“Joy,” “Out of My Hand,”
“Trumbo,” “Bridge of Spies,” “Chronic,” “Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet,” "Four Corners," “Brooklyn,” "99 Homes,"“Me, Earl and the Dying Girl,” “Number One Fan,” “Desde Allá/From Far,” “The New Girlfriend,” "Rams," "The Martian," "The Fencer," “The Vanished Elephant/El Elefante desaparecido,” "Contrapelo (Short)."
“Concussion” is a powerful biopic about a man of color who stormed the football world in “Any Given Sunday.” It flawlessly captures the man’s struggles and accomplishments.
Will Smith shines on screen. The script of this heartfelt story was tailor-made for the actor to deliver an Oscar-worthy performance.
Poster design by Cold Open Copyright Sony Studios
The life of Nigerian immigrant Dr. Bennet Omalu is brought to the big screen. The forensic specialist in the Science of Death discovered “chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE),” a traumatic brain injury better known as a concussion.
Copyright Sony Studios 2015
Dr. Omalu follows the paths of former NFL players once considered untouchable gods by fans and sports authorities. In his findings, he sees a constant worry about those bizarre and tragic deaths, because it was not customary to die at fifty, active, rich, and famous.
Oma Lu’s character is true to the truth and unafraid to engage in an epic David-and-Goliath battle.
The football players suffered from a progressive, degenerative brain disease, a trauma resulting from the constant bumps sustained while playing America’s favorite sport, football.
Copyright Sony Studios 2015
The Nigerian character is a doctor who came from outside and had the vision to understand the true nature of the sport without fanaticism or infatuation. He delivers a significant report on animal skulls, which act as natural shock absorbers, protecting their brains from damage. For example, woodpeckers have this feature, which humans don’t.
Poster design by Cold Open Copyright Sony Studios
During Dr. Omalu’s research, he makes enemies, including the high NFL administrators and the FBI. With determination, he is risking all his savings to investigate the disease.
He also makes a few allies, including a supportive boss, Dr. Cyril Wecht (Albert Brooks), and Dr. Julian Bailer (Alec Baldwin), who believes in Omalu’s honesty.
As a forensic, he is so immersed in his work with the dead bodies that his boss tells him, “You need a girlfriend and to touch someone alive.”
Copyright Sony Studios 2015
As an immigrant in America, the Doctor has the advantage of being educated, which sometimes helps him open some doors to continue his studies. But sometimes there is a stigma working against him, even among his own people.
Mr. Smith nails the Nigerian accent to perfection. Mastering the English/Nigerian accent took him over three months.
The script of “Concussion” has some circumstances falling together too quickly, and some additional sugar-coated dialogue that sacrifices symbolism and subtext, making the information in the spoken parts too easy to explain.
Photo by José A. HJosésillo Copyright FestivalinLA 2015
The opening scene of “Concussion” was not impressive. A montage of the Doctor’s close-ups working with the microscope is more powerful and meaningful in introducing the story.
Another reference is the Best Picture Oscar winner, “A Beautiful Mind,” where we can see the character’s real struggle.
Director Peter Landsman’s artistic background helped him achieve progressive cinematography and perfect color in the characters’ evolution, setting the emotional tone in a suitable mode.
For example, while the Doctor is working in the morgue, everything is dark gray, and towards the end, when “Mr. Will Smith Goes to Washington” to speak to the committee, we can see the warm light at the tunnel’s end.
“Concussion” is a story of perseverance and struggle for tolerance and understanding. A drama with nationalistic rhetoric to which all of us can relate and learn something valuable about football and the preservation of human nature.
The new Finnish flick, “Moomins on The Riviera,” is a delightful animation for children of all ages, including grown-ups. It is glamorous, affectionate, and funny.
The Moomins are a singular family of cute white living things (non-related to the hippopotamus) that look alike.
The Moomins live on a deserted island with a tall lighthouse, palm trees, and nothing else.
Being from a small island, they know little about the French people’s sophistication, good manners, and fancy.
The Moomins are an eclectic family of intellectual beings who like to live an existentialist life.
After a massive storm, the Moomins see an opportunity to travel for the first time out of the island and accomplish their long-awaited dream: a vacation on the French Riviera.
In their fantastic adventure, they think they are welcome as “guesses” at the Riviera’s elegant hotel. They don’t know they have to pay for such a luxurious service.
This hand-drawn animation is based on Tove Jansson’s original comic strips, which were published in a British newspaper in 1955.
From then on, the Moomins were very popular in Europe. When the worlds collide, the Moomins start the fun.
“Moomins on The Riviera” is a social satire with a good sense of humor that is fun and worth watching. We must forget the differences between them and others (like us) because they are only Moomins.
