Valkyrie

[Pickle-El]

That's how someone actually died....and you thought it was a corny death?

 

[Doctor Jones]

I'm seeing it tomorrow. I'm pretty excited about it.

 

[Antonello Blueberry]

'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.

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

Someone one day will have to explain to Anne Thompson how movie financing really works. But then she'll probably either keep on living in denial or feel totally useless and kill herself.

 

[BestGirl]

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.

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 agree with both of these. The movie was really good and the cast was excellent but I would've liked to have seen more development of the other conspirators and not just Stauffenberg. A few other random thoughts (SPOILERS!):





-It was heartbreaking watching the conspiracy collapse. I knew they weren't going to be successful, but after they arrested the SS officers I couldn't help thinking, "They're going to pull this off!" and then it was revealed that Hitler was alive.

-The ending was really gripping. My heart was pounding when those guys were sent in front of the firing squad. The actors did a great job of looking nervous, and I kept imagining how frightened I would feel in the same situation.

-Does anyone know why some of the conspirators were hanged and others were shot?

-Why was that one guy so insistent that Himmler be killed with Hitler? Couldn't they have just arrested him along with the other SS officers?

 

[Venom75]

-Does anyone know why some of the conspirators were hanged and others were shot?

-Why was that one guy so insistent that Himmler be killed with Hitler? Couldn't they have just arrested him along with the other SS officers?

I believe the ones who were hanged were the people closest to the conspirators or directly involved with the plot. All those who were shot either knew about the attempt on Adolf Hitler's life,or were just old scores that needed to be dealt with.

As far as Himmler goes,well,he was the most powerful man in the state after the Fuhrer. He controlled the SS and Gestapo. He was probably way too powerful to be kept alive in their eyes and would've played a major role in putting down the uprising if it turned out that Adolf Hitler had been killed. Goring(although officially,second man in the Reich)was been disgraced and fell out of Hitler's favor after the Battle of Britain and Stalingrad. After the Fuhrer,I would say the most powerful men of the Third Reich in 1944 would be Himmler,Goebbels and Albert Speer.

 

[dude stannis]

Box office preview: 'Marley' to stay on top?
Jan 1, 2009, 06:51 PM | by Nicole Sperling

Categories: Movie Biz

Even Hollywood goes on vacation. So while you're nursing your hangover in Yonkers, they're beaching it in some exotic foreign locale, and the box office is destined to look eerily similar to last weekend's. That means the lovable dog movie Marley & Me stays on top, Brad Pitt's Oscar contender The Curious Case of Benjamin Button generates more coin, the Adam Sandler family dreck Bedtime Stories lures in more unwitting moviegoers, and Tom Cruise continues to fool others into thinking he's a German in the Bryan Singer-directed drama Valkyrie. Happy New Year!

What these four very different movies do have in common is they all seem destined to reach the $100 million threshold, with Marley & Me getting there first, likely crossing it by the time we all return to work Monday. So while you're enjoying the first few days of the New Year, sit back, watch some Bowl games, do your Christmas returns, go see some movies, and check back here to see if any of my weekend box office predictions come true.

The (likely) three-day top five:

1. Marley & Me: $29 million
Earning an additional $14 million this past Monday and Tuesday, there seems to be little that can stop the lovable Marley. And the mixed critical reviews mean nothing when it comes to people and their dogs. Add in the spare time moviegoers have over the next few days, and the Owen Wilson- and Jennifer Aniston-starrer shouldn't drop more than 25 percent in its second weekend in theaters.

2. Bedtime Stories: $19 million
It may not have knocked critics over, but this Adam Sandler kid movie seems to be just what parents need over the holiday break: a break. Monday and Tuesday saw $12 million in box office receipts and I expect the weekend to be equally strong. Even with a likely 30 percent drop from its opening-weekend numbers, the fantasy-comedy will be near $80 million territory after only 11 days in the theaters.

3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: $18 million
Well-regarded but not necessarily beloved, Benjamin Button will have a hard time overtaking Marley at the box office. The $150 million spectacle is still performing strongly and should hold onto its number three spot easily this coming weekend. But at 2 hours and 40 minutes, its chances of overcoming Stories are slim.

4. Valkyrie: $16 million
Tom Cruise and MGM should be saluted. Valkyrie has endured more negative speculation than any movie in recent memory, but rather than succumbing to the bad buzz, they turned it around and created one of their first self-generated hits. Their weekday numbers have been respectable and after the upcoming weekend, this WWII spy drama will have crossed the $60 million mark after only 11 days in theaters.

