Professor Popinjay's Compendium of Perspicacity

A Non-Review by Professor Popinjay

—–This was a biopic about Srinivasa Ramanujan, probably the most brilliant mathematician of the previous century. The finding of another notebook full of his mathematical theories long after his death has been equated with the finding of Beethoven’s tenth symphony.

—–I like math movies as much as I like sports movies. I am not wired for mathematics and most sports elude me but sports MOVIES and math MOVIES have something in common in that they are not usually about Math or Sports. They are about overcoming difficulties and discovering powerful aspects about yourself. If you read the previous non-review for The Man of La Mancha you can tell I eat that stuff up. Athletes have rarely taken the time to articulate their drives and accomplishments into well-thought out sentences and I don’t blame them. They’re too busy sportsing. I get it. It’s almost cruel to interview them on the field. That’s why we have sports announcers. Nevertheless those drives and accomplishments inspire me. Mathematicians are similarly so consumed by mathematics they appear as awkward nerds with no social skills. But they are just as driven and accomplished and I want to hear their story!

—–As an Indian man under Brittish rule, Ramanujan’s brilliance definitely comes against much adversity. This combined with his Hindu faith in a country that boils everything in lard makes for a difficult time indeed. Good Movie. His mother was not nice.