Rating: 
Summary: A great movie with a very clean dvd
Review: I waited a while for this to be released on dvd. The DVD is very clean, very "well done", although generically simple. I was afraid it would be something like the Thesis dvd. Fear not. It's not as expensive, and Artisan did a good job with it.
However, i did find a couple errors, mainly on the cast bios and the like. I assume that's why they re-released it (as of now, the dvd is set to be released on december, while it was originally released last august). If on Amenabar's filmography you've got a "The Darkness (2001)" (should be The Others), that's the first version right there.
It goes without saying Open Your Eyes is a superb movie. If you haven't seen it yet (which i honestly doubt if you're here reading the dvd reviews), go get your hands on a copy. You won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Stunningly good!
Review: This second feature by Spanish director Alejandro Amenabar, Abre los Ojos (Open Your Eyes) is a virtual remake of Hitchcock's Vertigo. Like that film, it dazzles us for a good portion of its running time by never letting us know exactly where we stand. Both films share a questioning of reality as they slide deeper and deeper into the lead's obsession. In the film's first half, it's the hazy trip hop soundtrack and symbolically heavy imagery keep us guessing. When the hidden truth behind what is going on is revealed with about 45 minutes of running time left, the film, like Vertigo, changes into a study of its lead character's twisted psyche.Amenabar does some exciting things here. The film's plot, without spoiling anything, follows Cesar, the film's lead, a womanizer that is currently involved with two women. Soon after spending the night and falling in love with one of them, his reality begins to become confused. During the film's first half, Cesar is our guide into his Lynchian dream world. The audience's confusions are shared and amplified by the protagonist. We feel our vision of reality sliding away with Cesar's. We go insane with him. When the film morphs however (in a scene where Cesar's friend tells him he's coming undone), and Amenabar all but reveals the reason behind the madness, our sympathies shift. We stay a step ahead of Cesar, allowing us to not only observe his psyche, but watch as Amenabar lectures us about the fragile level of reality that exists in any film. The way that he keeps us questioning what is real (even though we know nothing that we see in the film is real) is brilliant. At the end, we can not even be sure that the film's final fade-out returns us to reality. The film lacks the effortlessness that Vertigo has though. It does rely on a bit of narrative hokum in order to tie these two disparate halves of film together. Eduardo Noriega's Cesar doesn't quite manage to create the tragic humanity that Jimmy Stewart does in Vertigo, either. Nonetheless, it is far more ambitious and timely a remake of that film than something like De Palma's Obsession. In some ways, it goes farther into the realm of sexual obsession than Vertigo did, or could dream of doing. What is certain is that Amenabar, at 25, has created a film that deserves comparison to Hitchcock's best work.
Rating:
Summary: A true DVD movie
Review: Open Your Eyes is one of those movies that film-lovers rejoice to see on DVD. Granted, it doesn't have any behind-the-scenes features or even a commentary track. However, the lack of extras is made up for by the sheer quality and replay value of the movie. The movie itself just absorbs you into its world, assisted by the outstanding picture quality. As the story progresses with its twists and turns dealing with dreams and alternate realities, I was just drawn deeper into the world. Each step taken by the filmmaker allows you to hold the story in an entirely different perspective. The performances given are also top notch, especially by Eduardo Noriega for his growing confusion and paranoia and Penelope Cruz and the purity in which she performs. Finally, the film hits you with an ending that will inspire conversation between everyone else watching the movie, and having the movie on DVD gives you the ability to skip back instantly to a few scenes and watch them in reference to the ending rather than having to rewind a tape endlessly. In the end, this is one of those films that you will both enjoy and want to watch over and over. You probably missed it when it came through the US theaters. Don't miss the opportunity to own what is sure to be a classic.
Rating:
Summary: WOW
Review: I was completly blown away by this movie. After I finished watching it I just sat there for about ten minutes trying to comprehend all the wonderful things I had just seen. This movie is just incredible and full of surprises. It entertains and makes you think. Penelope Cruz was flawless in her performance and absolutely beautiful. Any true Cruz fan will not want to miss this movie.
Rating:
Summary: SEE THE ORIGINAL BEFORE the american remake :"vanilla sky"
Review: alejandro amenabar's "ABRE LOS OJOS" aka "open your eyes"...is simply brilliant!... it's one of the best sci-fi ever made!...( along with "ghost in the shell" , "blade runner" , "cube"..etc.).. the acting,plot,cinematography,music (also composed by alejandro),directing are all perfect! -the story. ...CÉSAR (portrayed by spanish actor eduardo noriega who is btw also in amenabar's "TESIS".) , is in a mental institution,where a psychiatrist (chete lera) attempts to convince him to reveal the face he hides behind a plastic mask.Cesar insists that he's horribly disfigured (do to a car accident).no matter how many times he's assured that his face has been restored through plastic surgery. What happens next is totaly unbelievable!... the film just gets stranger and weirder till the final unpredictable conclusion. i wont spoil the rest. the film also stars penelope cruz as cesar's fiance , najwa nimri (also played in "los amantes del circulo polar" aka "lovers of the artic circle") as nuria,who is responsible for cesar's accident,& Fele martinez(also played in amenabar's"Tesis" , "lovers of the artic circle" & "el arte de morir") as Pelayo,cesar's best friend. other suggestions: read philip k. dick's "UBIK" , order alejandro's previous film "TESIS" or "thesis" (one of aljandro's best films!) ,also, his american debut film "THE OTHERS" , jaume balaguero's film "LOS SIN NOMBRE" (the nameless). abre los ojos dvd offers scene index,cast & crew bios,production notes & english subtitles..no trailers,making of,behind the scenes were included,but they are compensated by a great image quality.
