifted at last, and her coming to LA to stay with Jacob (presumably indefinitely, though it isn't clarified).  In their last scene together it becomes clear that a great deal of the initial magic of their relationship is gone, and maybe all this struggle wasn't really worth it after all.  And I would absolutely feel sympathy for them, if it weren't for the fact that Anna could have gone on that two month break to England and they could've realized the staying power (or lack thereof) of their relationship years earlier than they ultimately do.

But hey, the cinematography and the soundtrack are pretty great, so I can see why it was a favorite at Sundance.

TV Review: Once Upon a Time, Pilot

This blog entry is brought to you by the writers of LOST.  Just kidding (I wish).  Anyway, this show has been much-hyped, and there have been equal amounts of anticipation and skepticism surrounding its premise.  However, the pilot is absolutely stunning, a great start to a story I can't wait to experience.  
This is a fantastic pilot for the balance it strikes.  It's got mystery without being confusing, a certain degree of dazzle without being over-the-top, and characters who are equal parts fantastical and realistic (thanks surely in part to the fact that most of them have fairy tale alter-egos).

We start off in the fairy tale world with Snow White and her Prince, and the Evil Queen who vows to subject them to suffering in a world more terrible than any they can possibly imagine-- ours.  Cut to Jennifer Morrison's Emma, a bail bondsperson who is fiercely independent and "kind of a loner."  She's busy celebrating her 28th birthday all by her lonesome when who should knock at the door but a ten year old boy who says he's the son she gave up for adoption.  He, naturally, wants her to accompany him to one Storybrook, Maine where, we will soon learn, all of our favorite fairy tale characters are living, completely unaware of their true identities.

ABC is taking full advantage of the ease with which they've been able to link this show to the fan base of shows like LOST.  For one thing, throughout the episode we see numerous fun little references to the show that launched a million theories, as well as many similar elements of mystery.  After all, the pilot already brought us a prophecy (not to mention the creepy, inscrutable Rumpelstiltskin, who made it), magical memory loss, several ambiguous characters who may prove to be either friend or foe, and a love story between two characters who've been separated by the Queen's spell.  This show definitely has the potential to emulate LOST's weekly cliffhanger/boatload of unanswered questions design as well, and with maybe even a little more mass appeal (because much as I love the show in question, not everyone shares my fascination with things like time travel and polar bears well outside their natural habitat).  I'm already excited to go back and look for details I missed before, and speculate wildly on the meaning they might hold.

The vote is generally split on Jennifer Morrison as an actress-- some people like her, others can't stand her.  I think her performance here is a lot more dimensional than I was expecting, and I think I can definitely get on board with her as our heroine.  The rest of the cast fits their respective roles just about perfectly-- Ginnifer Goodwin is particularly adorable as a princess-turned-schoolteacher.  Everyone brings their absolute best, and it is a trend I hope will continue throughout the season. 

I also really love the emphasis the pilot places on the importance of stories.  One of my favorite scenes in the pilot features Emma and Snow White's schoolteacher persona in a conversation about the power of fairy tales to take us out of our own reality, particularly if that reality is a disappointing one.  Not only do I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment, I have a sneaky suspicion that this show may just have the power to play the same role for those who watch it.

What can we expect to see this season?  Well, apart from trying to solve the mystery of everyone's fairy tale identities, I'm already wondering what the Queen's deal is (she's got to have more to her than simply wanting to punish everyone, especially going to the length of inserting herself in Storybrook with them), as well as what, exactly, Rumpelstiltskin is up to, and how Emma becomes more active in the events with which she is prophesied to be involved.

Movie Review: Contagion

This movie is both well paced and oddly timely in its release, and manages not to struggle too much beneath the weight of its all-star cast.  Contagion is genuinely intriguing and tragic, and touches on the important issues that emerge in the wake of any kind of disaster without being too preachy or heavy-handed.

The film follows the explosive progression of an unidentified disease in various clusters throughout the world.  Gwyneth Paltrow's character Beth's demise gets the ball rolling, and members of the CDC scramble to determine whether she is the all-important "index patient" responsible for the initial spread of the disease.  Matt Damon plays her grieving husband who is also mysteriously immune to the disease, a convenience which also affords him immunity to the predictable panic, looting, and rioting which ensue as the disease takes more and more lives. 

Director Steven Soderbergh tells the story with his usual talent for scope and depth, though there are a few loose ends not quite tied up by the film's end (though it's very possible that this is intentional).  The acting on the whole is pretty good, though there are definite standouts, including Kate Winslet, Jennifer Ehle, and Marion Cotillard, who all play strong female characters fighting to understand and contain the disease on different fronts.  I think I could have observed individual performances a bit better if I hadn't been so busy cataloging the famous people on the screen (there's an appearance by Demetri Martin, for goodness sake), so I suppose you could call it a bit distracting, though not necessarily detrimental to the film.

What is most affecting about this movie, though, is the moment at which it emerges.  The decision to release it two days prior to the 9/11 anniversary seems very deliberate given the tone and message of the film, which explores not only the possibilities of biological disaster, but the possibilities of our fear and how we might react in such circumstances.  I found it strange to hear some of my fellow audience members laughing at some of the behavior of the panicked citizens in the film, and in a way it was almost affronting.  Part of me wanted nothing more than to turn around and ask if they didn't think they or their loved ones would do the exact same things with their own lives on the line.  I guess this just serves to show that a film like this can either bounce right off the viewer or stick with them in a profound way, and maybe that depends more on the watcher than the material itself.