Rating: 
Summary: Quite Fine...
Review: Despite some flaws, Cameron Crowe's Vannila Sky is just the kind of "art" film that I would expect from him. And eventhough the movie has flaws, the love with which Crowe has crafted the movie redeems it greatly. The movie is definetly a suprsing one- but now that you read that, you'll be searching for them. Instead try and let the movie simply pass over you. The depth of the movie...well, I think Crowe did a mistake byh tying up the story to a Total Recall like solution. The movie's narrative is so emotional, that it sticks out. The problem is that the story just doesn't go far enough- the sci-fi solution is a boundry to what could have been a very deep film. The beauty of the movie is the emotional narrative though- like all of Crowe's movies there is a great love to the subject at hand. The actors preformances are very good. Cruise carries the movie, making his preformance seem easy. He might be lacking depth, but that is more the fault of the script than himself. Both Cruz and Diaz do their jobs well too. And Jason Lee is in the movie, giving another stalwart preformance. To make it clear- I love John Toll. His cinematography for The Thin Red Line is some of the greatest stuff on film. And while he is great again here, showcasing the colors beautifully, it lacks bizzareness. Perhaps a collaberation with Roger Deakins (Barton Fink) would have given a better result. The soundtrack is perhaps the best stuff heard in a while. A great mix. Overall thjough, I definetly recommend the film- it may not be in the top 5, or even the top ten of the year, and definetly not as good as Almost Famous, but there is so much here to praise, that it is really a shame to discriminate the movie. Crowe is a really talented filmmaker- I wonder if he put the narrative boundries himself, or if he was afraid of losing the audience.
Rating: 
Summary: Verbatum with Arbre Los Ojos
Review: This English take on Amenobars Spanish film Arbres Los Ojos [or Open Your Eyes] is pretty much verbatum with the Spanish version. Not much has changed regarding dialogue or camera direction...which is a very good thing. Added, however are many Western Pop Culture references. This movie is extremely stylistic and well acted. It's very surreal, and I just thought it was fabulous. However, it's like Moulin Rouge. You will either love it, or hate it. Myself, I loved it. I think it is better than the Spanish version...although in the Spanish version you do see Penelope Cruz topless for a longer period of time...but this sports an all star cast with Cruise, Cruz, Diaz, Lee...So it's no surprise that the acting is top notch. It's a magnificent piece of movie making. cameron Crowe absolutely remains my favourite movie director/producer/writer. But be warned, in this movie he strays far from his previous efforts of Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous [the best movie of all time]
And one more note, as always, with Cameron's movies, the music is absolutely fantastic. It's fabulous.
Good Day
Evan
Rating: 
Summary: A trippy, but ultimately forgettable film.
Review: Vanilla Sky is probably one of the most anticipated and talked-about films of the year, so I think it's pretty ironic that it'll probably also be one of the most quickly forgotten ones, too. Tom Cruise plays a vain, self-centered jerk who has everything, and through his own thoughtless treatment of one of his conquests, played wonderfully by Cameron Diaz, loses his dearest possession: his face. (Even disfigured,I'm sure the chicks would still dig him...)The rest of the movis finds Tom accused of a murder (who's the victim?), having his face restored, talking with a court-appointed shrink (the great Kurt Russell), and being followed around by a nerd who he has a contract with. And watching a lot of TV shows that center around a frozen/thawed-out dog and frozen heads. All of this while wearing a weird mask that looks like a leftover prop from Eyes Wide Shut. In fact, this whole movie seems like a dream Stanley Kubrik might have had after a night of watching Fatal Attraction 10 times and eating a ton of Mexican food.....and washing it down with a quart of Tequila. This is a seriously WEIRD movie. I spent a lot of the last half hoping that I wasn't going to be cheated out of an explaination for the weird goings-on. I wasn't. Cameron Crowe ties all the loose ends up neatly.....maybe TOO neatly. The ending seemed too weird and sci-fi-ish for my liking. (It reminded me of the abrupt "Hundreds of years later" ending of A.I. earlier this year.)The movie also went on a little too long. I would have preferred it were it a tad more fast-paced..... Cruise, Diaz, and Russell all give good performances, and Penelope Cruz is just a doll. It's easy to see how Tom's character could become obsessed with her. Noah Taylor is wonderfully creepy also, as the contract-waving geek. Overall, Vanilla Sky is a pleasant diversion, and it LOOKS great, but I have a feeling that 3 or 4 weeks from now I'll have forgotten it entirely.
Rating: 
Summary: "Open Your Eyes"... on second thought Close Them.
