Skip to content

mystery

Vanilla Sky * Cameron Crowe * 2001

There is a strange story to this film. In 1997 there was the film “Abre Los Ojos” (“open your eyes”) of Alejandro Amenábar (best known for “Tesis”, the inspiration for “8MM”). Tom Cruise liked it so much that he wanted it in the USA, but since the film is in Spanish, he decided that an English version should be made. Since Amenábar had moved to Hollywood to make his first big film, he didn’t have time for “Vanilla Sky”. Cruise, however, decided to give Amenábar an extra chance by producing “The Others” (with Nicole Kidman who just broke with Cruise). Also Cruise produced “Vanilla Sky” and hired Cameron Crow (“Almost Famous”, “Jerry McGuire”) to make it.

“Vanilla Sky” is almost identical to “Abre Los Ojos” and Cruise is said to have said that he sees “Vanilla Sky” more as a ‘cover’ of “Abre…” than a remake. Of course there are different actors, different locations, etc. but mostly the rest is the same. There are some differences though, but I will leave it upto you to detect them.

The story is about a David Aames (names from “Vanilla Sky”, they are different) who has experienced nothing but luck in his life. He got the 51% of the stocks of his fathers publishing houses when his father died and David is massively popular under women, personell and associated companies. He does live ‘the easy way’ too much which brings him trouble sometimes, but there is actually no way how anybody could do him any harm.
David has a ‘fucking mate’ in the beautiful Cameron Diaz, but falls in love with Sofia (Penélope Cruz plays the same part in both films!!), when his best friend Brian brings her to his birthday party. David spends the night with Sofia and when he wants to go home, he is waited for by Julie (Diaz) who asks him for a ride. Julie drives the car off a bridge. She gets killed, David is extremely deformed when he comes out of his coma.

After this there is the stuggle of getting Sofia back, keeping his job, remaining friends with Brian and learning to live with his deformity. Eventually David does win the heart of Sofia back, keeps his job, but looses Brian, it seems…

The film is ‘told’ in a ‘reality’, a ‘real reality’, dreams and flashbacks and gets more and more confusing towards the end. I didn’t like the “Existenz”/”Matrix” type idea too much, but there is a massive atmosphere, great filming, good acting and fortunately Cruz is just as beautiful as in the original (I had fears about this, since among some films she did between “Abre…” and “Vanilla Sky” were a few in which she didn’t look that great) and this is definately the driving-factor of the film.

What is quite remarkable is that “Vanilla Sky” is just as good, if not better than “Abre Los Ojos” and left me with the same feeling. As mentioned, some elements are different, there is more explaining in the American version (of course, the mass audience doesn’t want to think) and the end of “Abre…” is more beautiful, but the filming, locations and atmosphere are in both films great. Also “Vanilla Sky” remained a strange and not everyday film and is actually still not for the big audience in my opinion, but it seems to do well.

And something that you may have heard, Cruise and Cruz fell in love during (or just before?) the shooting of this film. Some critics say that this doesn’t show at all, some say it does. I agree with the second group.

My advise: get “Abre Los Ojos” from the videostore and enjoy it (or even better, try and see it on the big screen) and go to see “Vanilla Sky” a week later. Prove that even a remake can be good and this is really an exception I think.

Utopía * María Ripoll * 2003

And another Spanish film, but this one is spoken in Spanish too. Here we have a ‘supernatural thriller’, but not with the ‘mystique’ as in the Hollywood films in this vein, there ar no questions that you have to answer yourself or wait for the end of the film. “Utopía” is a group of clairvoyants trying to help people with their gift. In the case where the film is about, they try to save a young woman who is held hostage by some kind of drugs-group / sect. The film has nice cutting, camera stands and effects to add to the idea of the visions and is rather grim at times. In general it is mainly a police-thriller, especially towards the end. Not bad at all.

Twin Peaks – Fire Walk With Me * David Lynch * 1992

This film is actually a weak afterbirth of the popular Twin Peaks series. Having left the viewers with many unanswered questions after the series, Lynch returned with “the chilling truth behind Laura’s final days”. Indeed you get to see who killed her, but real answers aren’t here either. Fortunately! Watching this film I actually have to conclude that it may well be almost as good as the series themselves. It is much darker, far much stranger and Lynch really seemed to have wanted to give everyone who wanted simple answers a punch in the face. Not the answers people were waiting for for sure! A lovely film that you really shouldn’t watch before you saw the series.

Of course I saw this one many years ago, but recently I bought the UK DVD. No extras whatsoever, but who gives a damn.

Twin Peaks – the first season special edition DVD * David Lynch * 1990/2002

Without a doubt “Twin Peaks” is the best thing that ever happened in television-history. Reshown on several TV-stations several times, but now we have been ‘Peaksless’ for far too many years. Long ago the complete series have been made available on video. You can either look for the tapes, but I believe they are still obtainable when you know your sources. Too long after the introduction of the DVD “Twin Peaks” is available again. First in America of course, a few weeks ago Europe followed.

The editions are very different though. The European version is twice as expensive as the American version. One reason for this may be that the European version includes the pilot and the American doesn’t (…). Hoping that the American version would instead include the first episode (there is actually a pilot AND a first episode), I got the American version with the idea that I would get the pilot later. However the count starts at episode 1, this is not the first episode! Laura has already been found, Dale Cooper is already in Twin Peaks and you are already supposed to know the characters. That is really too bad, because I would have loved to get both the pilot and the first episode…

Anyway, the first series are episodes 1 to 7. Two episodes per disc plus extras on the fourth disc. Also there are some extras on the discs with the episodes, like introductions by the log-lady.

