Do yourself a favor and learn more about the man who set the foundation for the modern-day computer  and a significant contributor to ending a World War.

Rating: Null/10 (22 January 2015)

It's officially that time of year — we hear the Oscar nominations and quickly schedule time to catch up on the nominated actors, screenwriters, directors and movies before February 22. There are always some surprises and some let downs  and I automatically assumed The Imitation Game would be in the "let down" category. My favorite work of Benedict Cumberbatch is limited to a Jimmy Kimmel "Mean Tweets" sketch (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y1iErgBrDQ)  and that's about it. Simply put, I avoided this movie until absolutely necessary because I assumed it would be boring and pretentious.
And you know what happens when you assume right?
Yes my friends — I was WRONG. Very wrong. This is one of the best movies of 2014 and very much deserves The Academy praise.
Go see it.
I know, I know. It's another WWII movie. And it's British accents. And it's not starring (insert favorite Hollywood crush here). Go. This movie is about so much more than a WWII strategy that experts say ended the war at least 2 years earlier than if it didn't happen (2 years of lives saved!) It's about so much more than a genius that had zero social skills. It's so much more than seeing some of your Downton Abbey characters NOT talk about Matthew (inside joke for you Downton fans).
In 114 minutes The Imitation Game provides a fascinating history lesson on newly released classified WWII history. (FYI – some stretching of history of course for the silver screen  after you see the movie check out this article -- http://www.wired.com/2014/11/imitation- game-secrets/ -- sharing some "secrets" from the screenwriter.) In 114 minutes you also learn about the man that inspired the work of great geniuses we know today — Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, etc. Alan Turning, played by Cumberbatch, is truly the founder of modern-day computers. While there are many outstanding people that took his work to create the computer, tablets and phones we use today, he started with the blank sheet of paper knowing "a smart machine" could be possible. His name needs to be included in our conversations about technology.
If you are an Apple geek, you may already know the (rumored) connection between Turning / Apple's logo / Steve Jobs. Just google "Steve Jobs Alan Turning" and you'll see the pages upon pages of articles over the years suggesting that Apple's 'bitten apple' logo was honoring the death of Alan Turning. Jobs said "God we wish it was" in response. A CNN article from 2011 (http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/06/opinion/apple-logo/) goes through some of the rumors and reactions from what Jobs called an urban legend. No one but Steve (and Woz perhaps?) really know.
I'd like to believe Jobs & Turning are smiling down on all of us as we silence our iPhones to learn about this great strategy of WWII history through the eyes of The Imitation Game. If you enjoy your computer, your smart phone, your tablet — do yourself a favor and learn more about the man who set the foundation for these life-changing machines  and a significant contributor to ending a World War. You won't regret it.
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