Movie Review-Concussion



Concussion is not just a football movie. Football and the NFL is at the root of the story, but the movie is about the triumph of one man to inform the world about a hazard, that until recently, was not known to the general public nor to men in the NFL who strapped on a helmet. In Concussion Will Smith is Dr. Bennet Omaulu, a Nigerian pathologist who works for the Pittsburgh coroners office.  

When Steeler Hall of Fame center, Mike Webster, ends up in the morgue Dr. Omaulu sets off a firestorm in the NFL with the findings that he discovers killed the former All-Pro center.

He discovers a condition, which he names Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CET). Its a condition that cannot be detected by a CAT scan. Only after a players death can it be identified by an autopsy. The condition is caused by the lifetime of head to head collisions received by players in the NFL. In the movie Dr. Omaulu describes the blunt force to the head as a force that is equal to a sledge hammer blow to the helmet. It is a report that the NFL immediately goes to work on to discredit. First they try to discredit the doctor as a quack and a "witch doctor" but when big name NFL players like Andre Waters and Dave Duerson, continue to die by committing suicide, it is a report that the NFL eventually has to acknowledge.

Smith is amazing as pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu, He plays the role with a quiet grace and inner strength that reminded me of a classic Sidney Poitier performance. Gugu-Mbatha-Raw, the English actress who played Belle in the movie of the same name, plays Smith's love interest in the movie. She's a woman of few words but the words that she does speak are always words of kindness and encouragement. On screen the two actors have great chemistry.

Albert Brooks plays Dr. Omaulu's supervisor at the Pittsburgh coroner's office, Dr. Cyril Wecht and Alec Baldwin is Dr. Julian Bailes. He's a former NFL team doctor and he enlists with Dr. Omaulu based on the strength of the doctor's medical findings. The entire cast gives a great performance in this Oscar worthy film.

Concussion has a run time of just over two hours and it is rated PG-13 for some disturbing images and harsh language. On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" I give Concussion my highest rating, a JUMBO with extra butter.

Hollywood Hernandez

  

  

  







Movie Review-In The Heart Of The Sea

Award winning director Ron Howard teams up with actor Chris Hemsworth (Thor) again for an epic tale based on the true story of the circumstances that led to Herman Melville writing the great American classic, Moby Dick. Howard and Hemsworth collaborated previously on the Grand Prix racing movie Rush in 2013. Clearly Howard knows how to get the best out of Hemsworth. The actor is so convincing as the first mate on the whaling ship The Essex that I actually forgot that I was watching "Thor" on the big screen.

In the movie Ben Wishaw, who also plays "Q" in the current James Bond movie Spectre, is author Herman Melville. He travels to New England to speak to one of the remaining survivors of the ship wreck to find out the facts about the legendary tale of a giant white whale attacking a vessel on the high seas. After hearing the tale he pens the novel "Moby Dick", but what we learn in the movie is that there were other atrocities that occurred during the 90 days that the men were lost at sea. While he choose to omit the gory details from his novel we, as movie watchers, learn about all of the horrific things that happened to the crew of the Essex.

Howard weaves a brilliant tale and the scenes with the 100 foot long white whale on screen are amazing. The movie is shot in 3D so you almost feel as if you're going to get wet every time the whale splashes his mighty tale. The story, while horrific, is fantastic and it keeps you enthralled for the entire run time of the movie (121 minutes).

The movie is rated PG-13 for some pretty intense scenes. I won't giveaway any spoilers here but there are some disturbing scenes in the movie. On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" I rate In The Heart Of The Sea a JUMBO.   

Hollywood Hernandez