In an announcement today by his family’s attorney, Aaron Hernandez was added to the growing list of athletes who have been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or Cte.
The degenerative brain disease is linked to repeated head trauma or concussions. Its symptoms depression, short-term memory loss, impulsive behavior and confusion — and these symptoms can begin to appear long after a player’s career. Evidence is mounting suggesting a link between playing football and the disease.
Cte can only be diagnosed after death, and in a recent study of the brains of 111 deceased NFL players, a Boston University researcher found...
The degenerative brain disease is linked to repeated head trauma or concussions. Its symptoms depression, short-term memory loss, impulsive behavior and confusion — and these symptoms can begin to appear long after a player’s career. Evidence is mounting suggesting a link between playing football and the disease.
Cte can only be diagnosed after death, and in a recent study of the brains of 111 deceased NFL players, a Boston University researcher found...
- 9/21/2017
- by Jason Duaine Hahn
- PEOPLE.com
Concussion focuses on the startling discovery made by Dr. Bennet Omalu (Will Smith) while working as a pathologist in Pittsburgh. Omalu was on duty in September 2002 when the body of legendary Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster (David Morse) was to be autopsied. Taking the care and methodical approach he used with all of his cases, Omalu discovered frightening facts that puzzled him. It was those facts that led him to dig deeper — even spending his own money — to uncover why this man was lying in a morgue at age 50. A native of Nigeria, Omalu has never … Continue reading →
The post New to On Demand: Concussion appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.
The post New to On Demand: Concussion appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.
- 3/15/2016
- by Paul Hall
- ChannelGuideMag
One of the most impactful films of the year, Concussion is both thought-provoking and difficult to watch. Starring Will Smith, the drama tells the true story of a forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu who exposes the deadly consequences of football-related head trauma.
During an autopsy of former NFL player Mike Webster (David Morse), Omalu discovers a neurological deterioration on par with Alzheimer’s disease. When he learns that other players have befallen the same fate, he fights to share his findings with the world. Watch Trailer
Will Smith stars as Omalu in the film, which is directed by Peter Landesman (Kill the Messenger). Smith, Omalu and the filmmakers were on hand at a recent NY press conference to discuss working on the project.
Read More ...
During an autopsy of former NFL player Mike Webster (David Morse), Omalu discovers a neurological deterioration on par with Alzheimer’s disease. When he learns that other players have befallen the same fate, he fights to share his findings with the world. Watch Trailer
Will Smith stars as Omalu in the film, which is directed by Peter Landesman (Kill the Messenger). Smith, Omalu and the filmmakers were on hand at a recent NY press conference to discuss working on the project.
Read More ...
- 12/31/2015
- by info@cinemovie.tv (Justine Browning)
- CineMovie
Concussion
Written & Directed by Peter Landesman
UK/Australia/USA, 2015
The new forensic drama Concussion tries so hard not to be a “football film” it compromises the most compelling aspects of its story. Director Peter Landesman’s reverence for his hero not only diffuses all of the drama and tension, it becomes an unrelenting exercise in idolatry. What he does have going for him, however, is a tremendous lead performance from Will Smith, which is almost enough to cover his film’s many shortcomings. Almost.
Much like 2015’s favorite child, Spotlight, Concussion speaks to the transformative power of an outsider. Only a new editor could recognize the rampant sexual predation within the Boston clergy community, just as Dr. Bennet Omalu (Will Smith) was the perfect man to indict the sport that galvanized an entire city. Born in Nigeria, Omalu came to America with idealistic dreams of accomplishment and white picket fences.
Written & Directed by Peter Landesman
UK/Australia/USA, 2015
The new forensic drama Concussion tries so hard not to be a “football film” it compromises the most compelling aspects of its story. Director Peter Landesman’s reverence for his hero not only diffuses all of the drama and tension, it becomes an unrelenting exercise in idolatry. What he does have going for him, however, is a tremendous lead performance from Will Smith, which is almost enough to cover his film’s many shortcomings. Almost.
