"The Imitation Game"

Like so many, I have been fascinated by the story of Alan Turing. It started with the drama "Breaking The Code" which starred the amazing Derek Jacobi as the code breaker, a role he had previously played on stage.

The story of Turing's life is as complex as the man himself, with many layers. The film looks at three keys areas. His work at Bletchley Park, his arrest for indecency and his schoolboy days. All of which are based on the biography from Andrew Hodge. For me the section that provides the greatest insight into Turing are the school days, where we find he is bullied and attacked for being different, and a loner. He strikes up a friendship with Christopher Morcom, and it is when that friendship starts to blossom, that Turing finds his world shattered, and his loss is tremendous.

We see Turing apply for work at Bletchley, treating his superiors at times as far lesser men, even high ranking officials. We see the team struggle in their battle to crack the Enigma machine codes, the desperation as War raged on, and more lives were lost.  The majority of the team firmly believe that Turing is wasting valuable time and resources with his work on the machine to crack the machine. But in his mind, it is a simple matter of logic, that a mind cannot beat a machine, only another machine can. It is a remarkable journey we see them on. The elation we see them feel as they realise that they have done the near impossible is soon shattered with the stark truth that they cannot reveal what they know. Despite parts of the British military being attacked they cannot warn them else it would give the game away, the machine coding would be changed and all their years of hard work would be for nothing.
His relationship with fellow worker Joan Clarke is examined, as we see his friendship with her take a more marital status, as he asks her to marry him, trying to cover up his homosexuality.
But it is his treatment as a result of his arrest that provokes the most anger. One really has to ask that was being gay back in the 1950's so abhorent that this could not have been swept under the carpet? Given what Turing and the others did in Bletchley, surely given the countless lives he saved by ending the war early must have counted for something. But ultimately not. Being gay was the lowest of the low, to love or feel affection for another man was so bad. The British nation treated Turing in a truly terrible way, to give him the choice of medical castration or prison, it was not much of a choice.

The poster for the film is very truthful in that Benedict Cumberbatch really is outstanding as Turing. A complex man brought to life with a complex but engaging performance from one of our top actors. If nothing else, it would be nice to think that a new young audience will see the film just because he is in it, and if it gets across to them how great a man Turing was, then  it will be a job well done.
Keira Knightley is good as Joan Clarke, as is Charles Dance as Turing's military top ranking officer at Bletchley. All the cast are really good, but I have to give a special mention to Alex Lawther who plays Alan during his schoolboy days. It is a wonderful performance, with so many emotions to go through, but the most heartbreaking scenes are the ones where Turing finds out what has happened to Christopher Morcom. Very moving indeed. And also the same can be said of Cumberbatch as we near the films conclusion, and we see how close he is to his beloved machine, and the reason why, though this may be a touch of Hollywood rewriting.

As with all great films like this it just makes you want to find out more about the subject matter. But the downside is that if one were to read Hodges biography, I am sure that there would be a number of inaccuracies, and this could lead to one reassessing the film, which given how much one loved it, would not be best for the movie. I know that the film has been attacked by some, for its referencing that Turing was being investigated for possibly being a Russian Spy, and this was never the case. So it is a double edged sword, whether finding out more could depreciate ones enjoyment of the film.

But one thing is clear, as a stand alone film, it quite remarkable. An utterly compelling story of a man, who brought his life to an early end, despite all that he did for so many, and someone we owe so much to.

