Valkyrie (2008)

Based on one of the 15 known attempts to assassinate Hitler during World War II, Valkyrie, the PG-13 movie directed by Bryan Singer, tells the true story of the final attempted plot by a group of German officers of the Wehrmacht to overthrow Hitler and the Nazi regime.

Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, played by Tom Cruise, sees the evil and corruption that Hitler is bringing to Germany. He decides that he must save Germany from Hitler, and he, along with several other German officers develop a plot to assassinate Hitler, and take control of the Nazi regime. By redrafting the plans for "Operation Valkyrie," Hitler's private Reserve Army that would maintain order in the event of a national emergency, Stauffenberg and the others are now able to overthrow the SS and bring down the regime.

Without even watching this movie, you already know the outcome: this assassination attempt fails.

The movie plot is very slow-moving, almost to the point of boredom, and I felt that it was very anti-climatic. It does, however, pick up finally near the end, as Stauffenberg's plan is put into action.

While this movie aims at being a "historical thriller" and an "action adventure,” I would highly disagree. To me, it seemed more like a war-drama, with the actors walking around in uniform scheming and talking amongst themselves, rather than being on the front lines in the middle of the war action. There are really very little action scenes throughout the movie, and relatively zero suspense—the plot is obviously very predictable.

There is also little character development. Aside from what we are shown of Stauffenberg’s family life, there is no insight into any of the main character’s personal lives. The movie also doesn’t give much motive as to why each of the characters desired to plot against Hitler.

I do feel however that the acting was very good. I thought that each of the actors portrayed their characters well. The costumes were also very authentic representations of Nazi Germany.

Overall, this movie was pretty blah. I don’t know much of the history behind Operation Valkyrie or Colonel Stauffenberg, so I’m not sure how historically accurate the movie really is, but supposedly there are many accounts and records of this assassination attempt. I wouldn’t go so far as to call the movie a complete waste of time, but if you’re looking to see an action-adventure or a thriller, I’d advise you to look elsewhere.

-Lindsay

The Reader (2008)

To start off, I will say that I thought a lot higher of this film than I usually think of romance dramas. It was thought provoking and very low-key, with Kate Winslet playing the character of Hanna Schmitz and both David Kross and Ralph Fiennes playing Michael Berg, a man who as a boy meets Hanna in a 1958 Germany and begins a passionate, but forbidden love affair with her, only to find his heart broken when she suddenly leaves with no goodbye.
Years later, while Michael is studying law at college, he attends a Nazi war crimes trial and is shocked to encounter Hanna once more... on the defense stand.
The Reader is an adaptation of Bernhard Schlink's novel of the same title, and was directed by Stephen Daldry. It deals quite intriguingly with the the generation gap in 1958 between the Germans who experienced the war (Hanna) and the country's younger citizens (Michael) who did not. The idea that the most average and seemingly guiltless people, who may even be your neighbors, are hiding skeletons in their closets and concealing their secrets is a fascinating thing here, and is executed well.
I liked how we saw things from Hanna's point of view, and experienced, along with Michael at the trial, that she was guilty of her crimes, but was not necessarily a wicked person because of them. One of the messages within this is that though you might involve yourself in a war to do what you believe is a good and right thing, you may someday realize you have done or are doing something quite the opposite. Hindsight is always 20/20, as they say.
As you can see, this film is not a light one (watch 17 Again according to Lindsay if that's what you're looking for!), and some scenes can really drag you down emotionally. Parts of it are a bit slow, and in the day to day lives of the characters there was an abundance of thinking and regretting... regretting and moping... hopefully you get the idea.
If weighty movies don't phase you and melancholy, dead-end romances set in bleak, post-war Germany sound appealing, then you probably will not see much to dislike about this film. Keep in mind that it is rated R for its sexuality and nudity and see for yourself why Kate Winslet won the Oscar for Best Actress in The Reader.
-Dani