early Valkrie reviews are not promising

[DaemonSeid]

Much ado has been made about "Valkyrie," starring Tom Cruise as would-be Hitler assassin Col. Claus von Stauffenberg.

There is the release date, which has been moved around several times until finally being set for Christmas, the perfect time for a feel-good movie about killing Nazis. There's the marketing of the film: Is it a historical thriller featuring Cruise in an eye patch, or is it a straight-up action picture full of explosions? And then, of course, there is the Cruise factor itself — the fact that his very presence adds a layer of tabloid-friendly fascination.

Turns out Cruise is both the central figure in "Valkyrie" and its weakest link. He's distractingly bad in this, the iconography of his celebrity so strongly overshadowing his performance. He's just too powerfully contemporary. With his hard, flat American accent, he stands out in every single scene. And he's not a good enough actor to immerse himself in this kind of period piece, or allow us to do the same.




...anyone planning on seeing this?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081222/...iew_valkyrie_1

[nikki1920]

That was the main thing that irked me: here's a movie made about Germans, and the main character doesn't have a German accent? WTF?

It looks interesting, but nope, no plans on seeing it.

I am planning on seeing Benjamin Button and Seven Pounds, though.

[Fawn Liebowitz]

I'm interested in seeing it because of the historical aspect of the story. I'm not a Tom Cruise fan at all, so the fact that he stars in it is the biggest negative. He looks ridiculous in the "trailers" so maybe I should wait til it comes out on DVD.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by nikki1920

That was the main thing that irked me: here's a movie made about Germans, and the main character doesn't have a German accent? WTF?

It looks interesting, but nope, no plans on seeing it.

I am planning on seeing Benjamin Button and Seven Pounds, though.

Harry Potter for me.....siiiiigh

[honeychile]

Originally Posted by Fawn Liebowitz

I'm interested in seeing it because of the historical aspect of the story. I'm not a Tom Cruise fan at all, so the fact that he stars in it is the biggest negative. He looks ridiculous in the "trailers" so maybe I should wait til it comes out on DVD.

I'll be a sucker and see it in the theatre - even though I feel the same way as you.

Tom Cruise is not worthy of playing Claus von Stauffenberg!

[ForeverRoses]

Tom Cruise just completely annoys me. I can't stand to watch an interview with him, let alone a movie. I will avoid any movie with him in it.

[gee_ess]

I cannot stand Tom Cruise. I think he has done a good job is some movies but the minute I saw the trailer for this movie, I knew he would be in over his head. A period piece for Tom? I don't think so!
Some of you may already know this, but my friend who has a friend "in the business" out in California swears the whole Katie/Tom marriage is a publicity stunt with a signed contract that spells out her compensation,etc. They had supposedly approached other b-list celebs before Katie agreed. She also says it is common knowledge that Tom is gay.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by gee_ess

I cannot stand Tom Cruise. I think he has done a good job is some movies but the minute I saw the trailer for this movie, I knew he would be in over his head. A period piece for Tom? I don't think so!
Some of you may already know this, but my friend who has a friend "in the business" out in California swears the whole Katie/Tom marriage is a publicity stunt with a signed contract that spells out her compensation,etc. They had supposedly approached other b-list celebs before Katie agreed. She also says it is common knowledge that Tom is gay.

HEhehe...sad part of it is...some of us heard these rumors...so with all of that going on is there any reason as to why Katie hasn't been seen since Batman Begins?

OOooooo...what if we find out that Suri was a test tube baby????

[honeychile]

Originally Posted by gee_ess

I cannot stand Tom Cruise. I think he has done a good job is some movies but the minute I saw the trailer for this movie, I knew he would be in over his head. A period piece for Tom? I don't think so!
Some of you may already know this, but my friend who has a friend "in the business" out in California swears the whole Katie/Tom marriage is a publicity stunt with a signed contract that spells out her compensation,etc. They had supposedly approached other b-list celebs before Katie agreed. She also says it is common knowledge that Tom is gay.

That comes as no surprise to me.

