The Imitation Game Does Its Service

I liked The Imitation Game. It was good enough. With a subject like Alan Turing, one could easily have fallen down any number of rabbit holes. But I felt like these guys figured out how to walk that thin line and managed to cover everything they could, really give it all its' due.

The Imitation Game is the true story of how Alan Turing created the first computer, helped bring an early end to the second world war, and still managed to alienate the entire British legal system in the process. Given that it was, until very recently, kept top secret, I don't think I have to say "this isn't an easy story to tell."

Morten Tyldum (director) managed to pull a lot of positives out of a cast that was almost too big for its' own good. Often I find somebody will drop the ball when there are too many names in one picture, yet I felt almost everyone held up their own end rather nicely. Benedict Cumberbatch, who seems to be in just about everything these days, gives an excellent performance as Turing. This is another strange character for him... the kind he usually excels at. An incredible mind that has difficulty using the body its in... has difficulty understanding other people... or perhaps is just to busy with THE IDEA to let other people in or succumb to society's expectations. Turing's an amazing character, and Cumberbatch does him justice. Keira Knightley does a fine job as Joan Clarke as well... though I hate to be the guy who says she's too model-esque for the part. Regardless, she makes herself believable in the role. Matthew Goode and Allen Leech were also great casting choices. Though I did feel a little taken out of the movie by Charles Dance's performance. He just felt too "larger than life" for what this production was.

The science of it all gets a pretty good breakdown, which I enjoyed. Most movies of this variety try desperately to get around having to explain the science in lieu of social interaction, but The Imitation Game doesn't pull that punch. The computer is cool to look at, and the codes aspect is kind of fun. And let's not ignore that wonderful score by Alexandre Desplat! It's so refreshing to hear a score I can actually hum... (looking at you Interstellar).

But for all its' positives, I can't help but feel I won't be talking about this movie a year from today... it won't even be on my mind. Certainly, the story it manages to tell will stick around... Alan Turing is a name to remember, and the history of computers I'm sure will be more greatly delved into in the coming years. The film itself just doesn't feel like it's all that memorable. It does its service to an incredible mind... but then just sort of fades away.

Belle Makes PG Look Good

Whenever I go into a theatre and find the movie I'm about to see has a PG tag on it, I tighten up a bit. I don't know exactly why, but unless it's an animated concept usually PG means the filmmakers are gonna dance around the issues to please the ratings board. Yet as I watched Belle unfold on the big screen I really found myself feeling the opposite of my expectations. Amma Asante made Belle feel like a thorough and complete idea without forcing any unnecessarily adult sequences on its audience. She wasn't worried about selling people with sex and language. She knew what she had in this rather amazing story. And she told it concisely and with the ease of a master of her craft. Gotta say, I was impressed.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw brought her A-game and proved to me she'll be worth looking out for in future pictures. She's also incredibly gorgeous, and it's not at all difficult to believe so many people would be willing to break the rules of society to try to be with her. Tom Wilkinson was really interesting to watch here as well. He's one of those actors you can trust to at least wear the part, even if that part doesn't quite fit who he is. I only say this because I've seen him stretch a few times in the past... but not here. In Belle he is a crucial piece to the puzzle. Sarah Gadon was very charming in her own way. Her role is a complex one and required a deeper understanding from the actress. Well she got it and delivered. Between Sam Reid, James Norton, Emily Watson, Tom Felton (whom I don't always love), and a "goode" cameo by Matthew Goode I felt the casting was absolutely sound and I think it's worth noting what a fine job Toby Whale did in bringing together such a solid group of actors.

While at times, the cinematography pulled me out, I think the story was so compelling that I was able to power through those moments... particularly (and this may not be a cinematography note at all) during the courtroom scene when the extras were just far too in focus and wouldn't stop having the most bizarre reactions. That's petty I know. It's hard to control everyone in a room of sixty people. So I'll just give them a pass on this.

What Belle accomplishes is really exciting to me. Amma Asante, it seems, really understood what Misan Sagay had to say in her writing. And there's a very important metaphor that pushes through in this material. We really can't look at the race issues of the past and present from just the kaleidoscopic view of race. In reality, the issues stem more from classism which is something I think we see a lot of today. If we can break from old conformities and recognize that geniuses and great men and women can come from any background I think we would be a much more civilized community. Belle sharply hits that note and manages to prove its point while connecting it all back to a real life historical event... one that seems little known by audiences today, but is absolutely worthy of our attention.

In short, Belle is a fine film. I walked out with a skip in my step, and I think you will too. So bring a good friend and try and get some butts into that theatre before it's gone!