No imitation here, just a first class movie..........9 out of 10

"Mr. Turner"

A two and a half hour biopic of a British Painter. I have to say that it cannot have been the easiest pitch to a studio in order to get a film financed. But if anyone was capable then it would be Mike Leigh.
Where with some biopics they may take just a section of someones life to provide the cinematic material, given the broad canvas that Leigh has given himself, we really do get to know J.M.W. Turner, and the world that he inhabited.
We see him at home, enjoying family time with his Father, and yet estranged from his past love and the children he fathered. We see him trek across the country, viewing landscapes, looking at nature, seeing first hand the inspiration for his work. He has a housekeeper who clearly is in love with him, but he just uses her for his own sexual gratification.
He is a fascinating man, not common, but rough around the edges. Sometimes a conversation with consist of the odd grunt here, a hurrumph there.
There are some wonderful scenes where the artists of the day have their works displayed and are given licence to amend them. Here he takes great pleasure in winding up fellow artist John Constable. It is a scene full of humour, but also great skill as we see how Turner takes what seems to be an attack on his competition and turn it into a mastery of art.

We see Turner experience loss, both of his Father and also one of his Daughters. And in these scenes especially Spall does truly amaze. But his performance throughout the film as a whole is dazzling, and that is bearing in mind he is on screen for the majority of those 150 minutes.

As the years progress, instead of continuing his fumblings with his housekeeper Hannah, he begins a relationship with Mrs. Booth who runs a Boarding House in Margate where he has visited many times, on his inspirational treks. Once her husband has passed, their relationship moves to a more intimate one. He clearly had an eye for the ladies, and it is the ladies who are at the heart of the film. His love for Mrs. Booth comes at the expense of his relationship with his house-keeper Hannah. The latter sets out to find out why he is spending less time at his London home, and upon discovering the truth is clearly devastated.
And it is Dorothy Atkinson, who plays Hannah, who gives the best work of her career. Watching this skin diseased woman shovel about the house, doing her masters bidding, she conveys the character with both humour and drama, Hannah is clearly longing for so much more from Turner, but is never going to get it.

Seeing some of the landscapes and scenery is like sitting back and looking at a beautiful work of art, and the film is wonderfully photographed, it does at times take ones breath away. Director Mike Leigh has one again created another wonderful character driven film, with performances from an outstanding cast, and stunning visuals.

Painting by numbers......more like watching a great Master at work...........8 out of 10

"Nightcrawler"

Lou Bloom scrapes by on his day to day existence. Or more so his night existence, as this is when he goes round the city, stealing drain covers from here and chain link fencing from there, this he sells on to make a fast buck.
When driving through the City one night, he comes across a road accident being attended to by Paramedics, as whilst there a video crew arrive and atart shooting the aftermath. He soon discovers that this could be a quick and easy way to make more money.
So by his ill gotten gains he manages to obtain a video camera, and sets about finding that piece of footage that he will be able to sell to the news network teams.
He learns his craft quickly, and also that it is a cutthroat business. There is stiff competition from small outfits all trying to get to accidents or crime scenes ahead of their rivals, so they can be first to offer the footage for sale. Initially he is laughed at, and derided for his amateurish effort, but soon he is the one laughing. His inital sale goes well, and from there he is soon on the Streets, getting more footage, earning more money, and thus able to buy better equipment, and Police scanners etc.
Soon the competition is coming to him, making him an offer to merge their units, but he declines, instead hiring an extra pair of hands to aid with his growing business.
He forms a relationship with Nina, who is a more mature News director, she sees potential in Lou, and pushes him to get more juicy footage that she can use. As desperate as Lou is to make a name for himself, she is equally desperate as her contract is almost up for renewal, and without improving ratings, it is doubtful she would be returning. The film is ultimately about desperate people, and the lengths they go to. Can we go too far to get what we want?  For some the answer is clearly no. For some it is kill or be killed, there is no place for morals. And clearly Lou and Nina are similar to each other. He is depserate to please her, make a name for himself, as well as earning money, and she wants to get the better ratings and please her Boss, so she gets her contract renewed. Both pushing the boundaries on ethics, with Lou entering crime scenes before the Police arrive to film a massacred family killed in their home, and Nina justifying to her creative team why they can show the footage.

