Vanilla Sky

Summary

“That means something!”

Paramount Pictures has recently released the film Vanilla Sky on their Paramount Presents Blu-ray line. The release features a new transfer from a 4K scan and a DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround track that is possibly repurposed from the prior release. I was extremely excited to revisit the film, which I had not seen in about a decade. Vanilla Sky came out in 2001 to extremely divisive reviews from critics and audiences alike. The film’s media push was bolstered by the offscreen romance from the recently disentangled Tom Cruise and the beautiful Penelope Cruz. The film was based around an acclaimed Mexican film called Abre Los Ojos, which also starred Penelope Cruz in the same role she plays in Vanilla Sky. When I first saw Vanilla Sky, I had seen the original film, and I actually considered the remake the superior picture (despite some issues that I will point out in the review.) I was really taken by the way that Crowe had adapted the picture and thought several elements of the new film were brilliant. For a large and expensive studio production, Vanilla Sky swings for the fences and takes a lot of risks. Some of those risks pay off, and some of those ideas fall somewhat flat. Regardless, it remains one of the more interesting pictures in both Tom Cruise’s and Cameron Crowe’s filmographies. I settled in and watched the film last night.

The film begins in a dream. David Aames (Tom Cruise) drives his Ferrari 250 GTO into Times Square. It’s empty. The television screens show content but there is not a person in sight. He runs and hollers before being awoken by a voice saying, “Open your eyes.” David has everything that a person could ask for. He is extremely wealthy from the inheritance given to him from his deceased media magnate father, he is strikingly handsome, he owns an amazing apartment in New York City and a Ferrari 250 GTO. The world is his oyster. His best friend is a struggling novelist named Brian Shelby (Jason Lee,) and David is having casual sex with Brian’s dream girl Julie Gianni (Cameron Diaz.) David is not an extremely caring person in terms of other people’s feelings. He is brash and arrogant, but he gets by on his looks and money. David does not reciprocate the emotional context of his sexual acts with Julie, and essentially just uses her. At a party in David’s apartment, Brian bring a beautiful date with him named Sofia Serrano (Penelope Cruz.) David charms Sofia away from Brian, while the jealous Julie looks on. Sofia and David spend one night together, and David is excited about the prospect of seeing Sofia in the future. As he leaves the apartment, Julie pulls up alongside him in her car and offers him a ride. He accepts the ride without the knowledge that it would change his life forever. Julie explains that the sex had meant much more to her than to him and in a psychotic fit she crashes the car with David and herself in it. From this point forward the movie becomes a very different type of film with some psychological horror and science fiction aspects revolving around the dramatic aspects. I don’t want to say too much, but it is a wild ride.

Vanilla Sky will always be a divisive film with fans and detractors. I have always admired the film for the amount of risks that it takes, and I think that the finale of the picture is extremely well executed. I think one of the reasons why people have had a hard time enjoying the film is that the protagonist of the film is by no means a saint. He is completely selfish and without his good looks the character is completely unable to function in the world without pitying himself and becoming incredibly creepy and obsessive. For Tom Cruise, it’s another big leap for the actor in terms of risk taking roles, but this was a really great period for risk taking for Cruise. He had just appeared in Magnolia, Eyes Wide Shut, and had spearheaded John Woo as director for Mission Impossible II. I think his performance in Vanilla Sky ranks as one of his best, even if the character makes me upset. As the film moves towards the psychological thriller aspect with David discussing things with the psychiatrist played by Kurt Russell, the film veers towards uncomfortable subject matter including domestic abuse, depression, murder, and other outré subjects. It is not exactly a feel-good movie and I imagine that this turned off numerous viewers of the picture that might have seen the stars in the picture and the director and thought it would be a lighthearted romantic comedy like Jerry Maguire. For all of these reasons, I have always enjoyed and respected Vanilla Sky. Abre Los Ojos is an enjoyable film, but Cameron Crowe managed to take the ideas behind that picture and deliver those ideas in a more compelling way.

That isn’t to say that there are not some flaws in the picture. First and foremost, some of the dialogue makes me cringe. I have always thought the scene where Penelope Cruz asks if David would rather listen to “Vicki Carr or Jeff Buckley?” is unrealistic fanboy pandering. When Cameron Crowe writes a dream girl, musical taste is an important aspect, but this sequence has always stuck out like a sore thumb. The film sometimes feels like a mix list put together by Cameron Crowe with images attached to it instead of like a film with a soundtrack attached to it. I think in many cases this approach works i.e. the music chosen for the Times Square sequence, the inclusion of Sigur Ros music, or especially the two Radiohead songs taken from Kid A and Amnesiac for the picture, but there are times where this approach seems to miss the mark or dates the film i.e. the R.E.M. song featured. I will say – the opening sequence featuring “Everything in It’s Right Place” and the finale featuring “Ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space” by Spiritualized are absolutely perfect musical moments. Like other aspects of the film, Crowe swings for the fences and occasionally misses.