Much like 2015’s favorite child, Spotlight, Concussion speaks to the transformative power of an outsider. Only a new editor could recognize the rampant sexual predation within the Boston clergy community, just as Dr. Bennet Omalu (Will Smith) was the perfect man to indict the sport that galvanized an entire city. Born in Nigeria, Omalu came to America with idealistic dreams of accomplishment and white picket fences.
- 12/25/2015
- by J.R. Kinnard
- SoundOnSight
While the new Will Smith film Concussion may lead some to question their support of the NFL, the forensic pathologist who first drew attention to the dangers of repeated head trauma said he wanted his discoveries to "advance football."
Concussion tells the true story of Dr. Bennet Omalu who stumbled upon an insidious brain disorder affecting football players that began in 2002 with an autopsy on former Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster.
"I had this hunger in me to use my knowledge to become a voice for the voiceless, to make a difference, just like Will Smith," Omalu said.
Smith said the script enlightened him about the dangerous effects of multiple concussions.
"When I met Bennet and went through the science, I was terrified as a parent," Smith said. "My son played football for four years and I had no idea this was an issue."
Omalu studied the brains of NFL...
Concussion tells the true story of Dr. Bennet Omalu who stumbled upon an insidious brain disorder affecting football players that began in 2002 with an autopsy on former Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster.
"I had this hunger in me to use my knowledge to become a voice for the voiceless, to make a difference, just like Will Smith," Omalu said.
Smith said the script enlightened him about the dangerous effects of multiple concussions.
"When I met Bennet and went through the science, I was terrified as a parent," Smith said. "My son played football for four years and I had no idea this was an issue."
Omalu studied the brains of NFL...
- 12/24/2015
- by Cineplex.com and contributors
- Cineplex
When you take a look at the Best Actor race this year, you really do see it as a clash between contenders who seem overdue for an Oscar. There’s of course presumed frontrunner Leonardo DiCaprio, poised to win for The Revenant since predictions for this year began, along with other hopefuls such as Johnny Depp for Black Mass. The other really notable player is Will Smith for Concussion, who is as due an Academy Award as anyone else in the hunt. With Concussion set to open this week, I wanted to take a look at Smith’s chances, as well as that of the film itself… What is Concussion about, you ask? Well, the movie is a dramatized look at an issue the NFL is struggling with right now, namely how dangerous concussions are for their players, centering on the discovery of the problem itself. Smith stars here as Dr.
- 12/23/2015
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
© 2015 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Concussion is the film that the NFL won’t want you to see. Not because it has new information about the link between football and a serious form of dementia called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (Cte) but because it serves as a reminder, particularly to young players and their parents, of the risk in playing the nation’s most popular sport. The film dramatizes the NFL’s hostile response to the news and its rough handling of the doctor who discovered the problem. The NFL does not look good in this film, and that is bound to trouble some fans.
Will Smith plays that doctor, Dr. Bennet Omalu, a forensic pathologist originally from Nigeria who discovered Cte. A brilliant man with a string of degrees, Dr. Omalu was working for the Allegheny County Coroner’s office in Pittsburgh when he did an autopsy on...
Concussion is the film that the NFL won’t want you to see. Not because it has new information about the link between football and a serious form of dementia called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (Cte) but because it serves as a reminder, particularly to young players and their parents, of the risk in playing the nation’s most popular sport. The film dramatizes the NFL’s hostile response to the news and its rough handling of the doctor who discovered the problem. The NFL does not look good in this film, and that is bound to trouble some fans.
Will Smith plays that doctor, Dr. Bennet Omalu, a forensic pathologist originally from Nigeria who discovered Cte. A brilliant man with a string of degrees, Dr. Omalu was working for the Allegheny County Coroner’s office in Pittsburgh when he did an autopsy on...
- 12/23/2015
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
One morning in 2002, neuro-pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu stood above his autopsy table and stared at the first brain he'd ever seen that belonged to an NFL player. At the time he knew "practically nothing" about football, but was brimming with "intellectual curiosity" to understand what had led to the sad demise of Mike Webster, the legendary lineman on the table below him whose life fell apart after his retirement a decade earlier. Since then, Omalu, who grew up in civil war-torn Nigeria, has learned plenty about football and - with the help of Webster's damaged brain - became the first...
