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Far From Toronto, In The Canyons Of New York... Cameron Crowe's VANILLA SKY Shone And Here Is Where You'll First Hear!
Harry here... There are many nights where Austin doesn't shine as the brightest light in my eyes... I had a good night... good friends, a fine script to read, good drink, a good film I love and good talk. But I am Harry Knowles, a lover of undiscovered films... Movies that have not seen the light of day yet. There are often times portents of good about films that we all can read... the bones of film fortunes told us that VANILLA SKY was Cameron Crowe's next... and that is information enough. No need to read reviews, no need to seek out information... The name Cameron Crowe says one thing to all that drink lit chemicals upon a screen... It means, GOOD FILM! It means QUALITY! It means a new DVD to own! And while we need not read reviews or the scripts for these jewels we do... We do because it does the soul well to sip the future and taste the flavor of the good to come. VANILLA SKY played New York this night. It was a quiet ceremony. A few hundred lucky attendees saw that which we all want to see now. The media has become preoccupied with Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz's involvement together... BAH! I say, let us listen to what Crowe will bestow upon us this Holiday season. Let us bask in a pair of reviews....
so I just got back from a screening of Vanilla Sky...yes thats right Vanilla
Sky.
The room was dripping with film students so I'm sure this is the 12th review
you have gotten. I'll try to make it short.
Vanilla Sky is Cameron Crowe on acid and it's fucking great. The
photography is wonderful. The editing was daring and very well done. Jason
Lee was hysterical. Penelope Cruz was lovable. Cameron Diaz was pretty
good. Tom Cruise did an amazing job. Everything was superb.
However the script might be a little too far out there for the baby boomers,
so expect some people to leave unhappy.
that's all...it is a great movie
the guy who saw Vanilla Sky
ps. I have one question for the crew, How the fuck did you guys do the
Times Square scene? Harry here, and you probably are wondering about that 'TIMES SQUARE SCENE'... Well I am not one for spoiling surprises, but it is a remarkable thing that Crowe did... and to answer the guy's question... He did it for real. It took 3 days, but he did it for real... If I may suggest, go down to Times Square stand there... look around... and marvel at the magic of what the movies can make happen in our world. And now... for a more complete look at the film with some spoilers... but no radical ones...
Hi there. I've never sent in (or really ever written) a review before so
don't expect this to be some brilliant critique :) , but I just wanted to say
that I saw a screening tonight at the Paramount lot and it was excellent. It
was promoted as a "blind screening" of a "romantic thriller" but most
everyone seemed to know what it would be in advance. Everyone applauded when
the woman announced that we'd be watching Vanilla Sky.
I and everyone with me liked it. Here's a little bit about the movie,
hopefully without giving away too much. Tom plays David, the big hotshot NYC
businss man who has everything and is living life as though it will never
end. Cameron Diaz is his "fuck buddy" Julia, someone he's not romantically
involved in but has a good time with every once in a while. Jason Lee is his
best friend who brings Penelope Cruz, Sophia, to David's birthday party and
there is instant chemistry.
The film is framed with random cuts to David in a mask in a prison room,
with a psychiatrist (Kurt Russell) who is there to diagnose him before a
murder trial. There's a cool scene in a club with Sophia dancing cute and
David tossing back what looked like about 20 shots of tequila. There's lots
of weird stuff that messes with David (and the audience) throughout the
movie. Dreams are interwoven with reality and characters become other
characters from shot to shot. It's trippy and very cool.
I thought it was an intense and gripping movie. There were many more special
effects than other Cameron Crow films. The music was great: Radiohead, REM,
Peter Gabriel, Sinead O'ConnerThe Beach Boys, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, etc.
There were a few Bjork references and a Jeff Buckley reference and in that
respect I could tell Cameron Crowe was the director, very good with music. I
wonder how much of it was even permanent. Anyway another great thing about it
was the dialogue-- very intelligent, and at times heartfelt without being
cheesy (until the end, it actually did get just a little cheesy).
