Two Line Reviews - #433

Movie: Erin Brokovich (2000)

Plot: A divorced mother of three small kids tries to get some job to make ends meet. After a stunning revelation, she chases down a huge firm responsible for bringing down an entire town in terms of its people's health. When the race intensifies, she has to make some personal sacrifices to cross the finishing line.

What Works?

• For a film based on a true story, the presentation is quite entertaining thanks to Soderbergh's simplistic & old-school narrative.
• Julai Roberts understands she is the bone and flesh of the film and comes up trumps in her role as the determined legal assistant.
• Her scenes with her boss, played neatly by veteran Albert Finney, where she ends up screaming in temper are winners!
• The angle that describes her parenting and the sacrifices she had to make is an inspiring story in itself.

Story of a determined sacrifice that is inspiring too!

Two Line Reviews - #337

Movie: Contagion (2011)

Plot: A virus breakdown spreads across continents killing millions in the process. A speculating blogger on the social network has a field day compounding the headache of WHO and Disease control officials in the U.S.A. accusing them of striking deals with pharmaceutical cos. to delay the release of a vaccine. How the virus spreads, shaking the human instincts of people making them turn barbaric in a demand supply imbalance forms the rest of the plot!

Positives:

• This bio-medical sci-fi film from Soderbergh is pulsating, even a tad better than 28 Days Later, and what makes this click well is the different angles from which the situation is depicted.
• There are big names in the cast right from Kate Winslet to Matt Damon to Fishburne to Jude Law to Cotillard, all playing small and neat roles.
• The background score by adds to the momentum the film's screenplay carries.
• The scenes explaining the spread of the contagion (especially the final scene) is worrisome for it can happen anytime for real!

Contagious film indeed! (Couldn't avoid the cliche)