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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 23, 2015)
December 23, 2015 The Skanner Page 7 Bids & Classifi ed Advertising deadlines 12:00 Noon Monday Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. To place your ad, email advertising@theskanner.com or go to www.TheSkanner.com and click on the “Ads” menu Film Review ous Will Smith vehicle, one that he’ll undoubted- ly get to drive for the du- ration of awards season, possibility all the way to the Oscars on Feb. 28. cont’d from pg 5 Excellent physician whose discov- ered the link between football and brain dam- age while working as a forensic pathologist in Pennsylvania. He fi rst recognized something was amiss while performing an au- topsy on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ former center Mike Webster (David Morse), who died at 50 from a combination of amnesia, depression and dementia. Dr. Omalu was shocked to observe that the Hall of Famer had the brain of a very old man, so he decided to posthu- mously examine those of other National Football League vets who also passed away premature- ly. Lo and behold, the re- search revealed they all had suff ered from CTE, ostensibly as a result of the pounding their skulls had taken on the fi eld. Unfortunately, when Omalu subsequently at- tempted to go public with the his fi ndings, he was threatened and discred- ‘Concussion’ opening Christmas Day is based on facts and stars Will Smith as Dr. Bennet Omalu, who discovered Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in athletes who played contact sports, like football. ited by the army of law- yers and quacks hired by Commissioner Roger Goodell (Luke Wilson) to protect the NFL’s image. Thus unfolds Concus- sion, a David vs. Goliath saga reminiscent of The Insider (1999), the sim- ilarly-themed expose recounting the real-life ordeal of the intrepid whistleblower who took on the Tobacco Indus- try when it was still hell bent on denying any link between smoking and cancer. An interesting factoid which bears men- tioning is that The Insid- er was directed by the aforementioned Michael Mann. Concussion, however, was directed by Peter Landesman (Parkland). He adapted it to the screen with the help of investigative journal- ist Jeanne Marie Laksas from “Game Brain,” an article she published about the cover-up in the October 2009 issue of GQ magazine. Landesman surround- ed Smith with a talented cast, starting with the gift ed Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Omalu’s feisty wife Prema. The dramatis personae also includes Oscar-nominees Alec Baldwin (for The Cooler) and Albert Brooks (for Broadcast News), as well as Hill Harper, Richard T. Jones, Adewale Akin- nuoye-Agbaje and Eddie Marsan. But make no mistake, Concussion is a marvel- Rated PG-13 for profan- ity, mature themes and disturbing images Running time: 123 min. Distributor: Sony Pic- tures Community Business Directory DENTAL CARE We Care Edward E. Ward , D.M.D., MAGD, MBA Master Academy of General Dentistry Interstate Dental Clinic 24-Hour Care Line Weekend Appointments On Bus Line 5835 N. Interstate Ave. Portland, Oregon 97217 (503) 285-5307 Request an appointment online: DrWardInterstateDental.com View movie trailers at TheSkanner.com We honor the many accomplishments of African Americans It is our primary goal as a labor union to better the lives of all people work- ing in the building trades through ad- vocacy, civil demonstration, and the long-held belief that workers deserve a "family wage" - fair pay for an honest day's work. A family wage, and the bene- fits that go with it, not only strengthens families, but also allows our communities to be- come stronger, more cohe- sive, and more responsive to their citizens' needs. Our family wage agenda re- flects our commitment to peo- ple working in the building trades, and to workers every- where. In this small way, we are doing our part to help peo- ple achieve the American Dream. This dream that work- ers can hold dear regardless of race, color, national origin, gender, creed, or religious be- liefs. The Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters Representing more than 5.000 construction workers in Oregon State. Do you want to know more about becoming a Union carpenter?