Zookeeper 5: Tiger Trouble comes out in a few years, wouldn’t you feel better knowing that James’ had kicked in a couple million to help a struggling young visionary get her film on IFC? I know I would.
As for Paltrow, maybe she gets a pass on Contagion, given her willingness to play a corpse. But if she shows up in Oceans 15 as a spunky waitress who overhears the plans for the caper, or a down-home country girl safe-cracker, that’s a cool million up front, please.
ADDENDUM: I have received a few complaints that this post contains “spoilers.” Contagion has now been in wide release, on cable, on DVD, and in airplanes for going on four months now. At a certain point, having to edit around plot points so as to not reveal details to lazy Netflix customers becomes a “spoiler” to those of us who try to keep up with the contemporary state of cinema and culture.