Reviews of the movie itself aren’t inherently bad. But many well-respected critics out there agree that Cruise is not one of the highlights.

Crushing quotes

“Cruise is both the central figure in ‘Valkyrie’ and its weakest link. He’s distractingly bad in this … With his hard, flat American accent, he stands out in every single scene. And he’s not a good enough actor to immerse himself in this kind of period piece.” – Christy Lemire, Associated Press.

“Arguably miscast, Cruise is stiff and unconvincing as the courageously heroic German officer.” – Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7.

Mixed reviews

Some movie reviewers out there seem to be trying a bit too hard to see the bright side.

“Hearing Cruise’s American accent is jarring at first. But his British co-stars, including Kenneth Branagh, Tom Wilkinson and Eddie Izzard, don’t sound German either.” – Rolling Stone.

Hmm, I think perhaps the RS was trying to sound somewhat positive but, “His coworkers sound bad, too,” doesn’t sound like a compliment to me.

The good with the bad

Reviews of Cruise’s performance are generally negative or somewhat neutral. There are positive ones out there, too, but they leave me wondering if they’re rooted in loyalty that formed around “Top Gun” at an impressionable age.

The majority of the film’s reviews, however, are pretty good. At rottentomatoes.com, 64 percent of the critics gave it positive reviews. Granted, this is only 1 percent higher than the reviews for “Marley & Me,” a film whose central character is a dog.

Kirk Honeycutt at THR Intelligence calls “Valkrie” “a coolly efficient, entertaining and straightforward tale.” Hm, that doesn’t sound so bad. At least the rest of the cast won’t need to worry about a payday loan any time soon.

Too little too late?

Image via Wikipedia

Levy  makes the point in his article that “Valkyrie” is a “vehicle to re-energize Tom Cruise’s troubled career.” We haven’t seen any blockbusters on the level of the “Mission: Impossible” series since that mission was completed. For years he got nothing but bad press covering his craziness and skewering his adamant defense of Scientology. Now he bombs in a much-anticipated film with a Christmas Day release date. It could be that the Cruise ship has sailed.

Of course, Tom Cruise will never need a payday loan, but if he wants to apply for one, just for fun, he’d better do it while he still has a payday coming up.

Tom and Connor Cruise

Connor has a small supporting role in Will Smith’s film “Seven Pounds.” He plays a young Ben Thomas. The older Ben Thomas is played by Will Smith.

How mysterious

The film is a mystery, regarding both genre and public knowledge.

Smith said in an interview on the film: “People can’t know about it so we have to talk in code because we can’t say.” Apparently at the center of the mystery is a jellyfish, and that’s all Smith will reveal.

Family footsteps

Connor is the son of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, both staggeringly famous actors. As for Connor’s training and experience, Tom says he played acting class games with him as he grew up and his children often hung out on movie sets and watched him develop characters.

As for the younger Cruise’s future, Tom says “Who knows what  he is going to do?” Whatever the youngster’s future, I doubt it involves payday loans.

Mom and Pop

Connor’s parents have both had lengthy, blockbuster-filled careers. Tom also began his film with a small role. He had a bit part in the 1981 film “Endless Love.” But 13-year-old Connor has a bit of a jump on Daddy-O, who began acting at age 19.  Of course, when Tom was Connor’s age he wanted to be a priest. Perhaps the acting career was just a step on the path to finding Scientology.

Mother Kidman started her career as a TV actress. She had a role on an Australian thriller series called “Chase Through the Night.” She landed her first movie at age 16. She played a role in Australian holiday favorite “Bush Christmas,” and from there the offers started pouring in.

Extended family

Connor’s step-mom, Katie Holmes, is well on her way to building up a resume similar to her husband’s. She turns 30 today, but although she is young, she is by no means inexperienced. She, like her hubby and stepson, began her acting career as a teenager.

At 18 Holmes’ landed a part in Ang Lee’s acclaimed feature film “The Ice Storm.” From there she moved onto a five-year gig playing Joey Potter on teen TV drama “Dawson’s Creek.”

That’s going to leave a mark

Tom has been gushing in the press about how proud he is of his son. He also told stories about driving Connor to his audition, while he waited in the hallway for the duration of his son’s tryout. Pretty supportive, right?

But Tom opted to skip out on the L.A. premiere of the film Tuesday. He stayed in New York to promote his own upcoming film, “Valkyre,” which comes out on Christmas. Maybe with the extra cash Connor pulls in from this film he can buy his dad some new priorities. I know, that was harsh. I guess I have opinions on things other than payday loans.

Holmes’ birthday is tomorrow, but Cruise says they have been celebrating all week. He is also planning to take Holmes and Suri for a romantic getaway after Holmes finishes her Broadway run in “All My Sons.”

Holy nostalgia, Batman!

When I first heard that Holmes was turning the big 3-0, my reaction was: “She’s only 30?! I feel like she has been around FOREVER.” Long before she appeared in “Batman Begins,” she graced the silver screen as a teenager.

She appeared in her first movie, “The Ice Storm,” at age 18. While that isn’t an early age to begin an acting career, perhaps my feeling that she’d been acting her whole life came from her role as a 15-year-old on “Dawson’s Creek.”

Crazy about the ‘The Creek’

Holmes was 19 when she landed her role as Joey Potter on the teen drama “Dawson’s Creek.” The show ran for five years and attracted the attention of angsty teens across the country.

