Rating: 
Summary: Vanilla Sky
Review: One of THE BEST movies I've seen all year. This movie keeps you guessing until the very end. I don't think I have ever felt such a wide range of emotions while watching a movie. I've always liked Tom Cruise for being a hot actor but he absolutely blew me away with his performance. He should absolutely win an Oscar for this one. Penelope Cruz has never been my favorite but she is very cute and very likeable in this movie. I can't wait to buy it when it comes out on DVD just so I can catch all of the little clues that lead you to the amazing ending. I loved this movie!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Possibly Worst Film of the Year!
Review: What a disappointment! This could go down as one of the worst films ever. Terrible performances all around, except for Cameron Diaz, who barely has any screen time. Tom Cruise is so pathetic and unlikeable and Penelope Cruz seemed confused. It was like she did not understand the words. The two had no chemistry at all. The plot must have seemed like a good idea on paper and turned into a mess on screen, and this big surprise ending that everyone is talking about is completely absurd. Save your money and don't see this horrid film. The one thing that bothers me the most is that I will never get those three hours back!... :)
Rating:
Summary: Very Satisfied!!!
Review: OK, I had very high expectation for this film going in, mainly because I loved the original so much. First off, there really is not much you can say in detail about this film that would not give away all the twists and turns, so a review this is not, just a comparison between the "cover" and the original. So which one is better? Well overall the original is always better than a remake or a cover. But there are a few things which I liked more about the new over the old. First of all, I liked the ending in the new one better, the ending in the old just seem to pop up out of nowhere and then it was over. The ending here is longer and has more detail to it, to wrap up some lose ends that the older version did not. One thing I did not like in the new one is, and I will try to code this so it won't blow anything for people that have not seen the original, but I feel that because of a few scenes in the movie, that the end was foreshadowed just a little too much, and if someone was thinking that they could probably put most of the peices together before the end. The acting was good, not stellar, but it was good enough to carry the movie solidly. It was pretty much scene for scene the same as the original, and I for one am glad. Like I said I came into this movie with HIGH expectations and left feeling very satisfied, I got everything I wanted out of it and more. So what do I rate Vanilla Sky? Well let's rate it and the Original:
Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes) - 9.5/10 Vanilla Sky - 9.2/10 Very satisfied with the movie, would recommend to anyone who liked the original, or that likes movies that are unconventional. One last note, if there is any way you can see the original version before you see the new version, please do, it will make you appreciate the movie and the story more.
Rating:
Summary: Hollywood's narcissism has never been more evident.
Review: Forget everything you know about acting, story, suspense, and energy, and open your eyes to Cameron Crowe's "Vanilla Sky," the much-hyped American version of Alejandro Aménabar's "Open Your Eyes." Crowe's follow-up to his critically acclaimed "Almost Famous" isn't so much a remake as it is a complete bastardization of the original, possessing the same story, almost word-for-word at times, yet lacking any of the intensity or emotional depth so magnificently instilled in its predecessor. The plot for this latest Hollywood exercise in narcissism is almost completely identical to that of "Open Your Eyes," remade in the same fashion as Gus Van Sant's rehash of "Psycho" in 1998. The setting has changed from Spain to New York City, where David Aames (Tom Cruise) lives his life in splendor, possessing looks, money, fame, and Julie (Cameron Diaz) a girlfriend who would do just about anything in the bedroom for him. His best friend, Brian (Jason Lee), holds him up on a golden pedestal, while the women in his office simultaneously look his way as he passes each one of them at their desks. After this glitzy waltz through this haughty tycoon's life, we come to his birthday party, where he meets the lovely Sofia (Penélope Cruz), with whom he becomes instantly infatuated. His sudden case of butterflies drives him to completely blow off Julie and retire to Sofia's apartment, where the two stay up most of the night talking and become further intoxicated by each other's company. The next morning begins the so-called sinister elements of the film: Julie drives up unexpectedly to greet David as he exit's Sofia's building, offering him a ride and, in turn, lashing out at him for his resentment of her advances. She drives the car off of a Central Park bridge, killing her instantly, and badly scarring David's face. Or was she killed? Was he scarred? Is it a nightmare, or is it a twisted sense of reality? Is there really any reason to care? In the case of "Vanilla Sky," not really. Crowe's film supplies us with nary a reason to feel any sort of emotional connection