Having re-watched it last night...

Rating: 8/10 (13 June 2004)

Vanilla Sky still is one of the better movies I've seen in recent years. I will note for the record that I have not seen "Abre Los Ojos," but I think I'm going to check it out after this
There are several reasons I enjoy this movie. One, the acting. Yes, the acting. I'm sorry, but Tom Cruise actually does a very good job in this movie. Cruise is not a great actor in general, but he's seems perfectly suited for the David Aames role (draw whatever conclusions you want about Tom from that.) and does a very good job in what is by far his best performance to date. Penelope Cruz is very charming as Sofia Serrano because she's basically the antithesis of David Aames, but plays it in a very warm and cute way. Kurt Russell, Cameron Diaz, Jason Lee, Timothy Spall, and Noah Taylor are all worth mentioning. It is an outstanding supporting cast.
The greatest asset of the movie is the music. From Nancy Wilson's score to the songs chosen, it is flawless. Cameron Crowe uses the music of this film not just to set mood, but as a story telling device which works very well.
This is definitely a movie that needs to be watched twice. Once to learn the story, and once (or more times if you like it) to pick up on the detail. Some feel that Cameron babies the audience being to obvious with he clues in this mystery, but I think the fact that there are four legitimate interpretations (according to Cameron on the DVD commentary) means that the audience is given a chance to fill in blanks with their imagination.
There is a pocket of negative reaction that swirls around this film and I want to address that. First, much of it comes from people who saw and loved Abre Los Ojos. This is expected. If you've seen Abre Los Ojos before Vanilla Sky, I don't fault you for not liking Vanilla Sky. 99% of remakes never live up to the original in the viewer's mind. I myself have not seem ALO. Second, there is a certain number of people who just dislike Tom Cruise. Understandable to an extent, but try to go into a movie with an open mind. Third, I think some people went into this thinking, "Feel-good, romantic comedy with some action spliced in" and came out completely surprised by what this movie really jumped in to. This is the fault of Crowe and the marketing. Unless you saw ALO and knew this was a remake, it's understandable how some people were disappointed. Fourth, it's a movie that takes some time. Not everyone wants that. Many want instant gratification.
All told, I like this movie very much. The music's incredible, the acting is very good. 9 out of 10 is my rating. Both those who like Vanilla Sky and those who were disappointed with the fact that Cameron has his Edmund Ventura character explain much of the plot at the end would do well in checking out Donnie Darko, a somewhat similar movie in genre with much more subtlety. Still, Vanilla Sky deserves it's due as a good movie.