Underrated Gem Vanilla Sky Is Getting A New Blu-Ray For Its 20th Anniversary
The criminally underrated "Vanilla Sky" is getting a new Blu-ray to mark the 20th Anniversary of the Cameron Crowe film. A remake of Alejandro Amenábar's 1997 Spanish film "Open Your Eyes," "Vanilla Sky" stars Tom Cruise as a billionaire going through some stuff, to say the. least. "Ah, great, just what we need! Another movie about a rich white person and his problems!" you might be saying, and you're not wrong. But hear me out: "Vanilla Sky" rules, and we should all appreciate it more.
20 Years of Vanilla Sky
This is bound to be a controversial statement, but I don't care for the work of Cameron Crowe. And yes, that includes "Almost Famous," perhaps his best-loved movie. I don't fault anyone for liking/loving "Almost Famous," but I've just never enjoyed the movie (save for the scenes featuring Philip Seymour Hoffman). But there is one Cameron Crowe movie I unabashedly love, and that would be "Vanilla Sky." Not everything in "Vanilla Sky" works, and the original film that inspired it, "Open Your Eyes," is damn good on its own. But I love how big and weird "Vanilla Sky" is. I love that Tom Cruise spends a large chunk of the movie wearing a creepy rubber mask or covered in prosthetics. I love how the film is constantly unmoored as it embraces dream logic. We need more movies like this – movies where directors use their clout to land a big budget and then go crazy instead of playing it safe.
In "Vanilla Sky," we follow
the story of a young New York City publishing magnate who finds himself on an unexpected roller-coaster ride of romance, comedy, suspicion, love, sex and dreams in a mind-bending search for his soul.
Starring Tom Cruise, Penélope Cruz, Kurt Russell, Jason Lee, Noah Taylor, and Cameron Diaz (with a fun Tilda Swinton cameo to boot), "Vanilla Sky" is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and Paramount is marking the occasion with a new Blu-ray remastered from a new 4K film transfer under Cameron Crowe's supervision. The Blu-ray arrives on November 16, 2021, with new bonus material.
Vanilla Sky Blu-ray Special Features
And just what does that bonus material include, you ask? Here you go:
- Filmmaker Focus: Cameron Crowe on Vanilla Sky (HD)—NEW!
- Commentary by Cameron Crowe & Nancy Wilson
- Alternate Ending with Optional Commentary by Cameron Crowe (HD)
- Prelude to a Dream (SD)
- Hitting It Hard (SD)
- An Interview with Paul McCartney (SD)
- Gag Reel (SD)
- Music Video "Afrika Shox" by leftfield/afrika bambaataa (SD)
- Photo Gallery with Audio Introduction by photographer Neal Preston (HD)
- Mask Test with Optional Commentary by Cameron Crowe (HD)
- Kurt Russell single take with Optional Commentary by Cameron Crowe (HD)
- Trailers (SD)
- Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Cameron Crowe (HD)
- Credits (HD)
Okay, as you can see, there's only really one new special feature. But having a newly remastered edition of this film available on Blu-ray is great news on its own, and I can't wait to scoop this one up in November. Until then, I'll see you in another life where were are both cats.