to its characters, nor does it serve any suspense or energy behind its thriller premise, which ultimately skyrockets into ludicrousness. In fact, Crowe seems to be stuck in the heyday of his previous film, "Almost Famous," incorporating a soundtrack whose songs have no connection to the film's ideas or events, and a style that combines quick-cuts, edgy noises, and deafening whispers that become exhausting rather than exhilarating. His incorporation of American ideals and culture only serves to make one embrace the simplicity of that of the previous film's Spanish influence. Unlike many people I've discussed the film with, I have had the privilege of seeing Aménabar's "Open Your Eyes," and have become an avid admirer of the movie as well as the director, who takes what would basically be a ridiculous premise and gives it a soul and a moral center, while keeping us mystified by the mystery surrounding the second half. After seeing "Vanilla Sky," the two stand as a striking example of one director's ability to create a perfectly intense movie filled with suspense and emotion, while the other takes us nowhere in telling the same exact story. One of the film's weakest points is its characters, who have almost no human emotion or virtue that I found appealing. David Aames is the film's most deplorable: while Eduardo Noriega gave a most brilliant and touching performance as the original character, Tom Cruise evokes little to no emotion whatsoever, playing his character as a helpless, spineless depressant suffering from his own manufactured grief. Cameron Diaz is somewhat sinister as the vengeful lover, provoking a steely sense of menace in her conversation with Cruise just before the accident; sadly, the movie never expands on any of it. Even Cruz, who also starred in the original film as the same character, can't seem to get it together here, lacking the light and charismatic demeanor that she so wonderfully flaunted before. The most appalling aspect of "Vanilla Sky," however, is its need to sort things out through the use of extensive dialogue and ongoing conversations that add to the film's running time but not to the substance of the story. Aménabar kept his explanations concise and appealing, but Crowe drags the film into murky waters, spelling out too much too soon, and without much interest. What we are left with in the end is a stunning portrait of Hollywood's infatuation with all things stylish and sublime, as well as a testament to its near-complete ignorance of story and substance, two prerequisites that have now taken backseats to technique.
Rating: 
Summary: Personal project may have been a bit too personal
Review: First off, I believe Open Your Eyes is one of the best films ever made. Naturally, when I heard that it was being adapted as Vanilla Sky, I was very skeptical. Thus, I will give my opinions of this film as a movie overall and as an adaptation. As a movie, this film fails to distance itself from all the other mediocre films that are currently flooding the market. It is well cast, especially in the supporting roles. Cameron Diaz gives a very honest performance as a woman obsessed with Cruise's character, and Jason Lee masters the sarcastic best friend. One quirk I found was that Penelope Cruz was distinctly more Spanish in this film than she was in Open Your Eyes, a Spanish film. Her accent was thicker, and she was prone to explode in rapid-fire Spanish curses (those of you fluent will be shocked at the profanity). This is just the beginning of things that were grating in this movie. Another was the music. The soundtrack sounds as if it comes straight from director Cameron Crowe's personal collection. When the character feels as if he's losing his mind, the music becomes selections from the 60s and 70s, as if Crowe is winking at the audience and saying, "It's trippy, isn't it?" The plot is also another sticking point. The entire movie feels as if Crowe is holding the hand of the audience lest they becomes confused or lost. Everything is over-explained to the point that the "twist ending" isn't that surprising when you think about it. The problem comes that because Crowe is leading the audience, when the story skips to the reality of the situation, it is confusing because it is a different reality than Crowe was presenting. Everything is explained so much that when everything explained turns out to be false, it just adds to the confusion. It would have been much better if the movie was done as a vague and mysterious plot. I know because that is how Open Your Eyes did it, and it succeeds every place that Vanilla Sky fails. As an adaptation, this film fails miserably. It fills in holes that do not need to be filled in and feels more like the filmmakers wanted to show off than tell the story, especially since the original came out only four years ago. Cruise undoubtedly has a wonderful internal monologue for the character, but none of it communicates to the audience, and his only external anguish is a lot of screaming. In short, this film seems more like an exercise for Cruise and Crowe to show off and feel proud of themselves, but it leaves the audience bored, confused, and wondering just what happened. My only hope is that this film encourages people to see the original.
Rating:
Summary: Vanilla Sky Shows us why we don't want other spices.
