The image that's usually presented of Nazi Germany is a country that blindly followed the little tyrant Adolf Hitler without question. The truth is that there was no total iron fist that brainwashed the entire populace. Valkyrie is the story of the last attempt to assassinate Hitler and take control of the German government during the final year of World War II. The film stars Tom Cruise as Col. Stauffenberg, an extremely idealistic officer in the German army that is against the action of the Fuhrer even before he is seriously maimed while fighting in North Africa. When he returns to the Fatherland he is approached to participate in the conspiracy against Hitler that involves his assassination and the take over of the German government based on a plan that Hitler himself approved called Valkyrie.Well, we all know how this film is going to end. That doesn't mean that it's predictable and cliched. The film keeps you very interested as it follows this daring plan that is really grand in scale. Cruise's performance is a little stiff in this one, but his associates make up foe it particularly Bill Nighy and Terrence Stamp.Bryan Singer delivers a film that isn't too long and pretentious. It almost feels a little under pretentious which is an achievement in this category of drama. Overall, this is a very good film that tries to avoid the bear traps of its genre.
Kevin James plays the title character Paul Blart in this 2009 "comedy". I put the word comedy in quotations because this film isn't really that funny. Hell, this thing isn't funny at all. It's basically 90 minutes of a fat guy falling down, running into stuff, etc. So, if you like fat guys falling over and over and over again then this movie is for you. I could give a full review, but you know where I'm going with this. I won't waste your time any longer.
Breakfast at Tiffany's follows the exploits of Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) and her new neighbor/writer/gigolo Paul (George Pepard) in New York City in the 1960's. Holly is looking for a husband, but she's not on the prowl for love. She's on the prowl for security- translating to rich husband. She has their names all memorized and how the rank between each other. The problem is that she never seems to catch one. Paul is in the same boat. The struggling writer is being housed by his mistress (Patricia Neal). Paul isn't proud of his situation, but he can't get out of it because he has to survive and hit that one big writing break. Together they become friends and provide a commentary for each others lives.
Based on Truman Capote's story, you can see Capote in both Holly and Paul. One is a struggling writer that enters New York society and Holly is the refined city citizen that is really from deep in the country. It's a charming little story that Blake Edwards crafts into the early blueprint of the modern chick flick. The supporting cast, particularly Martin Balsam and Buddy Ebsen are fantastic with Ebsen shocking the hell out of the audience by playing a country bumpkin (which is what he would be remembered for a year later). Pepard is OK as Paul, though a little stiff at times.
Of course this film belongs to Audrey Hepburn. She is just so damn cute throughout the movie she brings respectability to essentially being a hooker in New York. She's like an angel that's fallen from grace in this film and it stands as her signature role. She turns what would have been a forgotten B romance into a classic film.
