“Valkyrie”
** RATING | Don’t blame Tom Cruise. Or don’t only blame the star for this World War II thriller’s flaws. Directed by Bryan Singer from a script by his “Usual Suspects” Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander, “Valkyrie” never figures out what to make of Col. Claus von Stauffenberg, who, along with a number of German officers, plotted to kill Adolf Hitler. Too bad for Cruise, who gives his finest turns portraying characters whose likability is complicated by circumstance and their own flaws. A German national who served during the Third Reich’s rise before having a change of conscience would seem in keeping with gray characters. But the filmmakers don’t brave the contradictions. Instead he is a cipher. With the exception of Tom Wilkinson as Stauffenberg’s ultra-strategic boss, the talented ensemble, including Terence Stamp and Kenneth Branagh, is likewise underutilized. PG-13. 2 hours. Lisa Kennedy
“Paul Blart: Mall Cop”
** 1/2 RATING | There is plenty that should make this Kevin James vehicle just another manufactured comedy headed for a predictable ending. But James’ shtick conjures warm memories of time spent with Abbott and Costello flicks. James is all Lou Costello but with something unexpected and gently exploited: a goofy sex appeal. James is a single father and shopping-mall security-guard vet. “Mall Cop” isn’t pretty. It looks tackier than any of the stores anchoring the Jersey mall targeted by a skateboarding, BMX’ing crew of robbers. If it feels familiar, it’s because “Mall Cop” recasts “Die Hard,” putting a bumbler where John McClane once ruled. Still, in the midst of Oscar-contending dramas comes a fizzy tonic for families hankering for live-action, raunch-free comedy. PG. 1 hour, 27 minutes. Lisa Kennedy
“Fanboys”
* 1/2 RATING | “Fanboys” is an affectionate homage to “Star Wars” films and the feeding frenzy they fed. In 1998, The Force was coming back. That’s when “Episode 1, The Phantom Menace,” the first “Star Wars” prequel, would hit theaters. Geek-friends Windows, Linus and Hutch are counting the days. Their high school pals have all moved on, but they still wear the Storm Trooper gear, ride around in a customized van with a Chewbacca horn. The whole “Star Wars”/”Star Trek” nerd-feud should be epic but only earns a smirk or two. PG-13. 1 hour, 30 minutes. Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
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