Review: The title of this masterpiece may be Vanilla Sky, but the movie itself is far from Vanilla. It is unfortunate that there are going to be countless bad reviews about the complicated plot, lack of mainstream appeal, and so on. The movie is based on an inherently rich young playboy who is focused on nothing and everything as long as it means fun for David Aames (Tom Cruise). Of course, like most films the playboy is the recipient of a good old-fashioned dose of love. It seems David has a new purpose and vision all in one night (and he didn't even have sex). His life takes a wicked twist when a not-so-ex girlfriend drives Cruise and herself off a bridge, leaving the playboy disfigured. The audience and Cruise are then catapulted into a world where reality and dreams melt together, and the only answers seem to be questions. A plethora of questions like, what is love? What does appearance mean? How important is appearance "really" to us? How much of our lives are an illusion, or the result of our perception? Crowe does a great job of providing us the opportunity to experience the confusion of trying to sort it all out right along with Tom. We, like Cruise, are confronted with the option to continue with the painful process of trying to sort it out or utopia, and can we live with our decisions however real or illusory they are? The film has so many twists and hard questions that upon conclusion we are longing to get back to the taste of our Vanilla lives, which makes the movie so great. If you like to be swept away, forget about reality, and be challenged the film like Monet's' masterpiece will inspire the dark corners of you mind. Isn't that why they call film making an art? The Crew Tom Cruise - Brilliant, his best movie to date
Penelope Cruz - Very Good
Cameron Diaz - Not a big role but good performance
Kurt Russell - Very good performance Director Cameron Crowe - Should put him on the map with artistic talents like Spielberg, Kubrick, Scorsese, and Burton.
Rating:
Summary: Cameron Crowe shouldn't have written/directed this!
Review: Absolutely horrible! Crowe, Cruise, and Cruz combined with surrealism just equals DISASTER! The only redeeming thing about this film was Cameron Diaz - her performance was deliciously impeccable and she was the only respectable character in the film - you had to feel sorry for her. Cruise and Cruz were vapid and boring - as usual. Cameron Crowe should stick to directing straightforward, light, quirky, pop narratives instead of trying to be innovative! Don't let this be your introduction into the surreal - David Lynch's Mulholland Drive is much better in that arena. Vanilla Sky attempts to explore the dark underbelly of the behemoth that is New York "S"ociety, but is just squashed by the unredeemably terrible acting and "new age propaganda" (church of scientology connection here??) that provides the vehicle for the surreal in the movie. Avoid this!
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing.
Review: I am a Tom Cruise fan but this movie makes me wonder why. The gratuitous sex and unnecessary language were a bit much but we looked past it. The story line is surely clever but many times it's confusing - but I think that was the point. The concept behind the film had such promise but in the end this film really has no redeeming value. We left the theatre with kind of an empty feeling in our collective gut. I was more depressed than intelectually stimulated. I wouldn't recommend wasting your money. Maybe rent it on video.
Rating: 
Summary: Intelligent but too ambitious
Review: The Cameron Crowe remake of the 1997 Spanish movie "Abre Los Ojos" is ambitious and brings out the best in its cast but in the end may try to do too much. Tom Cruise plays the heir of a publishing empire David Aames. Young, wealthy, charismatic and hollow are all things Cruise should and does play well. Aames, involved sexually with Julianna (Cameron Diaz), falls romantically for the charming cute-as-a-button Sophia (Penelope Cruz). Julianna becomes enraged over Aames' new found love and drives Aames and herself off a bridge, apparently killing herself and disfiguring him. The rest of the movie is a mix of reality and dream leaving both Aames and the viewer confused as to what is real and what is not. Aames must now try to get his life back together: the empire and the love affair while coming to grips with his physical and mental injuries. Love, sex, friendship, betrayal, and insanity ensue as Aames finds himself in prison charged with murder and trying to piece together what really happened and what only happened in his mind. The strong points of the movie are many. The casting and acting are nearly as flawless as you will find in a blockbuster. Cruise plays Aames well, even when the character changes from cocky and brash to deformed and disturbed. There are a few melodramatic moments by Cruise that the film could have done without, but what is Cruise if not attention grabbing? Diaz is frightening and makes the audience uncomfortable as the disturbed Julianna. Cruz's character is not particularly deep but is charming and the viewer will probably empathize with Aames' attraction to her. Jason Lee's acting continues to improve with yet another take on the role of the lead's best friend. And Kurt Russell rounds out the Hollywood regulars as the doctor who is trying to help Aames figure out what has happened. Other strong points of the film lie within the sound and visuals. The soundtrack is an amazing mix of sentimental acoustic and infectious techno. Among the artists on the soundtrack are Radiohead, Leftfield, Peter Gabriel, Jeff Buckley and even Diaz herself. The filters and effects used on the film added greatly to the atmosphere, from the Monetesque colors used on skylines to the cold dark blue filters used during Aames' darker moments. The downfalls of the film come in the writing and length of the film. Like many of Crowe's other works, the film is just too long. Crowe needs to learn to not love his work so much and allow it to be edited to a shorter form. The actual writing is too ambitious and it changes direction on the viewer to much. First the movie is a suspense. Now it is a love story. Now it is sci-fi. And after putting the viewer through all these plot twists and changes the movie then decides it has a serious message to give to the audience. The film moves slowly enough that the audience becomes invested in what is happening only to be left behind and moved onto the next, completely different, segment of the film.
