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Reviews
A Shot at Glory (2000)
Nowhere near as bad as I expected
A Shot at Glory is a frequently far-fetched but, to be fair, reasonably satisfying attempt at an underdog story in the wonderful world of Scottish football. Rangers and Scotland legend Ally McCoist plays Jackie McQuillan, an ageing ex-Celtic striker. He signs for a club in the 2nd division managed by his father-in-law (Robert Duvall) who hates him. However, Jackie wins over the fans and, ultimately, is father as his new team march on towards the Scottish Cup final.
What is perhaps most remarkable about this film (aside from Duvall's ludicrous Scottish accent) is McCoists above-average performance. He is convincing and actually quite involving in his role, although this could be due to him being more than familiar with a role of an ex-Old Firm striker signing for a club in the doldrums - hello, Kilmarnock.
If you're a fan of Scottish football, then I wholeheartedly recommend watching this film. It's probably easily the best film made about the game north of the border, and features lots of lower league favourites of the 90's such as Owen Coyle, Alan Lawrence, Derek McInnes and John Martin. Dundee United manager Ian McCall also gives an amusing performance as a centre-half who uses dirty tactics to get our hero McQuillan sent off.
The Rules of Attraction (2002)
Disappointing
By basing his screenplay on such an inventive and disturbing novel, Roger Avary had an excellent opportunity to create a movie that would both challenge and shock audiences. Unfortunately, this dumbed down (and worryingly homophobic - Sean and Paul's relationship is conveniently ignored by Avary) adaptation amounts to little more than American Pie with added drugs. Best avoided.
Vanilla Sky (2001)
Astounding soundtrack, and not a bad film either (minor spoilers)
While ultimately Vanilla Sky is not as good as Abre Los Ojos (the Spanish film on which it was based) it is still a very entertaining and though provoking film. Tom Cruise continues to surprise with his choice of roles, and he turns in another excellent performance as David Aames. Penelope Cruz and Jason Lee do not disappoint either as David's love interest and best friend respectively.
The film does manage to top the original in some areas too, particularly the now famous dream sequence in a deserted Times Square, which is far more effective than a similar scene in Abre Los Ojos. The way in which Crowe builds on the 'dream-world' concept by using pop culture references (a Bob Dylan album cover, characters from To Kill A Mockingbird) when creating David's fictional world is also fantastic.
However, despite all this, Vanilla Sky does have some annoying flaws. Julie Gianni, the character played by Cameron Diaz, does not actually appear all that insane or overbearing, making it difficult for the viewer to understand why Cruise rejects her in the first place, nevermind that this rejection would make Julie crazy enough to try and kill herself.
Also, the ending of Vanilla Sky (unlike that of Abre Los Ojos) does feel a little spoon-fed, as if Crowe (a very mainstream director) believes that the audience should not be left to figure out anything for themselves. This is a disappointing conclusion to what is otherwise a very thought provoking film.
Where this film's greatest triumph lies however is in the soundtrack, which is quite simply astounding. Much is made of Cameron Crowe's ability to pick out exactly the right song for the moment, and rightly so on this evidence. REM, Sigur Ros, Peter Gabriel, Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, Leftfield and Bob Dylan all appear and the selection, along with their positioning in the film, is absolutely flawless.
So, 10/10 for the soundtrack but only 7/10 for the film, which is unfortunately just not as good as Abre Los Ojos. Do try and see both films though, it'll be well worth your while.
Abre los ojos (1997)
A must see!
Abre Los Ojos is ultimately a far more rewarding experience than Vanilla Sky, Cameron Crowe's interpretation (copy) of this Spanish original. While Vanilla Sky is by no means a poor movie, the story is handled in an altogether more satisfactory manner in Abre Los Ojos. The ending in particular is far more convincing - perhaps because director Alejandro Amenábar realises that the viewer does not have to be spoonfed every single detail (as in Vanilla Sky) to enjoy such a challenging film. For those put off my Abre Los Ojos because it is in Spanish, don't be - the subtitles are very easy to follow and not distracting in the slightest. Even if you've already seen Vanilla Sky, make sure you see this - you won't be disappointed by this thought provoking and altogether fantastic movie.