Concussion (2015)
After forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu (Will Smith) examines the body of former Pittsburgh Steeler Mike Webster, he believes Webster’s erratic behavior and suicide were the result of damage done to his brain during his playing career. Over a period of several years, Omalu investigates the deaths of several former NFL players and confirms his hypothesis.
His published findings encounter stiff resistance from the NFL. The billion dollar business uses every weapon at its disposal to discredit Omalu’s discovery.
The NFL’s attempt to stonewall are thwarted when former player and NFL Players Association executive Dave Duerson commits suicide, leaves a note about his ongoing cognitive problems, and donates his brain to Omalu’s research.
Smith is very good as the single-minded doctor and Albert Brooks is excellent as Omalu’s mentor, Cyril Wecht. This brave film implicitly asserts fans’s complicity in the deaths of Mike Webster, Andre Waters, and Junior Seau, among others. We cheered as they hurled their bodies at each other, and celebrated the deadly big hits on Sportscenter.
I’m sympathetic to the argument the players knew what they were doing. No one was fooled into thinking football was a nonviolent sport. However, the NFL intentionally downplayed the risks and suppressed evidence; they encouraged more violent action in their game, as they simultaneously learned the dangerous consequences.
The NFL’s ruthless business tactics have made football one of the most popular and profitable sports in the world, but profit margins and doing the right thing are often at odds. Invariably, businesses and other social institutions will choose the path which will least impact their bottom line, forgoing any responsibility to make the world a better place. Often their justification boils down to a variation of a familiar refrain, “it’s just business.” This rationale is unacceptable. Business is not a realm of life immune from moral considerations.
I love football, but even the most ardent fans and apologists understand the existential threat the NFL’s actions represent. It’s one thing to be unaware of risks, it’s quite another thing to hide and obfuscate them. I hope and pray the people making decisions about the future of the sport are wiling to adapt to the evidence before it’s too late.
Casper (1995)
Casper has haunted his family’s former home at Whipstaff Manor since his death as a young boy. When shameless opportunist Carrigan Crittenden (Cathy Moriarty) inherits the property and overhears Casper and his prankster uncles talk about a hidden treasure, she manipulates ghost therapist Dr. James Havrey (Bill Pullman) into helping her locate the treasure.
Christina Ricci was perfectly cast as Kat, Harvey’s sullen teenage daughter who reluctantly befriends the titular friendly ghost, while the celebrity cameos, including Rodney Dangerfield, Clint Eastwood, Mel Gibson, and Dan Aykroyd add a touch of whimsy.
Based on the venerable cartoon character, this fantasy film aimed at children and families is not high cinema, but it has an infectious charm and earnestness. In a world full of films reminding us of the evil of ghosts and demonic spirits, it’s refreshing to see a lighter approach to the material.
The Big Short (2015)
Everyone remembers the financial crisis which temporarily suspended the 2008 President election and caused millions of Americans to lose their life savings.
We’ve seen documentaries and news reports and understand it was somehow related to ill-advised home loans. What we didn’t know is several individuals understood the structural inadequacies in the housing sector, foresaw the impending disaster, and bet against the market. While the majority of people lost their savings and retirement, these guys made a fortune.
This film is another indictment of the greedy, unscrupulous tactics which crippled the economy, leaving the less fortunate holding the bag. What sets this film apart from the glut of other films dealing with 21st century financial malfeasance are the series of short segments featuring well-known celebrities (Selena Gomez at a craps table with a Nobel laureate, Margot Robbie in a bubble bath, and Anthony Bourdain at work in a kitchen) elucidating difficult economic principles. Director Adam McKay’s experience with short comedy films on Funny or Die taught him how to present information in short segments and make it captivating.
This film was marketed as a comedy, but this undersells the film’s power. It’s not funny as much as infuriating that so many people profited from, and remain unaccountable for, their unethical tactics.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
The Triwizard Tournament was our first glimpse into the massive scope of the world created by J.K. Rowling and teases potential additional stories beyond the adventures of the Boy Who Lived while stars Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) proved they were more than cute kids who could remember lines.
However, the lynchpin of the series is Ralph Fiennes, It would have been easy to turn Voldemort into a Hitleresque caricature of evil, but his restrained performance grounds the film and the murder of Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson) dramatically changed the tone of the series from the child oriented wonder of the initial films towards an examination of the cost of fighting evil.
45 Years (2015)
Geoff (Tom Courtenay) learns the body of his previous girlfriend Katya, who fell into an icy crevasse a half century ago, has been discovered. Nearly fifty years after he last saw her, thoughts of this previous relationship dominate his mind, even as his 45th anniversary to Kate (Charlotte Rampling) approaches, causing the couple to reflect on their past and contemplate their future.
It’s a nice, sweet film about the accumulated memories and decisions of a shared life. At a certain point, familiarity becomes a crutch and we forget our spouses had lives before us. Kate no longer sees Geoff, she sees her husband, which are not always the same thing.
Rampling is great and deserves the accolades she’s received, while Courtenay’s work is subtle and heartbreaking.
The premise of the reappearing girlfriend is contrived, but the film provides deep insight into relationships and reminds me of Harry and Tonto or Wild Strawberries, only instead of a man reflecting on his mortality, we see a long-term relationship at its close.
Just Mercy (2019)
Based on the true story of Walter McMillan, this is a powerful film about the failures of the American judicial system.
McMillan (Jamie Foxx) was falsely imprisoned and convicted for the murder of a white girl in rural Alabama based on the coerced testimony of another inmate. Attorney Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) works to get McMillan’s case reexamined.
