Valkyrie

[Zarathustra]

I don't see the overacting in A Few Good Men. I can't stand Cruise or Nicholson, but I think it's one of their best performances.

I absolutely agree. What made it work was the script. That court scene was amazing. It gave these two actors exactly what they needed to let their acting style seem natural. Excellent casting choices.

[Zarathustra]

Interesting reviews. Strange how the critic-hate didn't translate into movie-goer experience. I might have to check this one out.

[dlbpharmd]

What made it work was the script.

That's Aaron Sorkin for you - the man's a genius.

[Renard]

I saw this a few days ago and I have to say that I really liked it. It wasnt a typical cruise role and the only real critique was the accents or lack thereof. But they did do a good job preparing you for no accents because they start off with cruise speaking german and then it fades to english and the rest of the movie is in english.

I have no clue why the critics hated it unless it was just a hate for Tom Cruise.

exactly ... and it brings me to this quote:

..I will not waste any more words, time or energy on any movie starring Tom Cruise , than this: The central concept of a flawed human being ,still of some sanity, finding itself completely surrounded by insanity, devoid of hope, and how that human being deals with those conditions, is beyond Mr Tom Cruise's ability to convincingly convey. The depth and spread of the emotional struggles are not of Mr Cruise to give. The apparent belittling of the genocide, invasions, and years of Thug rule are a testament of the shallowness of this 100 plus minute movie. He stunk up The Last Samurai and from what I've read and heard from the critics,, he has over reached again, in Valkyrie. He can't act his way out of a wet Action Thriller. And that is as cheap as I can get.

It's a shame that people can't get past Tom Cruise the person. For as an actor, his on screen performances have been pretty good.

[DukkhaWaynhim]

I'm conflicted on the Tom Cruise thing. I have liked many if not most of his movies... but I have always found him to be near insufferable as a celebrity/icon/public figure. I certainly do not wish to support Scientology by giving him any of my money, but he makes more watchable movies than not - and has even made a few actual films, if you will allow me to make the distinction between entertainment and art.

So, I can like his movies while still thinking him to be a douche - the same way that I can privately denounce Wal*Mart as a corporate example of what is wrong with America, while occasionally (2-3 times per year) gracing the store with my presence. Call it hypocrisy if you will - it is certainly a mixed message.

dw

[Renard]

hm, nope, accurately and honestly written.

[Loredoctor]

exactly ... and it brings me to this quote:

..I will not waste any more words, time or energy on any movie starring Tom Cruise , than this: The central concept of a flawed human being ,still of some sanity, finding itself completely surrounded by insanity, devoid of hope, and how that human being deals with those conditions, is beyond Mr Tom Cruise's ability to convincingly convey. The depth and spread of the emotional struggles are not of Mr Cruise to give. The apparent belittling of the genocide, invasions, and years of Thug rule are a testament of the shallowness of this 100 plus minute movie. He stunk up The Last Samurai and from what I've read and heard from the critics,, he has over reached again, in Valkyrie. He can't act his way out of a wet Action Thriller. And that is as cheap as I can get.

It's a shame that people can't get past Tom Cruise the person. For as an actor, his on screen performances have been pretty good.

I have to agree. He's a damn fine actor, and I honestly don't give a damn about him following Scientology or if he is eccentric as they have nothing to do with his performances.

[Loredoctor]

I just got home from watching Valkyrie with Montresor. To be brief, I loved it.

[Montresor]

I liked it. Quite good. Despite knowing how it all panned out in reality, the film still held some tension for me. There was quite a striking scene in Hitler's country residence that almost seemed like something out of a Bond-villain's lair. Though the sequence bordered on the improbable (all the Nazi bigwigs just happened to be in the same room at the time the main character arrives), there was something about it which was genuinely menacing and, almost, otherworldly. That part of the film more than ever other moment in Valkyrie has stuck with me.

[Loredoctor]

I just saw the movie for the third time.

[finn]

It's interesting that few like Cruise, but that everyone seems to either like his movies and/or the people who co-star. Last Samurai was Ken Watanabe at his best and AFGM was Jack at his; even the supporting actors in Top Gun did well.

As for this movie, its a fine piece of fiction and as long as its looked at like that I have no problem with it. But dressing it up as anything else.............. ?

