Owen's Night at the Museum 2

OWEN Wilson reprises his miniature character as cowboy Jedediah in the fun-filled family movie “Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian.”

The movie is the sequel to the massively popular 2006 hit, “Night at the Museum” wherein Ben Stiller played a security guard at New York’s Natural History Museum who discovered that the museum comes to life at the end of the day. In “Night at the Museum 2,” Larry Daley (Stiller) is no longer in uniform, he is now a successful entrepreneur but still misses the thrill of his former job. A distress call from his miniature pal Jedediah (Owen Wilson) takes him right back to the museum world and back into uniform. This time he goes to Washington to the Smithsonian Institute where he and his old friends face a villainous plot to stage a coup in the museum complex led by a hilarious Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria) and his henchmen: Ivan The Terrible (Christopher Guest), Napoleon, (Alain Chabat) and Al Capone (Jon Bernthal). Speeding to the nation’s capital, Larry will stop at nothing to regain his friends and restore order to the National Mall, from the Lincoln Memorial to the Air and Space Museum, before the stroke of dawn.

“It feels good to be back,” says Owen Wilson, one of the many original stars in Night at the Museum who return for this all new adventure. Wilson reprises the role of Jedediah, the miniature cowboy from the Museum of Natural History’s collection – now being held captive at the Smithsonian.

Wilson continues: “We all had such a good time playing these wonderful characters in the first movie, we all became great friends, and it was exciting to see family audiences respond so well to it. So it was easy to return. This story is a continuation of all the character’s paths, but it’s also a much bigger movie and you can see that Shawn has really grown as a director.”

The actor also confesses that he still has a soft spot for the inches-tall Wild West buckaroo. “He’s just a little cowboy who can barely be heard screaming against the injustices of the world,” muses Wilson. “What’s great is that you can’t be too over-the-top when playing a character this minute.”

Hollywood’s most sought after comedic talent, Owen Wilson is known for his memorable turns in both mainstream films and thought-provoking independents. Wilson has also made his mark as a writer, collaborating frequently with director Wes Anderson. Their work on “The Royal Tenenbaums” earned them an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Wilson’s film credits includes “Marley & Me,” “Wedding Crashers,” “You, Me and Dupree,” Disney's animated blockbuster “Cars” as the voice of McQueen,” “The Darjeeling Limited,” “The Life Aquatic,” “Drillbit Taylor,” “The Cable Guy,” “Armageddon,” “The Minus Man,” “Shanghai Noon,” “Zoolander,” “Behind Enemy Lines,” “I Spy,” “Shanghai Knights” and “Starsky and Hutch.” Wilson also served as associate producer on the Oscar®-winning film As Good As It Gets.

“Night at the Museum 2” opens May 22 (Friday) in theaters nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

AVATAR to Revolutionize Cinema

AVANT-GARDE filmmaker James Cameron who gave us gigantic hits “Titanic,” “True Lies 1 & 2” and “Terminator 1 & 2” will re-define movie experience when “Avatar” finally bows to theaters come December 2009.
Conceived as a potential franchise filmed in 3D for release in the new digital 3D format, “Avatar” is the story of a wounded ex-marine (played by Sam Worthington), thrust unwillingly into an effort to settle and exploit an exotic planet rich in bio-diversity, who eventually crosses over to lead the indigenous race in a battle for survival.
Just as he did with the then little known Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron wanted a new face to portray the lead, Jake Sully. Having searched around the world and screen tested a number of emerging young actors, Cameron has chosen the young Australian Sam Worthington, a rising star who has been recognized by The Australian Film Institute and The Film Critics Circle of Australia in his homeland from such work as “Somersault” and “Dirty Deeds.” Zoe Saldana (“The Terminal,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl”) will portray the local woman Jake first betrays, then loves. The movie also stars Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez and Giovanni Ribisi.
Said Cameron, “For me, as a lifelong fan of science fiction and action, “Avatar” is a dream project. We’re creating an entire world, a complete ecosystem of phantasmagorical plants and creatures, and a native people with a rich culture and language. The story is both epic and emotional. The two things that make this film even possible are pioneering advances in CG effects and performance capture, as well as my 22 year relationship with Fox, since only with great trust can you operate so close to the cutting edge. I plan to honor that relationship by bringing them a winner. And I have the team to do it, the best team of artists and technicians I’ve ever been privileged to work with. This one’s going to be a grand adventure.”
“Every year, our business makes hundreds of films, most of which come and go. But a Jim Cameron film is different,” said Fox executives Tom Rothman and Jim Gianopulos. “Jim’s movies raise the bar, both in storytelling and use of technology. “Avatar” will do so again. The world he has created is breathtaking and the action breathless. “Avatar” will be a seismic change in the movie going experience.”
The film’s new image-based process of facial performance capture gets all the subtle nuances of the actors’ performances. The virtual camera system also allows Cameron to work intimately with the cast while seeing in real-time, as each scene evolves, the computer generated worlds and characters. This revolutionary approach allows Cameron to direct scenes with CG characters and environments exactly as he would on a live action set.


