Vanilla Sky - Who's seen it?

[lanie]

Just curious - went to see this movie yesterday - anxious to hear reviews...................not saying a word :p

[kima]

Oh Elaine- don't keep us in suspense. I know I won't go until the rush is over.
Thumbs up or down? And more importantly- can you sense any real chemistry between Cruise and Cruz?
What do you think is the scoop with his breakup with Nicole. he says - she knows why- sounds like he is accusing her of something but he's the one with the new beau. Enquiring minds want to know!!

[emilycat]

Okay, I saw it --

I really enjoyed it, but let me just say that the movie is nothing like the previews portray.
It's possibly the most *$@#@&-up movie I've ever seen. I'm sure the writer was tripping when he wrote it.
That said, I was very intrigued throughout the entire film, and it was extremely thought-provoking. Just not what I expected.
I'll be really interested to hear what anyone else has to say. :)

[Nirak]

I felt that way about Magnolia, but I really liked it. Tom sure has changed since the early days! I know I won't see Vanilla Sky until video, and lately we've been getting our videos from the library, so I guess I can re-join this discussion in about 2005.

[Beth H]

I thought that "Vanilla Sky" was quite possibly one of the worst movies I've seen in years. I love Cameron Crowe -- thought that "Almost Famous" was awesome. But this movie is really, really bad. It tries to be surreal but in the end turns out to be just bizarre. The last 25 minutes are ridiculous.

I think that Penelope Cruz is really beautiful but I don't think she's an effective actress in English-language pictures. The few moments in the movie where she was speaking Spanish, she seemed much more dyanmic. I get the feeling when watching her that she's struggling so much with the language that she doesn't have a lot of energy left to act.

This is a total dud -- I would recommend saving your money for some of the other big holiday pictures.

[KValley]

Mmm... conflicting opinions already! This should be an interesting debate.

I haven't seen "Vanilla Sky" but intend to when it reaches town.

I did see the original- "Abre los ojos"(Open your eyes), which is a Spanish film by Amenabar. It's recent- released in late 1997. Penelope Cruz plays the same character (Sofia) in "Vanilla Sky" as in "Abra los ojos". I was really moved by the original- the perception of physical beauty vs. the reality of inner moral decay; sanity and madness fighting within one person; a search for truth.

I hope this Hollywood version offers something of the same intrigue and challenge. I love Cameron Crowe- so I'm hopeful!

Regardless- see the original!!

[Beth H]

K Valley -- I would say unfortunately that none of the themes you have outlined were touched on effectively in "Vanilla Sky." First -- Tom Cruise is a good character, where I know the protagonist in the original was not. You instead see him being po'd that he lost his looks. You do see some of the sanity and madness conflict, but to me, that was not portrayed very well, either.

If you see it I would be interested to know if the ending was the same in both films. The ending to me was just so bad that it was nearly comic. I find it hard to believe that the original film would have used the same device.

[lanie]

Just got back to this post!!!! Too funny!

I could not believe what I was watching, and still not sure what, in fact, I did watch.

I was still looking for "Ellie" - YIKES - that is how confused I was - I agree, quite possibly the worst Tommy movie yet - Penelope - cute, very unusual looking - I think Nicole did something REALLLLYYYYYY BAD to Tommy! Don't you?

[Heidi]

I wasn't all that impressed with this movie, either. I was pretty confused through the whole thing, and as a matter of fact, I still am confused! I just can't figure out why there would be the whole murder thing if it was his dream? I don't think he would intentionally choose to have that in his dream, as it was so horrifying, and we know that the dream splice happened before that did, so did the LE people put that part in? I still can't figure that out, but I'm sick of thinking about it, so I'm just going to let it go.

My favorite part of the movie was the soundtrack! Loved that Cameron Crowe put in U2's "Wild Honey." I hope there will be a soundtrack CD....

[dmcgreevey]

I agree with the many others, don't waste your money. I was very disapppointed. This movie was just plain weird and the end was just plain dumb.

The ads do not portray what it's actually about. I wouldn't even rent it, it's that bad!

I agree with Heidi- the music was the best part!

[elnant]

Originally posted by Heidi
I wasn't all that impressed with this movie, either. I was pretty confused through the whole thing, and as a matter of fact, I still am confused! I just can't figure out why there would be the whole murder thing if it was his dream? I don't think he would intentionally choose to have that in his dream, as it was so horrifying, and we know that the dream splice happened before that did, so did the LE people put that part in? I still can't figure that out, but I'm sick of thinking about it, so I'm just going to let it go.

It was confusing -- but I think the "tech support" guy explained it..that there was a glitch that caused all the bad stuff that he had been dreaming.
That being said -- I have to say this movie was nothing like I thought it would be when I saw the previews. I was expecting kind of a "murder mystery" -- but this was just bizarre -- especially the ending!
I would be curious to see the original -- to find out how it compares to this version. Does anyone know if it is available in video stores?

[jphilg]

I dunno...I liked it. It made you engage and try and figure it out...so many thrillers are so predictable.

Maybe not as good as the one-liners on the posters would have you think, but I liked it.

I agree with Juliana....Penelope Cruz does have a ceratin moth-like quality to her.

Jen

[aggie94]

I saw this while I was in Texas with DH, and I left very disappointed. I thought it was long, slow-moving, and didn't grab my attention. As for the plot, I thought it was weak and not very well done. I'm also a Cameron Crowe fan, so I had much higher expectations and this film just didn't meet them. If anything, it's a renter.

[SusieO]

I think this is one movie you either love or hate, with no in-between. I loved it. I thought it was strange and bizarre in a fun way, and even a disfigured Tom Cruise is pretty darn good-looking.

I've also noticed that people who love this movie hate Lord of the Rings, and vice versa. I'd love to hear other people's thoughts on this.

BTW, if you have a chance, go see In the Bedroom. It's a little dark, but really very good. It's nice to see both Sissy Spacek and Marisa Tomei back on the big screen, and they are both wonderful in this film.