5. Yes Man: $12 million
Moviegoers are still saying Yes to Jim Carrey. Nothing this weekend should change that as the Warner Bros. comedy spends its third successful weekend in theaters. Maybe this saying Yes thing really works.

Valkyrie went from it's going to bomb with a 10 million opening weekend to it's going to break $100 million domestic. BOO-YAH!

 

[Double Down]

Valkyrie went from it's going to bomb with a 10 million opening weekend to it's going to break $100 million domestic. BOO-YAH!

Very cool.

 

[BestGirl]

I believe the ones who were hanged were the people closest to the conspirators or directly involved with the plot. All those who were shot either knew about the attempt on Adolf Hitler's life,or were just old scores that needed to be dealt with.

As far as Himmler goes,well,he was the most powerful man in the state after the Fuhrer. He controlled the SS and Gestapo. He was probably way too powerful to be kept alive in their eyes and would've played a major role in putting down the uprising if it turned out that Adolf Hitler had been killed. Goring(although officially,second man in the Reich)was been disgraced and fell out of Hitler's favor after the Battle of Britain and Stalingrad. After the Fuhrer,I would say the most powerful men of the Third Reich in 1944 would be Himmler,Goebbels and Albert Speer.

Thanks. That was informative.

One other thing about the movie that was cool was how Hitler seemed to be this vast, constantly looming presence. When Stauffenberg went to meet him for the first time it was like watching someone enter a lion's den.

 

[TheVileOne]

Tom Cruise should be kissing Ben Stiller's ass for saving his career and Valkyrie.

I think critics were unfair to this movie as well. Some of them I think still just want to get on Cruise's butt.

I mean yeah, he's Tom Cruise. But this was still a fine, well-made movie. It was exactly what Singer needed to do after Superman Returns since he will probably never do another Superman movie again.

 

[Spider-Fan]

Some critic complaints for the movie were stupid. Like saying how could this be a suspense-thriller when you know they are going to fail. Should we not have watched Titanic cause we knew the boat sinks? What about bio-epics about famous figures? We know what they did and how they died (if that is in the movie), so should we skip those also? That is a stupid mentality, imo. Also, I don't see how people can say Cruise sucked in this movie. To me, he did a fine job as always.

Glad to see this movie doing well though. It deserves it, and is very underrated.

 

[Superark]

Tom Cruise should be kissing Ben Stiller's ass for saving his career and Valkyrie.

I think critics were unfair to this movie as well. Some of them I think still just want to get on Cruise's butt.

I mean yeah, he's Tom Cruise. But this was still a fine, well-made movie. It was exactly what Singer needed to do after Superman Returns since he will probably never do another Superman movie again.

I haven't seen the movie yet so I cannot really comment on his performance or the movie in general, but I think what you said is probably true.

People just want to completely hate on Cruise now because of some of his Oprah and scientology antics. Suddenly everyone thinks he's some crappy actor now when in truth he's a GREAT one. It's ridiculous!

Some critic complaints for the movie were stupid. Like saying how could this be a suspense-thriller when you know they are going to fail. Should we not have watched Titanic cause we knew the boat sinks? What about bio-epics about famous figures? We know what they did and how they died (if that is in the movie), so should we skip those also? That is a stupid mentality, imo. Also, I don't see how people can say Cruise sucked in this movie. To me, he did a fine job as always.

Glad to see this movie doing well though. It deserves it, and is very underrated.

Agreed. That is a stupid reason to tell someone not to go see a movie.

 

[dude stannis]

Funny all those *****ebags are out to bury Cruise because of the couch thing on Oprah... it was friggin' Oprah! Nothing interesting ever happens on Oprah!

 

[TheVileOne]

Let's be real here. Tom Cruise is wacko, no question. He made a couple mediocre movies.

And then he did Tropic Thunder which was an image salvaging role, and suddenly it was OK to like Cruise again. But since this isn't a movie where he's yucking it up under tons of makeup, it's back to typical Cruise-bashing.

However, if it wasn't for Tropic Thunder, Valkyrie probably wouldn't have been moved up and it probably would've been dumped into Hollywood's burial movie season.

 

[Alchemyst]

Let's be real here. Tom Cruise is wacko, no question. He made a couple mediocre movies.

And then he did Tropic Thunder which was an image salvaging role, and suddenly it was OK to like Cruise again. But since this isn't a movie where he's yucking it up under tons of makeup, it's back to typical Cruise-bashing.

However, if it wasn't for Tropic Thunder, Valkyrie probably wouldn't have been moved up and it probably would've been dumped into Hollywood's burial movie season.

