Customer Reviews

Vanilla Sky

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this book thinking that it was a novel. Many books that are based on a movie are novels. This one is not. I just want to make sure that anyone who orders this book understands that it is a screenplay, not a novel.

The above reviewer is one member of the the group of people who hate this film. Upon viewing this movie, or reading the screenplay, people are divided into two halves: those who love this film with all their harts, and those who hate this film with all their harts. I believe there is no middle ground with this film. It challenges you to love it or hate it. I love it. I loved since the first time I saw it, and since then I have introduced it to many of my friends. Out of the 10 or so people I have gotten to watch it, only two found it unpleasurable. And these two people found Jarassic Park III entertaining. There are normal film goers who are only looking for popcorn fun or easy plotting, this film is not for those people. Read the screenplay, it gives you a better insight on the film. While your at it, watch the movie its based on, Open Your Eyes. Its a Spanish film that is currently available on DVD. Its worth a look if your a fan of Vanilla Sky.

Combined with the film, Cameron Crowe--adaptation or not--has created a work of brilliance in this screenplay. For those of you who loved the movie I would highly reccomend the screenplay as well for some cut dialogue, additional scenes, and a slightly different ending. In addition, reading the screenplay has further deepened my appreciation for the great acting performances in this movie.

I agree very much with the view above. The people I speak to about this film either love it or hate it. I find that those who hate it largely dont understand the plot, or have a short attention span. It is a great film, and one for those who like to think differently from time to time. The plot is tricky at times, but if you stick with the challenge you will be thoroughly rewarded at the end. It is one of my favourite films, I am yet to see however it's predorcessor 'Abre los ojos', which I here is even better.

To truly feel it's soul you must see Alejandro Amenabar's piece, Abre los ojos. I call it a "piece", because I feel that it's a work of art in it's own right. Now, if you view the two films and come away uneffected then never watch another film, stick to movies, i.e. Spiderman, Home Alone, etc...
Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz, Kurt Russell, Jason Lee, and Cameron Diaz give performances that gel wonderfully and make this a must see.

This film will challenge you, you must be prepared to think and feel, and believe me you will.

Live the Dream

The first question that begs to be asked, is why was this movie made? Abres Les Ojos -Open Your Eyes, is a clever, intelligent film that is a good companion film to various virtual reality & dream oriented films. This is a pale, commercial remake of the film.

Tom Cruise plays cocky, self assured men in action films best. He has a decent physical presence that works well in comedies & action films. He was decent in Jerry Maguire & Eyes Wide Shut. Perhaps he was attracted to the film because it is supposed to be a psychological thriller & has a similiar title to Eyes Wide Shut. However, it doesn't work here. The character is supposed to be a shallow, confused young man who is still trying to find his identity. He has all the superficial success, but feels empty & incomplete. He ends up being a tormented Goethe/Dostevsky type character, but Cruise does not know how to play this type of character. This is a film about shaping your dreams, about discovering your identity & really living your life. But this version does not acheive that.

The actors play the story too light heardedly and are not complex
and multi-dimensional. Crowe's decisions to alter some of the details of the plot don't make sense. He attempts to make the female characters more sympathetic & less manipulative & the main character less violent. Usually I applaud a feminist version, but it doesn't work this time. The original version is much darker.

If you don't like reading subtitles, you can get the dubbed version of Abres les Ojos. I also highly recommend The Lathe of Heaven, Brazil, Existanz, Dark City & City of Lost Children.
The Lathe of Heaven is much more subtle, but acting is far superior & that was a made-for-TV film.

Do yourself a favor and run from this movie. The above reviewer discussed how there are people who view movies for entertainment and there are those who are looking for something more. Well, as a film student I look for more and definitely had to search for something worth while in this movie. Cameron Crowe perhaps believes that frantic cutting pace and intense colors makes this a "film" when in fact it simply ruins the entire experience. The plot is different, and will take patience to take in for most, but it is not a horrible plot..at least in the original. The twists and turns will exhilirate you in the original while in the remake you'll find yourself feeling completely apathetic towards the protagonist and wondering why you wasted money to watch Tom Cruise play Jerry Maguire (also directed by cameron crowe) and his struggle between success and his conceitedness and reality all over again. Save yourself some time and money and view the original. Remakes almost never fit the bill, and American remakes are far too commercial, especially when redone by someone as mainstream as Crowe. One thing I will recommend is the soundtrack, Cameron Crowe used to be a music critic and it shows in his fine selection of music for the film.