The edited performances and scenes, incorporating Cameron’s hands-on camera moves, will be turned over to Peter Jackson’s Oscar-winning visual effects house Weta Digital (“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy). Weta’s artists will incorporate new intuitive CGI technologies to transform the environments and characters into photorealistic 3D imagery that will transport the audience into the alien world rich with imaginative vistas, creatures and characters.
“Avatar” is the latest creative partnership between Cameron and Twentieth Century Fox, one of the most successful filmmaker-studio alliances in motion picture history. Cameron and Fox first joined forces in 1985 for “Aliens,” which became a sci-fi classic. Next came “The Abyss,” which revolutionized visual effects technology; and “True Lies,” a blockbuster starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 1996, Fox greenlighted Cameron’s “Titanic,” which became the most successful film in history, and won a record-breaking eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
One of the world’s largest producers and distributors of motion pictures, Fox Filmed Entertainment produces, acquires and distributes motion pictures throughout the world. These motion pictures are produced or acquired by the following units of FFE: Twentieth Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox Animation.

Night at the Museum 2: Twice the Fun

HUGELY entertaining adventure unfolds in the upcoming sequel (now entitled) “Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian” which stars funny man Ben Stiller as he reprises his role as Larry Daley which is directed by Shawn Levy (“Cheaper by the Dozen,” “Night at the Museum 1”).
This time, the stakes are higher as Daley (Stiller) is once again embroiled in an astonishing adventure with a host of enthralling historical figures who have come to life. In the sequel, Daley is no longer working the night shift as a security guard at the Natural History Museum. He is now a successful entrepreneur and has left the world of presidents, dinosaurs, cowboys and Neanderthals behind him. But he has lost his way, something is missing from his life and he finds himself returning to the familiar personalities he befriended from ancient and modern history.
The action takes place in Washington D.C.’s Smithsonian Institute, where the former museum security guard falls for aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) and joins together his old pal, the miniature cowboy Jedediah (Owen Wilson) and others including Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams) and Albert Einstein (Eugene Levy) to defeat a group of notorious villains who are plotting a dastardly takeover of the museum.
Director Levy recounts how “Night at the Museum” changed his career and how they doubled the fun and adventure in the sequel “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” in the following q&a:
Q: Have you expected that “Night at the Museum” will be such a worldwide hit?
A: “We knew while we were filming the first Night at the Museum that we were onto
something, but no one anticipated the film would be embraced the way it was by audiences worldwide. We had a feeling it was going to do something, but you don’t expect like $585 million. It certainly changed my career – and it’s been really fun.”
Q: Where is the storyline of the sequel based this time?
A: “Screenwriters Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon are expanding on what made the first film such a success. “We start by going to the Smithsonian, which is the biggest museum in the world. And it involves aircrafts and various historical figures. It has 18 museums and I’ll just say that in this movie, they leave the museum. So it’s not just inside; they bust out into the world. The scale of the visuals is very different. But what is more important is that we have a great story, great characters and genius actors.
Q: How did you reinvent the adventure shooting in the Smithsonian?
A: “The script is better, the cast is bigger, the action’s bigger, so we’re feeling pretty good. I’m here telling you, I don’t think anyone’s going to be disappointed. “Everybody…literally everybody is back. And we got Amy Adams playing Amelia Earhart. We got a number of other really cool pieces of casting, so it’s all good.”
Q: How is it working with Ben Stiller again?
A: “Ben Stiller has a brilliant comedic mind and there is a level of trust and comfort between us now that works really well.
Following success on television with efforts for The Disney Channel and Nickelodeon, Levy has eased into a filmmaker with youthful vigor and a penchant for lightweight, family-friendly comedies. Included in his roster of age-defining television works are “The Secret World of Alex Mack,” “The Journey of Allen Strange and The Famous Jett Jackson” (which the highest-rated movie to that point for The Disney Channel). He then stepped into the big leagues with the feature “Big Fat Liar,” “Just Married,” “Cheaper by the Dozen” and “The Pink Panther.”
24/7 fun and adventure for the whole family when “Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian” opens on May 22 in theaters from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

