This…is a revolution of the mind. We’re screaming for tech support with Cameron Crowe’s 2001 mind-bendy romantic thriller Vanilla Sky.

Somewhat-aging playboy rich kid David Aames, Jr. (Tom Cruise) skates by as the nominal figurehead of his late father’s publishing house, barely working, lounging in his sprawling penthouse with his casual friend-with-benefits, aspiring actress Julie GIanni (Cameron Diaz), and palling around with novelist friend Brian (Jason Lee). But he finds himself lovestruck after a brief encounter with beautiful, mysterious Spanish guest Sofia (Penélope Cruz) at his birthday party - a liaison cut short when a jealous Julie decides that if she can’t have him, no one can.

Crowe was coming off a hot streak - widely beloved romantic megahit Jerry Maguire pairing him with the super powerful Cruise, and OSCAR-winning passion project Almost Famous confirming him as a filmmaker who had the power to get the greenlight for whatever he might want to turn his hand to. That hand was turned to a big bucks remake of twisty Spanish thriller Abres los Ojos, that beefed up the visual trickery and injected a huge dose of Crowe’s pop culture fixations to boot. But was this a triumphant victory lap, or an indulgent misfire? Join our duplicitous board as we enter a lucid dream of frozen dogs, hand-painted snowboards, vivid demo CDs and feline reincarnation.

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If you have a film you’d like the gang to tackle, send us an email at rewindmoviepodcast@gmail.com. For introductions, essays, playlists, and the full back catalogue of episodes and specials, find us at rewindmoviecast.com.

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