BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / The Imitation Game

**Posted by Tinks** May 16, 2014 9:29 pm

Is it Baz Bamigoye(sp?) for the Mail?
Much as I hate that rag generally, he's not a bad judge - I'll take his review over a critique of Jake Gyllenhaal's body any day.

**Posted by clareiow** May 16, 2014 9:42 pm

My sentiments exactly!! Here's what he tweeted;

@BazBam: @WeinsteinFilms screened footage of The Imitation Game with Benedict Cumberbatch & Keira Knightley about Alan Turing.Looked fantastic!

**Posted by Tinks** May 16, 2014 10:22 pm

Have done some internet digging and apparently the clip was only a couple of minutes long anyway, so how Variety can give a rating on that basis, I don't know.
At least Baz has seen it as what it's meant to be - a teaser to leave you wanting to see more of it.
Never mind - when all the real critics review it properly, the Variety journo need not bother - they can spend the time gazing at Jake Gyllenhaal's abs instead - far more informative! (Wishing there was a sarcasm smilie on here!!)

Last edited by Tinks (May 16, 2014 10:23 pm)

**Posted by SusiGo** May 16, 2014 10:38 pm

Just to show how idiotic the Variety ratings are:

Southpaw: Weinstein also debuted a short scene from the Antoine Fuqua boxing drama, featuring Jake Gyllenhaal. It mostly felt like a Nike ad with guys training in the gym. But, on the plus side, Gyllenhaal’s abs have never looked better.
Grace: A+

The Imitation Game: Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing, yelling at Keira Knightley.
Grade: B-.

**Posted by SusiGo** May 16, 2014 10:44 pm

And a more informative one from vulture.com:

The Imitation Game
Weinstein recently acquired this WWII-era biopic in a significant deal, likely positioning its star Benedict Cumberbatch for a major awards play as Alan Turing, the famed code-cracker who helped the Allies win the war but was then persecuted by his own government for being gay. There's no trailer cut for this holiday release yet, but Weinstein showed a truncated sequence where Cumberbatch has a code-related intellectual breakthrough as Keira Knightley and Matthew Goode look on breathlessly. As a script, it was revered — Leonardo DiCaprio was attached to star as Turing at one point — so this is one to keep an eye on.

**Posted by tonnaree** May 17, 2014 4:40 am

I'm running out of words to discribe how excited I am for this.

**Posted by gently69** May 17, 2014 5:52 am

I also can't wait. Why is it still that long to go???

**Posted by SolarSystem** May 17, 2014 8:32 am

Seriously, how can you give a rating for something of which you've only seen a couple of minutes? So ridiculous. Or is that rating just for how Benedict as Alan Turing yells at Kira Knightley...?

**Posted by nakahara** May 17, 2014 8:39 am

SolarSystem wrote:
Seriously, how can you give a rating for something of which you've only seen a couple of minutes? So ridiculous. Or is that rating just for how Benedict as Alan Turing yells at Kira Knightley...?

One cannot take that rating seriously given what rating they´ve given to that other movie with Jake Gyllenhaal.
I guess everything that featurs something more than cheap thrills confuses those reviewers to no end.

**Posted by SolarSystem** May 17, 2014 8:52 am

I agree. And I guess we all agree that even critics are entitled to their own opinion - but this is not even an opinion, this is nothing.

**Posted by tonnaree** May 17, 2014 9:12 am

Is it wrong that I now madly want to see this clip?

**Posted by Tinks** May 17, 2014 9:53 am

SolarSystem wrote:
Seriously, how can you give a rating for something of which you've only seen a couple of minutes? So ridiculous. Or is that rating just for how Benedict as Alan Turing yells at Kira Knightley...?

He's not yelling at Keira though - it's a clip of him cracking the code while she looks on in wonder, from the description given of the footage, so the "review" is a piece of nonsense...which is a shame because there are probably a lot of aspiring film critics who'd give anything to have the chance of covering Cannes, and you get people being paid to go there who can't be bothered to take it seriously.
Oh well......

I hope I'm alone when I first see a trailer - it's been so long since I've seen him act that I won't be able to contain my excitement!

**Posted by MartaSt** May 17, 2014 9:57 am

tonnaree wrote:
Is it wrong that I now madly want to see this clip?

Definitely not

I think that critics opinion seldom counts - if people want to see some film they will, and if they don't want to - they won't. I never use ratings in my decision process which film should I watch.

And I agree that giving rate after watching few minutes of film is stupid, it's like judging book only by reading one, separate page.

**Posted by This Is The Phantom Lady** May 17, 2014 4:26 pm

I need to watch this, so very, very badly... ugh!

I never really care much for movie critics... I rarely agree with them anyways

**Posted by gently69** May 17, 2014 5:22 pm

Yes, I also prefer to form my own opinion. Already watched films which had good reviews and I didn't like at all and ... vice versa. So ...

Last edited by gently69 (May 17, 2014 5:45 pm)

**Posted by SusiGo** May 17, 2014 5:35 pm

Yes. And one little scene is not enough to judge a film. But his opinions on the trailers/clips show a general lack of objectivity. Quite unprofessional.

**Posted by MartaSt** May 17, 2014 11:14 pm

gently69 wrote:
Yes, I also prefer to form my own opinion. Already watched films which had good reviews and I didn't like at all and ... vice versa. So ...

SusiGo wrote:
Yes. And one little scene is not enough to judge a film. But his opinions on the trailers/clips show a general lack of objectivity. Quite unprofessional.

Exactly my thoughts..

Last edited by MartaSt (May 17, 2014 11:15 pm)

**Posted by SusiGo** May 24, 2014 10:27 am

There will be a documentary about Alan Turing on ARTE TV, the German-French cultural channel:

http://www.arte.tv/guide/de/047266-000/wie-ein-mathegenie-hitler-knackte

**Posted by SolarSystem** May 24, 2014 11:54 am

Great! I've marked this in my calendar right away.

**Posted by gently69** May 24, 2014 12:07 pm

Yeah, something that I have to record.