Vanilla Sky (DVD)

(Film-only review) It’s hard to feel sympathy for Tom Cruise’s character in this weakly surreal, lowest-common-denominator faux-high-brow sci-fi thriller, and I’m not sure whether this was the point. From the very start, David Aames (Cruise, in crafty ‘beat Aaron Aardvark to alphabetical top spot’ manoeuvre) is revealed to be a semi-talentless yuppie born into supreme wealth and status, who relies on this, along with his good looks, to have meaningless one night stands with anyone he chooses. This is not a nice guy, clearly, but one who is somehow respected by his peers, who unbelievably fail to see the funny side in his partial disfigurement following a car ...  Read the complete review

There are very few films I have seen that I can find little or no redeeming qualities in. I've allowed myself to commend the melodramatic hash-bash that was James Cameron's 'Titanic', I sat through the dreadful, takes-itself-too-seriously 'Halloween Resurrection' and even conceded that there was some enjoyment to be had through watching the many universally slammed Hollywood run-of-the-mill horror movies. I seem like a fair filmgoer, then, don't I? It's possibly surprising then that I simply cannot think of ONE good aspect of Cameron Crowe's 'Vanilla Sky'. It's quite frankly, a load of bollocks. It's disappointing indeed that this film is so poor considering ...  Read the complete review

Bring with you extra brains if you have got Yes, that's what I felt after, seeing Vanilla Sky for the first time. The same thing happened after seeing Matrix for the first time. Hollywood directors really have the art of taking viewers imagination to various heights and making the feel that they are character in that movie. Knowingly or unknowingly their has been movies which has made me so involved in the character that for a second, I used to feel is that a Dream or Reality. The alternative of God, Devil, death, dream, reality etc, has been at many times presented in such a manner that you really feel that do you believe in all this. One thing ...  Read the complete review

VANILLA SKY is not a film without value. It’s just that it’s value lies in its almost breathtaking absurdity; in it’s apparent belief in its own wisdom; and in its truly endearing audacity in assuming an average audience could be taken in by such monumental tripe. This may not sound like a recommendation, but it is genuinely meant to be. Go see it. Really. Directed by Cameron Crowe (JERRY MACGUIRE, ALMOST FAMOUS), and based on Alejandro Amenabar's 1997 Spanish film ABRE LOS OJOS (“OPEN YOUR EYES”), VANILLA SKY stars Tom Cruise as David Aames, a rich kid getting his first grey hairs who is the head of a major New York magazine ...  Read the complete review

You know, I don't like director Cameron Crowe... and if you didn't, you do now. It's difficult to put my finger on exactly why, but I think it's the fact that he attaches an unhealthy degree of wholesome sentimental Americana to everything he touches. I liked the idea of 'Jerry Maguire', but rapidly found myself struggling to endure the sickening soppiness that the film unrelentingly threw at me. I really liked 'Almost Famous' right up until the cloyingly sentimental ending. So, on the face of it, you're probably wondering why I went to see 'Vanilla Sky', Crowe's latest movie, reuniting him with Tom ...  Read the complete review