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Vanilla Sky

Vanilla Sky

List Price: $9.99
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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: brilliant, dizzying kaleidoscope of beauty... just like Life
Review: Like last year's Pola X from France, this movie is intense, overwhelming, and somewhat violent in the telling of its story...

but it's also captivating and intriguing, and it Will blow your mind...

Tom Cruise is sensational, Diaz excellent, and Cruz beautiful (if a bit quiet), and the supporting cast uniformly good. (Hopefully, we'll be seeing more of Jason Lee as time goes on -- between Almost Famous, Mumford, (and, um, Heartbreakers, okay, never mind, but *He* was good in it), he's shown himself to be a really good, solid actor...

In any case, this film is wonderful, complex, multi-faceted, and gorgeous. Sunlight, shadows and fog, all wrapped up in one big package....I'm definetely planning to see it at least one more time, just to let it all sink in. And you know what, Sofia (Cruz's character) is right... you can, at this moment, change everything. And Crowe is right too, so much of life is our perception... of ourselves, of each other.. of the world and everything in it...

This movie is a 3-course meal, AND a bag of chips... like Eyes Wide Shut, it will be vilified by some, loved by others, and pondered over by the rest of us (and hey, we are ALL entitled to our opinion on this one.. otherwise, what's the point? The streets of New York (a la the brilliant/haunting opening sequence in Times Square) aren't filled with monochromatic people thinking the same thoughts... that's the beauty of Life, right?) ... I think it's a classic. It reminded me a bit too of the Sixth Day (an Arnie movie), which I actually liked. I'm looking forward to the DVD. Sometimes it's nice to be able to take a break, and then dig in again... clear-headed and transfixed....

Cameron Crowe puts an essence into his films that is somehow familiar, comforting.... maybe it's his use of music. Maybe it's the sweet, kind demeanor he seems to possess.. Whatever it is, even during the sometimes scary mind-trip that is Vanilla Sky, somehow he's sitting next to you, holding your hand, whispering, "everything's going to be alright." And, maybe, "don't forget to live."