I am not going to tell you about the series. I AM going to tell you about the “special edition DVD” though. It comes in a cardboard box that you can unfold until you can place/take four discs and a small booklet. The artwork is beautiful. The box comes in a plastic slip with the picture of Laura Palmer and when you take the box out, you get the ‘wrapped in plastic’ look of her. 7 Times 45 minutes. Hell, I will have re-viewed them in a week and then I will have to wait for the second series which aren’t available yet… A Peaks-freaks must-buy!

Sleepy Hollow * Tim Burton * 1999

It has been a while since I saw this film in the cinema, now it was already on TV. A real Tim Burton film with a strange atmosphere, weird stages retelling the often-told myth of the headless horseman. Johnny Dep had a very nice part which he plays quite well. Ah well, I suppose most of you have seen the film by now. A ‘horror’ for the entire family with a great soundtrack.

Signs * M. Night Shyamalan * 2002

I actually didn’t want to see this film. I didn’t like “Sixth Sense” (of the same director) and “Others” and didn’t even watch the rest of the ‘supernatural thrilllers’ In the end I got “Signs” in a cheap rental-pack of 5 others. Anyway, I will be short about this one: it is terrible!!. This film comes way after the X-Files-hype was over, the story stinks and is incorrect and unbelievable on several points, the acting isn’t too great, but especially the aliens are a catastrophe! They look like men with suits on…

Session 9 * Brad Anderson * 2001

I had never heard of this film, nor of the director, but the very short story on the back of the box was interesting enough to get it and see it. What a nice surprise! Good to see that there are still films with an original story, minimal setting but still a good atmosphere.

Five men get the major job to clean a massive building that used to be a mental instution from asbestos. The institute is remote, enormous, in a progressed state of decay and at places shows what used to go on there. ‘Advanced’ methods of treatment which you see nothing off, but the suggestion gives the film a nice grim atmosphere. Also the title is brilliantly come up with. When the film starts you don’t know what it refers to, in the beginning of the film you do, but you know you will have to wait for what it really it. As the film continues doubts raise whether what you see if real or illusion and this question isn’t answered.
A very nice surprise, finally a good thriller/horror from hollywood with a good claustrophobic atmosphere.

El Segundo Nombre * Franciso Plaza * 2002

the second name

When I saw this DVD in the videoshop I thougt that it was of the director of “Los Sin Nombre”, but I was mistaken. It is a Spanish film, but spoken in (bad) English. “El Segundo Nombre” is supposed to be a dark, ‘religious’ thriller in the vein of “Se7en”, but is it doesn’t come close to it. The story is about a woman whose father commits suicide. Later his body is stolen from his grave and it was later found back ritually mutilated. Daniella wants to find out why. Then the story starts to twitch, bringing up a centuries old Jewish sect in which ritual sacrifice is still obliged. A pretty dull film.

Saw * James Wan * 2004

“Saw” is the horror-hit of the moment. Even though it is made by a Japanese director, the film is pretty American. As a matter of fact, “Saw” joyously builds further on the trend of dark and extreme horror/thrillers about serial killers. Not too original. What may have caused the popularity of this film, is that it goes quite a bit further than “Silence of the Lambs, “Se7en” or “Ressurection”. But again there is a serial killer loose with ‘moral’, showing his victims what fails in society. The film is about two men who find themselves chained to pipes in an old toilet-room. One of them knows about a serial killer who plays games with his victims. Either they do something terrible or they will die. “Technically he isn’t a killer, since he didn’t kill anyone”, a police-officer says about the “Jigsaw” killer, which is true. “Saw” is a deeply psychological and very extreme film with as underlaying question: “how much blood would you shed to stay alive?” Killing a person, mutilating yourself, the victims get their choices and the Jigsaw enjoys the show.
I don’t think I heard anyone who didn’t think this film is brilliant. Personally I don’t think it is particularly good. The story is not very original, like I said, yet another ‘moralistic serial killer’. The ways the victims die are extreme in their geniosity, but also extremely far-fetched and not credible. Also there are actually two ‘cases’ that we follow in the film, but with flashbacks your get to see about other victims for the sole purpose of Wan being able to show what can come out of his sick mind. Don’t get me wrong, if you want a dark and extreme horror, this is your film, but script is in a way ingenious, but I get a bit tired of all these ‘intelligent horror films’ about serial killers. And then of course a sequal is already anounced, not even by the same director. The lack of inspiration of the filmbusiness…

The Ring Two * Hideo Nakata * 2005

I have been in doubt whether or not to go and see this film. The first American Ring was alright, but didn’t quite have the atmosphere of the originals. Then there were two Ju-Ons of which the first was remade by the original director and this film WAS kept mostly in the Japanese style. Then Nakata himself was going to make the second American Ring. I read both positive and negative reviews and decided to just go for it.
Well, “The Ring Two” is pretty boring. Is has become totally American with fright-moments instead of atmosphere and additions to the story to make it more interesting. This American Ring two isn’t just a remake of one of the Japanese Ringu films, but an entirely new film, more or less with a new story. This is positive in my opinion, there is at least SOME surprise left when you know all of the Japanese films. But, like I said, “The Ring Two” is not too entertaining, but still alright to see some time.