Sexy Mutants

RAMPAGE of action-packed scenes and slams of stunning visual effects abound as badass mutants clash in the upcoming “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” In the prequel, Hugh Jackman reprises his role as Logan/ Wolverine that made him an international superstar - practically indestructible, the tough, animalistic fighting machine that has healing powers, adamantium claws, a tormented spirit and a primal fury known as ‘berserker rage.’
“X-Men Origins” pits Wolverine against ‘uber mutants’ created by William Stryker (Danny Huston) for a covert military cadre called Team X. Together, the mutants face off against each other and an enemy who has sworn to see them destroyed, in a battle – a revolution – that will set the course of the epic war that lies ahead.
Foremost of Team X’s key member is Wolverine’s brother Victor Creed aka Sabretooth, a feral being of unimaginable power played by Liev Schreiber. Incredibly brutal, Sabretooth possesses powers similar to Logan’s. Victor’s ferocity encompasses a feline-like fighting style and leaping ability; at times, he’ll race to the attack on all four limbs. Logan and Victor did not learn they were brothers until their teens, in the aftermath of a family tragedy that leads to the emergence of Logan’s signature berserker rage and claws, turning him into something more and something less than human. Logan and Victor flee their home, forming a bond that transcends even brotherhood.
“I think of Victor as Logan’s doppelganger, his darker side,” says Liev Schreiber. “What drives both of them is their desire to find their place in their world – to belong to something. And that one thing that Victor belongs to is Logan. When that bond is broken, Victor looks to reconnect with his brother, for better or for worse.”
Ryan Reynolds essays another Team X member as Wade Wilson who will later be known as Deadpool. Wade is a highly efficient killing machine and a brilliant swordsman. The charismatic Reynolds captures the essence of the legendary character, giving a powerful performance as the mutant who is nicknamed the ‘Merc with the Mouth’ for his endless stream of wisecracks. “Wade is entered into the Weapon X Program, which turns him from a mortal with incredible genetic abilities into what is basically an immortal with a deadly weapon,” explains Reynolds.
Reynolds seemed destined to take on the role; the actor is a longtime fan of Marvel’s Deadpool comics, “I’ve wanted to play Deadpool most of my adult life,” says Reynolds. “It’s a beloved character with comics fans, so it’s not a responsibility I take lightly.” Wade/Deadpool’s weapon of choice are katana swords, and Reynolds trained extensively to make his swordplay convincing. “I lived, ate and breathed swords,” he recalls.
Another Team X member is Bradley, portrayed by Dominic Monaghan (“Lost,” “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy). Bradley can control and manipulate electricity. “With Team X, he was a guerrilla soldier, but when things got out of hand, and he saw things he didn’t want to see, he left the unit,” explains Monaghan.
Team X member John Wraith, who becomes Wolverine’s closest friend, is a teleporter who can appear or disappear at will. “He’s not to be messed with,” says actor and music icon Will.i.am, of the famed group The Black Eyed Peas, who makes his motion picture acting debut in the film.