- 12/23/2015
- by Johnny Dodd, @Johnny_Dodd
- PEOPLE.com
One morning in 2002, neuro-pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu stood above his autopsy table and stared at the first brain he'd ever seen that belonged to an NFL player. At the time he knew "practically nothing" about football, but was brimming with "intellectual curiosity" to understand what had led to the sad demise of Mike Webster, the legendary lineman on the table below him whose life fell apart after his retirement a decade earlier. Since then, Omalu, who grew up in civil war-torn Nigeria, has learned plenty about football and - with the help of Webster's damaged brain - became the first...
- 12/23/2015
- by Johnny Dodd, @Johnny_Dodd
- PEOPLE.com
Head in the Game: Landesman Continues to Plumb the Headlines
Films based on notable or landmark pieces of newsprint tend to face an uphill battle in various phases of assembly, especially when the screenplay relies on tried and true bits of cliché to supply missing links in characterization. Compared to his 2013 Kennedy assassination reenactment Parkland, director and screenwriter Concussion, headlined by none other than Will Smith (in another instance of questionable casting) as a Nigerian born pathologist in the center of a medical controversy involving the NFL in the early 2000s.
Landesman, basing his film an article in GQ by Jeanne Marie Laskas, does his best to convey the seemingly insurmountable challenges Dr. Bennet Omalu, a foreign born immigrant, faced in bringing his discovery of Cte (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) to light, defying big business America and one its most beloved and brainless pastime, the aggressive, perniciously violent contact sport known as football.
Films based on notable or landmark pieces of newsprint tend to face an uphill battle in various phases of assembly, especially when the screenplay relies on tried and true bits of cliché to supply missing links in characterization. Compared to his 2013 Kennedy assassination reenactment Parkland, director and screenwriter Concussion, headlined by none other than Will Smith (in another instance of questionable casting) as a Nigerian born pathologist in the center of a medical controversy involving the NFL in the early 2000s.
Landesman, basing his film an article in GQ by Jeanne Marie Laskas, does his best to convey the seemingly insurmountable challenges Dr. Bennet Omalu, a foreign born immigrant, faced in bringing his discovery of Cte (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) to light, defying big business America and one its most beloved and brainless pastime, the aggressive, perniciously violent contact sport known as football.
- 12/21/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Dr Bennet Omalu, played by Will Smith in the film Concussion, says accusations that he overstated his role in the discovery of the condition Cte are ‘totally false’
Medical professionals have cast doubt on some of the research claims made by forensic pathologist Bennet Omalu, whose pioneering work in the field of identifying head trauma in NFL players is the subject of the Will Smith film Concussion.
According to a doctor interviewed by AP, assertions by Omalu that he discovered and identified the condition Cte (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), which he diagnosed during the autopsy of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mike Webster, are “just not true”. AP quote William Stewart, a neuropathologist at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, as saying: “I think he knows that … chronic traumatic encephalopathy has been around for decades. It’s not a new term … The only thing I would say that Bennet has done is that...
Medical professionals have cast doubt on some of the research claims made by forensic pathologist Bennet Omalu, whose pioneering work in the field of identifying head trauma in NFL players is the subject of the Will Smith film Concussion.
According to a doctor interviewed by AP, assertions by Omalu that he discovered and identified the condition Cte (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), which he diagnosed during the autopsy of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mike Webster, are “just not true”. AP quote William Stewart, a neuropathologist at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, as saying: “I think he knows that … chronic traumatic encephalopathy has been around for decades. It’s not a new term … The only thing I would say that Bennet has done is that...
- 12/18/2015
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
Boston (AP) — In the trailer for the movie Concussion, star Will Smith says: "I found a disease that no one has ever seen." It's a claim the real-life doctor portrayed by Smith, forensic pathologist Bennet Omalu, has himself made for years, giving a detailed description about how he came to name that disease "chronic traumatic encephalopathy." But Omalu neither discovered the disease nor named it, according to scientific journals and brain researchers who were interviewed by The Associated Press. And though no one doubts that Omalu's diagnosis of Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster was pivotal in
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- 12/17/2015
- by The Associated Press
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As a man who respects the sanctity of NFL Sundays, I entered Concussion with mixed emotions. Could Peter Landesman’s medical drama leave Roger Goodell’s regime nursing a black eye, or would the film be regarded as Hollywood propaganda? The research, stories, and statistics are all real, but the film’s power relies solely on execution – something Landesman muddies. Dr. Bennet Omalu’s pursuit of the American dream is uplifting, almost achieving a Disney-like magic, yet Landesman’s portrayal of the NFL’s evil empire only respects the good doctor’s point of view. It’s an important topic, but there’s a fair trial that’s missing here – even if such respect isn’t deserved.