Holmes starred opposite James Van Der Beek and became an instant celebrity. Her portrayal of the sensitive, tomboyish character attracted plenty of attention. She landed several movie roles during (and after) the show’s run.

Side show

At the same time Holmes was working on “The Creek,” she held roles in nine movies. Some of the highlights included the cult hit “Go,” novel-turned-film “Wonder Boys” and Oscar-nominated “Pieces of April.”

She won her first award for her performance in “Disturbing Behavior.” She was awarded  “Best Breakthrough Female Performance” at the MTV Movie Awards. It was her second role in a film.

She worked with such well-known actors as Michael Douglas and Tobey MacGuire, and she established credibility for being able to handle a variety of roles. After “The Creek” finished its final season, Holmes began work on another big role. She starred in “First Daughter” as, well, the first daughter. Unfortunately, the producer probably had to take out online payday loans to cover the money lost on that film.

Family time

After playing Rachel Dawes in “Batman Begins” and Heather Holloway in “Thank You for Smoking” in 2005, Holmes had enough extra cash to take some time off. She gave birth to Suri in April 2006 and married Cruise later that year.

The family was the focus of an intense media frenzy. The age difference between Holmes and Cruise, 16 years, was the object of much scrutiny. And Cruise’s vehement defense of Scientology and sometimes erratic behavior cause the spotlight to swing their way often. The couple’s refusal to immediately release baby pictures of Suri generated a slew of rumors.

Back to the grind

Holmes returned to work for her role in “Mad Money,” which came out this year. While the movie generally recieved unfavorable reviews, Holmes did get to work with Queen Latifah and Diane Keaton.

Now Holmes is making a name for herself on Broadway in a revival of Arthur Miller’s play “All My Sons.” She plays Ann Deever, and the show continues through next month.

Here’s lookin’ at you, kid

She’s got a lengthy filmography, a famous husband and a 2-year-old daughter. Two of her films were nominated for Golden Globes, and one of them won an Oscar. Not bad for three short decades.

With her carreer, she has enough extra cash that she’ll probably never need to apply for online payday loans — even if the Screen Actors Guild does go on strike.

Looking back

Image via Wikipedia

It was June 2004 when Cruise last appeared on the “Today Show.” Scientology, the religion Cruise committed to in 1990, was undergoing increasing scrutiny. The conversation between Lauer and Cruise turned to psychiatry. Cruise made some disparaging comments regarding Brook Shield’s use of antidepressants. When Lauer defended her, Cruise called the host “glib,” and viral coverage of the incident ensued.

Cruise was already facing media fire for jumping on the couch a few weeks earlier on “Oprah.” The two incidents had fans and critics alike questioning Cruise’s sanity.

In today’s interview, Cruise admitted that he had come across as arrogant, kind of like people who look down on payday loans, the last time he appeared on the show. Cruise and Lauer discussed their previous interview at length. Cruise said his behavior was out-of-character and blamed it partially on the timing of the interview. Furthermore, Cruise says he isn’t discussing Scientology in current interviews, but he is still a follower.

So why the long wait to clear the air? That subject wasn’t discussed, but it certainly seems as though Cruise has gotten “back to normal” after a few years of negative press.

Just in time for Christmas

Cruise appeared on the “Today” show to promote his upcoming movie, “Valkyrie.” The film hits theaters on Christmas Day and stars Cruise as Adolph Hitler’s would-be assassin. The film tells the story of the German Colonel who is famous for a failed attempt on the World War II dictator.

When news of the film first began to travel it too, generated controversy. The German media attacked his decision to play  Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, who is now considered one of Germany’s greatest heroes.

Cruisin’

Cruise had a busy day on the promotion circuit. “Extra” host Mario Lopez also interviewed the star about his upcoming film. In the interview with Lopez, Cruise dishes about the connection he feels to von Stauffenberg; Cruise always wanted to kill Hitler, too.

Cruise also admitted to Lopez that he learned the dance moves he performed in “Tropic Thunder” from “Soul Train.”

Too Little too Late?

So, will Cruise’s belated apology be enough to repair his credit among Lauer fans? Or will he need payday loans after his career goes in the tank? Leave your comments.

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-Posted Courtesy of Personal Money Store. Your Payday Loans  Source.

San Diego Californian is in the middle of a tragedy after a U.S. Military Jet crashed into a residential section of housing. The Pilot was on approach to land at Miramar, the Marine Corps Air Station before crashing a kilometer short of the station.   Miramar is the base that was used for the filming of Tom Cruise’s hit film, “Top Gun.”

Pilot Lands Safely Without His Plane

F-18 Crash Scene San Diego California

Preliminary reports show that the pilot had ejected before the plane went down and is alive and well. The pilot, after ejection, was able to land in a nearby baseball field at University High School.

Eye Witness Accounts

Residents reported that they  heard “sputtering” and looked up to see the plane, a military F-18 jet, flying in an unsteady fashion before finally crashing.

Scott Patterson, a local resident, said he saw two big bangs. The damage on the ground seems to have been limited to one home which was destroyed and another which had been partially damaged. Payday loans are going to be needed at least for repairs.

Donny James, who was visiting his mother in the area, said the supersonic fighter had been flying at a very low altitude. “It spiraled out of control, just like out of Top Gun, and then it came down.”

Casualty Reports

There have been no reports of injuries or fatalities on the ground as of yet, however the scene of the crash was described as a heavily populated area by the San Diego Fire Department and was located near the 805 freeway.

The cause for the F-18 going down is not yet known.

-Personal Money Store
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