I haven't seen any of his movies in years, but the whole July 20, 1944 plot to kill Hitler scenario is near & dear to my heart. I had read a book which inspired me to start (read: almost finish) a screenplay about the plot, only told from a different point of view. Then I read that somebody else had written one based on the same source (The Berlin Diaries, 1940-1945 by Marie Vassiltchikov), and that Nicole Kidman was going to star in it. It's so fascinating, I'm sure that's where the idea has come from. FYI, one of the major players in the real plot was Adam von Trott - the gggrandson of John Jay.

[Thetagirl218]

Originally Posted by honeychile

That comes as no surprise to me.

I haven't seen any of his movies in years, but the whole July 20, 1944 plot to kill Hitler scenario is near & dear to my heart. I had read a book which inspired me to start (read: almost finish) a screenplay about the plot, only told from a different point of view. Then I read that somebody else had written one based on the same source (The Berlin Diaries, 1940-1945 by Marie Vassiltchikov), and that Nicole Kidman was going to star in it. It's so fascinating, I'm sure that's where the idea has come from. FYI, one of the major players in the real plot was Adam von Trott - the gggrandson of John Jay.

That info is fascinating! Thanks for sharing, honeychile!

I do want to see this movie because of the historical aspect, though I loathe Tom Cruise with a passion.....

That was the main thing that irked me: here's a movie made about Germans, and the main character doesn't have a German accent? WTF?

In tons of movies, the actors don't even attempt to have to accent the characters should have! Do all the actors have no accent? It would be pretty stupid if Cruise was the only one with no accent. At least they tried to have accents in the old WW2 movies of the 50s and 60s....Battle of the Bulge anyone?

[honeychile]

I'm posting a link to a good article on Valkyrie - it barely mentioned Tom Cruise! http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08360/937508-42.stm

I rather like Bill Nighy in the first place; now I love him!

[AKA_Monet]

Thanks, I can somehow wind up with a screener bootleg version for $5.

Anyhow, most "Nazi" picture employed English accented actors to play all the roles. The BEST "Nazi" picture I've seen to date is "Downfall" or "Der Untergang" all done in German with subtitles.

The Germans I know do have an accent when they speak English. But, I cannot tell their accents when they speak German. They did speak openly about "after the war", but NEVER right before or during the WWII. I guess, they just do not discuss it with outsiders... And these were young men (~20-something). Something tells me they do know plenty, but culturally, it is in bad taste to discuss any merits of WWII from a German's perspective. IDK?

All this to say, I would never think Tom Cruise as an actor could effectively pull off a legit, non-glamorizing "Nazi" movie. It's like portraying the Antebellum south American pre-Civil War movie--just overall, not a good "period piece" effort for him... Tom Cruise with a Southern Accent? Has he done that before? IDK?

The "Defiance" movie is out January 2nd. I think folks will appreciate that one more.

[moe.ron]

Originally Posted by AKA_Monet

Thanks, I can somehow wind up with a screener bootleg version for $5.

$5 for a bootleg? I pay $.63 here in Indonesia.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by AKA_Monet

Thanks, I can somehow wind up with a screener bootleg version for $5.

Anyhow, most "Nazi" picture employed English accented actors to play all the roles. The BEST "Nazi" picture I've seen to date is "Downfall" or "Der Untergang" all done in German with subtitles.

The Germans I know do have an accent when they speak English. But, I cannot tell their accents when they speak German. They did speak openly about "after the war", but NEVER right before or during the WWII. I guess, they just do not discuss it with outsiders... And these were young men (~20-something). Something tells me they do know plenty, but culturally, it is in bad taste to discuss any merits of WWII from a German's perspective. IDK?

All this to say, I would never think Tom Cruise as an actor could effectively pull off a legit, non-glamorizing "Nazi" movie. It's like portraying the Antebellum south American pre-Civil War movie--just overall, not a good "period piece" effort for him... Tom Cruise with a Southern Accent? Has he done that before? IDK?

The "Defiance" movie is out January 2nd. I think folks will appreciate that one more.

Eerrrrmmm...can you say The Last Samurai

[AKA_Monet]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

Eerrrrmmm...can you say The Last Samurai

He was playing a Union soldier who got sent to Japan to originally fight the Samurai, then wound up joining with them. He did not use an American Southern accent to play that role.

In fact his ex-wife, Nicole Kidman can portray a better Southerner, IMO...