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jmovies
Let's Call It A Bromance
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 7:22 pm Posts: 12333
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The Imitation Game
The Imitation GameQuote: The Imitation Game is a 2014 British-American historical thriller film about British mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst and computer scientist Alan Turing, a key figure in cracking Nazi Germany's Enigma code that helped the Allies win World War II, who was later criminally prosecuted for his homosexuality. It stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Turing and is directed by Morten Tyldum with a screenplay by Graham Moore, based on the biography Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges.
The film's screenplay topped the annual Black List for best unproduced Hollywood scripts in 2011. After a bidding process against five other studios, The Weinstein Company acquired the film for a record $7 million in February 2014, the highest ever amount paid for US distribution rights at the European Film Market.
The film had its world première at the 41st Telluride Film Festival, it also featured in the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival in September where it won "People's Choice Award for Best Film", the highest award of the festival. It will have its European première as the opening film of the BFI London Film Festival on 8 October 2014.
The Imitation Game will première in the United Kingdom on 14 November 2014, and will be released theatrically in the United States on 21 November 2014.
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Wed Sep 17, 2014 5:42 pm |
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trixster
loyalfromlondon
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 6:31 pm Posts: 19697 Location: ville-marie
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Re: The Imitation Game
it's imitation, not intimidation, you retard
_________________Magic Mike wrote: zwackerm wrote: If John Wick 2 even makes 30 million I will eat 1,000 shoes. Same. Algren wrote: I don't think. I predict.
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Thu Sep 18, 2014 10:07 am |
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Price
Gamaur's sex slave
Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2005 7:15 pm Posts: 8889 Location: Los Pollos Hermanos
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Re: The Imitation Game
_________________
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Thu Sep 18, 2014 2:40 pm |
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O
Extraordinary
Joined: Sun Jul 10, 2005 1:53 pm Posts: 11603
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Re: The Imitation Game
Movie Review
The Imitation Game is incredibly well done. It is a powerful film possibly worthy of best picture of the year though its too early to tell. The audience gave it a resounding applause at the end and it is surprisingly much more mainstream audience friendly than I expected.
The best example I can give for it is A Beautiful Mind meets The King's Speech. Out of the past 15 years of best picture winners it feels very much like a mixture of those two in terms of themes. I really liked Crowe's performance in Mind but Cumberbatch's performance here is at another level. The script and dialogue especially in this is top notch and can't be understated. The lead acting is phenomenal though Keira doesn't add/subtract much from this. I doubt she has a chance at anything more than a nomination.
Cumberbatch is a revelation in this though. He is incredibly good and it really is a highly powerful performance. He is a lock in my mind for a nomination and has a chance at a win though its too early to tell. In my opinion, I wouldn't rule out that he could win the best actor Oscar because he's that good in this.
Best actor, screenplay, director, picture seem like very good possibilities though.
I still feel it doesn't quite have the aura of 12 Years A Slave and so there is still an opening for another best picture winner. However, this has dark horse potential so I would not rule it out. It leaves the audience with a very powerful message that I think is going to resonate with audiences and will garner lots of attention once it expands. If this loses best picture, I can still see them reward the film with best actor for Cumberbatch's performance. It is going to be very hard to ignore this performance as it is the glue for the film that elevates it to another level.
I can't echo enough the dialogue on this as well as the lead performance. The audience really dug the British humor in this one and I was pleasantly surprised how this doesn't feel at all like a period piece on its own. I found in some ways it was even more accessible and powerful than The King's Speech in some ways.
If I could change one thing, I'd say they needed a bit more transition between the second and third acts of the film. Minor point though this movie is well worth seeing.
8.5/10
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Sun Sep 21, 2014 10:29 pm |
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thompsoncory
Rachel McAdams Fan
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:13 am Posts: 14544 Location: LA / NYC
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Re: The Imitation Game
It's really good. I thought Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley were both fantastic - Cumberbatch is obviously the standout and is assured an Oscar nomination but I thought Knightley really made the role her own and I loved her character. Their final scene together is heartbreaking. Matthew Goode is also strong in a supporting role. The movie does a good job of not feeling like a traditional period piece and I was surprised at the amount of humor that was present as well. The whole story is pretty fascinating and ultimately the ending is pretty powerful stuff. It's definitely worth checking out for the performances and should be a crowd pleaser despite the somber note it closes on. A-
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Tue Nov 11, 2014 12:22 am |
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David
Pure Phase
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:33 am Posts: 34865 Location: Maryland
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Re: The Imitation Game
The Imitation Game is very welcome as a biographical picture focused on Alan Turing, the British computer scientist, cryptanalyst, and mathematician. Turing is famous for unraveling the Germans' formidable Enigma code during the Second World War and partly laying the ideological and technological foundation for our digital age. On a tragic note, he is also remembered as a gay man who committed suicide after absurd prosecution for indecency and subsequent chemical-castration "treatment." Many people will enter this film more interested in Turing the covert war hero and mathematical genius. Others will enter it chiefly interested in Turing's contemptible persecution and melancholy fate. As directed by Morten Tyldum, who made a name for himself with the rip-roaring and splashy Norwegian heist film Headhunters, The Imitation Game tries to satisfy both groups. To its credit, it largely succeeds, though not perfectly.
