Skip to main content

The Man Who Knew Infinity Review

What I liked: Probably the best part of this movie was watching it was a bunch of math majors. They were so excited about every bit of math that appeared. It was moderately disconcerting because I think this may be vaguely reminiscent of how I act when I watch science movies. The reason the math majors were so excited was this movie was the story of one of the most intriguing and possibly one of the greatest modern mathematicians: Srinivasa Ramanujan. He was a relatively uneducated man living in India who remarkably independently developed known theorems and discovered new mathematical theorems. I know virtually nothing about this guy but am assured by long and complicated (and enthusiastic) explanations that he was an continues to be hugely influential on theoretical mathematics. I assure you that theoretical mathematics is a useful thing for stuff like data encryption and GPS and outer space and that it is not equivalent to hypothetical and absurd answers to math questions that are too hard to think about at that moment. I liked that I new Ramanujan's adviser Hardy, of Hardy-Weinberg fame. I liked the way they framed the story in WWI, it seemed very true to life on a college campus where world altering events are swirling all around but in a rather surreal way. I liked the discussions among the faculty, which addressed bias in the academic system without seeming too dramatized. I liked when he tried to go visit the elephant, it was sad but it did a better job for me of conveying emotion than most other scenes in the movie. I liked the way they presented his devotion. I liked the friendship between the two old mathematicians, I thought they were funny. I liked that they made a movie about very complex ideas and told the story of someone who was very influential but mostly unknown (possibly just unknown to me since every person I talk to about the movie says "Oh yeah! Ramanujan! I love his work on math math math math" but I am attributing that wide spread response on non-random sampling and weird friends)

What I didn't: While the story was good, it didn't really ever get me. I didn't get swept up in the excitement of the plot or in the strained character relationships. I had trouble following the math. Not the math that they chose to explain, that was done well, but the MATH. Why was Ramanujan so cool? Yes he was super smart and brave but why does he have a legacy that makes people say "Oh yeah! Ramanujan!" What was it about his ideas that still inspires people to pursue them? That is the framing and context that I felt like the film really needed. They tried once to address it: Ramanujan is talking to his wife, who cannot even read, telling her about how much he loves math. Essentially he rhetorically asks "but why should this matter to you?" and responds "maybe it doesn't but it reflects fundamental universal truth." This response tells us a great deal about the character but very very little about math besides erroneously that math is not important for those of us who are not personal friends of infinity.

Who should watch this? Anyone with a mathematician friend, or who knows of a mathematician who needs a friend.

Would I watch it again? Maybe but there would be lots of pausing and googling if I did.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Titanic

What I liked: Liked is definitely the wrong word for it but the scenes of the sinking of the Titanic were masterful. They were technologically impressive, apparently remarkably accurate, and emotionally gripping. The variety of ways in which different people dealt with a completely hopeless situation was both touching and thought provoking. Especially beautiful was the string quartet. In isolation from the love story, the sinking of the Titanic is a tragic reminder of the cost of hubris and the necessity of regulating emergency procedures and capacities. It carries similar gravitas as a war film. At the 25th anniversary of the film, I can appreciate how Titanic has impacted movies made later.  What I didn't: So here's the thing. I feel very bad for you if you died in the sinking of the Titanic. I feel less bad for you if you managed to get on a lifeboat on the Titanic and then decided to get off. I question all of your decision making and priorities if you decide to get off a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Free Guy

What I liked: I liked Guy. That is in fact the point but I like how happy, carefree, and wholesome he is in what is essentially Grand Theft Auto. I like what the NPCs decide to focus on as they achieve consciousness. I liked the ridiculous YouTubers getting all philosophical about Guy and how he radically changed game play. I liked that so much of the game economy was about silly skins, just like a real game, and how that completely confused the NPCs. I liked the fight between Dude and Guy and its resolution, it managed to stay very on theme. The item cameos were fun, like seeing the Portal gun, or the Fortnite piñata. I liked guy finding the med kit and building up an inventory.  What I didn't: I am not be a lawyer but I am suspicious that there maybe more efficient ways of obtaining evidence of copyright violation than playing 12 hours of a computer game every day. With that in mind I think the evidence points to the heroine enjoying the game far more than she lets on. On the top...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Reveiw

What I liked: For a movie based on what is in essence a fictional encyclopedia, this movie has a surprising amount of plot. Not great plot, but more than I usually get from reading an alphabetical reference book. I liked the dopey sidekick, his facial expressions were great and he was the only one who acknowledged that what happening on screen was not actually normal. I liked that the president led the tiny army of US wizards to their tiny battle in a subway. So as military victories go, this was not one for the history books, for many reasons. But it did lend more meaning to the phrase Commander in Chief. I felt like Dr Who was once again a bow tie wearing socially awkward guy who lives in a box that is bigger on the inside. Some of the creatures were cool but the CGI didn't quite make them alive. I liked the sloth monkey, I don't really know who it was or what it was doing but I would support a slothmonkey planet of the apes crossover. I like that the guy from SWAT has fina...
Post a Comment
Read more