Tom Cruise's Impossible 'Mission' (Dinosaur Media DeathWatch™)

Fox News ^ | March 31, 2008 | Roger Friedman

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You may or may not have heard: last week Tom Cruise and his former boss, Sumner Redstone, broke bread. They had lunch some 18 months after Redstone didn’t pick up Cruise’s contract as on-lot producer.

The reason was that Redstone had had enough of Cruise the couch-jumping Scientologist who berated Matt Lauer on the "Today" show. That was in addition to the strange Katie Holmes courtship and so on.

But now I am told that a renewed Paramount deal for Cruise and a possible “Mission: Impossible 4” are not so likely. For one thing, sources tell me it was Cruise who called Redstone, not the other way around. Things, you see, have not gone so well.

Since Cruise’s departure, he’s made the terrible box-office flop "Lions for Lambs" under his new deal with MGM/United Artists. More importantly, if Redstone allows Cruise back, he will be returning after the release this fall of "Valkyrie," in which he plays Col. Claus von Stauffenberg, the real-life would-be assassin of Adolf Hitler, with an eye patch, a withered limb and — according to the $100 million film’s trailer — a California accent reminiscent of Jerry Maguire.

"Valkyrie" is a set up for not only failure, but ridicule. Take for example this line of dialogue that is spoken to Cruise/Claus by one of his Nazi associates: “When the SS catches you they will pull you apart like warm bread.” (Translation: he’ll be toast.)

The Valkyrie trailer already shows what a misguided idea this movie is. A description of the film’s story ends with the words “He Must Kill Hitler Himself.” Unless director Bryan Singer and writer Christopher McQuarrie have completely changed history, the actual story is not quite that: not only did von Stauffenberg botch the assassination plot, and he was killed by Hitler.

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Problems in HollywoodLand.

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http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2008/04/tom-cruises-osc.html

Tom Cruise’s Oscar hopes dim for ‘Valkyrie’?

Our first clue that “Valkyrie” might be a big, Nazi (stink) bomb came when it was saluted at the end of the last Razzie Awards ceremony as one of the pix most likely to be hailed next year.

Tom Cruise fans have been praying for the opposite, of course. Since the superstar is rather overdue for an Oscar, they hope he can be helped by portraying a real, heroic person in a World War II flick (think past winners Adrien Brody in “The Pianist” or William Holden in “Stalag 17”) directed by a chap who got Kevin Spacey that Oscar in the supporting slot for “The Usual Suspects” (Bryan Singer).

Now Roger Friedman of FoxNews.com says that, contrary to recent reports, that very public lunch Tom Cruise had with Sumner Redstone last week wasn’t a sign that the heartthrob’s life is increasingly yummy.

“For one thing, sources tell me it was Cruise who called Redstone, not the other way around,” Friedman says. “The fact that Cruise groveled in public with Redstone would indicate that the actor knows just how bad ‘Valkyrie’ is and that he’s trying to shore up his future before the eye patch hits the fan this fall.

“Since Cruise’s departure, he’s made the terrible box-office flop ‘Lions for Lambs’ under his new deal with MGM/United Artists . . . . Beyond ‘Valkyrie,’ he’s filmed a cameo in Ben Stiller’s ‘Tropic Thunder’ wearing a fat suit. A preview of the film received a tepid response at aintitcoolnews.com.”

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ping

[sportutegrl]

Oh, Tommy, we’ll always have Top Gun. (Sigh)

[Gumdrop]

If this movie is a dud, it will be a shame, for von Stauffenberg was a real hero of sorts, one of many Germans who plotted to kill Hitler. The fact that the bomb that was planted near Hitler failed to go off turned out to be tragic. von Stauffenberg was unmasked as unloyal to Hitler, given a sham trial and executed. Had von Stauffenberg and his colleagues been successful, millions of people would have lived.

[tx_eggman]

ha ha ha ha ha

[Types_with_Fist]

The fact that the bomb that was planted near Hitler failed to go off ...

I thought it DID go off. Hitler was injured, but was saved because he moved to a different spot around a heavy wooden table, which shielded him, partially, from the blast.

[Rummyfan]

But now I am told that a renewed Paramount deal for Cruise and a possible “Mission: Impossible 4” are not so likely.

Given the fact that MI III sucked big time (I only went to see it because the old GF was a mjor Tom Cruise nut), I'd say that wasn't a strong possibility anyway.

It probably still made money though....

[Tribune7]

Hooooooogan!!!!!!!!!

[bt_dooftlook]

Um, not exactly -

IIRC, the conference room had a heavy oak pedestal table, with Hitler sitting at one end. The briefcase bomb was originally directly at Hitler's feet; i.e. between one of the pedestals and Hitler. However, another attendee moved the briefcase to the other side of the pedestal, away from Hitler's feet; i.e. with a heavy oak pedestal between the bomb and Hitler. The pedestal shielded Hitler sufficiently to prevent serious injury.

[Types_with_Fist]

Very good. Okay, the briefcase was moved. Correct me also if I am wrong on this other point; Hitler was leaning over the top of the table as well, looking at maps with others, and that helped protect him from the blast. Without referring to anything, if memory serves, I believe Hitler’s arm and eardrum were injured.

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http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2008/04/valkyrie-releas.html

‘Valkyrie’ release switch takes Oscar heat off Tom Cruise

“United Artists and MGM have pushed back the release of Bryan Singer’s Tom Cruise starrer ‘Valkyrie’ from Oct. 3 to Feb. 13,” reports Variety.

That means the studios are diminishing the high Oscar expectations surrounding the Nazi thriller that previously had an awards-friendly release date. Smart move. Sure, October may have seemed like a shrewd time to open such obvious Oscar bait (it’s based upon a real-life, heroic figure) starring a superstar ridiculously overdue for academy gold, but that was probably heaping too much pressure on “Valkyrie.” At this point in his fragile career, Cruise just needs to crank out a successful film taken seriously by film critics and moviegoers. Oscar voters can wait.

“Clark Woods, MGM prexy of domestic distribution, said the studio wanted to take advantage of an opening in the schedule for the President’s Day weekend,” Variety adds. “The current lineup for that frame includes Disney’s “Confessions of a Shopaholic” and Sony’s “Pink Panther 2.” U’s “Wolfman” had also been slotted for that weekend but was recently moved back.”