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Film Review: "The Imitation Game"

There's not a single memorable scene in "The Imitation Game" and no scene stands out over the others because every scene in the movie is as memorable as the other. Each scene is beautifully composed and filled with wonderful performances from a uniformly marvelous cast and a stupendous, career-defining turn by Benedict Cumberbatch who may just, quite possibly, snag the Best Actor Oscar for his quiet and tortured performance as Alan Turing, a closeted homosexual who, with the help of a team he assembled, successfully cracked Enigma, the NAZI communication device that proved to be impenetrable and allowed Hitler to conquer much of Europe until Alan Turing defeated him, that is.

The movie is an imposing document of one man's undeclared greatness and enormous sacrifice to save millions of lives in exchange of his own. What an incredible film! What a triumphant performance by Mr. Cumberbatch. I always say that a good movie is one that moves me to tears. This one did. I wrote a quick review for my Facebook friends immediately after the movie ended. I stood up in a corner of the cinema, typed my rave review until i noticed that tears were still flowing through my cheeks, washing the sense of loss i felt for Mr. Turning. Those were tears for his brilliant but short and uncelebrated life; for the pain he carried in his heart because society wouldn't allow him to express who he was, because society decided that he was only good for what he can provide; and for his role in the rise of computer technology and for not benefiting from it.

I am raving about the movie not solely because the story is exceptional. I am raving because the quality of the movie-making is just as exceptional. The narrative jumps between three important periods in Mr. Turing's remarkable life: his years in school, his years in the service and his terribly sad final years --- when the world was celebrating the rewards of peace brought on by the end of World War 2 and Mr. Turing was quietly suffering inside, devoid of peace because the world didn't know who he was and those who knew and had power to grant him some piece of happiness wouldn't give it to him.

Mr. Turing was recognized for his greatness decades after he died. It may have been late, but as this movie shows, it is never too late to celebrate his life. His story is sad but it is ultimately inspiring. "The Imitation Game" is one of the very best films of the year. You should watch it!

Rating: 5 Stars

Awards: 2014 Golden Globes Nominations!

GETT: The Trial of Viviane Ansalem

Movies from Israel, Poland, Russia, Estonia and Sweden make the Best Foreign Language Film list !

"Birdman" leads noms with 7 nods. "Boyhood", "Foxcatcher", "The Imitation Game", "The Theory of Everything" are solid Oscar contenders now!

"Selma" is back with multiple noms!

"Unbroken", "American Sniper", "Mr. Turner", "Wild Tales", "Mommy" snubbed!

2014 NOMINATIONS

Motion Pictures

Best Drama
"Boyhood" - Predicted Winner
"Foxcatcher"
"The Imitation Game"
"Selma"
"The Theory of Everything"

Best Comedy
"Birdman" - Predicted Winner
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
"Into the Woods"
"Pride"
"St. Vincent"

Best Director
Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Ava Duvernay, "Selma"
David Fincher, "Gone Girl"
Alejandro González Iñárritu, "Birdman"
Richard Linklater, "Boyhood" - Predicted Winner

Best Actress in a Drama
Jennifer Aniston, "Cake"
Felicity Jones, "The Theory of Everything"
Julianne Moore, "Still Alice" - Predicted Winner
Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"
Reese Witherspoon, "Wild"

Best Actor in a Drama
Steve Carell, "Foxcatcher"
Benedict Cumberbatch, "The Imitation Game"
Jake Gyllenhaal, "Nightcrawler"
David Oyelowo, "Selma"
Eddie Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything" - Predicted Winner

Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy
Ralph Fiennes, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Michael Keaton, "Birdman" - Predicted Winner
Bill Murray, "St. Vincent"
Joaquin Phoenix, "Inherent Vice"
Christoph Waltz, "Big Eyes"

Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy
Amy Adams, "Big Eyes" - Predicted Winner
Emily Blunt, "Into the Woods"
Helen Mirren, "The Hundred-Foot Journey"
Julianne Moore, "Map to the Stars"
Quvenzhané Wallis, "Annie"

Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood"
Jessica Chastain, "A Most Violent Year" - Predicted Winner
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" - Predicted Winner

Best Screenplay
Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel" - Predicted Winner
Gillian Flynn, "Gone Girl"
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, and Armando Bo, "Birdman"
Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"
Graham Moore, "The Imitation Game"

Best Foreign Language Film
"Force Majeure Turist," Sweden
"Gett: The Trial of Viviane Ansalem Gett," Israel
"Ida," Poland/Denmark - Predicted Winner
"Leviathan," Russia
"Tangerines Mandariinid," Estonia

Best Animated Feature
"Big Hero 6"
"The Book of Life"
"The Boxtrolls"
"How to Train Your Dragon 2"
"The Lego Movie" - Predicted Winner