Review: As I watched the film I kept thinking that it is a smart, interesting, shocking picture that is best suited for adults who like unconvential movies. Much of it is. Vanilla Sky is a well acted movie. Cruise, Cruz, and Diaz are Great in these roles! Jason Lee gets little credit, but he is equally as good. So what could be so wrong with an interesting movie with great perfomances written and dircted by Oscar winner Cameron Crowe? The last 1/3 of it. Not only does it take too many turns towards the end, but the resolution offered is like it was quickly put together at the last minute to try and make the movie make sense. The ending is almost as bas as the one thrown together for last year's A.I. If you spend money to see this movie, don't go expecting a normal film. It is worth the time to see some great performances. Hint: If you leave at the blackout towards the end after Cruise pounds on glass while watching a dog on TV, you will leave with loose ends untied, but be spared the atrocity which is the final product.
Rating: 
Summary: Vanilla Sky was a joke
Review: Maybe it's because I'm the world's biggest fan of "ABRE LOS OJOS" (the original version), but I really believe that making Vanilla Sky was just Tom Cruise's way of getting some sympathy from Penélope Cruz (who happens to be reprising her original roll, Sofía). You can see it in the movie, if you look at Penélope's body language you can hear her saying "You're doing this all wrong!". I was very surprised about 10 months ago when I read that Tom Cruise had fallen in love with the "ABRE LOS OJOS" story. Now, I wonder if that was even possible, HE GOT THE STORY COMPLETELY WRONG OR ELSE HE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RUIN IT IN THIS HORRIBLE MANNER. HE ALMOST TURNED IT INTO A BAD COMEDY. All I have left to say now is that this movie DID serve a purpose, now Tom is dating Penélope. (she confirmed this herself in the Jay Leno show). I gave this movie 1 star because I couldn't give it less. Don't go see it, don't buy it.
Rating:
Summary: painfully loose screenplay
Review: Cameron Crowe movies were always like a soft breeze (Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous, Say Anything) this time he couldn't deliver. It was a real pain sitting there in the theater for 145 minutes. They throw us like trillion flash back and forth and by the end of the movie you will not only feel confused but angered as events does not make any sense. I will not reveal the suspense (if anyone consider it a suspense) but the movie has extremely loose screenplay and idiotic imaginations, after all the hype its a guaranteed disappointment. The plot is not convoluted, its just stupid. Even if you do go to see the movie, do not try to make sense out of things because there is none. It had very brief good moments, Cameron Diaz gave a good performance so did Tom Cruise in some sequences. Penelope Cruz looks cute, there was nothing for Kurt Russell. There is some good cinematography and music, typical for Cameron Crow movies, but all in all movie is a sheer waste of time.
Rating:
Summary: A good film
Review: I saw _Vanilla Sky_ last night, and thoroughly enjoyed it. When the movie is broken down into its most elemental blocks, it's a story about someone who loses everything important to him and how he copes with that loss. I thought the movie was well-acted, well-directed, and had a killer soundtrack. It was a good story, but I was disappointed in the striking similarities to Philip K. Dick's story "I'll Remember That for You at Half Price", especially when I saw Cameron Crowe credited for writing the story and screenplay. I thought the casting was excellent, resulting in good performances from Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, and surprisingly, (especially after movies like _Soldier_) Kurt Russell. Penelope Cruz did a fine job with her part, and on a more superficial level, was absolutely gorgeous in this movie. Wow! Leaving the theater, I heard generally good comments from the rest of the audience, and I'd like to see it again. I may buy the DVD when it is released, but I'm a little concerned that it would be like the _Sixth Sense_ in that once the ending is known the entertainment value is lessened.
Rating:
Summary: Tom Cruise's Film Career is coming to a close.
Review: It's safe to say that Tom has made his fair share of lousy films in recent years....and this is no exception. More was made about Tom's personal life off camera then on, but anyway neither he nor his co-stars make this movie any special. There's no screenplay, no acting, and no direction. Save your money and stay at home watching something more to your liking with the DVD player.