Tom goes through a lot of physical changes throughout the movie, from his
normal attractive self to a disfigured "monster" to wearing a creepy Phantom
of the Opera/AI-ish mask. The makeup and prosthetics were really believable
and at times even a little hard to work with. I'm not a huge Tom Cruise fan
but he did a really good job.
The movie was about two hours and forty minutes long. I wouldn't be surprised
if they cut a little out of the middle but other than that and the final
scene's effects not being done, I doubt they'll change much. It flows pretty
nicely. It's suspenseful, and a little dark. I liked it a lot and it seemed
to be a hit with the crowd. On the way out I heard people comparing it to The
Matrix and A.I., although I thought it was MUCH better than A.I. and also I
have a feeling it will have a little less mainstream appeal than The Matrix,
even though it's very good.
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+ Expand All
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Sep 08, 2001 4:19:01 AM CDT
Oh, wow...Could it be that Crowe faithfully adapted ABRE LOS OJO
by lostoptimist
If he did--and from what little info the 2nd reviewer let slip, it sounds like he has--then it's a very very VERY good day for American cinema.
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I have been waiting to hear something about VS! I couldn't believe it when I jumped online and this was here...did they do two screenings? in NY and LA?
I can't wait to see this flick...if only we didn't have to wait until Dec. -
did you actually see it last night? 2 hours and 40 min does sound long but from the reviews it sounds like it took that long to tell the story...is there really a place where they can cut?
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I'm confused...I know the reviewers didn't want to give too much away...but....come on...give a brief synopsis of what the movie is about...I'm gathering it's a trippy love story....is that about right? And DRCOOL, most black artists are rappers, and I don't think that it would really work with a mostly rock and alternative soundtrack. Radiohead kicks ass!
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ugh. so what is it in the end? Sometimes it sounds like horror, then like scifi and now a romantic comedy? I don't get the drift anymore. The reviews are cool, giving high hopes for that one. tt out. (tt would like to have a fuck buddy, too...)
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...it was called Open Your Eyes (or Abre sus Ojos en Espanol). If Crowe and crew have really managed to translate this decent Philip Dick ripoff (specifically ripoffed from the novel Ubik) from Spain to America with some modicum of intelligence, then I suppose that's a good thing, but let's not act like they've created an original work of art. PS: what's up with that Midnight Cowboy-like promo picture the studio is using? "Everybody's talkin' at me...I'm so short I can't hear a word they're sayin'....only that they think I'm gayyyyyyyy....."
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Glad to hear that Crowe may have pulled it off. Penelope Cruz in the movie does NOT instill confidence, but Crowe calling the shots does.
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1) dr cool - p cruz is there for the intangibles...hot as shit
2) crowe has always hit w/soundtracks...magnolia/mann, fast times, singles - sounds like he did it again
3) crowe - enough said - brilliant
what is/are the negative(s) - sounds like it dragged - can they fix w/editing? -
Dude, P.T. Anderson directed Magnolia. What is up with that? Nice knowledge of film.
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...please give him a kick in the crotch for me. Thank you.
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Hey I think I know you too. Yeah, that's right, we all remember him don't we? HE LOVES THE COCK.
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....harry, i agree, if you know that guy, kick him in the balls! jesus! he's messed up half the talkbacks this morning....i keep having to smeech (my own word) across the screen to read everyone's comments. its like a bad wordpad file...
...moving on....
i had no idea open your eyes was based of off Ubik. i need to go reread Ubik and watch it again. i'm glad to hear that Cruz doesn't "mess up" the film,--i've never had much of an interest in her. i'm actually terribly pleased Jason Lee is in it..nice to see he's branching out. is it just me, or does this sound like one of those "can't wait for the dvd extras" films? -
I'm sorry, but since AICN started using these annoying pop-up ads, my enjoyment of this site has diminished immeasureable. They sometimes come up two at a time. Popup Ads suck. Anyone else feel that way or am I a voice crying out in the wilderness?
