The Revenant


This is quite a film.  Running at 2 hours and 36 minutes – you are transported into a cold, ruthless, bitter but awe inspiring world of the 1800s.  The movie is loosely based on the life story of Hugh Glass, who was an American frontiersman, fur trapper, trader, hunter and explorer.  His story is set in South Dakota itself and Hugh Glass has become a legend with this movie.  Leonardo DiCaprio plays Glass and does an amazing job.  Through different interviews I’ve seen and watched, I knew this film was quite brutal in the making for various reasons and after seeing it – you’ll understand why.  The geography of the film was almost a different movie in itself.  It played as big as character as Leonardo did – which was the intent of the director. But the basic story line is that Leonardo’s character gets mauled by a bear leaving him almost dead.  The group that he is with needs to get back to the fort and ask for a few men to stay back with Glass until he’s better or he dies.  After some time, the men leave Glass to fend for himself.  The story is his survival without any weapons, food, or strength to find his way out of the blank wilderness.  The reason I stated this was “loosely” based on his life was because the writers didn’t stick to the facts. The actual events take place in the summertime not winter, he wasn’t married or had a son as the movie portrayed, and he didn’t kill the men who left him but actually tracked them down and forgave them. But I suppose like all stories in Hollywood – it’s always better to add some gut wrenching scenes to a story that was already pretty gut wrenching.  I did like this movie though. It was intense, gritty, and compelling. If you’re going to watch it, be prepared to give it your full attention, because it’s quite a story.

Concussion

I like football.  Actually, I LOVE football.  This movie made me want to love it a little less.  It really makes you question whether the injuries and head trauma are all worth it and how much money plays into everything.  Will Smith plays Dr. Bennet Omalu, who has made the first discovery of CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), which is a disease of the brain caused by trauma and repeated blows.  It has also been seen in other sports, too, such as boxing, hockey, racing, rodeo, etc.  People with the disorder start having dizzy spells, erratic behavior, and memory loss, which eventually leads to dementia, impeded speech, and suicidal thoughts and actions.  The only way they can be tested is after death, since the brain has to be examined.  Dr. Omalu didn’t quite know what he was up against when he started making claims against the National Football League, but the longer things went on, the more cases there were, the harder it was for them to deny it.  He isn’t against football – he just wants to find out what is causing the issues and what can be done to help people from going through these horrible episodes.  If you’ve wondered why so many high-profile athletes have been announcing they are donating their brains to science lately, this is the reason.  It will definitely make me look at football a little differently this season.