Lou sees Nina as his ticket to a far better life. She sees him as a way to keep the life she has. They constantly bicker over the price of footage.She tries to buy it for as low a price as possible. He knows he is being used, and Lou uses that method when hiring his extra hand Rick, who he hires on an apprenticeship, thus meaning he does not have to pay him a wage, whilst Lou starts driving round in a very expensive looking sports car. Rick tolerates this for only so long, and eventually Lou does pay him, bare minimum wage. But soon through circumstance, Rick gets the upper hand on Lou, and tries to use this to his advantage. Will Lou tolerate this position he is in?

It is a fascinating and absorbing look at the media, ethics, the intrusion of those being filmed, and I guess also gets us to question our morals, as we are the ones watching. The lines in the sand really do start to get blurred, as everyone tries to get more for themselves.

Riz Ahmed is great as lackie Rick. And it is wonderful to see a great actress like Rene Russo shine as Nina, a determined and focused woman, driven to any lengths to maintain her career. It is hard to believe that is Dan Gilroy's first time in the Directors chair. He has an assured hand that really brings this fascinating story to life.
And Jake Gyllenhaal really gives a career best performance as Lou, from his appearance, looking gaunt, seedy & desperate to  his delivery of great dialogue. In a year when there will be a dozen names vying for an Oscar nomination in lead actor category, it would be nice to see Gyllenhaal's name up there, but I suspect because of the high volume of  great performances this year, I think he may lose out, and that would be a great shame.

As a good as film as you will see this year....................9 out of 10

"Horns" "Fury" "Interstellar"

Due to time, I am offering a brief outline of my thoughts on three recent cinematic visits.

"Horns" - Ig, short for Ignatious is in deeply in love with girlfriend Merrin, but soon finds himself the most loathed man in town when she is found brutally murdered. Naturally he is main suspect #1. Feeling no love from his fellow town folk he gets drunk and pisses on a great height upon the religion that Merrin enjoyed. Someone high above takes exception to this, and the next morning Ig finds himself starting to sport some rather fetching horns. Along with the horns, which no-one finds unusual, comes the ability for people to tell him quite openly their deepest desires and secrets. A lot of these desires are soon being acted upon. He hopes to use this new honesty that people throw at him to find the real culprit behind Merrin's death.

It is a bizarre concept, and a bizarre film. At times interesting, at times amusing, especially involving two Cops who fancy the pants off each other, and at times just odd. For the most part it fails to entertain, it is quirky and different but just does not deliver.

Merely ok, and only scores what it does for sheer audacity and the humour.....5 out of 10

"Fury"  - A bleak and honest look at the futility of War, and all that it brings with it. We join a group of Soldiers who serve together as a unit in their Tank home, they call Fury. When one of their number dies, the replacement is less than promising. A young Soldier who barely knows one end of the rifle from the other. And it mostly through his eyes that we see the story unfold.
As the War is drawing to a close, and defeat is inevitable for Hitler, the German leader seems determined to throw every last Man, woman and child into the conflict, they will not go down without a fight.
Even despite the day to day horrors of War that they see, Don (Pitt) and Norman (Lerman) still try to enjoy some civility, and this is beautifully illustrated when they dine with two German ladies. But the peace and calm is soon shattered as normality comes crashing around them when fellow soldiers barge in and become unwelcome dinner guests.
When their tank team and two other groups are assigned a mission, they head off but come under heavy fire, and soon Fury is the only left to carry out its duty. After going over a mine the Fury is out of commission and a large contingent of German and SS Soldiers is heading in their direction. Woefully outmanned and outgunned, it is the ultimate choice. Stay and fight, and almost certainly die, or make their escape and hopefully live to fight another day.
Strong performances in a great movie, which is wonderfully photographed. It pulls no punches, but if I do have a very minor quibble, it is that the ending is just a little too Hollywood.

