Fume, Seethe and Rage

axcessnews.com has an article that could have been written by a fanatical anti-Scientologist, so biased and unrepresentative it is.

Indeed, it makes it sound in the title, and throughout the article, as if film critics unanimously gave the film and Cruise two thumbs down.

It obviously is not true when you check out the facts through actual film critics web sites such as Metacritics, RottenTomatoes or IMDB. In fact, it is blatantly false and quite a shame for that web site and its author.

Here are some pearls:

"Horrible", "Tom Cruise's worst picture", "Nazi bomb" where all terms used by film critics who gave two thumbs down to Tom Cruise's latest film about the plot to kill Adolph Hitler, "Valkyrie"

critics say that next to the line up of British actors, Cruise's acting bombed more than the plot to kill Hitler

Perhaps the kindest comment towards the super star of Valkyrie might be to call Tom Cruise 'frustratingly stupid"

That would be Tom Cruise's only excuse to fans and come clean at some juncture with just how lousy Valkyrie really is

As for the anti-Scientology bias of the author, it comes out quite clear through this sort of sentences:

Anytime the Scientologist Supreme bows down before a hack pseudo news anchor and kisses butt in order to promote a movie you know he's been bent over the contractual clause of his contract.

John Brown reported another instance of such a press article on his blog.

Valkyrie - User Reviews As Predicted So Far

User reviews are slowly getting in the direction I predicted in previous blog entries when I said they would be better than that of professional critics.

From 5 users votes on Metacritic, it now grew to twelve, and the ratings went from 60 not 70.

No user reviews yet quoted on RottenTomatoes but the tab does say 72% for some strange reason.

As for IMDB, actually the most important and representative one, it gets a 67% after 777 votes.

So, with professional reviews hovering around 60% and user review hovering around 70% so far, and with a solid to very good gross income of around $8.5 million on opening and $17 million estimated for the four days holiday, Tom Cruise may be in pass of winning his bet (which, as mentioned earlier, he already won for himself anyway by pushing ahead with such a film for the sheer intrinsic value of it).

Valkyrie - Not So So-So After All

Though overall film reviews may be so-so, it also is in part because it gets a mixture of very good to very bad reviews.

An example of a very good review would be that of gazette.com, who claims Valkyrie is

a stupendous film and represents two of the most exciting hours I've spent in a darkened theater this year

An example of a very bad review would be that of foxnews, who refers to it (stupidly, as stupidly as the "cult apologists" bashing of anti-cultists) as "Nazi apologia".

While the reviews may thus be so-so overall, it certainly does not call for many lukewarm reactions.

Valkyrie - Solid to Very Good Opening

With $8.5 million on the opening day and $17 million estimated for the four days holiday, "solid" would be the right world.

However, it could be tagged as "very good" considering the competition (not speaking about all the controversy and circumstances).

Indeed, it had to compete with not less than Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt (both setting records for the highest one-day total ever for a film opening on Christmas with $14.8 million ($28 million on four days) and $11.8 million ($21 million on four days) respectively), as well as one of my favorite actor, Adam Sandler, who came third with a one day earning of $10.5 million (and eventually winner of the estimated four days holiday with $33 million).

All the other films opening on the holiday came fairly far from these four.

With very good users reviews and the Christmas season past, it may eventually fare even beter.

A Scientology Christmas

Well, the following, posted today by a Church of Scientology Organization, is not precisely what I would call a good message.

We are the hope of man. The only hope. ... Mankind’s salvation lies within our hands.

Of course every religion, almost, think it holds the exclusivity on salvation. But really... not my cup of tea!

Updates on Valkyrie

Metacritic has gone from 15 reviews to 30, and the score has only slightly changed, from 59 to 58. While there still is only one really bad review giving 20, there are now two reviews above 75, giving 83 and a whooping 91 respectively. It also has now 5 user votes with an average of 60, but apparently not yet actual comments.

Only small change too for RottenTomatoes, but in the other direction: from 62 to 63. Out of the 15 new reviews, 10 are positive and 5 negative.

IMDB no change except for more very positive reviews.

So - on the whole, the so-so to positive assessment holds still. Now mostly waiting for user reviews and reactions, then later on the stats.

R.I.P. Traci Williams

The Washington Post reports the death of Traci L. Williams, who died from cancer at the age of 45. Traci was an actress, arts educator, and Scientologist.

From 1985 to 1995, Traci performed for the "Living Stage Theatre Company" in schools, jails and the juvenile justice system. The company also organized theater workshops for disabled children, troubled teenagers and the incarcerated.

From 1995 until earlier this year, she worked for the Church of Scientology community outreach and education programs.

Traci seemed to have found her way into helping others through her art. Whatever we may think about some of her choices, there is no doubt that she must have put all her heart into it. Ultimately, I believe, that this is what counts.

