Now this was scary!

I don't like Gwyneth Paltrow. Her murder didn't pack an emotional wallop in Seven, and it doesn't especially bother me that she's the first to go, early on in Contagion. My indifference to her suffering almost makes this thriller more thrilling, because my emotional involvement begins slowly and builds until I could not wait to see the end but could not bear to look.

The movie is about a virus that is spread by human touch. 20% of those who contact it will die within 3-4 days.

It covers the race to find a vaccine, how that work is corrupted by personal interest and money, how desperate we become when faced with something like this, how quickly our social order can dissolve when confronted with this kind of terror.

I didn't see this at the theater, nor did I rent it. My florist gave it to me. Her brother burns DVDs of movies and she hands them out to her favorite customers. When I accepted this, I told her to be careful because I don't want her to get in trouble, and I only watched it because I know she'll ask me about it when I come for this week's bouquet of mums. I'm glad I saw it.