Vanilla Sky

[Flub]

I would like to hear everyone's thoughts and opinions on this film. Why was Maria (Cruz) being abrupt to David (Cruise) in the nightclub and why did she go with his friend so suddenly? This was all before the 'dream' of course...................?

[Gigadave]

I agree! This was one of those films where a bit more cutting would have greatly improved it! Could have been great, but instead it was an exercise in style over substance.

[mad_for_it]

anyone actually understand the part when she goes with davids friend and doesnt talk to him (in the nightclub)?

[icecoldin]

Good grief people, what I'm I going to do with all of you! This film showed that you have to think a wee bit(remember thinking, of course you do), which means a little perserverence has to be shown to a certain degree. Isn't it maybe fair to say, those of you who didn't "get it" possibly felt a tad stupid for not understanding a film which shows intelligence and imagination. Go watch it again, or would you rather view films that are safe and don't make you feel inadequate. In which case go watch Arnie or Bruce blow a few people away.

[Gigadave]

But this film doesn't try to make you think! It simply tries to look like it does! If you want to see a film that really gets the mind firing, then try and make sense of the far superior Memento... this is a film with genuine plot twists rather than an overblown music vid with delusions of grandeur!

[Obo]

very preumptious icecoldin. I certainly "got" the film but felt it was a rather tired reworking of an old cinematic theme. I also remember writing stories when at school and being told off for using the old "and he/she woke up and it had all been a dream" get out clause. I thought that the charcterisations were woeful in as much as by the end of the film you had no empathy with anyone and in fact didn't give two hoots what happened and in fact the whole "plot twist" thing was rather obvious long before they revealed. Overall another example of hollywood stealing/remaking the plot lines from a foreign language movie (Abre los Ojos by Alejandro Amen�bar) and making absolutely no improvement on the original

[ser]

vanilla sky good, but the original spanish film much better ps, abre los ojos translates to "open your eyes" the first and last line of the film.

[icecoldin]

Oh my aren't we are touchy set of individuals. A few budding Barry Normans out there. Most impressed with the (if not a tad conceited) comparison with the Abre los Ojos by Alejandro Amen�bar. Give yourself a much deserved gold star Obo. Incidently, I don't think you neccessarily need to feel any large slice of empathy with any particular character in a movie, to be any the lesser interested in what becomes of them. As for the "plot twist" I didn't think of it so much of a twist but merely something which was revealed to enlighten the slightly confused viewer, so lets not flatter ourselves to readily..eh. I haven't seen the film Abre los Ojos by Alejandro Amen�bar...shame on me, so I can't compare. Purely basing the film on it's own merits, though, this was an enjoyable piece of cinema that provoked the mind into working a wee bit harder for it's living.

[Obo]

I wasn't comparing the film with Abre los ojos, Vanilla sky was in fact a direct remake of the Spanish film to such an extent that Alejandro Amen�bar receives a writing credit for Vanilla Sky. As for showing empathy for the characters in my opinion this is one of the keys to enjoying a film and one of the major challanges to actors and directors. If you don't care about the characters why should you care about what happens to them. Nothing conceited about it perhaps you should go a see a few more films which show "intelligence and imagination" before critiscising other peoples opinions of what is frankly a mediocre film.

[icecoldin]

Why bring the film up in the first place if you weren't making some sort of comparison? "Alejandro Amen�bar receives a writing credit for Vanilla Sky"....and, what's your point then caller? My opinion is that it is not written in stone anywhere which I am aware of (which you in your opinion seems to think), that you should feel any sort of empathy or sympathy towards any particular character in order to be drawn into a film, that's all I'm saying. I wouldn't be so quick to critisise anyone (which I don't think I was doing) if they weren't so moronic in ill conceiving conclusions from any film they decided to dismiss as "mediocre" due to there own lack of cinematic knowledge.

[Obo]

What's with the attitude icecoldin? When someone disagrees with your opinion there is no need to take it so personally. The original question asked for peoples "thoughts and opinions" on the film. Obviously not everyone's opinions will be the same (what a boring world that would be!) I stick by my original opinion. You may think that shows a "lack of cinematic knowlegde" which is fine by me, but I gave my opinion and my reasons which I thought would add to the ongoing discussion. With regard to your critiscisms of my opinions: I most certainly was not comparing the two films merely stating that one was a remake of the other to the extent that the original writer and director gets a writing credit on Vanilla Sky, and that as is often the case Hollywood had failed to improve on the original (anyone seen Roxanne?!), but that in itself does not make Vanilla Sky a bad movie. With regard to empathy, obviously there are 100s of reasons to enjoy a films. In my opinion ONE of these is feeling an empathy for the character/s. You mentioned in your original posting that "Arnie" and "Bruce" films are for "stupid" and "inadequate" people, but I can think of a number of great films which involve lots of people being "blown away" [I'm thinking Platoon and Apocolypse now] and would argue that ONE of the reasons these films work so well is that the actors and director in each case manage to make the audience feel empathy with the characters. You may think my opinions are "moronic" and "ill conceived" which as i said is fine by me I am certainly no Barry Norman. Having said that (!) I'm now going to be a bit pompous and suggest that if you would like to see an intelligent/thought provoking/moving film you could do worse than spending a couple of hours in front of one of the following: Italian for Beginners; Lucia y el Sexo [Sex and Lucia] or Behind the Sun. I'm not saying you'll like them, but I did... and why not!