Finding Nemo

This is officially now my new favorite animated film. It had so much heart and wit and actual drama, I was really moved by it. I laughed really hard quite often, especially at Dory, who I just loved. Honestly, I loved everything about this. It's funny, I always think I don't like animated films, but, way more often than not, I really enjoy them. So, resolved, to watch a bunch of the animated films I've missed, in particular the Shrek series, the Toy Story sequels, Moana, the Despicable Me films, Trolls, and the Kung Fu Panda films. All added to my queue, with, of course, Finding Dory, which will be next. Loved this so much! 5/5

Finding Nemo on Netflix

Concussion

Before I say anything, I want to make it clear that, taken simply as a movie, this film is quite good. The script was tight and explained dense medical knowledge well, and the direction was solid. Will Smith was quite excellent and certainly deserved an Oscar nomination for his work. My problem here is personal and beyond the movie. As a life-long professional wrestling fan, I have spent the last two decades watching great men and woman die tragically because of concussion trauma. I have met many who have lost their lives to CTE, including Chris Benoit, who tragically killed his whole family and then himself. Omitting the part pro wrestling played in this story is just strange and sad to me. In point of fact, Christopher Nowinski from the WWE was the person who sent the case of Andre Waters to Dr. Omalu, but that is omitted in the film. The fact that pro wrestling and the WWE were very active in the fight to get CTE recognized and were among the first to institute concussion protocols is something I would have loved to hear about that. This is not the fault of the film itself, but rather what was, I think, a poor decision on the part of who designed the film. So, despite my personal reaction, this is a very fine film. 4/5

Concussion on Netflix

This Is 40

This was better than most of Apatow's recent crap but still relentlessly average & so not accurate about being 40. 3/5

This Is 40 on Netflix

Drive

I don't get the hate - this tightly packed character melodrama was gripping & suspenseful with a wonderful cast. 4/5

Drive on Netflix

Mother

I normally like Albert Brooks, but I found this insipid, boring, & utterly saccharine. The writing was just bad - meh. 2/5

Mother on Netflix