Film Review -- The Imitation Game

Directed by Morten Tyldum, the film stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, and Matthew Goode. It tells the unbelievable story of Alan Turing (Cumberbatch), the mathematician mainly responsible for breaking enigma during World War II and thus directly aiding the Allied victory. Turing led a top-secret team of code breakers assembled by the British government at Bletchley Park -- one of which being close friend and onetime fiancée, Joan Clarke (Knightley) -- racing against time to decode the secret messages between German officers detailing future attacks against the Allies, with the entire balance of power of World War II depending on them. But Turing had a secret of his own: his closeted homosexuality, which was still illegal at the time. The highlight of the film is most definitely Cumberbatch's outstanding performance. His Turing was both nuanced and heartbreaking. Knightley is also pretty good as Clarke, and the two play off each other very well. I thought the film was fascinating - Turing is a name everyone should know but very few people do - and well-written. I also appreciated the subtle but able directing. It was mostly well-paced, although I wish more time had been devoted to the film's final, poignant part. Overall, I was very impressed with the film and enjoyed it thoroughly. 

Should you see it: Yes
Grade: A-

2015 Oscar Nominations!

Awards season has reached its climax with today's announcement of the nominees for the 87th Academy Awards! Below is the complete list:

Best Picture
"American Sniper"
"Birdman"
"Boyhood"
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
"The Imitation Game"
"Selma"
"The Theory of Everything"
"Whiplash"

Best Director
Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Alejandro González Iñárritu, "Birdman"
Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"
Bennett Miller, “Foxcatcher”
Morten Tyldum, "The Imitation Game"

Best Actress
Marion Cotillard, “Two Days, One Night”
Felicity Jones, "The Theory of Everything"
Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"
Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"
Reese Witherspoon, "Wild"

Best Actor
Steve Carell, "Foxcatcher" 
Bradley Cooper, “American Sniper”
Benedict Cumberbatch, "The Imitation Game"
Michael Keaton, "Birdman"
Eddie Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything"

Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood"
Laura Dern, “Wild”
Keira Knightley, "The Imitation Game"
Emma Stone, "Birdman"
Meryl Streep, "Into the Woods"

Best Supporting Actor
Robert Duvall, "The Judge"
Ethan Hawke, "Boyhood"
Edward Norton, "Birdman"
Mark Ruffalo, "Foxcatcher"
J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"

Best Adapted Screenplay
Paul Thomas Anderson, “Inherent Vice”
Damien Chazelle, "Whiplash"
Jason Hall, “American Sniper”
Anthony McCarten, "The Theory of Everything"
Graham Moore, "The Imitation Game"

Best Original Screenplay
Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Dan Futterman and E. Max Frye, "Foxcatcher" 
Dan Gilroy, "Nightcrawler"
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo, "Birdman"
Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"

Best Foreign Language Film
"Leviathan"
"Ida"
"Tangerines"
“Timbuktu”
"Wild Tales"

Best Documentary Feature
"CITIZENFOUR"
“Finding Vivian Maier”
"Last Days in Vietnam"
“The Salt in the Earth”
"Virunga”

Best Animated Feature
"Big Hero 6"
"The Boxtrolls"
"How to Train Your Dragon 2"
“Song of the Sea”
"The Tale of The Princess Kaguya"

Best Film Editing
"American Sniper"
"Boyhood"
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
"The Imitation Game"
"Whiplash"

Best Original Song
"Everything is Awesome" from "The LEGO Movie" (written by Shawn Patterson)
"Glory" from "Selma" (written by Common and John Legend)
"Grateful" from "Beyond the Lights" (written by Diane Warren)
"I’m Not Gonna Miss You" from "Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me" (written by Glen Campbell)
"Lost Stars" from "Begin Again" (written by Gregg Alexander, Danielle Brisebois, Nick Lashley and Nick Southwood)

Best Original Score
Alexandre Desplat, "The Grand Budapest Hotel" 
Alexandre Desplat, "The Imitation Game"
Johann Johannsson, "The Theory of Everything"
Gary Yershon, “Mr. Turner”
Hans Zimmer, "Interstellar"