In my opinion, it shines more when focused on the specific wartime mystery of Enigma. It generates genuine awe and suspense as Turing slowly perfects a spectacular machine capable of almost instantaneous deciphering while contending with the disdain of his colleagues, waves of ill will set in motion by his own antisocial behavior. Blue-eyed and wiry Benedict Cumberbatch, perhaps the most improbable sex symbol our time, is a master at blending icy focus with poignant vulnerability. He creates men—detectives, journalists, mathematicians, problem solvers—who could almost be robots if it were not for the vivid sense of pure and disorderly humanity glinting through the severely regulated surface. This is another way of saying he is perfectly cast as Turing. Keira Knightley is a charming and warm presence as Joan, a whip-smart single girl who defies society's secretarial-pool expectations to become Turing's invaluable confidante. This is not the most complex character of her career, but she plays her with admirable brio, particularly nailing a scene in which an upset Joan describes her envelope-pushing vision of a domestic life built upon the electricity of shared minds rather than sex or a conventional concept of love. Cumberbatch and Knightley are aided by a prestigious roster of character actors both fresh-faced and well-established. The best among them is Mark Strong as Stewart Menzies, a smooth MI6 operative who understands Turing's potential and plays several spy games at once while expertly maintaining his crisp composure. This is a peripheral character who could headline his own film.
If the film falters, it is when it tries to dive into Alan Turing's personal life and homosexuality. Rightly or wrongly, it features no sex scenes. In fact, there is never any sense of the adult Turing desiring profound intimacy with another man; he registers as an intellectual asexual despite a few pained confessions of his orientation. Boarding-school memories of an almost fling with a sensitive pal feel shoehorned in and underdeveloped, as do framing-device glimpses of his post-war arrest. If Alan Turing, surely a victim of the prejudices of his time, is a 20th-century Homosexual Martyr, this respectable film flings itself toward the heart-wrenching implications of the second word while slightly shying away from depicting and honoring the first.
B+
_________________1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game
Last edited by David on Sun Dec 07, 2014 7:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Sun Dec 07, 2014 6:52 pm |
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Dr. Lecter
You must have big rats
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 4:28 pm Posts: 92093 Location: Bonn, Germany
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Re: The Imitation Game
Yeah, the whole homosexuality thing is shamefully glossed over. I mean not even a kiss? This is as safe as it can be in a post-Brokeback-Mountain-lost-the-Oscar-world.
_________________The greatest thing on earth is to love and to be loved in return!
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Sun Dec 07, 2014 7:20 pm |
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Libs
Sbil
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 3:38 pm Posts: 48626 Location: Arlington, VA
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Re: The Imitation Game
Stirring, powerful and surprisingly entertaining, The Imitation Game delves into the life of Alan Turing and the rise of computer science with WWII enigma codebreaking. In one of the year's best performances, Benedict Cumberbatch is wonderful at displaying Turing's complexities and vulnerabilities. He is ably supported by a terrific Keira Knightley (as a fiery spitfire of a woman at a time when being a fiery spitfire of a woman wasn't particularly "useful" to anyone) and Matthew Goode. It's a conventional film in many ways, but with superb performances and first-rate filmmaking at the helm, it draws you in completely. A-
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Sun Dec 14, 2014 1:04 pm |
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Renton
Iron Man
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2004 9:15 pm Posts: 622
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Re: The Imitation Game
Um, this was mediocre at best. The direction is merely passable, some of the dialogue is horrendously cliched, and I thought Benedict Cumberbatch was...okay. The film strikes every chord in the "How to win an Oscar" handbook. It's just terribly unimaginative, and the parts of it that are meant to be suspenseful lack any real spark. Some of the other performances are pretty good, especially Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, and Mark Strong. The costumes and art direction are also well done, and the film had quite a polished look. Yet they managed to do to Alan Turing what the British government did to him: they chemically castrated him. The fact that he was persecuted for his sexuality is slightly unbelievable when the character is portrayed as an asexual alien. Benedict Cumberbatch is solid in the role, but at times his performance felt affected and inorganic. Overall, I say this was a big disappointment for me. C+/C
P.S. I could totally see this winning Best Picture.