An equally fearsome warrior is Agent Zero, an expert tracker with lethal marksmanship skills, played by Daniel Henney. The American-born actor, who became an enormous star in South Korea, notes that Zero and Logan, although once members of the Team, are enemies. “He’s always been jealous of Logan,” says Henney, “and he’s determined to stop him.”
The mutant known as Gambit aka Remy LeBeau was not a member of Team X – Logan encounters him much later in his journey – but he plays a key role in Logan’s revenge-fueled quest. Gambit has the ability to charge matter with volatile kinetic energy, causing the object in question to explosively release its charge on impact. Gambit’s favorite things on which to direct his special talents are a deck of playing cards and a simple bö staff – both of which he turns into powerful weapons when the occasion dictates.
Actor Taylor Kitsch, who nabbed the role after wrapping work for the season on the acclaimed series “Friday Night Lights,” says he understands that “the fans have been waiting [for Gambit’s appearance in an X-Men film],” and reports that he worked hard to live up to their expectations. His training included long sessions with the bö staff and fighting sticks – as well as interminable hours going through packs and packs of trading cards, learning the character’s signature moves. “By the time cameras rolled, I could do quite a bit with a deck of cards,” he says.
Trained in theater, Jackman relishes his roles both as Wolverine and as the film’s producer. Along with director Gavin Hood, as well as Jackman’s producing partner in Seed Productions, John Palermo, and producers Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter, Jackman oversaw virtually every aspect of the film’s pre-production, production and post-production periods. Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of his duties as producer was casting.
“This film has lots of great characters new to the X-Men movies,” says Jackman. “It was particularly rewarding to establish these new characters and find the right actors to play them. The whole mantra for everybody involved with this film was, ‘We have to exceed expectations on every level’ and I think we’ve done that with the story, the action, fights, visual effects and the characters. It is great fun.”
From 20th Century Fox , “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” opens April 30 (Thursday) in theaters nationwide – Metro Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, Davao, Cagayan De Oro, Bacolod, Naga, Subic, Pampanga, Baguio, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Cabanatuan, Batangas, Gen. Santos and Zamboanga.

Cool Stars in Dragonball Movie

LEGIONS of Dragonball fans had gone frantic when news came out that their well-loved Goku will soon be made into a full-length live action movie. As threads of exchanges in the world wide web got longer, one issue weighed most than the others… What will they do to Goku’s hair? Fans obviously wanted to see that unique signature-styled spiked coif that made Goku such a worldwide manga phenomenon.
Created for television by Akira Toriyama, Dragonball has spawned best selling graphic novels and videogames. The television series has exploded into a global phenomenon that has generated more than four billion dollars in merchandising sales. Considered as the gold standard of anime-based video games, it now has more than 25 different games and over ten million units sold since May 2002. The series is 500 episodes strong and has posted top ratings in Europe, Asia and in the U.S. As such, the challenges in adapting Dragonball for the big screen were formidable, starting with creating a story that would satisfy the hardcore fans and introduce the world to non-fans.
Turning a beloved global property into a motion picture is no easy task, and it took years after 20th Century Fox acquired the rights of the graphic novel series to make it happen. Its big-screen adaptation finally began to come together when filmmaker James Wong, whose works in the science fiction/fantasy genre is unmatched, took an interest in the property. Wong and screenwriter Ben Ramsey worked to hit the right combination of the fantastic and relatable. “I believe that the appeal of Dragonball, beyond its super-cool action, is the richly creative world that Toriyama invented,” says Ramsey.
Wong and Ramsey took note of the fact that Dragonball is set in a multi-cultural environment, where future and past become one. It is a world where “race place no significant role.” To that end, the casting process for the film is, as Wong puts it, “color blind.”
Justin Chatwin (Tom Cruise’s son in “War of the Worlds”) landed the role of Goku after an exhaustive worldwide search. Goku is a high school student whose innocence and guilelessness are left behind when he begins his hero’s journey. “The character has a great arc – from nerd to the planet’s savior,” says Wong.
Goku’s transformative journey is all well and good, as are his martial arts skills, but a subject of equal scrutiny was the character’s…hair. “That was my first question to James (Wong),” says Chatwin with a laugh. “What are you going to do with the hair? It’s so important that even the hair has an arc!” Indeed, Goku’s hairstyle evolves through the film into its signature, spiky “do.”
Joining Goku’s adventures are Emmy Rossum (“The Day After Tomorrow”) who plays Bulma, a beautiful woman intent on retrieving the mystical Dragonballs for her own reasons; Jamie Chung (“Samurai Girl”) is Chi Chi, a young martial artist who captures Goku’s eye; and screen legend Chow Yun-Fat (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”) is Roshi, the Master who guides Goku on the young man’s epic quest to save the Earth from the forces of darkness.

