Don't Miss Netflix Sports Edition

By Lori Marie Blair
July 9, 2018

When thinking about summer, hot days, long nights, time with friends and family, inevitably my thoughts fall upon sports. Baseball, swimming, tennis, volleyball, and sailing, the warmer months invite physical activity. Concussion and Ice Guardians both look at head injuries in contact sports. Pele: Birth of a Legend is the summery feel-good sports film, and Moneyball with its star power is a pleasure to watch.

Don't Miss: Ice Guardians (2016) With the early deaths of Bob Probert (45), Derek Boogaard (28), Steve Montador (35), and Wade Belak attributed to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disease linked to repeated concussions, fighting in hockey has become a hot topic. Enforcers, also known as, goons, the heavyweight bouncers of the sport, are on the way out. Directed by Brett Harvey, Ice Guardians gives voice to several enforcers by allowing them to tell their stories. Through interviews, we learn the different paths that led these men to their job. Hockey players need to specialize young. By the time they're juniors most enforcers are told they don't have the skill to play professional hockey unless they fight. Typically, enforcers have been in dozens, sometimes hundreds of fights before making it to the NHL leaving them vulnerable to lasting brain damage. The point is made that enforcers kept star scorers from being hit. In the 1990s, fighting became an expected part of a hockey game and enforcers were at their most popular. Experts talk about humanity's socialization, how an enforcer type is present in all our groups. Though there is a sense of tragedy, especially when players explain the toil the position has taken upon them physically, emotionally, and mentally, the audience will undoubtedly come away from Ice Guardians with respect for the job and the player.

Good: Pele: Birth of a Legend (2016) In 1958, 17-year-old Edson Arantes do Nascimento, aka Pele, led Brazil to a World Cup victory over Sweden. Known for popularizing Ginga style (Brazilian street-style play) into mainstream soccer, Pele is forever linked to the phrase, "the beautiful game" because of his elegant Ginga playstyle. Jeff and Michael Zimbalist wrote and directed Pele: Birth of a Legend as a gift to fans. Detailing Pele's life from boyhood up until his first World Cup win, the story is of a young boy who overcomes all odds and emerges as a hero to his people, his country, and sport. There isn't anything challenging about the film, but there are plenty of heart-warming moments and positive messages. Notable are scenes with his wise, loving parents, and with the scout who gives Pele confidence when he needs it most. Cinematographer Matthew Libatique's skill with the camera elevates the film time and again. The shots of Pele practicing with mangoes and sun flares erupting like fireworks stand out as spectacular.

Good: Moneyball (2011) With a budget so low he's ribbed about it, Oakland A's general manager Billie Bean (Brad Pitt) must build a team that can win some games. He's frustrated because he can't afford top quality players so while his recruiting team is getting on with the process of scouting, Bean's trying to figure out something new. Though Bean doesn't immediately articulate it, because of his experience in the NBA, he's uneasy with the drafting process. He's in this desperate and willing frame of mind when he meets Peter Brand. There's no going back after those two meet. Brand, played greatly by Jonah Hill, uses computer-generated statistics to pick players. Bean investigates Brand's theory and then, throwing his career behind it, adopts the strategy. Bean finds opposition from coach Art Lowe (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who believes in traditional methods. Hoffman is a pleasure to watch as always. Keris Dorsey was particularly charming breaking through her small role with her stunning singing voice and quiet performance.

Good: Concussion Based on a true story, Concussion opens with a reel of hometown football game clips set against Iron Mike Webster's hall of fame speech. The effect is immediate. We understand football is deep, America's pastime, the uniting factor in a lot of communities, and that playing it means something important. When Dr. Bennet Omalu (Will Smith), a Nigerian born forensic and neuropathologist, figures out there is a brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) that is caused by repeated blows to the head, the NFL tries to shut him down. He had to be strong to bring his findings to public awareness. A hero who stood for truth should be known and honored. Concussion is a remarkable film. Dr. Bennet Omalu is an extraordinary man. What kept Concussion from being great was its indecision. Was it about the discovery that from tyke to retirement a player receives an estimated 70,000 hits or was it a gentler more even toned docu-drama about a hero? Perhaps I would have liked more football, less house shopping. That said, the romance was fresh, sweet, and had a lovely understated quality. The things that went unsaid were just as charming as the thoughts they shared with each other. Plus, she's the one who liked the game.