The Imitation Game

I also saw this today. Wonderful cast including strong performances by Charles Dance, the beautiful Keira Knightly, the beautiful Matthew Goode, and particularly Mark Strong as the head of MI6. But the movie works because of the subtle and heart-breaking work by Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing. Cumberbatch manages, as he always seems to do, to inhabit this role. Every posture, every glance, every hesitation feels absolutely natural. The little boy who plays Alan as a child in public school is so consistent with the mature Cumberbatch: the director makes that characterization seamless.

I thought the screenplay was beautifully crafted and intelligent, although the use of flashbacks among time periods got a little clunky towards the end.

It hasn't been a year of great (or even good movies), but this is one of the best of 2014 for me.

Updated On: 12/30/14 at 08:52 PM

I didn't know you were a computer scientist, Namo.

Loved this film--it was my favorite of the year. Even though I knew quite a lot of the story before the film (and even some fascinating pieces of Turring's story that weren't addressed), I was gripped from start to finish. Cumberbatch once again demonstrated his mastery at playing socially challenged geniuses--I just hope he doesn't keep getting typecast as he has given very nice performances in different roles as well. The screenplay does a fantastic job of focusing the story and making the complex scientific aspects understandable without every talking down to the audiences; it triumphed in the places where "The Theory of Everything" really failed to deliver. I saw those two films on consecutive days and found it fascinating that we have two biopics about scientific geniuses, but the films are incredibly different. And I know which one I will be rooting for come Oscar night.

Awesome Danny, I also saw both Imitation Game and Theory and enjoyed both. However, I felt Imitation Game presented Turring's character more credible, giving the audience "warts and all". I know little of Turing and Hawking. It seemed in Theory, Hawking was presented as someone with no character flaws. He was the good son, the popular student, the good friend, for the most part the good husband, the great father and lastly the brilliant genius.

Updated On: 12/31/14 at 08:07 AM

Derek Jacobi played Alan Turing on Broadway in Hugh Whitemore's "Breaking the Code" back in '87/'88. Jacobi starred in the film adaptation released in 1996.

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And Miles Teller and Ralph Fiennes.

I haven't seen THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING yet but do want to see Eddie Redmayne. I can't help but wonder if the fact that THEORY is based upon Hawking's first wife's autobiography/biography and she was involved in the making of the film, that the producers had to go the hagiography route rather than the warts-and-all route. And I had seen Cumberbatch as Hawking in the British TV film, and thought him so extraordinary in that!

As for fear of Cumberbatch being typecast as the odd one out - he has a rather unique ability to make a difficult character interesting (see PARADE's END), and that is not easy. I am totally ready for him to do an intelligent romantic comedy. Especially after seeing him in the "Look I'm Colin Firth as Darcy" shot that appeared this year.

I hope beyond hope that Fiennes wins. His performance in Budapest (the year's best film) was outstanding.

You may very well be.

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I think the big difference between The Imitation Game and The Theory of Everything is that the latter is about a well-known, living scientist while the former is about a lesser-known, dead scientist.

Thus, the focus of The Theory of Everything is on Stephen Hawking’s personal life, his relationship with his wife and family, and the toll of ALS. Some were disappointed that the emphasis was not on his science, but one can learn that from books and documentaries. He has, after all, lived a long life and his work is well known. I thought the movie did a very good job of humanizing him.

Alan Turing, on the other hand, is less well-known and so the movie focuses on his most significant accomplishment – cracking the Enigma code which helped turn the tide of the war. That he was a war hero and one of the fathers of the computer, yet was persecuted after the war and driven to suicide is tragic. This is also emphasized in the film.

I thought both films struck a good balance in showing a side to these extremely influential scientists that the general public may not have been aware of. I think The Imitation Game is more of a “best picture” type film than The Theory of Everything, although I would take Eddie Redmayne over Benedict Cumberbatch as “best actor” for his performance which often required acting without speaking.

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Derek Jacobi played Alan Turing on Broadway in Hugh Whitemore's "Breaking the Code" back in '87/'88. Jacobi starred in the film adaptation released in 1996.

THank u Namo! I keep telling people this is NOT an unknown story. ( there was a stage production in TO I very clearly remember seeing)As a species we have such short memories . betcha Bush does get elected on that fact alone.

It will be a dogfight between Cumberbatch & Redmayne for Runner Up for Best Actor Oscars Both are worthy performances. Michael Keaton is the clear front runner.

Fixed.