Playing Goku’s nemesis are James Marsters (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) who takes on the role of Lord Piccolo, whose return could signal the Earth’s destruction; international performing sensation Joon Park is Yamcha, a charismatic “bad boy” whose schemes could thwart the heroes’ journey; popular Japanese actress Eriko (“Heroes”) is Mai, an assassin who works with Piccolo; Ernie Hudson (“Ghostbusters”) is Sifu Norris, a Master and contemporary of Roshi’s; and Randall Duk Kim (“The Matrix Revolutions”) is Goku’s grandfather Gohan, whose lessons for Goku begins to prepare the young man for the monumental tasks that lie ahead.
Emmy Rossum appreciated the challenges of playing such a multi-faceted character whose hard-nosed, take-no-prisoners attitude begins to change after she joins Goku and Roshi on their search for the Dragonballs. “Bulma comes to realize that life is about much more than her personal quest,” says Rossum. “The character in the manga and now our film is so alive, funny and spunky. She’s anything but ordinary. In the manga, Bulma sports a blue bob, which became her signature look. Rossum recalls that the filmmakers tried different ways to capture that coloring and style, including dyes, hair extensions and wigs, but ultimately went in a more realistic direction. Nevertheless, there are traces of blue and purple laced throughout the character’s wardrobe.” A bonus for the actress was learning to ride Bulma’s speedster, which the production created from a Harley motorcycle.
One of today’s brightest and most appealing young stars, Chung brought much more to Chi Chi than martial abilities. She has the sparkling energy necessary to fully capture the two sides of the character. “Chi Chi is the ‘It Girl’ – the most popular girl in high school,” says Chung. “She comes from a wealthy family, and everyone expects certain things from her. But she has a second life – a secret life – marked by her passion to fight. She comes off like the girl next door, but when she turns it on, she kicks butt!”
Working with Piccolo is Mai, an exotic beauty tainted by malevolence. Her weapons of choice are throwing knives known as shiruken. Japanese-born actress Eriko, who came to “DRAGONBALL: EVOLUTION” after wrapping a recurring role on “Heroes,” says she enjoyed playing a “strong, tough woman on a mission.” James Wong adds that Eriko gives the role a “special quality and toughness.”
Inspired by the manga, the filmmakers had produced a movie mix of action, humor and character relationships for the new movie. “Huge action set pieces, state of the art visual effects, and elaborate martial arts sequences would be key elements of “Dragonball: Evolution,” as well as the exploration of the characters, their rich histories, and their evolving relationships,” says Wong.
Fantastic action adventure explodes when “Dragonball: Evolution” opens in cinemas across the nation from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

Cena Cinema!

Automobiles, streetcars and ferryboats are transformed into potential weapons of mass destruction in “12 Rounds” starring wrestling idol John Cena. In the movie, Cena plays everyday cop Danny Fisher in New Orleans struggling to save his kidnapped girlfriend from a revenge-seeking criminal. The revenge embroiled Fisher in a cat-and-mouse chase of “12 Rounds” in the city of New Orleans. As each round nears to a conclusion, the tasks keeps Danny guessing at every treacherous turn, hurtling the determined cop through the city at a breakneck pace.
Q: Initial reaction to the title was that it was 12 rounds of boxing, but that’s not the case.
A: Everyone gets that idea and they are pleasantly surprised when they find out it’s 12 challenges and not 12 rounds of boxing. I think people will be pleasantly surprised with the movie as well. I don’t know what people are expecting but I think this movie will exceed their expectations.
Q: Can you describe your character in the movie?
A: Danny fisher is just a regular cop, who makes a bit of a lucky bust and knows it. . The whole everyman thing is easy, I’m just trying to be me, I like the fact that Danny struggles. He doesn’t come out of a phone booth and stop bullets.
Q: How is this character different from the Marine?
A: The Marine was more like a terminator character, there is even a line in the movie, “this guys like the terminator.” He’s very impervious to bullets, indestructible, a guy who can’t be defeated. Danny Fisher really is a normal dude. There are moments in the movie were he experiences defeat, doubt, he doesn’t have faith in what he can do. It’s a very normal scenario for someone to go through as opposed to the Marine, who is very super human.
Q: How does this movie help in your career as an actor?
A: It’s more than another role for me; this is my initiation into the rarified air of action movie star. Moreover, the film’s Danny Fisher is the type of action hero that I enjoyed watching, as a fan of the genre. The ‘80s was the era of the ‘everyman’ hero. nd there hasn’t been that style of hero since then. Guys like Bruce Willis in ‘Die Hard’ proved that an everyday person can be an action hero. If I’m even considered in that club, I’m definitely off to a great start.”
Q: How was it working with Ashley Scott who plays your girlfriend in the movie?
A: Ashley Scott was great, not only is she a beautiful young woman but she’s very fun to be around. The dynamic of the couple is a couple that’s been around for a while, but really, the guy is very gun shy and the girl is very, very independent and fun to be with and she’s just that.
Q: How was it working with the director of Die Hard 2?
A: Renny Harlin is a great guy, both personality and professionally. He was so very well prepared that he had the entire movie shot before I got there for pre-production. He had it in his head what he wanted to do with the movie before having even met me. I was fascinated by that, every day, he would come to the set with unbelievable shot lists and people would think that he wouldn’t be able to get it done and he got it done. On a personal level, very, very good guy to know and a very great guy to hang with.
“12 Rounds” opens March 25 in theaters nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