Will Smith plays the famed Dr. Bennet Omalu, a Nigerian immigrant who seeks America’s greener pastures for a life of fulfillment. Instead, he finds himself at war with the NFL after uncovering...
Will Smith plays the famed Dr. Bennet Omalu, a Nigerian immigrant who seeks America’s greener pastures for a life of fulfillment. Instead, he finds himself at war with the NFL after uncovering...
- 12/16/2015
- by Matt Donato
- We Got This Covered
Exclusive: The makers of Concussion, the film that stars Will Smith as the forensic neuro-pathologist who discovered the Cte disease that debilitated the brains of football greats like Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster, are again bracing for a potentially concussive hit by the New York Times. In a move that has created internal tension within the newspaper, a planned story has been scratched by its movie guys Michael Cieply and Brooks Barnes about the David vs…...
- 12/14/2015
- Deadline
Former New York Giants star and NFL broadcaster Frank Gifford suffered from a concussion-related brain disease, his family revealed Wednesday.
Gifford, who died of natural causes in August at age 84, suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as Cte, his family discovered after making the decision to have his brain studied after his death.
"We decided to disclose our loved one's condition to honor Frank's legacy of promoting player safety dating back to his involvement in the formation of the NFL Players Association in the 1950s," the Gifford family said in a statement to People Wednesday. "His entire adult life...
Gifford, who died of natural causes in August at age 84, suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as Cte, his family discovered after making the decision to have his brain studied after his death.
"We decided to disclose our loved one's condition to honor Frank's legacy of promoting player safety dating back to his involvement in the formation of the NFL Players Association in the 1950s," the Gifford family said in a statement to People Wednesday. "His entire adult life...
- 11/25/2015
- by Aaron Couch, @AaronCouch
- People.com - TV Watch
Though it will rightfully garner some attention for Will Smith's impressive lead performance, Concussion is a largely flat procedural about the discovery of Cte, the disease caused by the sort of repeated head trauma regularly experienced by NFL players. It's clear writer/director Peter Landesman is passionate about the subject, but this poorly paced and meandering drama seems as if he set out to make a conspiracy thriller and forgot all about the "thriller" aspect. Not as revelatory as Michael Mann's The Insider, which pitted a different small-time David against a multi-billion dollar Goliath, Concussion covers a necessary and vital topic but never quite coalesces into the kind of Important Movie to which it aspires.
In 2002, Bennet Omalu (Will Smith), a doctor with a staggering number of medical degrees and an odd pre-autopsy habit of talking to cadavers as if they're still alive, performs an autopsy on former...
In 2002, Bennet Omalu (Will Smith), a doctor with a staggering number of medical degrees and an odd pre-autopsy habit of talking to cadavers as if they're still alive, performs an autopsy on former...
- 11/19/2015
- by Ben Pearson
- GeekTyrant
The new film Concussion centers on the real life expose of NFL head trauma, a condition so common and infuriating that it's surprising the information took as long as it did to leak to the public. It's an important subject that demands considerable attention yet director Peter Landesman only manages a serviceable film. Instead of being the NFL version of The Insider or All the President's Men, we get a version of the story that covers most of the bases but without any real depth or insight. Yet as it stands this lightweight indictment of the NFL is still enough to make audiences think twice before watching one of their favorite sports. Will Smith leads the cast of Concussion as Dr. Bennet Omalu, a Nigerian pathologist working in Pittsburgh and completely oblivious to football. When former Steelers hero Mike Webster (played by David Morse) turns up on his dissection table...