Rating:
Summary: You Won't Be Able To Shut Your Eyes
Review: I first experienced the work of Spanish writer/director Alejandro Amenabar when i saw "Open Your Eyes" ("Abre los Ojos"), and let me tell you, I have yet to shut them. Since my first encounter, I have gone on to see "Thesis" (his first film) and "The Others" (his first English film) and have fallen in love with both. But I'm not here to write about those. I'm here to write about "Open Your Eyes," and what a film to write about. If you have not yet seen "Open Your Eyes", let it be known that I am envious of you. You are in for a wonderful surprise. You are in the hands of a master filmmaker. Alejandro Amenabar has a sense of storytelling with his camera that very few filmmakers today have. His visuals are breathtaking (and I'm not just talking about Penelope Cruz) and stylized in the right kind of way. They don't show off, they help tell the story as effactively as possible. And boy, what a story. This movie will take you up, down, and around without you ever wanting to get off. Amenabar's script is loaded with so many twists and turns that summarizing the movie's plot hardly does it justice. But I'll give you a glimpse anyways: Eduardo Noriega, plays Cesar, a young handsome guy, that has all the luck with the girls. Unfortunately, just as he falls for the girl of his dreams, Sofia (Penelope Cruz (could she be any more beautiful?)), his crazy ex-girlfriend, Nuria, causes a car crash that kills her and disfigures, the once perfect looking Cesar. He awakens in a hospital bed, with his life and looks changed completely. It starts a whirlwind of dark moments and emotions for Cesar. Sofia can't look him in the face anymore. What was once most important to him is gone. He's suddenly charged with murder and his confused memory can't figure it all out.. His face is then fixed in an operation. Wait. His face is not fixed in an operation? A prosthetic mask? Sofia loves him again. Or is it Nuria? What's real? What's a dream? WHAT? Confused? Well, then unconfuse yourself. Watch it. Experience it. I GUARENTEE you will NOT be let down. Rarely is a film such a rollercoaster, and rarely is a rollercoaster so rewarding. And on this rollercoaster, I'm certain you'll want to get back in line and ride it again. ****FUN-FACT--This film is currently being remade by Cameron Crowe (one of America's top writer/directors), in his follow up to "Almost Famous". Crowe is calling it a "cover" instead of a "remake." As in when a band covers one of their favorite songs from another band, Crowe his covering one of his favorite movies from another director. The cast will include such no-names as Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Penelope Cruz, Jason Lee, and Kurt Russell. Retitled "Vanilla Sky", it is a fact that by the end of December everybody you know will have seen this this. Get a jump start on them. It will be BIG. It will be GREAT. But nothing beats an original. Especially an original like this. thanks-kidpta
Rating:
Summary: Simply Awesome
Review: Did you like Sixth Sense or Fight Club? Did you think they were surprising, ingenious, amazing? Ok, then get prepared for Open your eyes as it is at least ten times better than them. If you like psycological thrillers, unexpected endings, fantastic storytelling and best kind of suspense, this is your movie. Just to tell you a few of it, it's about a guy, a handsome guy who had an accident and gets his face disfigured. Then he gets depressed as the girl he loved refuses keep on going out whith him just because he has become a monster, and to make things get worse she starts a relation with his best friend. Suddenly depression turns into anger and so the movie goes... but well, I swear the end is totally unexpected!! This dvd really worths the money! Yes, OPEN YOUR EYES, because reality may not be what you think, or... it may? PD.: for those fans of Penelope Cruz or even the people who doesn't know about her, she looks just perfect on this film! ;)
Rating:
Summary: great movie
Review: I saw this movie in a college spanish class. It's really good and very dark. I liked it so much I went out and bought it. I'm not sure, but I think the woman who plays Nuria, Cesar's ex in this movie, is also the woman who plays Ana in "Lovers of the Arctic Circle". After seeing her in this, it was kinda hard to adapt to her completely different character in Arctic Circle.
Rating:
Summary: Simply put, Excellent
Review: I just finished watching this movie on ShowTime. It's now 3:30 in the morning, and I am very tired. I had planed on just channel flipping for a moment before going to bed, and this movie caught my eye. I missed the beginning, but even so, it has to be the best movie I have seen in at least 6 months. There are some warnings though. The first is, you have GOT to pay attention. This is no movie to watch if you are in a brain dead mood. The second is, this movie has subtitles. So, once again, you will have to pay attention. Sub-titles really do take away from the movie, as your eyes have to be glued to the bottom of the screen most of the time, but in many cases, this being one of them, it is well worth it. An excellent movie, I highly recommend it to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: See This Masterpiece before Watching Vanilla Sky
Review: Very shortly, Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz will star in a remake of this amazing Spanish film. It is sure to be a box-office success, but it will be a horrible crime. There is no way it will even come close to this masterpiece. Imagine a sexy Alfred Hitchcock film set in modern Toledo, Spain and you have some idea what you are in for. To reveal any plot would do you a disservice, so please watch this film before seeing the remake. PLEASE!
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