Benedict Cumberbatch & The Imitation Game

Playing God as Turing

I will admit I am a Benedict Cumberbatch fan. I thoroughly enjoyed him as Sherlock and last weekend I saw 'Dr. Strange.' Today we watched The Imitation Game in which he played Turing. Yes, that Turing. As much as we will miss the great actors who have departed this world in the past year, there are new people ready to take up the mantle. I submit that Mr. Cumberbatch will be one of those greats in the future.

If you haven't seen The Imitation Game, I promise it is a WWII story that should not be missed. Discovering the power of life and death in order to protect the greater good could not have been an easy burden to bear. It is a wonderful drama and told in flashback by Turing.

Kiera Nightly plays Joan Clark and for the young women fascinated by technology and the science, this is someone you should learn about. Turing fought to have her work with him despite the problems of a single woman working among men at the time. She was the exception and it is made quite clear during the interview scene.

The intersection of brilliant minds, gender differences, and homosexuality during 1940's Britain makes for an eloquent discussion on how we lost one of the brilliant minds of the 20th century. Turing was a great gift and I hope when you watch this film you will think about all the people out there changing the world, even if you don't know their stories yet.

Must see: Race

Race: Jesse Owens in the 1936 Summer Olympics

Have you seen the film 'Race' yet? If not you absolutely should. The filmmakers did a fantastic job of not getting to caught up in the politics of the time so that Mr. Owens remained the focus of the story. Of course, the blatant racial discrimination of the day is part of the story and it was handled with care. I would have liked to see more of his struggle with the decision to attend the 1936 Summer Olympics.

As a filmmaker, I really honed in on Leni Reifenstahl's interactions with Dr. Goebbels. Whatever you think of her as a person, you have to respect that a woman who caught the eye of Hitler was in a terrible position. She used that power to ensure that Jesse Owens' achievements that day can be seen again and again by the runners following in his footsteps and the rest of us.

It is a powerful film, one that I hope you watch with your family. It opens many options for dialogue about our recent past and how it affects current events. Specifically, the ongoing conversation about race, discrimination, and hatred. You can also watch for the gender divide as well. I throughly enjoyed it and cheered Mr. Owens, despite already knowing the outcome and I think you will too.