The Imitation Game

"Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine."

Third and final film to complete our three-film marathon saw us sitting down to watch 'The Imitation Game'. Being a real sucker for films based on true stories, I was quite intrigued to see what this movie had to offer.

'The Imitation Game' is a British/American thriller based on the life of mathematician Allen Turing portrayed here by Benedict Cumberbatch. Turing has been hired by the government to find a way to crack Nazi German messages encrypted by 'Enigma'. This being an almost impossible task, the main problem is that the code changes daily and there are millions of different combinations. Turing, along with a group of other scholars, must race against the clock each day to find a way to understand these messages. Turing believes he can create a machine which will crack the daily code and help allies to understand German moves to end WW2. With insight into Turing's past, it becomes evident as to why he is so determined to create this code-cracking machine.

After all the hype and recommendations I was expecting this movie to be outstanding. To a degree, this was the case. The acting is almost flawless with another fab performance from Cumberbatch and a near perfect performance from Knightley. The rest of the cast were solid and the young actors were as great as you would hope from a Hollywood Blockbuster. I was expecting the film to concentrate on the task at hand of cracking the Nazi code but so often we almost get there and we are given scenes of Turing's life at the time along with flashbacks from his school days. The scenes were dramatic and moving with a particularly powerful final scene which did bring a tear to my eye. My problem with this film, as is the case with a lot of films these days, is that it was too drawn out. I just wanted to get back to the main plot without all these deviations. Also the main point of the film is actually not about this group of scholars trying to break 'Enigma' but more focussed on Turing's life. Maybe I have had enough of these 'it was awful to be gay back then' films. This for me is where 'The Imitation Game' loses points, otherwise an amazing film with moving scenes and Oscar-worthy performances.

7/10 for 'The Imitation Game'. Some may think that's harsh but I just feel it was 20 minutes too long.

Horrible Bosses 2

"We're not going to see Mother-Fucker Jones because we're not going to kidnap anyone."

Second movie in our three-movie marathon saw us sitting down to watch 'Horrible Bosses 2'. Having thoroughly enjoyed the first 'Horrible Bosses', I was expecting a hoot and a half!

'Horrible Bosses 2' is an American comedy and the follow-up to 2011's 'Horrible Bosses'. Done with working for other people, Nick (Jason Bateman), Dale (Charlie Day), and Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) have decided to set up their own company manufacturing their new invention 'The Shower Buddy'. After receiving an investment to produce hundreds of unit, it turns out that their investor is just as horrible as their previous bosses. Nick, Kurt and Dale are left stuck so decide to meet up with Mother-Fucker Jones (Jamie Foxx) once again for advice on how to deal with the latest horrible boss. After yet another bizarre discussion, they decide they need to kidnap the boss's son Rex (Chris Pine) and force a ransom in order to ensure their business doesn't go under.

 

The film start off as mad and unrealistic as its predecessor with a touch of the magic that I found to be rather enjoyable first time round. The problem I found is that they try so hard to replicate and improve on the first film that it just feels like a slightly less funny, much more misogynistic, even more far-fetched plot than the first film. It was a well-paced film as I found myself watching the whole affair without wondering what I wanted for dinner. However the comedy between these guys felt done and dusted, I think they shouldn't have bothered. They are all solid comedy actors but once again Jennifer Aniston stole the show completely. I loved her in 'Horrible Bosses' so much that I would have actually liked this film more if the sequel was mainly based around her character. All in all it was ok but I could have lived without seeing this movie.

 

6/10 for 'Horrible Bosses 2' which is rather generous. Higher score than it deserved mostly due to the fact that they kept the film at a watchable length and of course Jennifer Aniston in her best comedy role since Friends. 

Black Sea

"What happens when one of them figures out that their share gets bigger when there are less people to share it with?"

Three film Saturday was on the cards. We were in desperate need of some movie time so we decided to see 'Black Sea' to start our movie marathon!

'Black Sea' is a 2014 British Thriller directed by Kevin Macdonald starring Jude Law as the main character Captain Robinson. Having been made redundant, Robinson, along with some of his former co-workers decide to investigate a missing submarine filled with millions of pounds worth of Nazi gold. With the backing of an investor the hunt gets underway. Joining Robinson and his former colleagues are a team of Russians and a young homeless guy brought on board by Robinson in a bid to help him out. As the submarine goes further and further into darkness as does the cabin-fevered crew who don't quite agree that everyone deserves a fair share of the potential gold. 

I found this movie quite thrilling actually. The production team did a marvellous job by making you feel as if you were actually in deep water yourself. I found at times feeling like I couldn't breathe, which is the sign of any good film that it controls you so much you lose your senses. One down side is that I feel the budget was tight as there weren't so many great shots of the actual submarine. Still, the film was scored perfectly, something I cannot fault. The plot was well thought out with minor side stories but main focus on the task at hand which is always a winner for me. I did feel the film lagging at points which meant it probably could have been shortened a tad. The acting was almost spot on. It was strange to see Jude Law but hear a Scottish accent coming out of him but I got used it after a while. Great film, shame about the pace and production value.

A solid 7/10 for 'Black Sea' placing it at number 32 of 67 films so far in my almost complete 2014 League Table.