SCREENING LOG - 12/10-12/16, 2001

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Last week I watched Vanilla Sky and Wittgenstein. Gad, what did I do last week if I only watched two movies?

Vanilla Sky (2001, dir. Cameron Crowe)

A puzzling but entertaining romance/sci fi thriller that, if anything, picks up where EYES WIDE SHUT left off, as a deconstruction of that toothy nexus of narcissism named Tom Cruise. One could even consider this to be Cruise's attempt to make a Stanley Kubrick movie without Kubrick (the film shares thematic similarities with not only EYES WIDE SHUT, but also A.I. -- the protagonists of both films even share the same name). I haven't seen the original OPEN YOUR EYES, but regardless of whether this version is a shot-by-shot remake, Crowe and Cruise manage to make the film totally Tom (Crowe lends his trademark VH1 poshness to the proceedings, but his skills are subordinated to the task of making Cruise's rampant self-absorption palatable to mass audiences). People just looking for a good movie to watch will find strong performances (Penelope Cruz does her best job yet at looking like she belongs in Hollywood, and a sexually fearsome Cameron Diaz proves once again that she's an underrated talent) and buoyant storytelling -- as for the ending, they're on their own. Fundamentals aside, I found the film to be Cruise's most personal statement on the nature of his star quality, especially, surprisingly, the moral dilemmas involved (yes, Tom Cruise has moral dilemmas!). I don't think it all comes together, but there's certainly a lot going on.

Wittgenstein (1993, dir. Derek Jarman)

Hey, I found a common theme in my two films this week: "the suffering of men who think they're God's gift to the world." Here God's gift is Ludwig Wittgenstein, the man who made breakthroughs in understanding the linguistic dilemmas inherent in philosophy but had problems making his insights understood by others (as if to prove his own point). Controversial director Derek Jarman no doubt emphathises greatly with the idea of misunderstood genius, and does a neat trick in presenting Wittgenstein at an arm's distance -- through simple but vibrantly colorful tableaux enveloped in absolute blackness -- while keeping his raging personal dilemmas on a leash the audience can handle. The overall effect feels a bit dumbed down and precious but never less than serious and heartfelt. It's good enough for me to want to see other Jarman films, which I've heard are no less lacking in artful artifice.

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