In a strange coincidence, the birthplace of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is the setting for this cruel miscarriage of justice fifty years later, demonstrating how rampant and insidious prejudices are.
This great movie exposes uncomfortable truths and is an excellent argument for the abandonment of the death penalty as a just punishment.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Because of my own experience, I’m a sucker for movies about father-son relationships, so this movie was always destined to mean more to me than it will others. I loved the first one in the series, and this doubles down on the elements I loved most.
Who doesn’t love Christ Pratt? Dave Bautista is a poor man’s Dwayne Johnson. Rocket is adorable, but his arc is a disappointing retread of the first movie. I like Gamorah (Zoe Saldana) and Neblua (Karen Gillan) coming to terms with their shared hatred of Thanos and hope this leads to a resolution in Infinity Wars. Yondu’s (Michael Rooker) sacrifice was earned and heartbreaking.
Kurt Russell as Star Lord’s father, Ego, was inspired casting, especially since the movie is steeped in 80s popular culture.
I like baby Groot (Vin Diesel), but I’m more intrigued by the possibilities of adolescent Groot.
I hope Sylvester Stallone’s appearance as Stakar Ogord is not a one-off and he becomes a full-fledged part of this universe.
This movie doesn’t pretend to be anything more than pulpy, silly fun and fills a hole Star Wars did before it became self-important.
Dispatches from Elsewhere (2020)
Inspired by the 2013 documentary The Institute, this miniseries tells the story of an alternative reality game and several of its players.
A series of flyers lead Peter (Jason Segel) to a phone number. When he calls, he’s invited to an interview at the mysterious Jejune Institute. Prompted by cryptic clues, Peter meets three other players: Janie (Sally Field), Simone (Eve Lindley) and Fredwynn (Andre Benjamin).
Sally Field is as wonderful as you’d expect. Jason Segel, who also created the series, shows a range he’s only hinted at in the past (The End of Tour). Andre Benjamin (better known as half of Outkast) is a revelation. Eve Lindley is compelling, but too much of her time was spent emphasizing her life as a transgender woman. She was more statement than character.
Richard E. Grant has always been an excellent actor since his debut in the cult classic Wthnail and I, but he’s aged wonderfully. His wry and knowing delivery of throw away lines imbues them with a delightfully cheeky playfulness. He’s transcendent as Octavio Coleman, one of the principal architects of the game.
To describe the plot is pointless. It’s a combination escape game, journey to self-discovery, and social mixer. Rarely has the adage about the journey being the most important part been more true.
The final episode is a bit self-indulgent, but I applaud Segel’s willingness to take creative leaps and expose himself.
This thought provoking entertainment pushes the boundaries of what television and filmmaking can be.
Freaky Friday (1976)
Because of a random wish made on Friday the 13th, Ellen Andrews (Barbara Harris) and her daughter Annabel (Jodie Foster) inexplicably switch bodies. Ellen goes to school and navigates the treacherous waters of high school in Annabel’s body, while Annabel tries to manage the house in Ellen’s.
1976 was a pretty good year for Jodie Foster. While her performance in Taxi Driver is usually hailed as among the best of the year, I prefer this breezy film about the generation gap. It was a staple of my childhood and my fondness for it has not waned.
Laila (1929)
Shot on location in Scandanavia, George Schnéevoight’s adaptation of the famed Norwegian novel tells the story of a young orphan girl, Norwegian Laila raised by the Sami (Lapps) the indigenous people of the northern frontier. She learns the truth of her heritage, and must choose between the two cultures.
It feels like a snowier version of the American western and deals with many of the same issues of cultural appropriation.
The cinematography is enchanting; the actions scenes intense. It’s a fascinating glimpse of a world and culture which was fading then and now likely no longer exists.
WandaVision (2021)
To process her grief after Vision dies, Wanda Maximoff isolates herself in a small village and creates an idealized life based off the television shows she watched as a child.
The parodies of TV shows are perfect: The Dick van Dyke Show, The Brady Bunch, Modern Family; and there are fun nods to Elizabeth Olsen’s sisters’ work in Full House.
Kathryn Hahn’s Agnes was a blast to watch, and the enjoyable crossover with Evan Peters (who played Quicksilver in a different series of films) serves as a short preview of the potential of the multiverse.
Teyonah Parris’s Monica Rambeau is a great connecting point with Captain Marvel and illustrative of how the people affected by the Blip dealt with the collective loss of so much time. Monica’s mother’s death is a nice parallel to Wanda’s struggle.
Any chance to see more of Randall Park’s Jimmy Woo is welcome and it was a pleasant surprise to see Kat Denning’s role in the MCU expand.
Emma Caufield (from Buffy) and dependable character actor Fred Melamed dipping their toes into the MCU was icing on a very rich cake.
Driven by grief and her inability to use her incredible powers to save the one person she loved, the series positions Wanda as a pseudo villain. Olsen does amazing work and deserves enormous credit for making the heel turn believable.
“What is grief if not love persevering,” will resonate with me for a long time.
As the MCU stretches its legs into longer form storytelling, this is an exciting harbinger of what’s to come.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910)
I’m a huge fan of the fantasy world Frank L. Baum created: his books, the authorized sequels by the “Royal Historians of Oz”, The Wicked Years, and the miraculous 1939 film.
This isn’t the best adaptation of his most famous tale (Toto is replaced with a cow and Dorothy meets the scarecrow in Kansas before arriving in Oz). However, the joy of the material bleeds through and makes it more captivating than it should be, showing how fertile it would become for the imagination of others.