Best Cinematography
Roger Deakins, "Unbroken"
Emmanuel Lubezki, "Birdman" 
Dick Pope, "Mr. Turner"
Robert Yeoman, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lenczewski, “Ida”

Best Costume Design
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
“Inherent Vice”
"Into the Woods"
"Maleficent" 
"Mr. Turner"

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
"Foxcatcher"
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"

Best Production Design
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
“The Imitation Game”
“Interstellar”
"Into the Woods"
"Mr. Turner"

Best Sound Editing
"American Sniper"
“Birdman”
"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies"
"Interstellar"
"Unbroken"

Best Sound Mixing
"American Sniper"
"Birdman"
“Interstellar”
"Unbroken"
“Whiplash”

Best Visual Effects
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"
"Interstellar"
"X-Men: Days of Future Past"

Best Short Film, Live Action
"Aya"
“Boogaloo and Graham”
“Butter Lamp”
“Parvaneh”
"The Phone Call"

Best Short Film, Animated
"The Bigger Picture"
"The Dam Keeper"
"Feast"
"Me and My Moulton"
“A Single Life”

Best Documentary, Short Subject
“Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1”
"Joanna"
"Our Curse"
“The Reaper”
"White Earth"

Film Review - The Theory of Everything

Directed by James Marsh, the film stars Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones. Adapted from the book by Jane Hawking, it tells the story of the relationship of Jane with Stephen Hawking, the most famous scientist in the world, from when they meet as students at Cambridge in the '60s through the thirty years they were together, all the while fighting Stephen's devastating battle with ALS. I thought that the film itself was nice enough - it's reasonably enjoyable and well-acted. However, I found it to be quite safe. It wasn't provocative in its subject matter in any way, nor was the content that original (I recall a 2004 film - Hawking, with Benedict Cumberbatch - that was eerily similar). In short, the film was a little too vanilla to be great. The high points are the performances by the two leads. Felicity Jones is a charming Jane, and she gives a perfectly balanced and nuanced performance as a struggling wife. Redmayne and his physical transformation, however, are the standouts. He mastered the necessary mechanisms to convincingly portray the crippled Hawking, and is truly astounding. Though there seems to be no clear frontrunner in the Best Actor race (perhaps tonight's Globes will change that!) I wouldn't be surprised to see him earn accolades for his performance, and deservedly so. Overall, The Theory of Everything is a very decent film, but, aside from Redmayne, is not extraordinary.

Should you see it: Yes
Grade: B+

Film Review - Whiplash

Written and directed by Damein Chazelle, the film stars Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons. Andrew Neiman (Teller) is a talented jazz drummer in his first year at Shaffer Conservatory in New York City, the most prestigious music school in the country. He is hand-picked by the fearsome and ruthless instructor Terence Fletcher (Simmons) to join the school's best jazz band. However, Fletcher's abusive teaching style soon sends Andrew into a tailspin of self-destruction that threatens to end his career aspirations - and possibly his life. In short, I found the film extraordinary. The directing is sharp, and the script is coherent, believable, devastating and hilarious, all at the same time. The editing, the work of Tom Cross, is particularly terrific, as the music scenes were expertly assembled to transform Teller, a former drummer, into a world-class musician. On that note, I thought that Teller was fantastic in his role, and should have garnered more attention this awards season. His portrayal of a determined teenager pushed to his limits was outstanding. In effect, there are so many reasons to see this film, but here is the biggest one: J.K. Simmons. He gives one of the absolute BEST performances I've seen in years as a sadistic jazz instructor who leaves his students on the brink of insanity. He switches between relatable and terrifying with such quickness and ease that it is truly breath-taking to watch. If there is anyone who not only deserves, but absolutely NEEDS to win this awards season, it's Simmons. I loved this film so much that I'm tempted to give it an A+. I won't yet - maybe with time I'll change my mind - but for now this amazing film stands as my favorite of 2014 so far.

Should you see it: Yes!
Grade: A

Golden Globes 2015 Predictions!

Here are my predictions, in red, for the 2015 Golden Globes!

