‘Contagion’ nation

Wash your hands before watching. Director Steven Soderbergh chose a frightening, omnipresent enemy in the form of germs and viruses this past fall with his global epidemic thriller Contagion, new on DVD this week. As the nation’s Center for Disease Control scrambles to study and stop a fast-spreading and deadly new virus, a group of characters around the globe must deal with the mass panic that spreads even faster than the bird flu-like sickness. The all-star cast includes Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Jude Law and more. Rated PG-13.