The Imitation Game

I was glad to see they still offered screenings of The Imitation Game this week. I’d stopped being too busy and I’d also decided to temporarily pause my Keira Knightley boycott and actually go and see this film about Alan Turing. I was a afraid it’d be as upsetting as the television programme a while back, but it was more uplifting than depressing, despite poor Turing’s fate.

There were things about Bletchley and Enigma I hadn’t actually known before, and it was good to see the story in a different light from the last ones. Benedict Cumberbatch was spot on as Alan Turing. Most of the time. They’d done a fine job of getting the aspie aspects of his personality right, except for when they hadn’t.

You don’t have someone as literal as that, and then make them reply to a heavy bit of sarcasm as though they are neurotypical. I also suspect that Benedict is a capable dancer, and I wouldn’t expect Turing to have been. He was reluctant for a reason. And all that hugging!

Nice to have both Allen Leech and Matthew Goode in there, but making them mathematical geniuses is stretching credibility somewhat. Even KK made for a likelier mathematician.

Alex Lawther was fabulous as the young Turing; giving us a perfect background to understand where he was coming from.

Very touching, and the kind of film I would see again.

(Just don’t get me started on the train rolling stock…)

Skyfall

We can’t all make it to see the new James Bond on the first night. But we could do without the spoilers friends provided from the word go. When people on facebook talk about something that was on television just now, but which I couldn’t watch, I tend to read cautiously, in case they give things away. But they are usually good.

So what went wrong with Skyfall? I saw it two weeks late, knowing the two main bits of news already. It didn’t ruin the film, but why can’t people shut up and use some discretion?

The other surprising element this time round was the universal approval of Skyfall. Didn’t hear anyone saying it was a bit rubbish. Or I didn’t until I read Adrian McKinty’s blog post after I’d seen the film. He thought it was boring, and whereas I don’t totally agree with him, I had allowed the thought that they could easily have made it 20 minutes shorter, to cross my mind. Sitting for nearly two and a half hours is a pain.

But, let’s not be too grumpy. It was entertaining. I don’t particularly like Daniel Craig (I’m more of a Brosnan lady), and I didn’t care for the woman who … but who am I to decide these things?

Bérénice Marlohe did well, which surprised me as I don’t always go for the beautiful Bond girls they come up with.

I love our national treasure, or Judi Dench as I believe she’s called. She was good in this one. She’s always good, but it felt like she might have been better still this time. And I knew that she … You know.

Ralph Fiennes was another one who would have come across differently if I hadn’t already been aware of some aspects of his character. Nice man. Not so Ola Rapace, who annoys me. (Is this turning into a list of Witch Hates?) I kept looking at him, feeling he looked familiar, and annoying. Couldn’t place him at first, but saw enough to remind me I don’t like him.

Q was fine. (See, I don’t hate everyone.)

On the other hand, there is Javier Bardem, who is no favourite of mine. Although he is preferable as a baddie than as the love interest. Horrible though it was, I could see the funny side when the tube train … No, no, mustn’t say anything.

Apparently Scotland doesn’t look like it did in Skyfall, according to my Resident IT Consultant, who knows about Scotland. I thought it was nicely bleak, in a satisfying sort of way.

Some good humorous dialogue, and obviously all the action you take for granted these days. Not bad. Not marvellous, since I have no wish to immediately see it again, or anything, but I didn’t suffer. Apart from the vertigo inducing scenes, which made me feel sick.

Nice to see the cinema full, for once. I mean, I prefer it to be half empty for my comfort, but it’s good to know the cinema can fill up when it wants to. Although it was  a Wednesday.

NT getting closer

Now I may no longer have to consider whether I can face the journey to London to go to the National Theatre. They are setting up some magic so that people can go to Cornerhouse in Manchester and see some of the National’s plays live.

They are starting big, with Hamlet on the 9th of December, with Rory Kinnear as the prince. Then it will be Fela! on 13th January and King Lear on 3rd February. Frankenstein in March and The Cherry Orchard in June complete the season.

I have never seen anything like this, so have no clear idea of whether it works well or not. But with the modern magic available, it makes sense to bring culture to the ‘sticks’. And they may as well practise on Manchester before they do…