Open Your Eyes
1997
Directed by Alejandro Amenabar
"Life is a dream" is a theorem put forth by many unimaginative stoners and really, it is an issue I couldn't care less about. So what if it is? It's real to me. This is a film that promises some profound message, but really ends up saying nothing at all.
Cesar, a sexy playboy meets his best friend's new girlfriend, Sofia, and immediately falls for her (it's Penelope Cruz, so really, who could blame him?). This meeting excites the jealousy of his crazed ex lover Nuria. After Cesar spends the night at Sofia's, Nuria pulls up to her flat. She offers him sex and a ride. Cesar gets in (I will suppress making a statement about the nature of men for the benefit of all my male readers) and Nuria crashes the car, intent on killing them both. Cesar survives, but is horribly disfigured. And then...well, I am really not sure what happens.
I just recently saw Vanilla Sky with a friend and thought it was absolutely terrible. I was so grateful that it was over and that I would never have to watch it again. Then I discovered that this was on The List. You know, that's just the way things are going recently.
I was surprised by how similar this was to Vanilla Sky, at least until the ending. I would still call this a vast improvement, mainly because of the cast. I couldn't stand Tom Cruise or Cameron Diaz in the remake. I should really stop talking about Vanilla Sky, as Open Your Eyes shouldn't be blamed for the sins of its posterity.
Okay, I am not saying I would handle facial disfigurement any better than Cesar would, but damn, his behavior was obnoxious to watch. The scene in the club was one of the most cringeworthy scenes I have ever watched in a movie. The Phantom of the Opera handled himself better and he lived in a weird lair under the opera house.
So the story really didn't interest me, but I suppose the acting and cinematography were just fine. Much better than Vanity Sky anyway.
RATING: **---
Interesting Facts:
Tom Cruise reportedly was on his phone trying to get the remake rights by the time the credits rolled.
No comments:
Post a Comment