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Ingenious!
Review: If you're a person who's looking for a crazy movie that plays with your head and makes you believe completely odd and amazing concepts, then Vanilla Sky is definitely for you. If you're not ready for the whole new weird and wonderful world that Vanilla Sky opens, or you're going to laugh at science fiction explanations that seem quite impossible, then maybe your not ready to experience the brilliance that Vanilla Sky beholds. I loved this movie. It is really hard to describe how great it really was and how much I appreciate the vision and effort that has gone into the making of this extraordinary film. This movie has lots of dream-like imagery and beautiful backdrops it seems like its not even real. I haven't felt that emotion in a long time. Tom Cruise gave an utterly brilliant performance as a man slowly going out of his mind. Cameron Diaz will win lots of awards for her excellent portrayal of a confused and wicked woman. I usually hate Penelope Cruz's acting but she was more than impressive in this movie.
The script is completely ingenious and engrossing. It was adapted from the film Open Your Eyes and the writers have managed to make the characters three-dimensional no matter what, the order of the film amazing and the explanation of what is really happening in David Aames' life is truly a premise explanation to remember, it answers all questions aptly and enthusiastically. This movie plays with your head and keeps you enthralled throughout. Overall I haven't felt this passionately about a film since, hmm...lets see, Cameron Crowe's last movie - Almost Famous! This director is a man on the go, bringing us brilliant movie after brilliant movie. I could sit here and talk about Vanilla Sky all day but let's sum it up by saying - it is one of the best movies of 2001, and was worth the anticipation and the wait.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Haunting
Review: Quite simply, even if you don't go for the Sci-Fi twists and turns, this is a still a deeply moving and affecting film (although people who prefer A to B to C movies should probably avoid it). Think of "The Matrix" co-written by Freud and Shamalyan.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: MADDENINGLY AWFUL
Review: The movie is fun to look at for about 45 minutes, but then it begins to get confusing (not in an intriguing way, but more in a way that makes you shout "WHAT?"), and the dialogue gets worse and worse, and then you find out "It was all a dream". Horribly unsatisfying, it made me want to fire a cannon at the movie screen. Save your money.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Well, it's different...
Review: I can honestly say that I've never seen a movie quite like "Vanilla Sky." If nothing else, this movie is unique (although since it was adapted from a Spanish film, I guess it's not TOO unique). And while it's often extremely hard to make sense of what's happening at a given point, is that really a bad thing? Since laughably predictable movies seem to abound in Hollywood these days, "Vanilla Sky" deserves commendation for keeping me guessing. Through the story of disfigured (and quite possibly delusional) media magnate David Aames, the movie presents some very interesting ideas about perception and consciousness, not to mention the nature of love and physical appearance. The casting is a definite plus as well. Tom Cruise, while not the best actor, is perfect for the callow playboy role; Jason Lee and Kurt Russell are always reliable; and Penelope Cruz and Cameron Diaz give a lot of depth to the love interests (as well as providing some eye candy). On the whole, I wouldn't say "Vanilla Sky" is the best movie I've ever seen by any means, but at least it has some ambition. In an age where lowbrow movies seem to predominate more than ever, it's nice to see a movie that aims high, even if it doesn't quite make it.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: One of Cruise`s Best Roles.
Review: A Wealthy Publishing Tycoon:David Aames (Tom Curise) is a Successful, Handsome Man in his early thirties. David is a man, who seems to have it all-what is heart desires but there`s still something missing in his life. When he falls in love one night with the woman of his dreams (Penélope Cruz), which David`s life seems now completed in his charmed life but the next day, his life changed-when his jealous lover (Cameron Diaz) takes a car ride with David & they ended up in a horrible Car Crash. His lover dies and he survived but then that fateful encounter that turns David`s life and face into a horribly disfigured man. Then David seems stuck with his life into a surrealistic nightmare interwaves between Dreams & Reality.

Directed by Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire, Say Anything) made a unique, One of a Kind film. Which is a actually remake of Alejandro Amenabar`s Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes). Cruise gives outstanding performance in this film, also Kurt Russell as his Pyschiarist and Diaz offers Terrific Performances. Cruz replays the Role of the Original Amenabar`s Version. This film offers One of Cruise`s Best Roles. The Cast, Including:Jason Lee, Noah Taylor, Timothy Spall & Tilda Swinton offers Change of Pace roles. Crowe`s direction is sharp, which is very hard to Compare to Amenabar`s Version to Crowe`s. DVD`s has an fine anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) transfer and an strong-Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. DVD has interesting Commentary Track by the Director:Crowe, His Wife:Nancy Wilson with a few guess apperences. DVD has also Two Featurettes, a Music Video, a Hidden Feature & More. The Performances, Visual Style, Storytelling, Music & Crowe`s directing are the Highlight of this Ambitious/Sci-Fi/Romance/Drama. Judge It for yourself. Written by the Director from a Screenplay by Alejandro Amenabar & Mated Gil. Grade:A-.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Be Careful not to endanger your future with vain eternity
Review: There is no present when we manipulate the future. The film tries to show us that surviving after death at very low temperatures is extremely dangerous, not for our survival per se but because these business people who are going to propose us with such an adventure will have to occupy our sleep with dreams and these dreams may turn into nightmares, and like all dreams, these nightmares will go on feeding themselves on the psyche of the sleepers. Then coming back to life after a long period of hibernation is going to be slightly difficult because such dreams or nightmares will have erased any clear limit between reality and imagination, and what's more we will come back to quite a different world. Waking up or passing away will be a choice to be made while we are still asleep, hence within our dreams or nightmares. But if these dreams have turned sour how can we desire to go on with them, since we are going to be killed in a way or another in these nightmares, and we want to live, or how can we desire to get out of it since we don't even know it is nothing but a nightmare, hence a dream, not reality ? In other words this film seems to imply that we must not play with the present because we are thus manipulating our survival in a future that we definitely ignore now. This film tries to tell us that we have to assume the present and build whatever future can come out of it with the means we have at our disposal, particularly our psychological means to cope with the present that can be a real unescapable nightmare in a way. The end is of course quite unidentifiable : are we in the future or are we in the present ? Is the character going to wake up in an unknown future or is he going to wake up in the present ? Is he going to come out of a real nightmare in the present, or out of an artificial dream turned sour in the future ? Each one of us will have to decide.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Really enjoyable
Review: I was intrigued by the previews for this film, but was afraid it would be similar to the whole "Eyes Wide Shut" debacle - a pseudo-psychological "thriller" that didn't thrill in the slightest. Thankfully, I was rather surprised - this is a very entertaining film with unpredictable twists and turns, some of which are in the style of "Jacob's Ladder." I was kept guessing until the big reveal, and The Truth was a total shock to me; I truly hadn't expected that kind of element to this film - I really can't say what sort of element I'm talking about, as that would absolutely ruin some of the surprise.

