Valkyrie

[Jolie_Desastre]

Pretty much

 

[Nivek]

Thats kinda Pathetic, but honestly given all the projected hate I seen the man get from SR it doesn't surprise me. With Cruise, despite the guy having mad talent, people just want to bash him for his off camera quirks.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

^It is ridiculous, whats funny is it seems to be the people who disliked SR giving the hate for Valkyrie, when the 2 movies have NOTHING to do with each other.

 

[daywalker2007]

well overall, Singer has a decent budget to profit ratio for the films he has made, Superman Returns being the only real problem in his portfolio.

Maybe word of mouth will drag Valkyrie to at least close to its budget domestically, and probably internationally it will do better and bring in a decent profit.

 

[Pickle-El]

Should at least break even by the time the initial run is over in theatres.

I would also venture to guess that a film like this will be very well at on the home video market....DVD sales/rentals should do very well.

 

[stargazer]

Damn good movie with great performances. And Tom Cruise was fine in the role. This is only more proof to me that Mr. Bryan Singer doesn't know how to make bad films. Superman Returns is still my favorite one of his films, easily.

8.5/10

 

[Superark]

I'm itching really bad to see this film, but my money is tight right now so looks like I'll have to wait a couple of weeks

 

[The Guard]

Saw this yesterday. I thought VALKYRIE was a very good movie. I don't know where I'd place it in terms of Singer's past films, but it's definitely one of his best. It may well be his best film technically speaking when all is said and done, despite my love of his X-MEN work, because there's simply not a weak performance to be found, the film is beautifully and tastefully done on almost every level, and the score is at least serviceable. Every actor was on their game, especially Bill Nighy, who gave one of his most subtle performances in a good long while. I don't know that I've ever seen Tom Cruise as "carved from stone" as he was in VALKYRIE, and everyone else was just superb. The lack of accents didn't amount to anything, the way they seguewayed into that was interesting enough, and the lack of German accents for the most part actually added an interesting element with all the random accents flying around. I thought the story, while a bit predictable, was well paced and built well to its strangely satisfying conclusion, and the film was beautifully shot. The score was a bit lacking, but overall, this was a pretty powerful movie, especially when things started to go bad at the end. Singer manages to make something you know is going to happen into a question, and he ratchets up the tension to the Nth degree. The fates of the conspirators were portrayed very well. When

Spoiler

Tom Cruise's partner stepped in front of him at the execution and took the bullet for him, even though they were both going to die anyway

, I almost cried. I thought that was the moment of the film in a few scant seconds. Very powerful, and very telling for the characters. It makes me wonder if most people would be brave enough to do such a thing, and to take such a stance on what they'd done at the end. If VALKYRIE has a weakness, it's the lack of character development. There's very little, and almost none, in fact, but somehow, the movie doesn't suffer all that much for it.

8/10

 

[tzarinna]

Saw this yesterday. I thought VALKYRIE was a very good movie. I don't know where I'd place it in terms of Singer's past films, but it's definitely one of his best. It may well be his best film technically speaking when all is said and done, despite my love of his X-MEN work, because there's simply not a weak performance to be found, the film is beautifully and tastefully done on almost every level, and the score is at least serviceable. Every actor was on their game, especially Bill Nighy, who gave one of his most subtle performances in a good long while. I don't know that I've ever seen Tom Cruise as "carved from stone" as he was in VALKYRIE, and everyone else was just superb. The lack of accents didn't amount to anything, the way they seguewayed into that was interesting enough, and the lack of German accents for the most part actually added an interesting element with all the random accents flying around. I thought the story, while a bit predictable, was well paced and built well to its strangely satisfying conclusion, and the film was beautifully shot. The score was a bit lacking, but overall, this was a pretty powerful movie, especially when things started to go bad at the end. Singer manages to make something you know is going to happen into a question, and he ratchets up the tension to the Nth degree. The fates of the conspirators were portrayed very well. When

Spoiler

Tom Cruise's partner stepped in front of him at the execution and took the bullet for him, even though they were both going to die anyway

, I almost cried. I thought that was the moment of the film in a few scant seconds. Very powerful, and very telling for the characters. It makes me wonder if most people would be brave enough to do such a thing, and to take such a stance on what they'd done at the end. If VALKYRIE has a weakness, it's the lack of character development. There's very little, and almost none, in fact, but somehow, the movie doesn't suffer all that much for it.

8/10

Do you remember what Cruis says right before, ya know? I couldn't make out what Cruise said. Was it in German?

 

[Spider-Fan]

^It is ridiculous, whats funny is it seems to be the people who disliked SR giving the hate for Valkyrie, when the 2 movies have NOTHING to do with each other.

