The Theory Of Everything Only Covers A Very Small Fraction Of The Known Universe...

...But it feels like enough.

Given the subject matter of this Stephen Hawking biopic, it could be very easy to lose sight of the man's many great achievements in favor of his debilitating disease and some times confusing relationships. After all, the flick is based on a novel written by Hawking's ex-wife, Jane. But it seems James Marsh (director) and Anthony McCarten (writer) were intent on not allowing the disease to take over the movie. This is not My Left Foot or The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. This is Stephen Hawking. And his superior intellect cannot be ignored.

Eddie Redmayne as Hawking does a good job in losing control of his functions. But the majority of his performance seems particularly well informed by directorial decisions and camera work. Early on, Marsh managed to capture a sort of dread in the knowledge that Hawking's body was going to fail... and Redmayne's physicality hit just the right beats to create said dread. That being said,  Felicity Jones is my favorite part of this movie. Her role is a strange one, in that it's hard to understand what she's going through from most peoples' life experiences. Yet she manages to capture a truth in it all. Indeed, the role of Jane is one of a very intellectual person trapped in extremely unfair circumstances. And Jones manages to straddle those elements to perfection.

Though ultimately, The Theory of Everything is forced to focus on the human elements, it cannot be considered a let down to the scientific community. This is, after all, a film. And a pretty good one at that. Unless Hawking's discoveries could be shown firsthand in accurate CG (as Interstellar briefly attempted to do, playing with the concept of a Firewall on a Black Hole) in accordance with a story, this is the most we can get out of a Stephen Hawking movie. But don't be fooled. His accomplishments have made their way into many sci-fi films... just likely without your awareness of the man who discovered them.

I think Marsh and McCarten really managed to do something special here, however unrelated to the science it may be. These guys are able to show a relationship of trust and understanding... and when the going gets really tough, and the couple in question gets tested to their limits... they also show just how conscientious and honest such an intelligent couple could be. Sometimes, knowing it's time to go... and figuring out how to do so amicably is just as crucial to happiness as figuring out how to get into it in the first place.

So, while The Theory of Everything may not be my favorite film of the year, it really does manage to impress. I'd say it's worth a watch.

Dont Forget About The Invisible Woman

Ralph Fiennes has made another good movie!

Admittedly, I enjoyed Coriolanus more, but that is likely just because Shakespeare is Shakespeare. In fact, The Invisible Woman was rather thought provoking. And the style of Ralph Fiennes as director is beginning to take on a little more of an aura.

What took me most by surprise as I left the theatre was the overall purpose... or statement of the film. Ralph really set out to make a point about the nature of people during the times of Dickens... when the world was not so open to sexuality or divorce. That fallen women were made a commonplace standard simply because people could not experience sex out of wedlock with the label "whore" being placed upon their heads. And somehow, in a film that could have easily painted Mr. Dickens as a pervert and sexual fiend, an element of purity and honesty seemed to seep into the mold. Dickens becomes the hero. In this way it doesn't matter how old Felicity Jones' character Nelly is (and she's old enough). What's more crucial here is the struggle to maintain her integrity while still allowing her to experience life.

This is a point I think frequently gets lost in everyday life. If we are free and legal to do what we want, when we want, there is no standard. Is it really better to continue on in a marriage that is no longer based on affection and attraction? Or is divorce just outright wrong? Obviously we as a society have become more open to the idea of divorce. And I think there is a legitimate reason for that. In many ways marriage is an old-fashioned pursuit. It is no longer indicative of the kinds of relationships most people are capable of maintaining. This is not to say marriage should be lost. Indeed, many people are quite capable of finding a balance that truly does work. But it's not everyone and it's not always and Dickens, at least in this film, was fighting for others' abilities to say they want what they want and that is nobody else's business but their own.

Felicity Jones did a great job here, though her part frequently seemed to take a back seat to the more bombastic and vocal character of Dickens.

Ralph Fiennes balanced a tightrope bringing Dickens into focus. He is always the center of attention, knows what he wants, but doesn't like to break things. He is both tender and raucous and still a real human being. I think he managed quite well given the scope of the character. Kristin Scott Thomas is always good and she managed to bring a life to her character I don't think many others could have grasped. Joanna Scanlan brought an incredible realism to Catherine Dickens and I found her performance worthy of note. It could have been very difficult to make this character feel believable, but watching the film I never so much as blinked. Tom Hollander as Wilkie Collins helped to solidify the film for me, giving just the right speech at just the right time to help me put the rest of the film together.

The score was very interesting and I think Ilan Eshkeri may be deserving of a little more note. And I can't forget, the costumes were Oscar nominated and I totally understand why. That category's gonna be difficult this year, but I wouldn't put it past The Invisible Woman to pull out a win.

In the end, Ralph Fiennes' The Invisible Woman became a very intriguing conversation. One I would be interested in sitting down and discussing with anyone.