.....I never saw a problem with Tom Cruise

 

[Doctor Jones]

Just saw it a few hours ago. It was fantastic. Even though you know what happens you can't help but think they're gonna pull it off. Dammit, it was all Cutler Beckett's fault!

 

[Spider-Fan]

I was never one to bash Cruise at all. I've been defending him for a while.

 

[Lobo]

I'll be going to the theater to see this on Monday or Tuesday.

 

[Nirvana]

I've always been a Tom Cruise fan, my views on him have never changed.

 

[CELTICPRED]

I was never one to bash Cruise at all. I've been defending him for a while.

Same. His ability to command the screen is unmatched by a lot of actors. Personal shenanigans don't hold much ground for me when I watch actors on screen.


I was the film today, I liked it a lot, there were a few great tense scenes, there was an amazing cast with solid acting, and it was beautifully shot.

I'm glad I saw it.

 

[the a1ant]

I wasn't expecting much from this film, but it really stunned me! Excellent visuals, perfect acting, and a griping story. Like many have said, you know how it's going to end, but you forget about that when watching the film. Bryan Singer has regained my trust. Suspenseful drama is where he needs to be.

 

[TNC9852002]

I don't care about Tom Cruise the person at all and I don't see why anyone cares about him either.

All I care about is the movie that I'm watching.

The movie itself, very well done. Bryan Singer still proves that he's a gifted and talented director. I believe the one of the things holding this movie back probably is the pacing. Otherwise there are really decent performances (nothing too special by anyone) and the editing is really good, but I think this movie should be looked at for what it is and not be sidetracked for irrelevant matters.

-TNC

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

I haven't seen the movie yet so I cannot really comment on his performance or the movie in general, but I think what you said is probably true.

People just want to completely hate on Cruise now because of some of his Oprah and scientology antics. Suddenly everyone thinks he's some crappy actor now when in truth he's a GREAT one. It's ridiculous!




Agreed. That is a stupid reason to tell someone not to go see a movie.

Exactly, i'm usually a supporter of critics, but their hate on Cruise when this seems to be a good movie is disgusting, they are trying to bring it down just because Cruise is in it, how pathetic?

 

[Dr. Manhatten]

-Does anyone know why some of the conspirators were hanged and others were shot?

If I recall correctly,

Spoiler

the people who were shot were done quickly by Tom Wilkinson's character in real life because he feared they might reveal to higher ups that he knew of the attempt on Adolf's life. He wanted them dead to cover his own ass. Hence the firing squad death. The people who were officially tried and convicted were killed by hanging (with piano wires to make sure they died slowly).

 

[DACrowe]

I feel most of the hate for this movie is based on those who simply want to dislike it because of Tom Cruise and the bad buzz. I see it is "too historical" and should be on the History Channel. Then I read it is not historical enough and turns WWII into "a boys' club," written by the NYT overreaching feminist. And then I see some say it is not a psychological drama that should explore why these men did what they did and then Ebert praise the movie for its calm quietness and embracing the thriller as opposed to the Oscar-bait.

I agree most with Ebert as he judged it as a film, not something to grind an axe into...because that is what buzz tells you to do.

This is a taut thriller with great acting from Branagh, Nighy, Izzard and Stamp with a solid and good leading performance from Cruise. It is not a classic, but it is a good historical thriller that makes one empathize with the conspirators and their fates and brings you into the assassination plot.

Attacks on accents are ridiculous, especially given Hollywood movies have been notorious since the beginning for that. Are we going to criticize everyone in Casablanca for speaking with an American accent, now? It only bothers you if you let it. The movie flows well and is well told. It may not be a masterpiece, but critics seem to find that an excuse to rip it apart.

I enjoyed it and rooted for the conspirators, even though I knew the ending. It gave a brief window to consider "what if." It was a piece of historical fiction that made the event come to life briefly and consider the possibilities of this moment in history. I think it is a solid 8.5/10 movie and deserve to be recognized as such.


Also, the head conspirators who were caught the night-of were then executed via firing squad that night. The ones arrested later, "tried" and then executed were tortured. You probably couldn't tell in the movie, because it was PG-13, but those were MEAT HOOKS the resistance members were being stabbed and hanged onto. Eddie Izzard was put onto a meat hook (yes, Texas Chainsaw style) and they were filmed in their slow deaths (you can see the camera in the movie) so Hitler could view their deaths and get some jollies out of it. Pretty twisted.

Anyway, good movie.

 

[TheVileOne]

Guys it doesn't matter that some of you didn't have a problem with Cruise.

The problem is that after everything, Cruise had a very public falling out with his partner company, Paramount. And Sumner Redstone very publically cut Tom Cruise loose. That was very bad for his career.