Movie Review Madness - The Aftermath

The Aftermath is rather perfunctory in its portrayal of a loyal dutiful wife (Keira Knightley), an upright British colonel (Jason Clarke), and a German architect (Alexander Skarsgard). The colonel and his wife take over the architect’s huge home in post WWII Hamburg. The architect and his daughter along with a maid and cook are allowed to stay on and serve.   This is the aftermath of war. There is also sadness. We slowly find out that the couple’s young son died in the war from a house bombing. The architect’s wife died from a bombing. Bitterness reigns in a very tense household.

But there’s also a lustful undercurrent. Even as she resents the Germans, she also plays with fire in her unhappiness. Face it, Skarsgard is hot. Clarke is gone – off to work. Temptation reigns supreme.

Keira Knightley can act with her eyes. She’s soulful. She’s empathetic, sympathetic, and smoldering all in one glance. Oh, there’s trouble in a very cold forbidding atmosphere. Lust bubbles slowly.

All of the acting is good, and Knightley could do period pieces in her sleep, but she doesn’t. She keeps us interested in her character and adds layers as the movie moves along.  The Aftermath could have tightened things up a bit. I admit I checked my watch. Also, my friend I saw this with said there was way more to the story based on the book. The editors definitely slashed and made it a “love” story of sorts.

I liked the movie, BUT must give reservations. It’s slow. It’s got issues. It’s okay to wait and maybe catch it on a slow night when nothing else is on.  That’s just how some films go. But Knightley is a gem and I shall support her income.

Movie Review Madness: The Imitation Game

Start marking your Oscar ballot. The Imitation Game is why I go to movies. It’s smart, brilliantly acted, well-paced, and just darn great. Alan Turing, was a genius British logician and cryptologist. Hired on to a team, this unique man followed his own path and created the machine that cracked the Enigma Code – the Nazis secret communication device. Who knew that mathematics could be exciting?  Benedict Cumberbatch brings the quirks of Turing to life. This is a man keeping secrets with no social skills whatsoever. He is the smartest man in the room, which does not make friends.  

However, Keira Knightley’s Joan recognizes the man behind the brittle exterior. She too can solve puzzles in minutes and helps him tease out a solution. She is willing to marry him despite his secret (he is a homosexual back when that was against the law), and implores him to consider that they could have an “arrangement”. They are odd ducks in the world. We go back and forth in time – we see Turing under arrest and his tortured life. We see Turing as a hero – however, complicated the issues. Matthew Goode, on the team, is the popular guy who ultimately recognizes Turing’s ridiculous vision and is a key to keeping that vision alive.  

The excitement of solving the Enigma is well done. And then the full measure of that success has issues. Yes, they helped the Allies win the war two years earlier than projected, but lives were still lost so as not to let the Nazis know what they knew. Alan Turing’s life story is tortured, but this is the man who begat computers. He would be astonished at where his vision took us. The Imitation Game is Oscar worthy and just sheer intelligent film entertainment.