I'm the opposite. I hated SR, but loved Valkyrie.

The Tom Cruise hate is such BS. I've said it before in this very thread, but it bears repeating. HE IS A GREAT ACTOR! Tom Cruise does not suck. I thought he was good in this, but if you really hate the man, watch A Few Good Men or Jerry Maguire, and THEN you tell me he sucks. In A Few Good Men, he went toe to toe with Jack Nicholson, and the result was a LEGENDARY piece of cinema. Yes, he did stuff in the public eye that was stupid. Who cares? That doesn't make him less talented.

 

[Jolie_Desastre]

Saw this yesterday. I thought VALKYRIE was a very good movie. I don't know where I'd place it in terms of Singer's past films, but it's definitely one of his best. It may well be his best film technically speaking when all is said and done, despite my love of his X-MEN work, because there's simply not a weak performance to be found, the film is beautifully and tastefully done on almost every level, and the score is at least serviceable. Every actor was on their game, especially Bill Nighy, who gave one of his most subtle performances in a good long while. I don't know that I've ever seen Tom Cruise as "carved from stone" as he was in VALKYRIE, and everyone else was just superb. The lack of accents didn't amount to anything, the way they seguewayed into that was interesting enough, and the lack of German accents for the most part actually added an interesting element with all the random accents flying around. I thought the story, while a bit predictable, was well paced and built well to its strangely satisfying conclusion, and the film was beautifully shot. The score was a bit lacking, but overall, this was a pretty powerful movie, especially when things started to go bad at the end. Singer manages to make something you know is going to happen into a question, and he ratchets up the tension to the Nth degree. The fates of the conspirators were portrayed very well. When

Spoiler

Tom Cruise's partner stepped in front of him at the execution and took the bullet for him, even though they were both going to die anyway

, I almost cried. I thought that was the moment of the film in a few scant seconds. Very powerful, and very telling for the characters. It makes me wonder if most people would be brave enough to do such a thing, and to take such a stance on what they'd done at the end. If VALKYRIE has a weakness, it's the lack of character development. There's very little, and almost none, in fact, but somehow, the movie doesn't suffer all that much for it.

8/10

I agree with what you said in the spoiler, that got me a bit teary eyed

 

[Jolie_Desastre]

I'm the opposite. I hated SR, but loved Valkyrie.

The Tom Cruise hate is such BS. I've said it before in this very thread, but it bears repeating. HE IS A GREAT ACTOR! Tom Cruise does not suck. I thought he was good in this, but if you really hate the man, watch A Few Good Men or Jerry Maguire, and THEN you tell me he sucks. In A Few Good Men, he went toe to toe with Jack Nicholson, and the result was a LEGENDARY piece of cinema. Yes, he did stuff in the public eye that was stupid. Who cares? That doesn't make him less talented.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Yeah, the people who keep mentioning the couch jumping need to shut the hell up. It was so old to begin with and wasn't funny at all. And his religion, yes it's odd, but seriously, when should people start questioning another's religion? Who the hell cares about this private life. All I care about is his acting and also how he is. He's certainly a nice person.

 

[The Guard]

Do you remember what Cruis says right before, ya know? I couldn't make out what Cruise said. Was it in German?

It's in English.

Spoiler

He yells "LONG LIVE SACRED GERMANY!"

, which is what he was talking about at one of the key moments in the movie.

 

[tzarinna]

Ah, thanks. My hearing isn't what it use to be.

 

[Double Down]