- 11/17/2015
- by Marco Cerritos
- firstshowing.net
The world premiere of Sony’s Will Smith drama will screen on November 10.
Peter Landesman wrote and directed and Ridley Scott is among the producers on Concussion, based on the story of the pioneering work of Dr Bennet Omalu.
An autopsy by the forensic neuropathologist of Pittsburgh Steelers American football player Mike Webster led to the discovery of a football-related brain trauma.
Giannina Scott, David Wolthoff, Larry Shuman and Elizabeth Cantillon also produce. Sony will release the film in North America on December 25.
As previously announced, the world premieres of By The Sea and The Big Short bookend the festival, set to run in Los Angeles from November 5-12.
Peter Landesman wrote and directed and Ridley Scott is among the producers on Concussion, based on the story of the pioneering work of Dr Bennet Omalu.
An autopsy by the forensic neuropathologist of Pittsburgh Steelers American football player Mike Webster led to the discovery of a football-related brain trauma.
Giannina Scott, David Wolthoff, Larry Shuman and Elizabeth Cantillon also produce. Sony will release the film in North America on December 25.
As previously announced, the world premieres of By The Sea and The Big Short bookend the festival, set to run in Los Angeles from November 5-12.
- 9/30/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The discovery of a football-related brain trauma and the NFL's attempts to obfuscate the severity of the problem will be the focus of a new drama titled Concussion, which released its first trailer on Monday 10 days before the 2015 season kicks off. In the film, Smith plays Nigerian-born Dr. Bennet Omalu, a professor in the Uc Davis Department of Medical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine who discovered the link between chronic traumatic encephalopathy (Cte) and football players. Concussion, written and directed by investigative journalist-turned-filmmaker Peter Landesman, hits theaters December 25th.
Omalu first...
Omalu first...
- 8/31/2015
- Rollingstone.com
The first trailer has been released for Peter Landesman's "Concussion," the upcoming true story NFL-themed sports drama based on a famous 2009 GQ article that Sony Pictures will release this Christmas.
Will Smith plays Dr. Bennet Omalu, a Nigerian-born forensic neuropathologist who discovered a link between football injuries (specifically repeated head trauma) and early-onset dementia that could lead to death.
Making the discovery after performing an autopsy on Mike Webster of the Pittsburgh Steelers, he soon was at odds with the league after diagnosing other football players. Luke Wilson, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks and Gugu Mbatha-Raw also star.
Will Smith plays Dr. Bennet Omalu, a Nigerian-born forensic neuropathologist who discovered a link between football injuries (specifically repeated head trauma) and early-onset dementia that could lead to death.
Making the discovery after performing an autopsy on Mike Webster of the Pittsburgh Steelers, he soon was at odds with the league after diagnosing other football players. Luke Wilson, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks and Gugu Mbatha-Raw also star.
- 8/31/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
When a slot suddenly opens up in the schedule of mega star Will Smith, it is pretty big news in Tinseltown. Now that the actor has exited Julius Onah’s Brilliance, his schedule window may soon be filled with the upcoming, untitled drama being produced by Ridley Scott – exploring the issue of brain trauma in American Football.
It all starts with Sony, who have the rights to a GQ article titled ‘Brain Game,’ written by Jeanne Marie Laskas. Passionate about the subject, Ridley Scott originally intended to direct the film, but will now stick to producing it, with Peter Landesman (Parkland) attached as writer and director. Scott has been developing the project along with his producing partner, Giannina Facio, and with Landesman having completed the script, cameras look set to roll before the end of the year.
Intended as a ‘whistleblower’ type of story, the project follows Dr. Bennet Omalu...
It all starts with Sony, who have the rights to a GQ article titled ‘Brain Game,’ written by Jeanne Marie Laskas. Passionate about the subject, Ridley Scott originally intended to direct the film, but will now stick to producing it, with Peter Landesman (Parkland) attached as writer and director. Scott has been developing the project along with his producing partner, Giannina Facio, and with Landesman having completed the script, cameras look set to roll before the end of the year.
Intended as a ‘whistleblower’ type of story, the project follows Dr. Bennet Omalu...
- 6/4/2014
- by Sarah Myles
- We Got This Covered
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