That aside a truly great movie.........8 out of 10

"Interstellar" - This was always going to be a must see movie, especially on the IMAX. The latest from visionary Director Christopher Nolan.
The Earth is in trouble and it would seem that our planets days are numbered.A huge dust cloud regularly causes havoc,this has led to starvation on a huge scale, and many more problems besides. But Scientists believe that they may have a solution. A wormhole has been discovered and they have been secretly sending probes and manned ships into to find if their is an alternate World that we can inhabit. The solution comes in two possible scenarios. The pereferred is that we find a new alternate planet, and then send the Population of Earth to it to live happily ever after. The other option is if this is not possible then with this new voyage will go the DNA of so many of Earths inhabitants for possible cloning to populate a new Earth.
So in act one we discover the plight of the Earth.
In act two we get the possible solution, and see it being implimented, mainly thanks to the help of Professor Brand (Caine)and his astronaut daughter (Hathaway). Given the amount of time needed to reach the wormhole, which is near Saturn, they will sleep for the duration of the journey, thus time will passby differently for them as for those on Earth. They do find new worlds, and there are surprises in store, not least of which is a revelation from Earth.

Will the Earth recover from the ravages we have inflicted upon our Planet?  Will the crew make it to and find a new home for us?

As one would expect, the visuals are literally out of this worlsd, and have to rank as some of the most stunning sights I have ever seen on film. And it is this fact that stops the film from being a total letdown. This is an event film. And it was a disappointment. Not a complete loss, as I say the visuals are worth the price of admission. But the film is all over the place, trying to decide what it wants to be, but clearly is an homage to "2001: A Space Odyssey". Kubrick would be very happy. I am reliably informed that the science is very quesitonable, and the end.....well it defies belief.

The cast are all good, but none really shine, and for me Michael Caine is woefully underused, but then again I am a huge fan.
A lot has been said about the overuse of sound, and it drowning out dialogue, and this is the case in quite a few scenes.

It is worth seeing on the big screen, and will not be for everyone. It is good, but a sci-fi classic it will not be.......7 out of 10

"'71"

The troubles in Ireland have been the basis for many great movies, and here is the latest.

During 1971, Gary Hook finds himself and the rest of his Army buddies being sent to Northern Ireland, to assist with Security for the Irish authorities. As well as having superior officers to deal with, the Lieutenant in charge of the unit also has to answer to the MRF (Military Reaction Force), which was a covert team working undercover in Belfast.

On the streets of Belfast they find themselves, as they have the unenviable job of keeping the peace whilst the Authorities search houses for weapons and suspects. During one such day, the Police get a little heavy handed and a mob promptly arrives. Tempers really start to rise, and things quickly get out of control, and it soon is clear that the Army is woefully outnumbered. As soon as the soldiers come under attack, and are getting injured, the pile into the truck to make their escape.
However, Gary and a fellow soldier are still on the Streets, and in a shocking attack, one of them is killed. So Gary finds himself badly injured, and on the streets alone, and in great fear for his life.

Right from the first frame, the film has a documentary feel to it, which really enhances the tension. The graininess of the print, the colours, the detail of recreating early 1970's Belfast is done with great precision, one might almost think it was shot at the time.

There are outstanding performances from all concerned, but special mention to Barry Keoghan, who with very litttle dialogue manages to instill a great sense of anger, and also to Corey McKinley who plays a cocky young Irish lad who befriends Gary, and is his salvation.
But ultimately it is Jack O'Connell who shines in another wonderfully brilliant example of why he is one of the finest young actors of his generation. Anyone who has seen "Eden Lake", "Starred Up" or "Harry Brown" will know exactly what I am referring to.

I did feel like I aged about 5 years watching this film, as the tension is remarkable. From the moment Gary is left behind, to the gripping finale, one really does fear for his life, and given that he has warring Irish to desl with, but also there is an equal threat from his own side, after he witnesses some of the MRF clearly working outside of their remit.
The wonderfully unplayed score adds to the gripping tension that slowly builds, as we see people trying to find Gary Hook, but whether they will help him or kill him I will leave you to wonder.
Directing this biopic docu movie is Yann Demange, and what a phenomenal job he does. And he has assembled a first class team to work on this film.