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Sep 08, 2001 8:55:21 AM CDT
I don't care if you know Harry, stretch-man! Harry, delete that
by lenny nero
Vanilla Sky is the movie I am most anticipating after LOTR and Harry Potter, so STOP FUCKING WITH THE SCREEN!
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i agree. how can we gossip about a film with all this stupid (*&(YY*&^* :GHKH: crap going on?
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I wish Cameron Diaz was my "fuck buddy." -7%
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It sounds like to me the second reviewer would have enjoyed Almodovar's ORIGINAL film more than Crowe's adaptation of it. And didn't Almodovar do the music/score for Crowe's version too? I would think Almodovar's getting the bigger end of the stick in the deal, especially if Crowe's version somehow fails at the b.o.
Secondly, if the second reviewer likes the music, why not go see Abra and Tesis instead? Or The Others for that matter, I thought he scored that film perfectly.
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I can't believe there are some lucky schmucks out there who have seen Vanilla Sky already - I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THIS FILM! Crowe really seems to be hitting his stride after Almost Famous, and it sounds like he's really jumping genres, which is cool! Is there anyone out there who saw the movie who could give us more details than the two melon-heads who wrote in? I'm DYING for more info!!!! P.S. Cameron Diaz and Penelope Cruz are HOT!
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You mean Amen
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There's software you can install that will stop your browser from popping up new windows (ie. ads). There's a few out there -- I use one called PopUpKiller, I think. Look for it on Download.com. All AICN-ers may want to check it out. It's odd that AICN seems to be on the verge of what's cool and hip, with what they write about movies, but Pop Up Ads are most definitely not cool. Anyway, this movie sounds kinda neat. I love Radiohead more than life itself, and I hope they're not in the final cut. There music is too good on its own.
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I also saw Vanilla Sky and all I can say is that you don't want to know the plot. The film is brilliant and you have to see it knowing nothing about it.
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Someone asked for more details... what would you like to know?
Also yes I DO know this is a remake!! :) I just haven't seen the original (YET! I'll be renting it this week) so I didn't think I could make any intelligent comparisons. From what I've HEARD about it from a friend, it stays pretty true.
Antman--YES, I think you're right on. It's a major departure, but a good one. Definitely very different from Crowe's other films but still there were qualities reminiscent: the dialogue first and foremost.
Talkbacktornado-- In the end, it's mostly a drama/thriller. A tiny bit of a romance but not comedy. A little sci-fi but only in the last 15 minutes.
Oh and I'm rethinking it and it was probably more like 2 hours and 25 minutes instead of two forty. Sorry!! It was late when I wrote the reveiw, I wasn't thinking. I don't think much should be cut, if anything.
About Penelope Cruz-- I've NEVER liked her and I was kind of.. reluctant to like her in this but I actually did. She was very... tolerable. Maybe even bordering on good. :)
If people want details just ask.. I just didn't want to say any spoilers.
Dor
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If Cameron Diaz or Penelope Cruz get naked?
I am shocked. I am starting to worry that every one is growing up and we might actually be focusing on talking about the films.
DrCool, I love all kinds of music, but I honestly think all music does not belong in all places.
I really enjoy rap and hip hop, but after watching the MTV music awards I have to wonder what happened to any other kind of music. So many viable artists are never played on MTV or anywhere else. I love Missy Elliot and The Outkast, but how about a live performance from Bjork or Wheezer? This NSync shit is getting ridiculous.
By the way all, "The Others" is in theaters now and it is by the director of "Open Your Eyes" and it is great as is "Thesis", available on video.
December is too far away. -
"shone"?
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Sep 08, 2001 11:45:18 AM CDT
I'm going to say just to say it but of Crowe's 4 films he did do
by lostoptimist
It's called SINGLES. It's got a good soundtrack (but what do you expect from an ex-Rolling Stone writer whom married one of the founding members of "Heart"?) and that's about it. Sure, there are moments of pleasure but in the end it's not even as satisfying as the thoroughly average SLEPPLESS IN SEATTLE. Bull Pullman is the best thing in both films...