Overall the film is good and is worth seeing in the theater. You will enjoy it more if you check your critic's hat at the door (ironic coming from me, I know), and let yourself become involved in the movie. But don't be surprised if what you are involved in at the beginning or middle is not there at the end.
Rating:
Summary: Vanilla lifted to cinematic Godliness is still Vanilla
Review: David Aames (Tom Cruise) is a Casenova-about-town: a young, rich, handsome, and fashionable New Yorker who inherits the lucrative family business at a tender age--although his wealth could be snatched from him if he loses his ability to function rationally. Few boundaries seem to limit his lust for life, wine, women, and song (especially women). David's future seems etched in purest gold, just as his heart and sentiments appear to be fabricated of the cheapest plastic. Everything goes wrong when Julie (Cameron Diaz), AKA his "love-making buddy" (er, that's an elegant facsimile of the cruder term used in the script) decides to take exception to his recently-acquired affection for Sofia (Penélope Cruz). In particular, Julie feels compelled to drive like a maniac, eventually smashing her car into a stone wall. Unfortunately our hero David's in the passenger's seat. Result: she's dead, and he has to bear dreadfully disfiguring physical and emotional scars for the rest of his life. When David first meets Sophia, this appears as if it might turn into an odd version of a "10" knockoff (with Cruz as Bo Derek). After the car accident, we have the sense that David will somehow transform himself, now that he's not so stunningly handsome anymore: as if Dorian Gray could somehow experience an afterlife as Mother Teresa. But Dorian Gray was genuinely evil: David's just a spoiled rich playboy-cad. Nevertheless, the script tantalizingly teases our hopes that perhaps this is a story about true love and redemption. But things soon go from bad to worse, as we realize that much of the movie is told from in retrospective from his view--while incarcerated for murder (the supposed victim turns out to be Cruz, not Diaz). After that, things begin to go haywire to an even greater extent. Tom Cruise's character goes to a restaurant and _wills_ the patrons to stop talking. He makes love to Cruz and sees Diaz after he climaxes. Other events occur that make the viewer feel utterly bereft of the capability to discriminate between reality and imagination. By this time (about halfway through the 2-1/2 hour film), we've long since noticed that protagonist himself has lost that ability. But, why? Is his apparent madness the result of a plot to disinherit him? Unfortunately, the subject of "Vanilla Sky" isn't crime or intrigue. Nor is it an uplifting story about true love, loss and redemption, and/or self-discovery. For one thing. at most Cruz (Sophia) and possibly David's superfluous side-kick (Brian, played flawlessly by Jason Lee) appear to either possess--or acquire-- even the tiniest hint of genuinely interesting character development. And whatever "arty" feel that Cameron Crowe (director and script writer) may have desired turns out to be utterly dispelled by a disappointingly thin and uninteresting plot. The only thing that holds your attention is the question of how the provided clues could actually produce a plausible result (actually the depicted events are barely believable to all but the hardest-core sci-fi fans). When the ending is revealed, you walk away disappointed--as if you'd gone to a fancy restaurant boasting elegant decor, servers with French accents, and no prices on the menu ... only to find a high-end version of a Big Mac shamelessly dripping grease all over the edge of your Bone China plate, onto the fancy linen tablecloth below. Yes, the acting is excellent. The music is compelling. The cinematography is wonderful. Even the script has more than its share of witty moments. (Although this reviewer believes that Cruise should've been yelling "Get me rewrite!" instead of "Tech support!" at one key moment towards the film's end.) This film may be worth seeing if you like the actors, and you don't allow yourself to be taken in by the expectations that it raises and mercilessly dashes. Vanilla dreams--even when lifted heavenward--are doomed to be first-class bores. And if there was ever a guilded dandelion, this flick is it.
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