Someone said the German Aristocracy was far from happy that the country was all but worshipping Hitler who was not an aristocrat. They saw political partisanship as beneath them, but that did not seperate them from those who did take up party membership. The main divide was in the branches of the Armed Services, with the regular army (within the Wermacht) being the traditional career choice for Aristocratic sons. The Waffen SS was essentially prolatarian and not welcomed at the "top table".

A lot is made of the Wermacht not being aware of the atrocities committed, putting the blame on the Waffen SS, but this is simply not the case. The idea that the rationale for the attempt on Hitler was in some way caused by the outrage of honest, decent, Aristocratic German Generals finding out what was really happening in Poland is absurd, there is no way that troops and transports to enable this could have been hidden. Nor is there any way that news originating from the ordinary Wermacht troops used in enabling this could have been suppressed upwards.

The likliest motivation is that the Generals were getting tired and frustrated at decisions that were blatantly costing them the military advantages they had won and that they could sue for peace with a substantial part of their core territory (and their own estates and livlihoods, position etc.) intact. Of course you can add to this the growing threat by 1944 of the soviet fightback.

I really think these things should come with a disclaimer or statement about their historical accuracy or lack thereof.

[Montresor]

The likliest motivation is that the Generals were getting tired and frustrated at decisions that were blatantly costing them the military advantages they had won and that they could sue for peace with a substantial part of their core territory (and their own estates and livlihoods, position etc.) intact. Of course you can add to this the growing threat by 1944 of the soviet fightback.

I really think these things should come with a disclaimer or statement about their historical accuracy or lack thereof.

In fairness to the film, the reason they give for the attempted coup is basically what you state. There are some characters who voice other motivations, but they don't seem important to the narrative. The key reason the film puts forward is that these men realise Hitler is bringing Germany to complete ruin.

Atrocities are only very briefly discussed in the film. At the start, von Stauffenberg expresses a sense of shame that the army has participated in summary executions of jews.

Of course, the record of Wehrmacht atrocities during the war is long and well documented, though not of major importance to the film's narrative.

[finn]

Guys.........I was persuaded that it was worth a first hand look and have just got back. I must say you are right it is a very good film that stands alone as a drama regardless of the underlying downplay of German high command culpability for the war.

I think the direct criticism is right and that the inner cirlcle of Hitler and the SS are blamed pretty much entirely for all the evil done by the Nazi regime and the Wermacht are portrayed as professional soldiers who are above the atrocities.

But the drama, sets, and acting were first rate and I agree with Montressor, it did overcome knowing the ending........ I found myself having to sit up and remember that the plot failed a couple of times as the drama had me under its spell.

I thought cruise was solid and whilst I find (what I know of him thu' the media) to be a bit lightweight, his acting is often rock steady and this was one occasion, though I did wonder if there was a certain comfort in the uniform and role that bled over from the scientologists! Does anyone doubt that Hitler would have had Hubbard seated next to Speil had he developed that crap earlier?

[jacob Raver, sinTempter]

Valkyrie was mediocre, some of it was really good, but most of it was contrived and the whole, "this whole plan is on your shoulders Tom Cruise" thing was really weak, and overall the film just didn't seem to know what it wanted to be: ** out of ****

A Few Good Men is an overacted Hollywood piece, but it is one of my all-time favs and I can watch it over and over:
**** out of ****

Last Samurai is great, but very simplistic and yeah, Watanabe is the Man (he made Iwo Jima, which I thought should have won Best Picture that year): ***1/2 out of ****

Minority Report was really good: *** out of ****

I think Cruise is one dimensional, but he's a very good within that one dimension.

[taraswizard]

Saw this movie at local public library on Friday evening (Februrary 19, 2010) and I was one of about five folks watching. Liked this movie, even though I'm not a fan of the Cruise; for your information, I don't think he acts at all, he is a movie star and not an actor (remembering the difference between Spencer Tracy and his good friend Clark Gable) he doesn't play roles in every movie he's always this smirking smarmy, cloyingly creepy guy. Example, consider the scene between him and Kevin Bacon where the two of them are talking in a bar before the trial in A few Good Men, another Cruise movie I like.

For your information, right prior to Karl Goerdler's execution he wrote a letter to his family saying that the atrocities of the Holocaust would be a stain on the German character that would last for decades.