[car doors close]
>>James: [hand clap] Right.
Hi, everyone.
First of all, let me introduce Stuart Laws.
I'm James Grime.
We've just been to see
[sung] "The Imitation Game."
"The Imitation Game" sounds like a rubbish
70's game show,
>>Stuart: It does sound a bit, yeah. >>James: kind of, something sort of crossed with
Bruce Forsyth and Mike Yarwood! >>Stuart: Yeah!
>>James: These references are not going to go down well with my audience.
>>Stuart: Where you'd win, like, a mini fridge.
>>James: [chuckles] Yeah!
However-- >>Stuart: Yeah?
>>James: "The Imitation Game" is even better than that.
"The Imitation Game" is the story of--
>>Stuart: Alan Turing, who had to--
the whole point of "The Imitation Game"--
the game show--
was he had to crack a code, >>James: Yeah.
>>Stuart: and his prize was to save 14 million lives
in World War II.
>>James: [laughing] Yeah, yeah! >>Stuart: And end the war.
>>James: And, the speed boat!
>>Stuart: And a speed boat. [chuckles]
>>James: So, the story of Alan Turing--right.
Now, many people who watch this might know
the story of Alan Turing,
especially people who know me.
So, I'm kind of an Alan Turing expert--
>>Stuart: Fan boy.
>>James: Yeah, if you like! If you like.
Stuart, on the other hand--
were you familiar with Alan Turing's
story before?
>>Stuart: A little bit, but that's only because you don't shut up about it.
>>James: It's kind of--it's a living! [laughs]
>>Stuart: It's a living. It's a living.
No, a little bit as well,
from, like, knowing a bit about-- >>James: Yeah.
>>Stuart: World War II, and knowing about the Enigma film that came out a few years ago. >>James: Yeah.
So, a quick recap:
Alan Turing is one of our great mathematicians; >>Stuart: Yeah.
>>James: he's the father of computer science;
he's a World War II code breaker; >>Stuart: Yeah.
>>James: and, well, I guess he had a rather tragic end to his life.
He was gay at a time when it was illegal to be gay. >>Stuart: Yeah.
>>James: He was arrested for that.
And in the end, he committed suicide.
So that's the story, I guess a lot of people know. >>Stuart: Yeah!
>>James: This is what the film is about. It starts Benedict Cumberbatch--
>>Stuart. Yep. I liked--I loved it. Thought it was great. >>James: Yeah?
>>Stuart: Really loved it. Enjoyed it all the way. >>James: Marks out of ten?
>>Stuart: Uh--I don't really--I wouldn't--I wouldn't--I wouldn't do that.
>>James: You wouldn't--debase--
>>Stuart: I wouldn't--I don't like doing that,
because I feel like, all I say is,
it's brilliant. Go and watch it.
>>James: Brilliant--that sounds like a big recommendation.
>>Stuart: You work out what the stars are.
>>James: OK. I am in two minds about this.
So a part of me, as a fan of films,
I'm watching it, thinking "Yeah, this is really good!
It's beautiful--you know--
I'm--it's making me feel things." >>Stuart: Which is weird for a mathematician.
>>James: I know! My shriveled-up, dried-up prune of a heart starts to beat.
On the other hand, as someone who knows a lot
about the story, I was a little bit troubled.
>>Stuart: Troubled?! >>James: Yeah,
so, the film, from my point of view,
and this might be a terrible slur,
>>Stuart: Yeah. >>James: but it feels like the writer
sort of had the gist of the facts, >>Stuart: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
>>James: and then wrote a film based on the gist of the facts.
>>Stuart: So, like, they had an expert who was, like,
running him through it all, going "And then this is what--
this happened," >>James: Yeah--
>>Stuart: "and this happened," and the writer is going, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!"
>>James: Yeah, he said "Oh, that'll do. That's good. Oh, yeah! I get it. Something like that. It'll do."
Now, I'm a very specific audience,
>>Stuart: Yeah.
>>James: So my feeling is,
you will love this.
I couldn't love it.
>>Stuart: Because he's better than you.
>>James: Maybe you shouldn't love it, [Stuart laughs]
but you will, anyway.
>>Stuart: Right, because--'cause I'm guessing
everything that's in it is not quite how it happened,
blah, blah, blah--
but--isn't the key thing
that people watching go, "Oh! Wow!"
"I loved that!" >>James: Right.
>>Stuart: "I loved that so much, I'm going to go out
and find out more about it." >>James: Right.
>>Stuart: People who watch "The Imitation Game" go-- >>James: Right.
>>Stuart: "I want to know how much of that was true, and how much of that wasn't true.
Who's lying to me?"
>>James: Yep. That--that, actually, Stuart--
that's brilliant. That is the dream.
That is what I would hope
happens. >>Stuart: End of video! See ya later!
Thanks.
But why do you have a problem with it? [James laughs]
>>James: No, I just felt that it did dramatise events,
and I have no problem with it dramatising events.
I am a film fan, I understand that. >>Stuart: Yeah.
>>James: I do feel that it dramatised events to the point
of misrepresenting facts. >>Stuart: Yeah.
>>James: And that people will leave this film
misunderstanding--with misinformation--
>>Stuart: OK. >>James: about what happened.
And they're actually quite major things.
which I'm going to have to talk about
in detail somewhere else--in some other forum.
If I had seen this film
and not known what I do know about Alan Turing,
I would have loved the film
but I would have left
with a lot of misinformation.
>>Stuart: One of the key things I took from this film
was that there's a question that you can ask
someone to work out if it's a machine or if it's a human.
>>James: OK. Yeah. >>Stuart: OK. >>James: What--what--
>>Stuart: I've got a question for you. >>James: Yeah?
>>Stuart: Did you think
that "The Imitation Game" was fun?
>>James: It is fun--for everyone else--
>>Stuart: Machine! He's a machine!
>>James: Except for me.
>>Stuart: Machine!
Machine!
>>James: So go see the film--you'll love it!
>>Stuart: He's a machine.
Are you a human?
Here's a question
I'm going to ask you at home,
and you need to answer out loud,
to find out whether you're a machine or a human:
Do you think James is taking this too seriously?
[James laughs]
>>James: It's kind of--it's kind of my job!
Who would you rather--who would you rather be?
Who would you rather grow up to be?
>>Stuart: Me? >>James: Stuart Laws?
>>Stuart: Oh, man! The comments--this is going to be bad in the comments, though. This is your channel it's going on!
I'm some-- >>James: [laughing] I know! That's why I asked the question. >>Stuart: I'm some idiot that's turned up,
>>James: I know! You've come to my channel--
you've come to my gaff!
>>Stuart: "This is my house! This is MY house!"
>>James: I knew what the reaction was going to be,
this is why I asked the question! >>Stuart: Oh, no!
Or--or--would you like to be like me? >>Stuart: Oh, no!
I've never been internet bullied before. It's going to happen now! >>James: I'll leave that up to you.
Put your thoughts in the comments below. >>Stuart: No! No! No!
>>James: [laughing] And--
if you have been,
thanks for watching!
That's the end of the video!
No come backs! Ah!