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instead of all these remakes of better films, I have a crazy idea...why don't we come up with new ideas? sounds good to me.
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Sep 08, 2001 1:16:52 PM CDT
Better than AI? Not too hard there buddy. Hell, Blair Witch 2
by timmer33
Ah, Fuck it. You get the point.
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I'm the answer to your prayers! Saw the Vanilla Sky last night in LA at a 'blind' screening...same type of thing it sounds like they did in NY. Couldn't believe it when they told us the flick we were going to see! I mean, how LONG have I been waiting to hear ANYTHING about this movie - dude, I actually got to SEE it. Don't want to give too much away here but it was really well done. VS is told in a sort of flashback scenario...Cruz and Cruise are really good but in my opinion Cameron Diaz was AWESOME- she didn't just act crazy she was CRAZY. I haven't seen the spanish version but the guy next to me had and mentioned that it kind of followed the story line but definitely had Crowe's signature on it. The ending is what got me...I can't stop thinking about it. Have the same feeling I had when I finished watching Memento, like I need to watch it over and over just to pick up on everything. I totally think this is going to be another success for Crowe.
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...but this movie is a waste of talent and time. If Crowe had a band would his next album be Led Zeppelin IV? From these screenings the two movies sound almost identical, but this one more Americanized. If Crowe was trying to get the film to a wider audience there are other ways to promote the original rather than actually remaking it (with the same lead actress no less!). I'm sure it's good, but this isn't a clever riff on a story like O Brother - this is the same thing, which makes it as exciting as the Psycho remake. The original OYE had great direction, acting, and story, so what's Crowe going to improve on? What's the point?Maybe I'm wrong, I hope I am - any comments from those who have seen both films?
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Yes, I meant Amenabar; sorry about that. And, understandably, Crowe has done some fine work before, but is it really necessary to remake foreign films? Consider the trashy remake of Besson's Nikita into the oh-so-American Point of No Return. I am not judging Vanilla Sky before I've even seen it, nor am I putting it down, but I just think it's overkill in my opinion.
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kwolfhard, first of all, the guy
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Reading these posts on Vanilla Sky and LOTR, frequently with strung out religious-sexual metaphors, makes me think how much movie goers are starved for quality films. The last couple of years have been bad, very bad. We all agree. And I think a lot of us may be losing perspective. What we have in VS and LOTR is at root a couple of remakes. As at least one poster complained, rightly, where are the original stories? I saw the trailer for LOTR and while it was interesting and nice looking, I thought the Ralph Bakshi version (which nobody mentions anymore) looked cool too. I think people are setting themselves up for major disappointments. Only once in my life have I had a "religious experience" with a film, and very few felt the same about that movie! Read the hype surrounding Almost Famous -- then look at the box office. It was an empty, self-indulgent film, Audiences dumped it. But say the words "Cameron Crowe" and film geeks start drooling like Pavlov's dogs. A healthy dose of caution and reduced expectations is in order.
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this movie is starting to sound interesting. I never really cared about this movie before, the Tom Cruise - Cameron Crowe teamup is ump... too Jerry Maguirish, and I hated that movie... I don't know. I loooved Cameron's work in Almost Famous. So, we'll see.
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I'm glad somebody's brought that forward.. it's about time. It's annoying!! ... but then again, this isn't my site.
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Sep 09, 2001 10:09:26 AM CDT
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It will be somekind of shame if the Charlie Rose interview with Cameron and Tom is NOT on the DVD. What a f*%king interview!
Carter
New York -
Most Black artist are not Rappers.
That generalization is from someone who knows nothing about a variety of music. Have you ever heard of R&B, Jazz? To name a few types of music with many black artists. There are Black Rock artists too.
Vanilla Sky was not a good movie. I expected better from Cameron Crowe. I think people feel the need to love movies that are different and visually stimulation without taking into consideration whether or not you are enjoying yourself or the script.
Don't like things just because it's trendy people.
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