Just a Few Opinions About 'The Imitation Game' [2014]

 "I'm not a spy, I'm a mathematician."

The other day, I watched a movie, The Imitation Game.
And the movie surprised me, a bit. There were some things about it that I didn't expect. So, I wanted to write a post about it, for your enjoyment.
Here we go.

Let's Start Off With a Disclaimer: 
I'm not going to recommend this movie to you to watch if your family has young children, unless members in your family are, say, 16-ish or older. Or whoever is old enough to view things like homosexuality in a movie with a fresh, biblical perspective. This is not your "Family Movie Night" kind of movie. With that being said, it is a good idea that every movie you wish to watch with your family in your own home be reviewed first by a reputable 'Christian worldview' movie site such as Plugged In Online, which my family has been reading for years.
This is just my suggestion, of course, and I understand that every family is different in the way they do things.
Anyways, you will probably understand/agree with me more after you read my opinions here.

In light of that, let us continue!
Here are my opinions about The Imitation Game, starring  Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Allen Leech, plus more.
The overview:
Alan Turing, a British scientist and mathematician (who was also a homosexual), and his team have to break a system of 'unbreakable' Nazi codes by building a machine (a.k.a. 'the world's first digital computer) that will analyze and decipher German Enigma messages in order to win WWII.

Let's begin with a few notes on talent:
1. Brilliant acting
Everyone played their role incredibly well, in my opinion. I always love a movie where the acting is on par. It makes such a difference. Sometimes people say I have high standards when I (occasionally) say I don't like a movie because it has bad acting.
But for real, good acting can seriously make all the difference in the world, in spite of how good the story might be in itself.

Also, on acting:
2. Keira Knightley surprised me
I gotta be honest: Keira Knightley has never blown me away with a role. I guess it's because the only films I've seen her in have never done much for me. I don't like any of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies,  and you all know my opinion about Pride & Prejudice 2005, which isn't a HORRIBLE movie, but like I said, 'it doesn't do much for me.' 
I was surprisingly pleased by the good job Knightley did with this role in particular. I even, shall I say, enjoyed watching her. It could've been her chemistry while acting with Benedict Cumberbatch that did the trick, or perhaps she was just acting better than normal.
I also really appreciated her character (a.k.a. who was actually a real person, but we'll call her a 'character'). She was very supportive and understanding, able to do a hard day's work, but also smart as any man. That is what I call a good strong female character that isn't annoying or sexualized!

3. The story overall
I have to mention the overall telling of this story.
I feel like it deserves more than just to say 'it was done well'. I say that the story was interesting, kept me un-bored, flowed nicely, wasn't confusing (for the most part), as well as historically pleasing. Meaning, historical in a way that is enjoyable yet sad (at the same time) without being too morbid, as some war movies tend to be.
Yes, I just made up that term, 'historically pleasing'. It's like 'aesthetically pleasing' but with history. Do you like it?  :)
Anyways. Just in the case of the story itself, it was a good movie from that standpoint as well.

Now I shall get into some (*ahem*) 'other' stuff.
4. The movie didn't go 'overboard' with the gay stuff
There is one thing in particular (apart from all the good things I've already said about it) that stood out and really impressed me about this movie.
While it is the story of a homosexual man, the movie COULD'VE taken a whole lot more 'creative liberty' with the homosexual details, but it didn't. I mean, his lifestyle was apparent and pervading throughout the movie, but it could've shown a lot of things.
It could've shown him with other men (*cough*), but it didn't, and in another part, during a friendship story that the movie told between young Turing and another boy at his school (while it was clear the boys were 'very fond' of each other), it could've portrayed their friendship much more intimately, but... it didn't.

I guess I was impressed that this movie was actually able to tell the story according to history while not 'spicing things up' like they could have. And I respect that. Especially since our culture and society really pushes and supports the lifestyle, this movie was just telling a story. A good story.
That's why I do not consider The Imitation Game 'A Gay Movie', but rather 'A Movie About a Man Who Happened to be Gay But Also Did Some Other Stuff'.
You know what I mean? There is a difference.
In fact, the only thing to watch out for as far as 'explicit gay content' is just one comment Turing makes at one point in the movie about his activities with another man. It was definitely cringe-worthy, but other than that, 'content-to-watch-out-for' is almost (almost) nonexistent in this movie.

Basically though, this one thought alone is what made me want to write a review post on this movie.
Maybe I am easy to please, but it sure impressed me.

Don't get me wrong, of course. I'm not into 'gay movies' now.
You might remember that I didn't watch Beauty & The Beast for a long time after it came out because of the whole 'openly gay character' thing.
I still don't agree with the homosexual lifestyle (same as I don't agree with stealing or lying or cheating or ANY sin).
But if you'll notice, BatB was sort of... making fun of the whole thing. They were, in fact, playing with it.
Whereas, The Imitation Game was simply a true-story depiction. As in, this really happened. And they're telling the story about it.
It would be one thing if I were watching the movie because I support gay people. It would also be one thing if I was watching the movie because I enjoy gay characters.

No, no.