The story revolves around David Aames (Tom Cruise,) a charismatic, rich, and witty executive living a charmed life, but only skimming over the surface. He quite unexpectedly meets the woman of his dreams, and from there, things begin a completely unpredictable course of events that rapidly spiral out of his control - or do they? Is Cameron Diaz's character alive, or is he simply losing his mind? What's happening to Penelope Cruz? The plot is engaging, and I was wondering what would happen next. It's also a true aesthetic treat, with well-crafted scenes and beautiful colors. The direction is very good, the acting above par, and the storyline engaging.

The special features are entertaining, giving behind-the-scenes glimpses with the cast and filmmakers, as well as some insight into how the film came to be. An enjoyable experience, start to finish, and I definitely recommend it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best film of the year
Review: I'm not sure I understand what's going on with critics these days. They say Ocean's Eleven is hip and fun, and Vanilla Sky is convoluted and confusing. I can only come up with one reasonable solution, critics are dumb. What will throw people off the most is Vanilla Sky is not what you've come to expect from a Tom Cruise movie. Vanilla Sky is also not what you might of come to expect from a Cameran Crowe movie (director of Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous.) Tom Cruise plays David Ames. A cocky magazine editor whose snowboarding through life. If this sounds like Jerry Maguire it's not. If your thinking Jerry Maguire directed by Stanley Kubrick, now your on the right track. David is involved in a disfiguring accident. This is particularly heart wrenching for him because it's right after he's met the love of his life, Penelope Cruz. There are numerous other plot twists and counter points which are too good not to keep secret. Vanilla Sky treads the realm of science fiction. It's a meditation on life and the choices we make, and the people we become because of those choices. It's a challenging awe inspiring film. Tom Cruise plays a role unlike any other in his career. Also, the chemistry between him and Penelope Cruz is so natural, it's not hard to believe that making this film inspired their couplehood. Penelope Cruz has never been this good in an American film. Cameran Diaz, Jason Lee, and Noah Taylor provide stable supporting performances, but this movie in essence belongs to Tom Cruise. He bought the rights to the Spanish version of this film "Open up your Eyes" in 1999. It's also his performance that will make or break this film. Vanilla Sky probably won't take home any oscars at the end of the year, and when everything is all said and done it probably won't top $100 million. It's too good and too revolutionary to do either.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: AWESOME!!!
Review: hmm...I wonder what makes all these people say that Vanilla Sky was a horrible movie? Perhaps it's the fact that they did not or could not understand the film. I own Vanilla Sky and Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes) and i must say that Vanilla Sky lived up to, and went beyond all expectations. If you've seen Abre, then I would highly recommend seeing Vanilla Sky. The acting in Abre was great, but the cinematography of Vanilla was even better. Intriguing film that will have you scratching your head until the very end. A definite MUST SEE!


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