Best Motion Picture – Drama

Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything

Lead Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Steve Carell – Foxcatcher
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
Jake Gyllenhaal – Nightcrawler
David Oyelowo – Selma
Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything

Lead Actress in a Motion Picture- Drama
Jennifer Aniston – Cake
Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore – Still Alice
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon – Wild

Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical
Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Into the Woods
Pride
St. Vincent

Lead Actor in a Motion Picture- Comedy or Musical
Ralph Fiennes – Grand Budapest Hotel
Michael Keaton – Birdman
Bill Murray – St. Vincent
Joaquin Phoenix – Inherent Vice
Christoph Waltz – Big Eyes

Lead Actress in a Motion Picture- Comedy or Musical
Amy Adams – Big Eyes
Emily Blunt – Into the Woods
Helen Mirren – The Hundred-Foot Journey
Julianne Moore – Maps to the Stars
Quvenzhané Wallis – Annie

Director
Wes Anderson – Grand Budapest Hotel
David Fincher – Gone Girl
Ava DuVernay – Selma
Alejandro G. Inarritu – Birdman
Richard Linklater – Boyhood

Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Robert Duvall – The Judge
Ethan Hawke – Boyhood
Edward Norton – Birdman
Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons – Whiplash

Supporting Actress  in a Motion Picture
Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
Jessica Chastain – A Most Violent Year
Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game
Emma Stone – Birdman
Meryl Streep – Into the Woods

Screenplay
Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Gillian Flynn – Gone Girl
Alejandro G. Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo – Birdman
Richard Linklater – Boyhood
Graham Moore – The Imitation Game

Animated Feature
Big Hero 6
The Book of Life
Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
The Lego Movie

Foreign Film
Force Majeure (Turist), Sweden
Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem Gett, Israel
Ida, Poland/Denmark
Leviathan, Russia
Tangerines (Mandariinid), Estonia

Original Song – Motion Picture
Big Eyes – Big Eyes (Lana Del Rey)
Glory – Selma (John Legend, Common)
Mercy Is – Noah (Patti Smith, Lenny Kaye)
Opportunity – Annie (Greg Kurstin, Sia Furler, Will Gluck)
Yellow Flicker Beat – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1 (Lorde)

Original Score – Motion Picture
Alexandre Desplat – The Imitation Game
Johann Johannsson – The Theory of Everything
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross – Gone Girl
Antonio Sanchez – Birdman
Hans Zimmer – Interstellar

Best TV Drama
The Affair
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife
House of Cards

Lead Actor – TV Drama
Clive Owen – The Knick
Liev Schreiber – Ray Donovan
Kevin Spacey – House of Cards
James Spader – The Blacklist
Dominic West – The Affair

Lead Actress – TV Drama
Claire Danes – Homeland
Viola Davis – How to Get Away With Murder
Julianna Margulies – The Good Wife
Ruth Wilson – The Affair
Robin Wright – House of Cards

TV Miniseries or Movie
Fargo
The Missing
True Detective
The Normal Heart
Olive Kitteridge

Actor – TV Miniseries or Movie
Martin Freeman – Fargo
Woody Harrelson – True Detective
Matthew McConaughey – True Detective
Mark Ruffalo – The Normal Heart
Billy Bob Thornton – Fargo

Actress – TV Miniseries or Movie
Maggie Gyllenhaal – The Honorable Woman
Jessica Lange – American Horror Story: Freak Show
Frances McDormand – Olive Kitteridge
Frances O’Connor – The Missing
Alison Tolman – Fargo

Best TV Comedy
Girls
Jane the Virgin
Orange Is the New Black
Silicon Valley
Transparent

Lead Actor – TV Comedy
Don Cheadle – House of Lies
Ricky Gervais – Derek
Jeffrey Tambor – Transparent
Louis C.K. – Louie
William H. Macy – Shameless

Lead Actress – TV Comedy
Lena Dunham – Girls
Edie Falco – Nurse Jackie
Gina Rodriguez – Jane the Virgin
Julia Louis-Dreyfus – Veep
Taylor Schilling – Orange Is the New Black

Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries, or TV movie
Matt Bomer – The Normal Heart
Alan Cumming – The Good Wife
Colin Hanks – Fargo
Bill Murray – Olive Kitteridge
Jon Voight – Ray Donovan

Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries, or TV movie
Uzo Aduba – Orange Is the New Black
Kathy Bates – American Horror Story: Freak Show
Joanne Froggatt – Downton Abbey
Allison Janney – Mom
Michelle Monaghan – True Detective