Powerful, tense, and a top notch example of truly fine British film making........9 out of 10

"A Walk Among The Tombstones"

Scott Frank is the writer and Director of this latest thriller, which sees Liam Neeson as an alcoholic Police Officer, who battles his demons, after a shoot out on thee streets gets an innocent bystander killed. Jump forward several years, and he is now on the wagon, attending meetings, and doing private Detective work. He is approached by Drug Trafficker Kenny Kristo, whose wife has been abducted, and is being help for ransom.

I could go on with the plot, but that is the gist of it. The characters are all either dispicable or have little to redeem them/ The plot is dull, cliched, and been visited upon many times before, and far more successfully.
For the most part I am enjoying the reinvention of Mr. Neeson, but sadly this is one film that just numbs the brain.

From Downton Abbey to this......such a shame Mr. Stevens.............3 out of 10

"Gone Girl"

Ever since I first saw the trailer, this film has really had my interest. From the subject matter, to the cast, to the first class Director, namely the man who brought us "Se7en", "Zodiac" and "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo", Mr. David Fincher.

It is the day of their fifth wedding anniversary, and Nick Dunne returns home from a brief trip out to find his wife not home, and there are signs of a struggle in the lounge. After an initial search finds no sign of his good lady, Amy, the Police are called in. The immediate area is searched but no clues are uncovered. A television appeal is made, involving Nick, and Amy's parents, desperate to all be reunited.

Intermingled with this tale is also the story of their marriage leading upto the events of when Amy goes missing, We see their initial meeting, and subsequent occurances, from job losses to moving house, and dealing with family loss.
We also find out that Amy has been the victim of harrassment on more than once occasion. Could this have something to do with her disappearance?  Eventually the finger of suspicion starts to the point to home, and that husband Nick has possibly murdered his beautiful wife.
More suspicion falls on Nick as further evidence incriminates him in the crime, even though there is no body, so technically the Police cannot charge him with murder, unless there is a confession.
His Sister stays ever loyal, constantly at his side. The media however is out for blood, especially one female Newscaster who sees it as her personal mission to destroy Nick and all he stands for. He is another example of a Man belittling, undermining, and ultimately killing his good lady.

The question as to whether Nick did or not kill his wife is answered about half way through the film, and this did initially surprise me. But there is a good reason why. To go into more detail would be to give away what happens, and of course I would never do that.
On the plus side there is as ever great Direction from Fincher, who slowly shows us the life of this couple, like peeling an onion, and revealing the many layers underneath. The film is beautifully shot, as one would expect, and comes with a nice subtle score from Fincher regulars Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
Performances across the board are excellent, Affleck is on good form as husband murder suspect Nick, but it is ultimately Rosamund Pike who really shines, giving a career best performance as Amy. There is a lot more to her character we discover as the film progresses, and it really gives her the opportunity to flex her acting muscle. Nice support too from Tyler Perry and especially Neil Patrick Harris as a former lover of Amy.

The way the media are portrayed in this film is fascinating, and very much mirrors real life. They clearly want their pound of flesh when they have a possible murderer, happy to tarnish his name, make accusastions against him and his family. And when they want to have him as a prime time guest interviewee, they are all over him like a rash. Anything to increase ratings, no matter what the cost, no matter whether guilty or not.

The truth being revealed makes for compelling viewing, however, I still feel that the film is slightly too long, and could have had about 20 minutes shaved off. Also, I am still undecided how I feel about the ending, and whether with what happened, I feel somehow cheated or that it should not have ended the way it did.

It is still a great film, but not the masterpiece I was expecting. It fell just a tad short, say of the superior "Prisoners" from last year.

Really good, but fell short at the end.............8 out of 10