Review – Concussion

At the outset I confess that I first took interest in this because I needed a movie for one of my classes to watch that everyone could access for free via one of the library’s video streaming service subscriptions. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was well-produced, engaging and thought-provoking. Will Smith stars as Dr. Bennet Omalu, the pathologist who uncovered the pattern of deadly head injuries routinely suffered by NFL players. Worth seeing

Review – Shazam!

Beyond the Saturday morning kids’ TV series from the 70s, I don’t have much experience with this character. The orphan who could transform himself into a grown man with superpowers seemed to create a lot of awkwardness. But perhaps the fans for whom this production is clearly intended are more accustomed to it. A few cute jokes. Some flashy effects. At least it wasn’t as dreary as many of the other DCEU entries. Mildly amusing

Review – Rise of the Guardians

Holiday mascots and other childhood fantasy figures band together to thwart a shadowy villain’s plot to take over the world. The production bets a lot on taking new approaches to familiar characters. The protagonist is Jack Frost, who obviously isn’t quite as popular as Santa Claus. And they got Hugh Jackman to voice an ill-tempered, feral-looking Easter Bunny. Overall this is polished bit of CGI, what you’d expect from The Nightmare Before Christmas re-imagined by Dreamworks Animation. Mildly amusing