The film features some really wonderful performances. Cameron Diaz has never been better in anything than her performance as Julie Gianni. Aside from being striking, she makes the audience feel completely the psychosis and depth of the hurt that the character feels. It’s really something to watch and makes me wish that she was given more roles of that ilk. I have already spoken to how impressive Tom Cruise is in the picture, but it ranks as one of his best roles. Kurt Russell is great as the caring jail-house psychiatrist. Jason Lee is well cast as the struggling artist best friend dependent upon David’s support. Penelope Cruz is one of the most beautiful people in the world in my opinion and on top of that she is a phenomenally talented actress. I love her in the Pedro Almodovar films and I love her here at her most charming. There is not a bad performance in the lot.

The direction by Cameron Crowe is solid. There are some quick cuts and other techniques that are very much of the film’s time, but most of what he attempts works to the film’s advantage. The cinematography by John Toll is wonderful. Crowe was working with many of the same crew that had just worked with him on Almost Famous, and it is pretty incredible how different those two films look. There are some truly jaw dropping sequences in the film and I have no complaints as to how the picture looks. It is also worth pointing out that the song that Paul McCartney wrote for the film is great.

Overall – I feel like Vanilla Sky has aged really well. There are aspects and moments of the film that don’t hold up now, but I am not sure that they worked back then either. I respect the film for consistently allowing itself to go to darker places than the audience would expect and for pushing hard towards a truly unique finale. I was wowed by the film twenty years ago and revisiting it, I still found myself enamored with it. 

Video

The new transfer from a 4K scan by Paramount Pictures for their Paramount Presents label looks exceptional. As is the case on the other Paramount Presents releases, Vanilla Sky looks the best that it has ever looked. The film was released on Blu-ray in 2015 and the video was considered a bit of a letdown. Paramount has corrected any and all issues with the prior transfer with this release. Vanilla Sky is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. Fine detail is as good as possible on the Blu-ray format. Clarity is excellent with a nice layer of very fine grain over the picture lending a great filmic look. I watched the film on my 4K Epson projector screen and I was extremely happy with how the film looked on such a large screen. For Blu-ray video, this is about as good as it gets.

Audio

Paramount Pictures have provided a very well done DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround track. I am not sure if this is the same track that was featured on the prior release or not, but it sounds excellent. One of the best aspects (and occasionally an aspect that dates the film) is the amazing array of songs from that time period. Hearing Radiohead’s “Everything In It’s Right Place,” and “I Might Be Wrong” come through the speakers is a delight. The same can be said about hearing Sigur Ros and Spiritualized and the titular song by Paul McCartney. The mix is very active and I thought it sounded fantastic.

Supplements:

• Filmmaker Focus: Cameron Crowe on Vanilla Sky – the sole new feature on the disc is an enjoyable interview with Crowe who still seems very proud of the picture twenty years later.
• Alternate Ending – This is well worth watching if you have not seen it. This is nearly thirty minutes long and a VERY different approach to the final sequence. Check it out. With optional Crowe commentary.
• Prelude to a Dream
• Hitting it Hard
• An Interview with Paul McCartney
• Gag Reel
• Music Video “Afrika Shox” by Leftfield/Afrika Bambaataa 
• Photo Gallery with Audio Introduction by Photographer Neal Preston
• Mask Test – With optional Crowe commentary.
• Kurt Russell Single Take – With optional Crowe commentary.
• Trailers.
• Deleted Scenes – With optional Crowe commentary.
• Audio Commentary: Cameron Crowe and Nancy Wilson.

Overall Scores: 

Video – 5/5

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 4.5/5

Overall – 4.5/5

Vanilla Sky is a divisive film that I happen to really enjoy. Cameron Crowe and Tom Cruise take a lot of risks in the picture and most of those risks pay off beautifully, with a few misfires along the way. I like to revisit this film every now and then, but I had not seen it in about ten years. I really enjoyed revisiting the film, especially since Paramount Presents has done a fantastic job of bringing the film into the new decade with an excellent 1080p transfer from a new 4K scan. The film has simply never looked better, and the Blu-ray pushes the boundaries of how good a film can look on the Blu-ray format. The supplemental package is very good, even if the sole new supplement is just a brief interview with Cameron Crowe. Until we get a UHD of the film, this will be the definitive release. Highly recommended.