Remember that movie, Vanilla Sky with Tom Cruise? Well, that movie was a remake of this one.

The plot is about a wealthy man who falls in love with this best friend’s love interest, and while at his birthday party, they head back to her house.  This is where all the shenanigans begins. Sort of. The next morning as he is leaving the girl’s house, a woman (from the party) followed him there and offers him a ride home, which he accepts. She goes crazy and crashes the car and from here on out it’s wtf is going on.

It’s a great movie. I saw the Vanilla Sky version before I saw this one, so I knew what was coming, which was too bad because this original is awesome. Oh, and it doesn’t have Tom Cruise in it, but Penélope Cruz is in it! FTW! Kinda cool they brought her back in Vanilla Sky playing the same part.

I’d recommend this movie over Vanilla Sky anyday. It is in Spanish, so subtitles all the way. I’ve seen it around named Permanent Midnight as well, and its original Spanish name, Abre los ojos.

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Open Your Eyes

Alejandro Amenábar (Writer). Artisan Entertainment 1997, DVD, $4.82

Schizopolis is a complete wtflick. I may even put it on the Top 10 List here. For most of the film, you can follow what’s going on. A corporate worker gets promoted and gets to write a speech for a successful writer.

As he struggles with the writing, he finds out that his wife is having an affair.

Steven Soderbergh (A Scanner Darkly, Traffic, Pleasantville, and others to his name) wrote and directed the film, showing his genius and madness at the same time. This is a must-see on the WTF movie list. Don’t pass it up.

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Schizopolis – Criterion Collection

Home Vision Entertainment 1997, DVD, $24.24

What a bizarre movie. The movie is about a schizophrenic guy trying to get his daughter back from a foster lady. I guess he broke out of the mental ward he was in, because I see no way they would let him out.

Within the first four minutes, he kills a girl and steals a car. I guess it’s gonna be a pretty interesting movie. Police get after him, or so he thinks and takes off to find his daughter.

The main character played by Peter Greene and is not his normal acting self we’ve come to know him as. I don’t know if schizophrenia is really like it is portrayed in the film, but I think he does a good job.

Pretty decent movie, reminds me of some David Cronenberg movies the way it’s shot and directed.

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Clean, Shaven – Criterion Collection

Criterion 1995, DVD, $17.99

I hadn’t heard of this Johnny Depp movie, but I’m a huge Depp fan, so I gave it a shot.

The movie is about an accountant from Cleveland heading out west because he was promised a job. Well, it took him two months to get there and the job was already filled. Distressed from having used all his money to travel and get that job, he goes to the saloon and buys a drink. Eventually meets a lady and goes to her place. Now to make a long story short, he kills the woman’s ex-boyfriend and is on the run from the law where he meets an Indian.

The movie might be a little slow, but it’s a typical Jim Jarmusch movie. Which is good, because I love his movies (Coffee and Cigarettes, Ghost Dog, Broken Flowers, etc). Filmed in black and white gave it the old western style look.

It’s a very good movie if you like Depp (there’s some other big names in it as well Gary Farmer, John Hurt, Billy Bob Thornton to name a few). It almost reminded me of a Tarantino movie a bit. I’d recommend this movie if you like either Jarmusch or Tarantino’s works.

Do you have any tobacco?

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Dead Man

Robby Müller (Cinematographer). Miramax 1996, DVD, $6.63

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Dead Man (1996) [Blu-ray]

2009, Blu-ray, $34.34