The Imitation Game, Alan Turing’s Legacy, and other Odds and Ends

“You just defeated Nazis with a crossword puzzle!”

I finally saw The Imitation Game. It is a masterful film and dramatization of the famous mathematician Alan Turing’s help in defeating the Nazis while paving the way for the machines we know today as computers. I loved this movie. It was inspiring, moving, and at times quite hilarious, while sad and hopeful at the same time. I personally found it a very emotional and deep experience. This post is not an attempt to analyze the movie and separate fact from fiction, and while I understand that dramatizations of such historical events are never 100% factually sound, this film inspired me to do a bit of research on Turing and consider his scientific breakthroughs and the last years of his life.

Michael’s Movie Mentions: Exploring Tension-Building in “The Bourne Ultimatum”

“The Bourne Ultimatum” is a perfect film for analyzing and applying to writing, because it has many traits that are unique to this film series, one of the reasons it is widely known and well regarded as an action film. The director, Paul Greengrass, skillfully uses camera cuts and omniscient narrator voice to build tension throughout the movie. We will be primarily exploring the opening sequence to show just how these cinematic tools are used. I will also be applying this to writing as well, suggesting how writers can use these techniques in their writing to build tension.

Movie Review: Black Panther

Black Panther was fantastic. Picking up from where we saw T’Challa last, in Civil War, It was refreshingly different for a Marvel movie, with emphasis on the African culture of Wakanda, its myth, and its people, as well as the breaking of racial and gender stereotypes, which I LOVED. Many movies and TV shows with main characters of color today usually have a plot focusing on racial tensions, a hot topic in current world politics. But Black Panther had none of that. The entire story was focused on Wakanda, its ruler, and the tensions coming from the aftermath of not only T’Chaka’s death, but also the revelation of N’Jadaka, Erik “Killmonger” Stevens, T’Challa’s first cousin and nemesis.

Movie Review – Spiderman: Homecoming (With Spoilers)

I’ve seen some of the older Spiderman movies, and liked them despite their cheesiness. But after watching Homecoming, I realized that out of all the superheros, Spiderman/Peter Parker is not only the most relatable, but also a character I will always admire and learn from.

(Batman’s cool, too. *namaste bow*)

The Book and Movie Review: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Star Wars isn’t the only major fandom that decided to release a set of films for the second generation. J. K. Rowling has published several Hogwarts textbooks for the entertainment of muggles (Fantastic Beasts, Tales of Beedle the Bard, and Quidditch Through the Ages). She also wrote a script for yet another magical Harry Potter world movie: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

A Movie Review of Star Trek: Beyond

Directed by Justin Lin and produced by J. J. Abrams, starring Chris Pine, Simon Pegg, John Cho and others, Star Trek Beyond is nothing short of a high-action, fast paced and suspenseful film with aliens, starships, and new worlds. This movie moved on from where we left off in Star Trek Into Darkness and throws obstacles such as gazillions of ship swarms and a dangerous nebula in the way of the crew on board the USS Enterprise.

Movie Review: Megamind

I love cliche-breakers. When someone decides to write a book or make a movie that’s unique and different, I get excited. Why? Because sometimes stories repeat each other. The ending, the beginning, the plot, the chosen one, the love triangle? Oh yeah, we’ve seen this before. What about the hero vs. the villain, from beginning to end? Yup. What about a villain winning over the hero? We call that a tragedy: old stuff. What about a hero destroying the villain and saving the day? Too often.

What about a villain who constantly needs a hero to fight and so he creates one, who becomes corrupt, and so the villain needs to save the city and in turn becomes the hero? Nope, never thought of it … ooh, we’ve got one over here!

The Book and Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling

There will be spoilers throughout the review. As I’m pretty sure most of you have read the Harry Potter series, I won’t worry about it too much, but if you’re new to the series, you probably should have second thoughts before continuing.

The two movies The Deathly Hallows Part 1 & Part 2 finally show a film adaptation of a Harry Potter book done right. The last six books before Deathly Hallows had a lot in them: great character arcs, plot twists, critical scenes … and only one movie for each book.  

BBC Sherlock: The Abominable Bride – The Special that Ruined the Fandom

Ruined, ruined, I say. RUINED!

Allow me to elaborate.

Michael’s Movie Mentions: A Look at 2001: A Space Odyssey

If you’ve heard about the 1968 movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, you may have wondered: “What is 2001 about?” Perhaps, even if you have seen the movie, you may (as did I) still wonder: “What is it all about?” There are many interpretations on specifics to the question. But in general, I will try to lay out to you information on this movie as such:

1. What is 2001: A Space Odyssey?
2. The Reviews on 2001
3. A Look at 2001

First, what is 2001, and what’s so great about it? 2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 film, produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, who wanted to make a film on ‘man’s relationship to the universe’; which is what it is. It is a film about the ‘evolution’ of man, going from ape to modern man, to ‘alien’. In all, it is about mankind’s process of evolving, in each stage, into a slightly more intelligent and sophisticated being, shown by their development of new technologies and capabilities. It is a look into the future, which doesn’t just end at 2001, but goes far beyond our time.