PS - Her decease is reported in ARS together with some confusing information as to whether she blew from the CoS or not.

Laptops Finally Take Their Rightful Place

Slashdot echoes other news stories about the fact that notebook sales have surpassed desktop sales for the first time in history.

It's been years since I only use laptops. It's so much more practical than desktops that I wonder why people still bother with them at all.

I always advise people to buy a laptop rather than a desktop and they invariably come back to me and say that this was a great advice.

There may be some ergonomic arguments for work stations, but it's easy enough to build one around a laptop too, and in addition it also allows you to take your work with you when you need to go on mission or on an extensive holiday (maybe that later is not such a good idea, though). As for "power", most laptops are now powerful enough to perform reasonably well.

Desktops are an endangered species.

The X Factor

Currently the reviews with professional critics range around 60%, which by itself is not bad.

Now, you do have to add an X factor to that, given TC previous reputation (in part artificially created by Scientology critics). As Roger Ebert, one of the most acknowledged film critics explains:

Tom Cruise is perfectly satisfactory, if not electrifying, in the leading role. I'm at a loss to explain the blizzard of negative advance buzz fired at him for the effrontery of playing a half-blind, one-armed Nazi hero. Two factors may be to blame: (a) Cruise has attracted so much publicity by some of his own behavior (using Oprah's couch as a trampoline) that anything he does sincerely seems fair game for mockery, and (b) movie publicity is now driven by gossip, scandal and the eagerness of fanboys and girls to attract attention by posing as critics of movies they've almost certainly not seen. Now that the movie is here, the buzz is irrelevant, but may do residual damage.

A conservative estimate of this X factor would be something like 5 to 10%, if not considerably more. That would bring the ratings near the high ratings received on IMDB by knowledgeable users.

Henson Files an Appeal

EFF reports that Keith Henson has filed an appeal to the Appellate Division of the Riverside County Superior Court of his criminal conviction in 2001.

The article is riff with bias and myths, like the one that the reason he was convicted was for "picketing in front of a Scientology "base"". It also seems to be inaccurate when it states that "Henson sought, and temporarily obtained, political asylum in Canada right after the verdict, then was arrested upon his return to the US in 2007" as it forgets to mention that the reason he returned to the States was precisely because his asylum request was eventually denied.

We'll probably see more Henson myths coming up in a near future.

Surprising Results in New Valkyrie Reviews

Second intensive day for reviews of Valkyrie, with some interesting results. On the whole, the average-to-positive trend is confirmed, but the fact that it may be better received by the public at large than by professional critics becomes more likely.

Indeed, Metacritic has now three times more reviews with a total of 15, giving a more representative average, and not surprisingly, the total has slipped from 67% to 59%. Still no review get a higher note than 75, and there is only one really bad review at 20.

However, surprisingly, RottenTomatoes meter goes up from 57% to 62% as more reviews are being posted! There are now 32 positives reviews for 20 negative ones.

As for IMDB, the positive review that was featured so far, with an 8/10 rating, is now replaced with an even more positive one, reaching 9/10 and bluntly stating in its opening line "One of the best movies I've seen in years"! Other users comments continue to be overwhelmingly positive, with only one very negative rating.

It is the IMDB user reviews that brings me to think that users rating may end up being higher than professional film critics ones, with potentially more unexpected positive surprises coming up.

Not One but Six Nazi Themed Movies for the Holidays!

Associated Press has a short, factual, and very revealing article on the fact that Nazi-driven movie dominates the holiday season and why.

Indeed, it explains that not one, but no less than six movies share that theme this holiday season!!!

Not only that, but it also turns out that, in the past, quite a few similarly-themed movies have reaped loads of Oscars!

And there I was thinking the release date was a bad choice! Now it makes a bit more sense, but it still is a revelation to me.

The article rightly asks the key question:

So why, during what's supposed to be the cheeriest time of year, this abundance of stories from one of humanity's darkest hours?

And answers:

The Holocaust is a ripe subject for writers and directors to present on the screen issues that resonate even today as we cross into 2009.

A must read!

More on the Kyalami Castle

More about the recently acquired Kyalami Castle from this Scientologist's blog.

Raids in France

An as yet unconfirmed news reports two raids (real ones, not Anonymous so-called raids) in France on December 16.

One in the Church of Scientology itself, the other in its Celebrity Center.

Bavaria Confirms the Closing of a Kindergarten Linked to Scientology

The Administrative Court of Bavaria confirmed Monday the decision taken in February by the town of Munich to close a Kindergarten linked to Scientology. The alleged crime is that directors and educators are Scientologists, and that the children are therefore "at risk" of being submitted to an education impregnated with "totalitarian" values.

The case is still ongoing.

Press article in French.