I watched this movie because
1. I love historical movies (at least the ones that are 99% clean),
2. I like WWII stories that don't just involve the battlefield and the gestapo and people hiding Jews,
3. I wanted to watch this movie when I first saw it come out because it looked interesting back then,
4. I don't think it's right that people back then were so hateful to homosexuals, and I think it's important to remember the way things used to be for people,
 and
5. Benedict Cumberbatch is my favorite actor (No, I'm serious. That's a legitimate reason.)

And there you have it.
If you choose to watch this movie, I hope you enjoy. Watch out for a couple of moments, but all in all, it's the kind of movie that I think is 'important to see eventually in your life'.

Thanks for reading!
-Amaris

Have you seen The Imitation Game? 

What did you think of it?

When You Get a Vacation And All You Want To Do Is Watch Movies...

So, I house-sat this week. (You know. It's like babysitting, but with a house). And after going to work everyday, I had free time. Yes, that glorious thing that I didn't have a lot of this past Summer. So what did I choose to do with said free time? I watched movies. Movies were my vacation, so to speak. You might remember that I mentioned that the only movie I watched all Summer was Spider-Man: Homecoming. So you might consider this marathon my "catch up".
Any-who, I watched some movies, I have opinions, here they are.
(FYI, I had never seen any of these before).

Father of the Bride (1991):
(trailer)

I guess I had high expectations for this movie, which would explain why it fell a little short for me. I mean, it was cute, (mostly) clean, and very sentimental, but I didn't find very funny (in fact, most of the things that I think were supposed to be 'funny' just annoyed me, such as the father complaining so much about the wedding). Nor did the movie interest me a whole bunch. The movie did a good job making fun of the kind of things that your typical 'father of the bride' would experience (such as stress concerning wedding expenses and 'losing his little girl'), but I guess that's one of the reasons I didn't resonate with it too much. It wasn't all bad, though. It had pretty moments. And I did laugh a couple of times.

1/5 stars

Leap Year (2010):
(trailer)

You know how you just keep hearing about a certain movie, so you just want to go ahead and watch it so you will stop wondering about it? That was "Leap Year" for me. It was pretty good, I think. It was your typical sweet romance story, and even though the entire plot line was basically one big huge cliche, it wasn't your fluffy, cheesy, irritating type of chick flick. The events were carried out pretty well, in my opinion. I found it quite enjoyable, cute, and best of all, not boring or entirely predictable. There were a few innuendos, as well as some kissing (because duh), but nothing too sensual, thank heavens. I would probably even watch this again in a few years, that's how not bad it was.

4/5 stars

Jurassic Park (1993):
(trailer)
This movie was a lot like Jurassic World (which I enjoyed in theaters as a new release), except there was no Chris Pratt. There was a lot of running from dinosaurs, being eaten by dinosaurs, trying to outsmart dinosaurs. You know. I really liked how real the raptors looked (comment if you know what song that's from), I thought all the actors did a splendid job, and the whole family-type relationship between the kids and Mr. Grant made me happy. But overall, nothing really wowed me. I can see how it's a Steven Spielberg classic, but other than that, there was nothing that really makes me want to see it again. I did really like the soundtrack, surprisingly. Even nowadays, when soundtracks don't do a lot for me. But hey. *shrug*
3/5 stars

The Walk (2015):
(trailer)
YOU GUYS. THIS MOVIE WAS SO ADORABLE. It tells the true story of a (borderline certifiable) French dude back in the 70s who wanted to walk a high-wire between the two buildings of the World Trade Center. This movie has everything... a tiny bit of romance, humor, a good plot that keeps you moving forward, a touch of suspense... everything. Plus, it was adorable, as I have already mentioned. Philippe and Annie's relationship was completely ship-worthy (look at me, using fangirl terms.. oh how things change), and I just love how the whole story was carried out. It was a good old-fashioned enjoyable movie. It was great, honestly. I am totally buying this on DVD. Watch out for some cuss words, but there really isn't much besides that (hooray because that means it's great for family movie night). I also really liked the soundtrack to this movie as well.
 Basically, I loved this movie.
5/5 stars 

Doctor Strange (2016):
 (trailer)
"While heroes such as the Avengers protect the world from physical dangers, we sorcerers safeguard it against more mystical threats."
 There is more out there in our universe to believe in than the material things, the tangible things. It is not all as it seems. You all know I'm not the biggest fan of Marvel movies. I watched Doctor Strange, and... I'm still not. However, this movie didn't seem like a Marvel film. It seemed... different. Somehow. Unconventional, perhaps? Any-who, I enjoyed it well enough. It kept me un-bored, which is good enough for me. Spider-Man is still my favorite, but Doctor Strange was not bad.  There is a bit of spell-casting nonsense to watch out for, of course, but the the focus on spiritual warfare, and the dangers of going astray from what is right are a clear theme in this sci-fi flick. But there is a good dose of language which annoyed me, as usual.
Let's be honest, though. I'm a bit partial. I feel like you could put Benedict Cumberbatch in ANYTHING and I will automatically enjoy it. He's just an amazing actor. I also have to mention how I really loved Stephen and Christine's relationship. I loved their (thankfully clean) moments. They were so precious.
3/5 stars