Best Original Song
"Big Eyes" from "Big Eyes" music and lyrics by Lana Del Rey
"Glory" from "Selma," Music and lyrics by John legend and Common - Predicted Winner
"Mercy Is" from "Noah," Music and lyrics by Patti Smith and Lenny Kaye
"Opportunity" from "Annie," Music and lyrics by Greg Kurstin, Sia Furler, Will Gluck
"Yellow Flicker Beat" from "The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1," Music and lyrics by Lorde

Best Score
"The Imitation Game" - Predicted Winner
"The Theory of Everything"
"Gone Girl"
"Birdman"
"Interstellar"

Television

Best TV Comedy or Musical
"Girls"
"Jane the Virgin" - Predicted Winner
"Orange Is the New Black"
"Silicon Valley"
"Transparent"

Best TV Drama
"The Affair"
"Downton Abbey"
"Game of Thrones"
"The Good Wife"
"House of Cards" - Predicted Winner

Best Actress in a TV Drama
Claire Danes, "Homeland"
Viola Davis, "How to Get Away with Murder" - Predicted Winner
Julianna Margulies, "The Good WIfe"
Ruth Wilson, "The Affair"
Robin Wright, "House of Cards"

Best Actor in a TV Drama
Clive Owen, "The Knick"
Liev Schreiber, "Ray Donovan"
Kevin Spacey, "House of Cards" - Predicted Winner
James Spader, "The Blacklist"
Dominic West, "The Affair"

Best Actress in a TV Comedy
Lena Dunham, "Girls"
Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Veep"
Gena Rodriguez, "Jane the Virgin" - Predicted Winner
Taylor Schilling, "Orange Is the New Black"

Best Actor in a TV Comedy
Louis CK, "Louie"
Don Cheadle, "House of Lies"
Ricky Gervais, "Derek"
William H. Macy, "Shameless" - Predicted Winner
Jeffrey Tambor, "Transparent"

Best Miniseries or TV Movie
"Fargo"
"The Missing"
"The Normal Heart"
"Olive Kitteridge"
"True Detective" - Predicted Winner

Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie
Maggie Gyllenhaal, "The Honorable Woman"
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Freak Show" - Predicted Winner
Frances McDormand, "Olive Kitteridge"
Frances O'Connor, "The Missing"
Allison Tolman, "Fargo"

Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Movie
Martin Freeman, "Fargo"
Woody Harrelson, "True Detective"
Matthew McConaughey, "True Detective" - Predicted Winner
Mark Ruffalo, "The Normal Heart"
Billy Bob Thornton, "Fargo"

Best Supporting Actress in a TV Show, Miniseries or TV Movie
Uzo Aduba, "Orange Is the New Black"
Kathy Bates, "American Horror Story: Freak Show" - Predicted Winner
Joanne Froggatt, "Downton Abbey"
Allison Janney, "Mom"
Michelle Monaghan, "True Detective"

Best Supporting Actor in a TV Show, Miniseries or TV Movie
Matt Bomer, "The Normal Heart" - Predicted Winner
Alan Cumming, "The Good Wife"
Colin Hanks, "Fargo"
Bill Murray, "Olive Kitteridge"
Jon Voight, "Ray Donovan"

XXX
Raymond Lo

Awards: 2014 American Film Institute Best List

"American Sniper"

The American Film Institute (AFI) revealed their highly anticipated yearender list featuring the best films and television shows of the year. The list usually have ten film and ten TV shows but this year, AFI decided to come up with 11 films - which, in my opinion, represents the general lack of truly outstanding and excellent films this year thus the inability to exclude a title over another. But that's just me.

The list is non-competitive and acknowledges the collaborative nature of film and TV production, bringing the community’s creative teams together in a unique celebration of their work.

Movies of the Year
AMERICAN SNIPER
BIRDMAN OR (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE)
BOYHOOD
FOXCATCHER
THE IMITATION GAME
INTERSTELLAR
INTO THE WOODS
NIGHTCRAWLER
SELMA
UNBROKEN
WHIPLASH

TV Programs of the Year
THE AMERICANS
FARGO
GAME OF THRONES
HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER
JANE THE VIRGIN
THE KNICK
MAD MEN
ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK
SILICON VALLEY
TRANSPARENT

XXX
Raymond Lo

TIFF 2014: Winners!

TIFF concluded yesterday with the announcement of the winners! Most of the titles are new to this writer except for Benedict Cumberbatch's buzzy new film "The Imitation Game", which won the coveted People's Choice Award. The win bodes well for the movie because the winner in this category usually goes on to score a nomination or win at the Oscars!

Here are the winners!

Peoples's Choice Award (FEATURE FILM): THE IMITATION GAME