_________________
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Tue Dec 16, 2014 2:55 am |
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movies35
Forum General
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2004 1:53 pm Posts: 8626 Location: Syracuse, NY
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Re: The Imitation Game
This was actually great and a huge surprise for me. Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley were great here and more than deserving of the Oscar nominations they are sure to get. Though the subject matter is definitely heavy, it is an incredibly entertaining, fascinating and ultimately moving film.
A-
_________________ Top 10 Films of 2016
1. La La Land 2. Other People 3. Nocturnal Animals 4. Swiss Army Man 5. Manchester by the Sea 6. The Edge of Seventeen 7. Sing Street 8. Indignation 9. The Lobster 10. Hell or High Water
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Fri Dec 19, 2014 4:26 pm |
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Dr. Lecter
You must have big rats
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 4:28 pm Posts: 92093 Location: Bonn, Germany
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Re: The Imitation Game
Benedict Cumberbatch's Turing is one of the least gay gay characters I have seen on film.
_________________The greatest thing on earth is to love and to be loved in return!
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Fri Dec 19, 2014 9:14 pm |
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publicenemy#1
Extraordinary
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 12:25 am Posts: 18931 Location: San Diego
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Re: The Imitation Game
Eh, I thought the homosexual angle was more prominent than I thought based on what people said here, but I do think it could've been explored more, especially with the ending saying that many at the time were persecuted for it.
It's a very good film. Best Picture worthy? Nah. Cumberbatch is good but the other frontrunners for BA gave better performances. It's a very quick and entertaining watch but nothing I'd revisit anytime soon.
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Fri Dec 26, 2014 9:40 pm |
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MGKC
---------
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 10:42 pm Posts: 11808 Location: Kansas City, Kansas
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Re: The Imitation Game
publicenemy#1 wrote: Eh, I thought the homosexual angle was more prominent than I thought based on what people said here, but I do think it could've been explored more, especially with the ending saying that many at the time were persecuted for it. Agreed - that angle basically determined the course for the last half of the movie. It did play it safe in terms of what was shown, but it still played a big part. Knowing very little of Alan Turing and his life, I thought this movie was quite excellent. Not sure how much of it was historically accurate, but it seems like an incredible story. A-I wonder how responsible real-life Detective Robert Nock (if that's a real person) feels for Turing's suicide.
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Wed Dec 31, 2014 1:45 am |
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trixster
loyalfromlondon
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 6:31 pm Posts: 19697 Location: ville-marie
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Re: The Imitation Game
not gay enough? what did you guys want, cumberbatch butt-fucking goode in the woods?
_________________Magic Mike wrote: zwackerm wrote: If John Wick 2 even makes 30 million I will eat 1,000 shoes. Same. Algren wrote: I don't think. I predict.
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Sat Jan 03, 2015 1:39 am |
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Dr. Lecter
You must have big rats
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 4:28 pm Posts: 92093 Location: Bonn, Germany
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Re: The Imitation Game
trixster wrote: not gay enough? what did you guys want, cumberbatch butt-fucking goode in the woods? At least some salad-tossing.
_________________The greatest thing on earth is to love and to be loved in return!
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Sat Jan 03, 2015 2:04 am |
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publicenemy#1
Extraordinary
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 12:25 am Posts: 18931 Location: San Diego
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Re: The Imitation Game
trixster wrote: not gay enough? what did you guys want, cumberbatch butt-fucking goode in the woods? if there was a sex scene with Matthew Goode I would've bumped up the grade, ya
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Sat Jan 03, 2015 3:10 am |
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xiayun
Extraordinary
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 3:41 pm Posts: 25109 Location: San Mateo, CA
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Re: The Imitation Game
Really enjoyed it.
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Sun Jan 04, 2015 12:34 am |
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Magic Mike
Wallflower
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 4:53 am Posts: 34876 Location: Minnesota
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Re: The Imitation Game
A surprisingly very entertaining movie. Cumberbatch and Knightley are great.
9/10 (A-)
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Tue Jan 06, 2015 12:55 am |
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Excel
Superfreak
Joined: Sat Aug 20, 2005 12:54 am Posts: 21927 Location: Places
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Re: The Imitation Game
The gay stuff is totally out of left field and feels completely out of place and thrown in. The text at the end about gay arrests is just cringe worthy. Good movie, Cumberbatch and co. do a good job but this is obviously not Oscar material on any level.
_________________Ari Emmanuel wrote: I'd rather marry lindsay Lohan than represent Mel Gibson.
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Sat Jan 10, 2015 12:57 pm |
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trixster
loyalfromlondon
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 6:31 pm Posts: 19697 Location: ville-marie
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Re: The Imitation Game
Excel wrote: The gay stuff is [...] just cringe worthy.
_________________Magic Mike wrote: zwackerm wrote: If John Wick 2 even makes 30 million I will eat 1,000 shoes. Same. Algren wrote: I don't think. I predict.