Forrest Gump (1994):
(trailer)
"My mama always said, 'Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.'"
This movie surprised me in two ways. First of all, it was way more dirty than I had anticipated (which made me really sad and annoyed), but the second surprise is that... I actually loved this movie. I loved it. It was so cute.
 It made me laugh... and cry (like, actually cry).
I'm really sad that there was a lot to speak of in the way of 'content'. A lot of language. A lot of crude behavior, including indecent bedroom and party scenes. Let me just say, if you have one of those movie filter thingies, use it. I beg of you. Because people should see this movie. It's a classic. It's hilarious. It's heartwarming. It's Tom Hanks.
But... I don't recommend anyone seeing some of the stuff in it. I wish more of Tom Hank's movies were clean because I really enjoy his acting. Honestly, right now I can't even think of one Tom Hanks movie I haven't liked.
 Overall, "Forrest Gump" was really good. (But bad... but good.)
...
 But bad.
...
 (*whispers* but good).
5/5 stars (NOT FOR CLEANLINESS)

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008):
(trailer)
I've wanted to watch this ever since I read the book for a WWII class I took in high school. The book was very good, and very sad, and so was the movie. We follow the 'explorations' of a young German boy, Bruno, who is trying his darnedest to understand why Jews are the 'bad guys', and why his family is so tense about it all. There's more than that, too, of course, but basically this is a WWII movie that will leave a person touched, saddened, and very sombre at heart. There was nothing amazing that really stood out for me, exactly, but the movie was good. And I would definitely recommend the book, too.
Also, I have to shout out to the actress who played Bruno's mom. She did an extraordinarily good job at her part, I observed.
3/5 stars

Mulan (1998):
(trailer)
If I ever told you guys how many Disney favorites I have not seen, you would be shocked. I could never call myself a 'Disney person' or 'Disney fan' because I simply have seen enough Disney movies to qualify for that. So anyways, to help fix that, I watched one Disney movie in all of my marathon. I chose "Mulan". I thought the movie was really cute. It made me laugh, it wasn't boring, it wasn't entirely cliche, either. The cricket was the best. :) You also wouldn't believe how many internet memes and references I now understand because of watching this movie. Like the whole "dishonor on your cow" thing? I never understood that. Until now. Thanks, Mulan.
3/5 stars

  La La Land (2016):
(trailer)
"City of stars... are you shining just for me?"
Ah yes, that musical 'masterpiece' that called a classic before it's even 5 years old. It took me awhile, but I finally watched it. Can I just say, it was a good movie, but I'm very under-impressed. That's probably because I'm not one who likes musicals. They are weird (I mean, I'm weird, I know... but this is different). Also, (even though I hate to put down a fellow human being) I'm not a huge fan of Emma Stone's.
But I'm putting it much more negatively than it actually was for me.
Lemme put it this way. I thought it was really sweet. It was dreamy. It was relaxing. It's a classic. It was nostalgic. It was pretty, it was beautiful. But I just... didn't like it too much.
 It was unconventional, but not in a way that I necessarily like. It's the same classic problem I always have with musicals. "Can we stop singing and get back to the story? I'm bored. It's a pretty set, but... I'm bored."
There were a lot of things I did like about it. The soundtrack was golden. That jazz piano... *magicallll* I've always liked jazz, ever since I heard some in a talent show when I was a child. And this movie certainly gave me a good dose of it.
I must mention before I end this review, that there are quite a few swear words. They are sprinkled everywhere that I kept tripping over them, including an f-word. (y u gotta do dis, hollywood)
2/5 stars

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013):
(trailer) 
"I am alone... my mind drifts like the snow."
It was sweet, and very cute. I always like Ben Stiller. It's the story of a guy who needs to save his job at LIFE Magazine, but he has a problem; he's a daydreamer (which isn't a problem exactly...), and he lost something very important to the magazine. And I've always had a special place in my heart for 'underdog' characters.
The movie wasn't amazing, though. It wasn't wonderful. Just sweet. There were a few cuss words, but nothing else.
3/5 stars

~*~
And now, for fun, just a really quick list of favorites out of all that I watched.

10.  Father of the Bride (Sorry, Steve. You last)
-
9. Jurassic Park (because "how real the raptors looked...")
-
8. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (because I'm a daydreamer too, buddy)

7. Mulan (because of Mushu... who was hilarious)
-
6. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (because that ending, man)
-
5. La La Land (because that piano music got me)
-
4.  Leap Year (because #dat accent tho)
-
3. Doctor Strange (Ok I gotta confess: because Benedict Cumberbatch)
-
2. The Walk (because I thought it was adorable... which you should know by now)
-
1. Forrest Gump (by far... even though it was..."bad"... #dontkillmemom)
-
By the way, at the end of writing this, I realize that my two favorite movies from this list are directed by the same person. Huh. Way to go, person. :)

Also I just realized how long this post is. Hm. Sorry bout that. Thanks for sticking around till the end! Hey, let's do one of those YouTube things... If you read all the way to the end, comment "Galaxies". Hehe.
#so fun
G'bye.

-Amaris