Enigma Wrapped Inside a Great Movie

The Imitation Game shakes up WWII genre as smart spy thriller

Whether we like it or not, movies about World War II continue to be popular for filmmakers because of the myriad stories that can be mined from such rich history. But because so many movies have been made about the period, even unique stories have a way of feeling similar to those that came before them.

Fortunately, The Imitation Game doesn’t fall into that trap. It tells the story of Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch), the brilliant but eccentric mathematician who was able to decode the seemingly unbreakable Enigma machine used by the Germans during the war.

Director Morten Tyldum and writer Graham Moore construct the film as both a great character study and a tense thriller.

As depicted in the film, Turing had a severe lack of social graces, viewing those who didn’t match his intellect as unworthy of his time. Despite his abruptness, he convinced the British military brass, including Winston Churchill, that he, along with his chosen team, would be able to accomplish what had long been thought impossible.

But the film is much more than just a bunch of scientists sitting at desks and crunching numbers. Director Morten Tyldum and writer Graham Moore construct the film as both a great character study and a tense thriller.

On the personal side, Turing’s outward demeanor collides with his inner turmoil as a gay man in a time when being homosexual was unacceptable on a societal level. Many of the moves he makes, both professionally and personally, can be viewed through that prism, and the film becomes richer for it.

Even though the story takes place over many years, it works like a good spy thriller. It’s exciting to watch Turing and his team crack the Enigma, but what happens after they do intrigues even more. The cost of war is easy to see in films with actual battles, but it’s driven home just as hard with the decisions shown here.

Cumberbatch’s role as Turing is not as showy as other Best Actor hopefuls this year, but it’s just as effective. He commands the screen with his turns of phrase rather than his movements, and his enrapturing voice makes his character more likable than he probably should be.

He’s helped by solid supporting performances from the likes of Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode and Mark Strong, in roles that don’t feel tacked on. Knightley is especially good, making a case with this and Begin Again that she might finally be coming into her own as an actress.

The Imitation Game shows that not all World War II movies are the same, and there might still be hope for a genre that seemed destined for mediocrity.

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game.

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game

Photo courtesy of Lone Star Film Festival

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game.

Vinyl Record News

Dallas record store chain Josey Records spins new location in Garland

Josey Records

Josey Records

Vinyl at Josey Records

Dallas music maker Josey Records has extended its reach east: The record store chain, whose empire includes one of the largest single independent record stores in the U.S., has opened a location in Garland, at 1005 Northwest Hwy., at the intersection of Centerville Road, where it's selling its trademark assortment of vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, turntables, music posters, new releases, and music accessories.

This is the sixth location and the third in the Dallas area, joining the original in Farmers Branch which owners Waric Cameron and Luke Sardello opened in November 2014. They've since opened locations in Plano, Tulsa, Kansas City, and Vidalia, Missouri.

The original location is a giant place with 16,000 square feet devoted to vinyl, 45s, CDs, turntables, and T-shirts. They do a good job showcasing new releases and collector vinyl — they made CultureMap's list of 5 best places in Dallas to buy vinyl records — and are known to host album release and listening parties such as a recent blockbuster celebrating Linkin Park.

They made headlines in June 2020 when they acquired the vast musical inventory of Bill’s Records following the death of owner Bill Wisener; Cameron and Sardello both worked at Bill’s, and knew the sprawling collection first-hand.

"It has taken us years to even start going through it, but in last two years, we've made some headway," Cameron says. "Bill's has its own audience, so we created a specific Instagram account, just for Bill's Records merchandise called @billsrecordsvault."

They chose Garland because they saw it as an area that was under-served.

"There are very few record stores in that area of northeast Dallas, Casa View, Garland, Rockwall, Mesquite," Cameron says. "We have customers who live over there, so it seemed like a good place for a store."

The storefront they're in was most recently The Music Store, which sold and rented musical instruments and accessories; but coincidentally, it's next to an address that was once RPM Records, a hip record store from the '90s.

The Garland store follows the same model as their others: selling new and used records and merchandise, and buying used goods, as well.

"One thing that's cool is that each location takes on its own identity," he says. "We buy used CDs, vinyl records, cassettes — we're a used resale business — and what we buy from our customers dictates what that store becomes. For example, our Plano store has a lot of classic rock. So we're looking forward to seeing what Garland gravitates to."

Garland does have one thing that the other locations do not.

"Right now, Garland has this incredible collection of jazz," Cameron says. "We bought a great collection of jazz records — someone called and wanted to sell it. We get that a lot, we buy major collections from all over the U.S., we even make house calls. So we saved it for the Garland store."

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