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Sat Jan 10, 2015 8:19 pm |
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jmovies
Let's Call It A Bromance
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 7:22 pm Posts: 12333
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Re: The Imitation Game
Knightley I felt gave the only truly superb performance in the film. Cumberbatch is fine but nothing truly remarkable to warrant an Oscar nomination. The story itself is fine and is engaging enough (though the interweaving between timelines is a bit rough at times) but there is nothing here that sets it towards the top of the year consideration. Just good and nothing more.
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Sun Jan 11, 2015 12:46 pm |
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Mister Ecks
New Server, Same X
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 7:07 pm Posts: 28295 Location: ... siiiigh...
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Re: The Imitation Game
A well-made film about the major accomplishment in Alan Turing's life. As I watched it, I was enthralled in the story. But a week later, I find myself forgetting it mostly, which isn't a good sign for longevity. As I've thought about it more, I can pinpoint certain weaknesses, not the least of which is The House Syndrome: like Dr. House, Turing comes to the crucial turning point of his code-cracking through an almost-inconsequential moment, seemingly grabbing the solution out of thin air thanks to a breezy exchange. The House Syndrome. He even gets the Hugh Laurie glossy-eyed look as he figures it all out.
Benedict Cumberbatch is great, though I found myself thinking he was channeling Jim Parsons' Sheldon throughout the movie. Keira Knightley is fun and suits the role perfectly, but I'm not sure if it's Oscar nominee-worthy.
I'm also conflicted on the gay subplot. I am all for progress on the subject. I don't think it's necessary to always include a big scene involving homosexuality in order to either shock the conservative types or break down barriers. But if you're going to tell a tragic story from his childhood, with what is presumed to be his first unofficial (or was it? The film doesn't bother to elaborate.) boyfriend, you have to flesh it out more. It felt more like "Well he was gay, so we need to gay it up a little but not in a threatening way." Either flesh it out or cut it. The in-between was distracting and pointless.
That all aside, it's still a strong story with a lot of neat historical facts, exaggerated or not, that make for a good movie. Just not a memorable one.
B
_________________ Ecks Factor: Cancelled too soon
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Wed Jan 21, 2015 5:55 pm |
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Mau
100% That Bitch
Joined: Wed Dec 17, 2008 3:42 pm Posts: 16901 Location: Monterrey, Mexico
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Re: The Imitation Game
Loved it.
YEah I swear I got the gay aura from the first scenes of him as a child.
A
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I kneel with Magnus.
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Sun Mar 01, 2015 8:42 pm |
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Steve
Indiana Jones IV
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 12:09 pm Posts: 1813
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Re: The Imitation Game
Renton wrote: Um, this was mediocre at best. The direction is merely passable, some of the dialogue is horrendously cliched, and I thought Benedict Cumberbatch was...okay. The film strikes every chord in the "How to win an Oscar" handbook. It's just terribly unimaginative, and the parts of it that are meant to be suspenseful lack any real spark. Some of the other performances are pretty good, especially Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, and Mark Strong. The costumes and art direction are also well done, and the film had quite a polished look. Yet they managed to do to Alan Turing what the British government did to him: they chemically castrated him. The fact that he was persecuted for his sexuality is slightly unbelievable when the character is portrayed as an asexual alien. Benedict Cumberbatch is solid in the role, but at times his performance felt affected and inorganic. Overall, I say this was a big disappointment for me. C+/C I agree with this. The movie was quite frustrating, going through all the motions of "how to make an Oscar friendly biopic." And then ultimately doing disservice to the fagginess of the character by just kind of mentioning his homosexuality a couple times.... like Renton said, he really came off as an asexual alien. When he comes out to Keira and she's like, "Yeah, I've had my suspicions...." how the fuck did she have any idea? I thought it more likely that he was fucking computers than other dudes. The whole gay thing is like a second thought at the end. And while the 'rest' of it, the Enigma cracking war stuff, was mildly entertaining, I couldn't shake the feeling that it was overwhelmingly by-the-book. Disappointing. (and yet my friends I watched it with thought it was "really good") B- / C+
_________________ how am I not myself?
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Fri Apr 10, 2015 12:51 pm |
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zwackerm
Hold the door!
Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 10:26 pm Posts: 20415 Location: Where they shot Knock at the Cabin
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Re: The Imitation Game
This was a really great movie, much better than Boyhood and the Grand Budapest Hotel, the other best picture contenders I've seen. first of all the acting is great, especially Keira Knightley, who is totally deserving of her nomination. She is better than Patricia Arquette, though I have yet to see Birdman. The ending was just heartbreaking, and I was surprised it was able to make me feel for the characters in such a way. It was also exciting to watch them crack the code. Overall, ?I caqn see why this was a big Oscar contender.
A
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Wed May 20, 2015 7:35 am |
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