Film Review - Nightcrawler

Written and directed by Dan Gilroy, the film stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Rene Russo. Set in the sketchy underworld of after-dark, present-day Los Angeles, we follow Lou Bloom (Gyllenhaal), a psychotic man desperate for work, discover the dangerous field of crime journalism. Obsessed with becoming the best crime scene photographer in the city, Lou is willing to go to extreme lengths to get an exclusive story. For those who know L.A., this film is enjoyable for all of the different streets and neighborhoods it depicts (I bet my family was the only one in our theater in Brasília who knew exactly where Benedict Canyon was). Jake Gyllenhaal also gives an excellent performance - he succeeds in being exceedingly creepy. He definitely deserves an Academy Award nomination for it. I enjoyed the story; I thought it was interesting and suspenseful. I just didn't think there was anything extraordinary about it. It is one of those films that you enjoy, but doesn't blow you away. It's an above-average film that is definitely worthwhile to see, but won't remain memorable enough to be an "A" film.

Should you see it: Yes
Grade: B+

2015 BAFTA Nominations

Following is the full list of nominees for the 2015 BAFTA Awards. Winners will be announced on February 8, 2015.

BEST FILM

BIRDMAN Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, James W. Skotchdopole

BOYHOOD Richard Linklater, Cathleen Sutherland

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales, Jeremy Dawson

THE IMITATION GAME Nora Grossman, Ido Ostrowsky, Teddy Schwarzman

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce, Anthony McCarten

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

’71 Yann Demange, Angus Lamont, Robin Gutch, Gregory Burke

THE IMITATION GAME Morten Tyldum, Nora Grossman, Ido Ostrowsky, Teddy Schwarzman,

Graham Moore

PADDINGTON Paul King, David Heyman

PRIDE Matthew Warchus, David Livingstone, Stephen Beresford

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING James Marsh, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce, Anthony McCarten

UNDER THE SKIN Jonathan Glazer, James Wilson, Nick Wechsler, Walter Campbell

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER

ELAINE CONSTANTINE (Writer/Director) Northern Soul

GREGORY BURKE (Writer), YANN DEMANGE (Director) ’71

HONG KHAOU (Writer/Director) Lilting

PAUL KATIS (Director/Producer), ANDREW DE LOTBINIÈRE (Producer) Kajaki: The True Story

STEPHEN BERESFORD (Writer), DAVID LIVINGSTONE (Producer) Pride

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

IDA Pawel Pawlikowski, Eric Abraham, Piotr Dzieciol, Ewa Puszczynska

LEVIATHAN Andrey Zvyagintsev, Alexander Rodnyansky, Sergey Melkumov

THE LUNCHBOX Ritesh Batra, Arun Rangachari, Anurag Kashyap, Guneet Monga

TRASH Stephen Daldry, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Kris Thykier

TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, Denis Freyd

DOCUMENTARY

20 FEET FROM STARDOM Morgan Neville, Caitrin Rogers, Gil Friesen

20,000 DAYS ON EARTH Iain Forsyth, Jane Pollard

CITIZENFOUR Laura Poitras

FINDING VIVIAN MAIER John Maloof, Charlie Siskel

VIRUNGA Orlando von Einsiedel, Joanna Natasegara

ANIMATED FILM

BIG HERO 6 Don Hall, Chris Williams

THE BOXTROLLS Anthony Stacchi, Graham Annable

THE LEGO MOVIE Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

DIRECTOR

BIRDMAN Alejandro G. Iñárritu

BOYHOOD Richard Linklater

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Wes Anderson

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING James Marsh

WHIPLASH Damien Chazelle

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

BIRDMAN Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris Jr, Armando Bo

BOYHOOD Richard Linklater

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Wes Anderson

NIGHTCRAWLER Dan Gilroy

WHIPLASH Damien Chazelle

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

AMERICAN SNIPER Jason Hall

GONE GIRL Gillian Flynn

THE IMITATION GAME Graham Moore

PADDINGTON Paul King

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING Anthony McCarten

LEADING ACTOR

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH The Imitation Game

EDDIE REDMAYNE The Theory of Everything

JAKE GYLLENHAAL Nightcrawler

MICHAEL KEATON Birdman

RALPH FIENNES The Grand Budapest Hotel

LEADING ACTRESS

AMY ADAMS Big Eyes

FELICITY JONES The Theory of Everything

JULIANNE MOORE Still Alice

REESE WITHERSPOON Wild

ROSAMUND PIKE Gone Girl

SUPPORTING ACTOR

EDWARD NORTON Birdman

ETHAN HAWKE Boyhood

J.K. SIMMONS Whiplash

MARK RUFFALO Foxcatcher

STEVE CARELL Foxcatcher

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

EMMA STONE Birdman

IMELDA STAUNTON Pride

KEIRA KNIGHTLEY The Imitation Game

PATRICIA ARQUETTE Boyhood

RENE RUSSO Nightcrawler

ORIGINAL MUSIC

BIRDMAN Antonio Sanchez

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Alexandre Desplat

INTERSTELLAR Hans Zimmer

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING Jóhann Jóhannsson

UNDER THE SKIN Mica Levi

CINEMATOGRAPHY

BIRDMAN Emmanuel Lubezki

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Robert Yeoman

IDA Lukasz Zal, Ryzsard Lenczewski

INTERSTELLAR Hoyte van Hoytema

MR. TURNER Dick Pope

EDITING

BIRDMAN Douglas Crise, Stephen Mirrione

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Barney Pilling

THE IMITATION GAME William Goldenberg

NIGHTCRAWLER John Gilroy

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING Jinx Godfrey

WHIPLASH Tom Cross

PRODUCTION DESIGN

BIG EYES Rick Heinrichs, Shane Vieau

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Adam Stockhausen, Anna Pinnock

THE IMITATION GAME Maria Djurkovic, Tatiana MacDonald

INTERSTELLAR Nathan Crowley, Gary Fettis

MR. TURNER Suzie Davies, Charlotte Watts

COSTUME DESIGN

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Milena Canonero

THE IMITATION GAME Sammy Sheldon Differ

INTO THE WOODS Colleen Atwood

MR. TURNER Jacqueline Durran

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING Steven Noble

MAKE UP & HAIR

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Frances Hannon

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou, David White

INTO THE WOODS Peter Swords King, J. Roy Helland

MR. TURNER Christine Blundell, Lesa Warrener

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING Jan Sewell

SOUND

AMERICAN SNIPER Walt Martin, John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff, Alan Robert Murray, Bub Asman

BIRDMAN Thomas Varga, Martin Hernández, Aaron Glascock, Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Wayne Lemmer, Christopher Scarabosio, Pawel Wdowczak

THE IMITATION GAME John Midgley, Lee Walpole, Stuart Hilliker, Martin Jensen

WHIPLASH Thomas Curley, Ben Wilkins, Craig Mann

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Erik Winquist, Daniel Barrett

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Stephane Ceretti, Paul Corbould, Jonathan Fawkner, Nicolas

Aithadi

THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, R.

Christopher White

INTERSTELLAR Paul Franklin, Scott Fisher, Andrew Lockley

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST Richard Stammers, Anders Langlands, Tim Crosbie, Cameron

Waldbauer

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION

THE BIGGER PICTURE Chris Hees, Daisy Jacobs, Jennifer Majka

MONKEY LOVE EXPERIMENTS Ainslie Henderson, Cam Fraser, Will Anderson

MY DAD Marcus Armitage

BRITISH SHORT FILM

BOOGALOO AND GRAHAM Brian J. Falconer, Michael Lennox, Ronan Blaney

EMOTIONAL FUSEBOX Michael Berliner, Rachel Tunnard

THE KÁRMÁN LINE Campbell Beaton, Dawn King, Tiernan Hanby, Oscar Sharp

SLAP Islay Bell-Webb, Michelangelo Fano, Nick Rowland

THREE BROTHERS Aleem Khan, Matthieu de Braconier, Stephanie Paeplow

THE EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)

GUGU MBATHA-RAW

JACK O’CONNELL

MARGOT ROBBIE

MILES TELLER

SHAILENE WOODLEY