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Reviews
Vanilla Sky (2001)
See the Spanish version first!!!!
If you look closely, you'll see that a Spanish version of this movie (entitled "Open Your Eyes" -- English translation) appeared about 4 years before the U.S. release of Vanilla Sky. Same story, same characters, and in the role of Sofia, same actress -- Penelope Cruz.
Try to watch them both and see the effect of "Americanizing" a movie. This is an American reproduction of a Spanish original. The reproduction has everything American -- Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, even a "newly discovered" Penelope Cruz -- in place of the Spanish originals.
The original was cast with actors, the copy was cast with stars.
Pete 'n' Tillie (1972)
Subtle, clever. Long live Matthau.
The dialog between Matthau and Carol Burnett is in itself worth the price of admission.
Watch Mathhau's delivery. Watch how he communicates his own appreciation for his lines -- his smug self-satisfaction almost makes us believe that he wrote this stuff himself.
Definitely not for Bruce Willis fans.
Do You Wanna Dance? (1999)
Well Intentioned but Sophmoric
I always find it encouraging and refreshing to see a film whose purpose is to uplift its audience and remind us that there is a lot of good and a lot of innocence left in the world. Having seen this film at a local festival (at which the author appeared), I was enthusiastic about the subject matter and the message. I also enjoy supporting the independent filmmaker.
For these reasons, the movie was all the more disappointing. Characters were superficially developed, and the messages, as well as the dialogue, seemed trite and simplistic. From time to time, these tendencies became so exaggerated that I felt a bit embarrassed for the actors. And despite his best efforts, I had difficulty shaking Robert Costanzo's (as Father Chris) history of portraying thugs and Mafia caricatures. Even the name "Father Chris" became distracting -- could we possibly have found a more stereotypical name for a Greek priest?
"Do You Wanna Dance" tried hard to bring a tear to my eye. Call me cynical, but the film only succeeded in bringing a smirk to my face.