Vanilla Sky (2001)

Genre

Fantasy | Mystery | Romance

Director

Cameron Crowe

Country

USA

Cast

Tom Cruise, Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Kurt Russell, Jason Lee, Noah Taylor, Timothy Spall, Tilda Swinton, Michael Shannon, Ken Leung, Shalom Harlow, Oona Hart, Ivana Miličević, Johnny Galecki, Jhaemi Willens, Alicia Witt, Jennifer Aspen, Steven Spielberg

Storyline

Playboy David Aames (Tom Cruise) finds romantic redemption when he falls in love with Sofia (Penélope Cruz). However, before the relationship can begin, David is coaxed into a car driven by an ex-lover, Julie (Cameron Diaz), who drives her car off a bridge, killing herself and disfiguring David. Reconstructive surgery and the loving support of Sofia seem to reverse David's luck, but eerie incidents are soon making him question the reality of his existence and his control over his life.

Opinion

Once upon a time there was a film directed by a young Alejandro Amenábar called Open Your Eyes, a little gem of Spanish and European cinema, balanced between reality and fantasy. And then came this film by Cameron Crowe - not Mr. Nobodies -, that unfortunately does not find balance, and makes the entire story revolve around Tom Cruise, who is too busy watching his reflection in the mirror to "transport" the viewer into the story.

Having said that, Vanilla Sky is not awful, but completely lacks authenticity: almost everything seems fake, from the scenography to the performances.

The story - it's Amenábar's after all - is very interesting. There's mystery, romance, and a little bit of fantasy, which is good. The problem is how it has been told. Infact, the slow storytelling does not keep the audience on the edge of their seat and guessing for the whole time, but is kind of soporific, and makes of the excessive length a real problem.

The music. Although the songs are good on their own, put together as a soundtrack for this film are completely inappropriate and ruin some scenes. 

Lastly the acting. As mention before, Tom Cruise is too narcissist, even when disfigured, and he doesn't even try to put as much as tragedy and intensity in this role as Eduardo Noriega. Penélope Cruz, who also played Sofia in the Spanish film, apparently did not take very seriously this remake, and the result is a flat performance - not to mention the flatness of her character. Cameron Diaz is just awful. And she plays a whore, not the interesting character played by Najwa Nimri. Finally, while the rest of the cast is ridiculous, Jason Lee does a decent job.

Do I recommend this film? Maybe. If you have seen the original, avoid it. If you haven't, give this one a try, you might like it. 

Quotes

Sofia: Every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around.

Brian: Just remember, the sweet is never as sweet without the sour, and I know the sour.

I Am Sam (2001)

Genre

Drama

Director

Jessie Nelson

Country

USA

Cast

Sean Penn, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dakota Fanning, Dianne Wiest, Loretta Devine, Richard Schiff, Laura Dern, Marin Hinkle, Stanley DeSantis, Doug Hutchison, Rosalind Chao, Ken Jenkins, Wendy Phillips, Scott Paulin, Kimberly Scott, Michael B. Silver, Eileen Ryan, Mary Steenburgen, Elle Fanning

Storyline

Sam Dawson (Sean Penn) is a mentally challenged father raising his daughter Lucy (Dakota Fanning). As Lucy turns seven and begins to intellectually surpass her father, their close bond is threatened when their situation comes under the scrutiny of a social worker (Loretta Devine) who wants Lucy placed in foster care. Faced with a seemingly unwinnable case, Sam forms an unlikely alliance with self-absorbed, high-powered attorney Rita Harrison (Michelle Pfeiffer), and in the process will teach her the value of love and family.

Opinion

I am shocked. I can't see how it is even possible for this film to have a 34% rating at Rotten Tomatoes. If those people have actually seen the film, there's no way they could have written all those negative reviews.

Delivered by some stunning performances, I Am Sam is a truly emotional, and powerful film dealing with mental disability and the power of love.

This film lacks in originality - it feels like Kramer vs. Kramer and Rain Man had a baby -, it might deal with such a complex issue in a simple way, and it might be a little unrealistic because in real life cases such as this one wouldn't be even considered, but it's still a great drama. 

What director Jessie Nelson did here is to put emphasis on the main character's feelings, on the chance of seeing her daughter growing up in the best way possible, not availing of intelligence but of the ability to transmit an incredible love.

Technically speaking is all whole different story. Nelson seems to be under the influence of the documentary style, with an hand-held camera, not brilliantly used, that unfortunately doesn't add anything to the sentimentalism of the film. No wonder the cinematic world has lost her tracks.

