Update for [b]Contagion[/b]. Here's an impeccably made, well-acted disaster thriller that doesn't offer any surprises. It's exactly what you'd expect to see given the premise; it just so happens to be better quality than most of the movies in its genre. Okay, so maybe there's one surprise, which is a character played by a top-billed performer dying early on, though this has been going on since Psycho. Does this mean I'm dismissing Soderbergh's story? Not at all. The unsettling thing about Contagion is that it seems so plausible, like a pandemic of this nature could potentially really happen; and if it did, isn't this kind of how things would go down? Soderbergh assuredly moves his camera through scenes, being sure to wipe past hand rails, phone receivers, and any other point of contact that becomes a liability for anyone wanting to end up not dead. He begins his movie with the sound of a cough. Everything about the film is designed to amplify small, every day occurrences into deadly hazards, making the audience paranoid. Performances are roundly good from Damon, Fishburne, Winslet, Law (with an interesting tooth job), and an actress previously unknown to me, Jennifer Ehle. Although with so many high profile actors in this film, you know each of them only gets a modicum of screen time in this 105 minute yarn. It wasn't the big movie of the year I thought it could be, but it's still a strong piece of work well worth a ticket. 1. Drive - 8/10 2. The Adjustment Bureau - 8/10 3. Hanna - 7/10 4. Super 8 - 7/10 5. Horrible Bosses - 7/10 6. The Ward - 7/10 7. In Time - 7/10 8. Source Code - 7/10 [b]9. Contagion - 7/10[/b] 10. The Lincoln Lawyer - 7/10 11. Limitless - 6.5/10 12. Insidious - 6/10 13. Midnight in Paris - 6/10 14. Unknown - 6/10 15. X-Men: First Class - 5/10 16. Thor - 5/10 17. Conan O'Brien Can't Stop - 4/10 18. Just Go With It - 2/10

I had a hard time deciding how to feel about [b]Martha Marcy May Marlene[/b]. On the one hand, it's an effective, low-key psychological thriller with an assured if intentionally disorienting structure. Yet I wondered if the interest in the abuse and subsequent social maladjustment of the main character (played wonderfully by Elizabeth Olsen) wasn't the least bit gratuitous. I decided that its steady production, setting it apart from the sleek flashy Hollywood movies I've been seeing all year, earns it a recommendation, along with great acting from Olsen and John Hawkes (from last year's somewhat similar Winter's Bone). Be aware it's not for the faint of heart, and definitely not for those who want everything spelled out for them. 1. Drive - 8/10 2. The Adjustment Bureau - 8/10 3. Hanna - 7/10 4. Super 8 - 7/10 [b]5. Martha Marcy May Marlene - 7/10[/b] 6. Horrible Bosses - 7/10 7. The Ward - 7/10 8. In Time - 7/10 9. Source Code - 7/10 10. Contagion - 7/10 11. The Lincoln Lawyer - 7/10 12. Limitless - 6.5/10 13. Insidious - 6/10 14. Midnight in Paris - 6/10 15. Unknown - 6/10 16. X-Men: First Class - 5/10 17. Thor - 5/10 18. Conan O'Brien Can't Stop - 4/10 19. Just Go With It - 2/10

*poke*poke*poke* How did you feel about the Muppets?

Haven't seen The Muppets yet, though I've been hearing nothing but good things. If I get to a showing I'll let you know. Did you see it?

Mhm... I thoroughly enjoyed it... There were clever cameos and an unexpected actor appearance (won't ruin the surprise) good songs and lots of smiles all around... At least, until, my boyfriend broke up with me after the show. -_-'

[b]Bittersweet wrote:[/b] [quote]At least, until, my boyfriend broke up with me after the show. -_-'[/quote] Please tell me you smacked him.

He left so that he could focus on asserting his independence from his family... How can I smack him for that?

Sounds weird, but I'm no love guru so I'll let it go at that. Hopefully you won't hate everything to do with Muppets thanks to this negative association. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpiIWMWWVco It's not easy being Bittersweet.

[b]Bittersweet wrote:[/b] [quote]He left so that he could focus on asserting his independence from his family... How can I smack him for that?[/quote] Well that would have been helpful yesterday! [/trying to be funny]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMQhXc1dHIQ