Rating:
Summary: A frustrating film that does pay off in the end
Review: "Vanilla Sky" is a tough movie to pin down, and to explain, because its secrets are what make it so satisfying. The best I can do is to say that it's themes and stories somehow combine two other fine movies from this year, Richard Linklater's "Waking Life" and the Farrelly Bros'. "Shallow Hal". Telling how it combines those two seemingly disparate movies would be giving too much away. This is surely Cameron Crowe's most complicated directorial effort to date. I am a big fan of the laid back nature of his directorial style. He usually presents his characters with little flash or pomp, the better for them to breathe and become real. This is his first time using flashy camera tricks, jump cuts, CGI effects, and a serpentine narrative. So, the question becomes this: Does this one-time rock journalist finally earn his wings as a big-time, big-budget, big-ambitions movie director? Yes. He pulls it off quite well. Crowe's always had good taste when it comes to directing his movies, and the more complex techniques he uses here show that taste. The dialogue sounds like typical Crowe fare. He's always been adept at making profound romantic statements about the human condition without resorting to shlocky cliches, and "Vanilla Sky" is loaded with them. As for the way he tells his story, I've heard that he borrows liberally from (some have said he's flat-out copied) the movie he's remaking, Alejandro Amenabar's "Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes)". Having not seen that movie, I can't comment on those charges. I can say that "Vanilla Sky", at times, was unsettling. The film's middle third was off-putting, unbalanced, and a little condescending towards its audience's needs. But Crowe is confidant enough to confuse the audience for a while, because he knows it all leads to an ending that's surprisingly satisfying. It's an ending that nearly uses a narrative technique I've never been a big fan of (I'll not spoil it for you here), but manages to pull it off convincingly. I will say that if you're a fan of Phillip K. Dick-style science fiction (albeit a poor man's version of Phillip K. Dick), you'll find the ending intriguing. Pay close attention during the beginning, be patient with the middle third, and keep your mind open for the ending, and you'll do fine. Tom Cruise heads a cast of serviceable actors. His brand of mega-star charisma fits David Aames perfectly as the film begins. But his tendency to bray and tremble when the going gets tough for a character was nearly distracting. Cruise walks a tightrope with David: he has not the subtlety for David's more torturous moments, but he manages to stay on the line for most of the movie. He is at his best when portraying David's most intense fears. It's a fine performance, just not a great one. He does get to shine, however, in his scenes with Penelope Cruz. The Cruizes have obvious chemistry with each other, and this makes for some of the film's most enjoyable moments. Penelope, who I'd seen in very little so far (she was dreadful in the generally dreadful "Blow") had yet to impress me. Here she does. She plays a woman you'd fall in love with in an instant, and remember for a lifetime, and capably fulfills both requirements. David at one point describes her Sofia as "the last completely guileless woman in Manhattan", and Penelope pulls off both the innocence needed to fulfill that statement, but also the strength and independence of a young woman making it on her own in New York. And she sparkles like any good object of desire should. Cameron Diaz probably has the toughest acting assignment of the whole film. She has to play the impossibly gorgeous yet unstable type. She does well showing us Julie's menace, but overall the character is underdeveloped. Little explanation is made as to what throws her over the edge (pun intended). All of the sudden she's a stalker? Why? Jason Lee, who again gets by on his abundant charm and growing acting talent, wasn't in the movie enough. Although I always think Jason Lee isn't in the movies he's in enough. One major disappointment I had was in Crowe's use of music. Usually his tastes (and his range of knowledge) are right on the money in this department. But nothing really stood out for me here. He does make effective yet odd use of the Beach Boys' 'Good Vibrations' in a place you wouldn't expect it. But the rest of the soundtrack was quite uneventful, and unexpectedly banal. Maybe I'm just not a big fan of the early Dylan or late Radiohead and R.E.M. he favours here. But most distressing, he repeats himself, using a popular Peter Gabriel song ('Solsbury Hill', as opposed to 'In Your Eyes' which made my favourite moment from "Say Anything") to score an important love scene. Now, I could give him the benefit of the doubt and chalk it up to the fact that one of the film's themes is the deconstruction and reinterpretation of pop culture elements (the poster of Truffaut's "Jules et Jim" is on David's wall for a very good reason), but I also thought that this theme wasn't as fully developed as it could have been. So either way Crowe gets nicked. Overall, "Vanilla Sky" was a frustrating movie to sit through. The audience is in the dark for most of the time as to where everything is going. That can be off-putting, especially when said audience is used to always being one step ahead of the filmmakers. But in the end, I give credit to Crowe, Cruise, et al., because they've made a movie that, for better or for worse, challenges its audience, giving them fodder for conversation after the closing credits have rolled.
Rating:
Summary: I'm bitterly disappointed
Review: The previews did not seem so bad! But, once again... they all made it up so that it looked perfect, so we could go in there and pay the ticket and waste our money. THEY are so cold-hearted! I agree with the previous reviews. Of course, it was noticeable that Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz are actually together in real life (not just in the movie), but as for Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise, there was really nothing going on between them two, I could feel absolutely no chemistry whatsoever. That disappointed me quite much. The thing I hated the most is that we were never able to reconciliate the dream and the reality in that movie, we never knew which was which, and that upset me a lot. Of course, if the ending revealed a very powerful twist, like let's say "The Game" with Michael Douglas - that was an extremely powerful and great ending - then I could imagine that I would have ended up liking the movie a lot. But what they gave me did not even stand as a dessert. It was like going to the restaurant, not appreciating the steak, and hoping at least the dessert will be good. No! even more (...) than the steak... They ended up delivering a very pathetic finish. The movie twirls around the girl-friends-are-made-for-sex type of guy who suddenly discovers love inside a little shell of exotism named Sophia. Of course, at this point, the worst scenario occurs. And instead of being brave and getting back on his feet with some dignity, he does the cowardest move of all. The rest of the movie is based on that move. From the bottom of my heart, I cry out to the producers. Why did you spend 60 M$ on that movie??? I would say it's worth at most the third of that amount... The good soundtrack is about the only thing that makes me forget I spent money to go in an empty room - there were at most twenty people at the premiere!!! - and see a very, very unsatisfying 140-minute puzzle.
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