The performances are outstanding. Once again, Sean Penn proves he can act. He gives an incredibly realistic performance as Sam, and comes very close to Dustin Hoffman's performance in Rain Man. There's one flaw though: he didn't get an Oscar for the role. Michelle Pfeiffer is charming - and gorgeous as usual - as lawyer Rita Harrison. Dakota Fanning is fantastic in the role of Lucy. She seems incredibly natural.

If you are looking for something that leaves you feeling and thinking, go for this one, you won't regret it.

Quotes

Rita: I just don't know what to call you: retarded, mentally retarded, mentally handicapped, mentally disabled, intellectually handicapped, intellectually disabled, developmentally disabled...

Sam: You can call me Sam.

Blow (2001)

Genre

Biography | Crime | Drama

Director

Ted Demme

Country

USA

Cast

Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Franka Potente, Rachel Griffiths, Ray Liotta, Paul Reubens, Jordi Molla, Cliff Curtis, Max Perlich, Miguel Sandoval, Ethan Suplee, Kevin Gage, Tony Amendola, Bobcat Goldthwait, Jesse James, Alan James Morgan, Emma Roberts, Jaime King

Storyline

Son of a struggling small business owner, George Jung (Johnny Depp, adult - Jesse James, young) vows never to share a similar fate. In his twenties, he moves to California where he starts his own post pushing operation. When he goes to jail, he finds out about the wonder of cocaine, and, when released, he establishes the American cocaine market in the 1970's.

Opinion

Recalling Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas every single minute of it, Blow isn't witty, nor engaging as the 1990 masterpiece; instead it is dull, shallow, and, despite its title, it doesn't blow anything.

Director Ted Demme - died in 2002 of accidental cocaine induced thrombosis heart attack, as reported on several websites - made a film that not only glorified criminality, and the same substance and kind of person that eventually killed him, but attempted to make the audience feel sorry for the drug dealer, when you should feel sorry for the lives he has ruined. And what makes me cringe the most is that for many people he succeeded in that. In fact, it is plenty of people out there who thought, "Oh, poor George!".

Having said that, the film doesn't even tell the exact story of George Jung - some filmmakers really like to change people's lives, and yes, I'm talking about Clint Eastwood too. Many things have been omitted in order to clear his name, and to make him look like the good guy.

Among the multiples plot holes, there are some in particular that made me think. How is it possible than both Depp and Cruz's character never showed any drug addiction symptoms, like physical or psychological dependence, after years of heavy use? And shouldn't' be their daughter kind of addicted to cocaine considering her mother was snorting during the whole pregnancy?

At least is has Johnny Depp before he became Jack Sparrow. He gives a great performance, and his portrayal of drug dealer George Jung has depth. Ray Liotta gives a credible performance as Fred Jung, George's father. Notable performance also comes from Penelope Cruz. 

Quotes

Fred Jung: Sometimes you're flush and sometimes you're bust, and when you're up, it's never as good as it seems, and when you're down, you never think you'll be up again, but life goes on.

A Beautiful Mind (2001)

Genre

Biography | Drama

Director

Ron Howard

County

United States

Cast

Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Paul Bettany, Josh Lucas, Adam Goldberg, Anthony Rapp, Vivien Cardone, Christopher Plummer, Judd Hirsch, Jason Gray-Stanford

Plot

The film tells the story of John Forbes Nash Jr. (Russell Crowe), a mathematical genius, who made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim.

But soon Nash finds himself on a painful and harrowing journey of self-discovery once he is diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Opinion

I tried to watch this film about a year ago, but I didn't like it and I quit. I gave it another try and it was worth it. A Beautiful Mind is a fantastic film, and a great tribute to the life of John Nash. Although mathematics is a pillar of the plot, the film is never boring.

Ron Howard does an amazing job engaging the audience, and making them experience mental illness. Akira Goldman's screenplay, based on Sylvia Nasar's A Beautiful Mind, is brilliant. 

Russell Crowe is excellent. He does not act as Nash, he is Nash. The way he conveys mental illness is amazing. The elaborate makeup partially age Nash, Crowe does the rest. And most important, Crowe does not overshadow Nash. Jennifer Connelly is amazing as well as supporting actress. The chemistry between them is amazing.

Quotes

Dr. Rosen: Imagine if you suddenly learned that the people, the places, the moments most important to you were not gone, not dead, but worse, had never been. What kind of hell would that be?

Nash: What truly is logic? Who decides reason? My quest has taken me to the physical, the metaphysical, the delusional, and back. I have made the most important discovery of my career - the most important discovery of my life. It is only in the mysterious equations of love that any logic or reasons can be found. I am only here tonight because of you. [looking at his wife] You are the only reason I am. You are all my reasons. Thank you.

Rating

8.8/10