|
| Vanilla Sky | 
| Category: Movie
This item is no longer available
Avg. Customer Rating:  787 reviews
Sales Rank: 12560
Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: Video On Demand
Running Time: 136 minutes
ASIN: B000IZ8VDK
Theatrical Release Date: December 13, 2001
Release Date: November 13, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
|
| Customer Reviews:
 Drop acid with Maverick! December 7, 2005
Vanilla Sky is easy to dismiss. First, it's ambitious and, in our culture, where very few do and almost everyone criticizes, ambitious projects are always easy targets. Second, it is based on a foreign film and Americans, frequently feeling culturally inferior, often like to say, "Well, the original foreign version was better." Last, it stars Tom Cruise and, as you probably know, Tom Cruise plays the same character in every movie. Imagine Maverick fifteen or twenty years later and you have our hero from Vanilla Sky.
So it's easy to dismiss Cruise's performance. However, the reality is that Tom Cruise is perfect for this role because that's who this guy is supposed to be....until tragedy strikes (enter the on-the-run Tom Cruise from "The Firm"). I won't go into plot details, but the strength of this film is in it's construction. After one viewing, it may seem a bit haphazard - even a lot haphazard. If you enjoy a film that refuses to lay everything out for you like your an idiot, in "Friends" - era America, you will appreciate this fact. It keeps you guessing and it does ask some fairly weighty questions about life, consequences, ego, success and love - albeit these are asked like Paramount Pictures (home of The Brady's!) would ask, not the way Jung might. But that is being picky.
If you want to see a film made by real pro's (in terms of craft) that is not insultingly stupid, silly or just bad, and exercise your brain matter somewhat with some pretty radical plot twists and amateur philosophy thrown in for good measure, you could do much worse than "Vanilla Sky". The biggest criticism I have is the absolutely tidy, don't-insinuate-spell-it-all-out-for-everyone ending, which runs counter to the rest of the film.
A big plus is a mega-awesome soundtrack which includes Dylan, REM and Paul McCartney (but that is a given on any Crowe project).
 Vanilla Sky is Aight December 2, 2005
This movie was really long to sit through, but it was well worth the sitting. With the stunning women and mind waking plot elements, this movie keeps your heart going. Id recommend this to anyone who wants to think.
I'd rather watch "Abre Los Ojos" November 29, 2005
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Warning: may contain spoilers.
"Vanilla Sky is a tough film to rate. Too interesting to be called bad, too pretentious to be called good," says Gary Paton from the online Movie Gazette in his review. Certainly, it was a stunning movie-at least with the first viewing. Viewers are dazzled and confused with special effects, sketchy dialogue, and a summary that fell far short of the demands of the story. Vanilla Sky was meant to function as a work of art, questioning the boundaries of dreams and reality, the wants and desires of our subconscious; but seemed to come second to its Hollywood duty: sensationalize.
David Aames, played by Tom Cruise, begins as a narcissistic playboy and suddenly his life is scattered in the matter of a few hours. He meets Sofia Serrano, realizes there is more to love than one-night stands, and nearly killed when his jealous friend, Julie, drives off a bridge. The story begs to follow the path of redemption of David, but suddenly careens into a science fiction thriller. The viewer is not given the chance nor time to understand the course of events: the sudden appearance (and re-disappearance) of dead Julie, the reversion to his disfigured face, and many other apparently inexplicable, incongruent events. The conclusion was lofty and dramatic, simply resolving David's character and leaving several gaping plot holes open for the viewer to fall into.
Although Abre Los Ojos, the original Spanish film, had less character development it felt more natural and more meaningful than Vanilla Sky. It is a film to enjoy only when one has plenty of time to absorb the deeper meanings beyond the time spent watching the film itself.
 Watch "Open Your Eyes" instead November 9, 2005
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
"Open Your Eyes" was much better than "Vanilla Sky." "Vanilla Sky" mostly copied "Open Your Eyes" but was too obvious and less convincing. (And Tom Cruise, though good in some roles, didn't fit this role well.) "Open Your Eyes" takes a little longer to draw you in, but once it has you there it takes you far beyond where "Vanilla Sky" does. Also, the Jungian Dream aspect in "Vanilla Sky" is poorly done, whereas "Open Your Eyes" represents the dream experience very well. I recommend watching both movies before you buy one. But if you're going to buy, get "Open Your Eyes."
So you wanna go to heaven? November 7, 2005
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Very interesting film, the first part of this film is linear and logical and easy to watch, the second part (where everything goes apparently crazy) will unfortunately turn off most casual viewers (it did me - the first time). When the film is explained better (toward the end) and becomes a sci-fi movie is when we can appreciate all the 'muddled' elements (like the identity of his girlfriend changing every few minutes), it therefore pays to pay attention throughout the confusing parts and for this reason has the appeal of being very re-watchable.
The film grapples with some sad realities, firstly it deals with Cruises's mind's inability to construct a satisfying reality for him, nothing he can dream up can compare to reality, yes even with reality's dissapointments and bruises and pain - the thrill of exploring the unknowns of reality and the way they change us and shape us is incomparably better to living in a contained fantasy. The second is the theme of apparently unrequited love, Cruise's self pity and lack of confidence costs him a real chance at true love - at the end we see how he narrowly missed out on Cruz (who was just waiting for him to make a move).
The ending is....perfect, i must admit i was pleasantly shocked - it all makes sense, how Cruise swapped his vanilla sky for a Monet sky - at the very end as he is waking up he hears Cruz's voice, this possibly indicates that his escape to reality was probably another fantasy in itself, another trick by the designers to calm him down. Although the ending seems so sweet and sugary i sensed a certain darkness about his ultimate fate.
|
|
|
Wildlife, nature and the Environment
Sponsored Links
Learn how to get your own Amazon Book shop | |