Germans Warm to Cruise in Nazi Film
BERLIN (Dec. 30) - Tom Cruise has defied expectations and won favorable reviews from German critics for his portrayal of a Prussian army officer who tried to assassinate Hitler in 1944 in the Hollywood film "Valkyrie."
German reviewers who were initially highly suspicious have warmed to the film, describing it as a serious work, and Cruise has overcome unease about his suitability for the role.
"'Valkyrie' is neither scandalously bad nor the event of the century. Neither is it the action thriller we feared, but it is a well-made and serious film," said public broadcaster ZDF.
"Cruise plays his part decisively, coolly -- a solid performance, though he won't have a sniff at an Oscar."
The Hollywood actor plays Colonel Claus Von Stauffenberg, who planted a briefcase bomb under a table at Hitler's military headquarters in eastern Prussia on July 20, 1944. The heavy wooden table saved Hitler, who suffered only minor injuries.
Stauffenberg was executed the same night with his co-conspirators and his legacy helps ease the burden of guilt about World War Two and the Holocaust Germans still endure.
FEARS UNFOUNDED?
Initially, Germans baulked at the prospect of Cruise, star of blockbusters such as "Top Gun," playing Stauffenberg. Stauffenberg's son even called on Cruise to "keep his hands off my father" and go home.
Many Germans objected to the actor's ties to Scientology, the movement founded in the 1950s by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, and Berlin made it difficult for the crew to film in the Bendlerblock building and courtyard where Stauffenberg was shot dead.
Germany does not recognise Scientology as a religion and regards it as a cult masquerading as a church to make money. Scientologists reject this view.
Valkyrie, directed by Bryan Singer, opened in the United States on December 25 and fared better than sceptics had predicted, reaching No. 4 in the North American box office ratings for the three-day weekend starting December 26.
Before its German release in January, some commentators said Cruise may help to boost the country's image by taking the tale of Stauffenberg to a broader audience.
Frank Schirrmacher, co-publisher of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, said Cruise's depiction would change the image the world has of Germans.
In the ZDF review, German director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, whose "The Lives of Others" won a foreign language film Oscar, described the casting as a stroke of good fortune.
"Germany's hope is called Tom Cruise."
The Koelner Stadt Anzeiger added: "(The fear that) the myth of the German resistance would be put through a Hollywood filter has turned out to be wrong and prejudicial. On the contrary, the American origin of this film is its biggest advantage."
The coverage, however, was not all favourable.
"The film is well-crafted, no explosive, loud war drama but a calm, chronological tale ... the main weakness is Cruise himself, who appears in almost every scene but is stiff," wrote the Badische Zeitung.

http://www.popeater.com/movies/article/germans-warm-to-cruise-in-nazi-film/289591

 

[terry78]

I love how the Germans of today make sure that anything Nazi or Hitler related doesn't come back to bite them in the ass. They don't even want to say the terms.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

I'm the opposite. I hated SR, but loved Valkyrie.

Well thats good, at least you kept an open when going to see the movie despite not liking SR, some others are just ridiculous in that because they didnt like SR, EVERY singer movie from now on they have to bash.

The Tom Cruise hate is such BS. I've said it before in this very thread, but it bears repeating. HE IS A GREAT ACTOR! Tom Cruise does not suck. I thought he was good in this, but if you really hate the man, watch A Few Good Men or Jerry Maguire, and THEN you tell me he sucks. In A Few Good Men, he went toe to toe with Jack Nicholson, and the result was a LEGENDARY piece of cinema. Yes, he did stuff in the public eye that was stupid. Who cares? That doesn't make him less talented.

TOTALLY agreed, I got tired of this argument long ago, but he is a great actor, and thats all I care about, Last Samurai he was superb in, and even blockbusters like WOTW and Minority Report he was great in IMO.

 

[The Guard]

Ah, thanks. My hearing isn't what it use to be.

It was kind of hard to decipher. Took me a few seconds. I had to think about which key line he'd be repeating to reinforce before I figured it out.

 

[Mikelus]

'Valkyrie' could bode well for UA

By ANNE THOMPSON

United Artists’ second release, “Valkyrie,” got off to a strong start over the Christmas holiday weekend, grossing $30 million in four days. But the movie will have to hold well domestically and score all over the world to make back its production and marketing costs worldwide, which amount to an estimated $150 million or more.

A lot rides on the success of the film — including the future shape of UA. The financing of that entity, and sister company MGM, is more complex and suspenseful than the plot of the Tom Cruise WWII thriller.

MGM chief exec Harry Sloan has repeatedly said the company is not for sale. But insiders say that Kirk Kerkorian, who last week bowed out of his stake in automaker Ford, is mulling the idea of making an offer for MGM. A sale to Kerkorian would mark his third time as owner of the studio.

If Kerkorian, or anyone else, could buy the MGM debt, he would get a great deal — but first he’d have to figure out the labyrinthine financing.

In November 2006 Sloan gave Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner 35% of UA, plus greenlight authority over their movies budgeted under $60 million.

Looking for investors, Sloan, Cruise and Wagner raised a development fund from football mogul Dan Snyder, owner of the Washington Redskins. Then, Merrill Lynch offered a $500 million credit facility contingent on Cruise heading the company.

Since then, UA’s first picture, the $35 million “Lions for Lambs,” was slaughtered by the critics and earned only $15 million Stateside plus $48 million overseas. The second UA movie was to be from Oliver Stone: “Pinkville,” about the My Lai massacre. After “Lions for Lambs” tanked, caution prevailed, and Wagner and Cruise pulled the plug, taking a $6 million writeoff on “Pinkville.”

