I saw Valkyrie yesterday. It is fine piece of work. As a basic test it succeeds in explaining the July Plot. The locations are very well done. Sure, it has problems; it might have been more tense and, as always, historical details are lost in the compression of movie making. I would have liked more background on the Resistance leaders; they were extraordinary individuals. I would have liked the script to have included Stauffenberg's brothers. I also noticed many instances of the overhead microphone dropping into the frame.

By the way, if you have a visceral reaction to German uniforms, give this one a miss. Also, if you have a problem with the idea that not all German soldiers in the Second World War were Nazis, or if you feel that the singular event of the War was the Holocaust, then this film might make you angry.

I did not like the Slate's review of this film. Maybe some of the criticism of the acting is not far off the mark; for instance I have never been a big fan of Bill Nighy either.

My first criticism of the review is the mischaracterization of Cruise. As a reviewer, a good rule of thumb is that if you find yourself writing sentences that compare the central actor to a hamster (or whatever she called him), at that point the reviewer might think about stopping the review right there and asking a colleague to vet the film. Because at that point, you are not really informing your audience anymore.

I am tired of hearing all the abuse of Tom Cruise out there in reviewer land. Is there more to be said on this matter than it needs to just stop?

My second criticism of the review is contextual. After reading the review, I did not come away with an understanding of why the July Plot is a story for the ages.

Namely, that when you think about it on your own for a minute, those Resistance people showed astounding bravery.

Thank you for reading my note. Good luck Stephanie with the next review!

Cagney