V is for...

TOM Cruise receives most important award in Germany despite controversies...

“Valkyrie,” Tom Cruise’s most controversial film to-date and one of world history’s most stunning story has finally opened in Philippine cinemas last February 11.

Tom Cruise stars as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg in the suspense film “Valkyrie,” based on a true story that chronicles the daring and ingenious plot to eliminate one of the most evil tyrants the world has ever known.

The movie had been the focus of controversy even before the first frame was even shot. The film’s rough ride to the big screen started when the German government forbade the film’s production on Bendler Block, Berlin, the site of Stauffenberg’s execution stating that the ‘dignity of the place’ will be violated.

It was only when producer/writer Christopher McQuarrie McQuarrie met with German officials and assured them of the production’s intentions to tell the remarkable story of Stauffenberg and his fellow conspirators with the dignity it deserved, they were allowed to film at locations all over Berlin, including the Bendlerblock. When filming had begun in 2007, Berthold Stauffenberg, Claus Stauffenberg’s son declared in a German newspaper interview that the film is ‘bound to be rubbish.’

More controversies arise as the film progressed wherein Cruise’s Scientology began to receive negative attention in Germany. For the Germans, Scientology is regarded as ‘an organization pursuing commercial interests’ rather than religion. “There was a small minority who made comments about my religion but for me it was like ‘well, okay...’ Of course people want to talk about that and there were a couple of people who felt that way about it but most of the things that were said just weren’t true,” Cruise explains.

The film also suffered accidents wherein ten extras are injured after falling off the back of a truck during filming in Berlin. As more photos and footages of the film are released, more criticism came up in Germany including that of the altered photos of the real Stauffenberg to look more like Tom Cruise and rumors have it that Cruise had to re-record some of his lines to correct the German accent.

But just who is Stauffenberg and why had there been so much resistance on the film? At the center of Valkyrie is Claus von Stauffenberg, the charismatic aristocrat who would ultimately risk everything to carry a bomb into Hitler’s private conference room.

Descended from 700 years of German nobility, Stauffenberg grew up in Bavaria as part of an elite family. Artistically inclined, he loved architecture, music, and poetry, but in the 1920s became a military officer. He was said to have been singled out by his superiors for possessing a genius for military organization and logistics, and he rapidly rose in the ranks. Stauffenberg became Chief of the General Staff of the Reserve Army – a job that would take him into direct personal meetings with Hitler. He suddenly found himself in the perfect position to make an assassination attempt on the Führer.

The historian Annedore Leber wrote of Stauffenberg: “[He was] the prototype of those young higher officers who, though their own future careers were never in doubt, nevertheless had the will to take action. They acted from the officer’s sense of responsibility to his troops, the citizen’s sense of responsibility to his people.”

In the end, with all the hard work that went into the film and the incredible experience of making it, Cruise is very pleased with the end result. “The film is a ticking clock,” he says. “This is a dynamic suspense thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat all the way through. I’m proud that we got the film made, and I’m very proud of what everyone accomplished.”

In the midst of the controversies that surrounded the film, early reviews reveal that there are no comedy German accents and one of Tom Cruise’s digitally erased hand ‘looks pretty great.’ And in November 2007, just right after filming “Valkyrie,” Tom Cruise received a Bambi award, the most important media award in Germany for “Courage” – not only for displaying courage in making Valkyrie, but also his courageous choices of film roles.