So the focus is on “Valkyrie.” Given the changing financial climate, will Merrill Lynch, now owned by Bank of America, stay the course?

The revolving deal is predicated on certain benchmarks being met and funds being replenished — something that hasn’t happened yet. Merrill Lynch gave UA $400 million to spend for some 15-18 projects over five years — and $100 million was to follow if the films performed at a certain level.

Last year Sloan brought in ex-Universal production co-chief Mary Parent to do for MGM what Cruise and Wagner were supposed to do at UA: supply commercial product.

When he lured her from her lucrative Universal producing deal, Sloan promised Parent plenty of money to work with. But it turns out that she has much less at MGM than she’d bargained for.

But there’s the money at UA. When Wagner left, the company said that MGM couldn’t access the UA funds. But Parent has now assumed duties at UA as well.

“MGM has full access to UA funds,” says a UA spokesman. “Tom is a partner.”

With Wagner gone, Cruise is leaning on Parent’s expertise. He says he’s going to “take it slow,” working with Parent, and make the right decisions.

Parent insists that it makes more sense for her to look for co-financing partners on the MGM side than for MGM to partner with UA. Better she should make more movies at UA with Merril Lynch’s money, she says. She did steer Joss Whedon’s horror film “The Cabin in the Woods” to Cruise and convinced him to make it as a UA movie. She says they will make two UA movies in 2009. “Tom is involved,” she says. “It’s all about timing. It has to be the right projects.”

They’re banking on “Valkyrie” being the right project. When Parent took over UA, she brought in marketing consultant Terry Press to work on “Valkyrie” and hired Press’ former DreamWorks lieutenant Mike Vollman. (Press is expected to join the MGM/UA marketing staff in the new year after she completes her awards campaigns.)

Director Bryan Singer originally envisioned “Valkyrie” as a modest $20 million palate cleanser between studio tentpoles. His previous film was the $200 million “Superman Returns.” (The budget was possible: Paul Verhoeven’s WWII epic “Black Book” shot at the same Babelsberg studios with many of the same actors for just $22 million.)

But when Cruise climbed aboard, that meant something else entirely.

Cruise was going to get paid his $20 million vs. 20% of the backend. He got his private jet, and his perks, including helicopter rides to the set and two floors at the best hotel in Berlin for his entourage.

The project then got a $60 million budget. But with shooting in Berlin, and Singer rebuilding sets and losing shooting days, it got pricier still. Thanks to German tax rebates, the studio says, the budget wound up at $75 million, although some say it’s closer to $100 million.

Eventually, it dawned on UA and MGM that “Valkyrie” couldn’t make its money back if Cruise collected his share of the backend. UA sold “Valkyrie” to several foreign territories because the deal with MGM requires them to cap their investment at $60 million.

Cruise, Parent, Press and Vollman tried to undo some of the PR damage caused by an initial photo blast of Cruise with an eyepatch and Nazi uniform and an unfocused trailer. Initially, UA pushed the release of the film from October to February in order to give Singer more time to incorporate late filming of the North Africa opening.

When the film was finished in time, the studio moved it up to December to maximize adult attendance at the holiday box office — and, crucially, to meet the Showtime pay TV window, which expired at the end of December.

UA targeted the two male quadrants: The film played best for men over 35. But UA pushed to get young males in as well. Press also urged that they not pursue an awards campaign. Cruise went along; Singer was disappointed. And MGM spent heavily — as much as $70 million — to launch “Valkyrie” domestically. Now the movie must perform.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117997847.html?categoryid=2508&cs=1

 

[Double Down]

^ That's an interesting read.

 

[Mikelus]

double post

 

[Venom75]

I saw it the other day and loved it. Adolf Hitler and World war 2 fascinate me to no end,so just the story alone kept my attention(despite knowing what happened). I thought Cruise was good,but I loved how deep they went with the conspiracy and those involved.
I think my favorite moment was when Stauffenberg went to the Berghof. First,that house and the surrounding mountain shot was beautiful. Then,when he walked into that huge room with Adolf Hitler,Himmler,Goring and the heads of state having tea,that was just very intimidating and such an intense moment. Hell,I felt nervous just watching it!
9/10

 

[Captain Craig]

I saw this movie also and rate it about a B/B+

Very solid movie. Bryan Singer did a good job building the suspense and keeping it tense during the final act. A great cast and well done.

 

[OsGom]

I was a little underwhelmed by this movie. I felt the same thing could have been accomplished by one of those history channel docudramas for less money. I am a Cruise fan but the character development left something to be desired in my opinion. Especially considering the relationship between Stoffenberg and his assistant and how that all played out. I thought the ending was kind of corny.