udkyle Reviews

The Drew Carey Show (1995–2004)

ABC killed this show

[5/10 · 3 February 2005]

I was a big fan of the show when it was on, and I've been watching a lot of the episodes again in syndication. Drew Carey was always a funny stand up. The cast was great...Ryan Stiles and Diedrich Baker are two very underrated guys in playing comedy, and Craig Ferguson was always fun to watch.

Maybe the show ran its course and it was smart for Drew to close it out on a high note, and wrap the series up nicely with a final episode, but I can't help but think that ABC killed this show.

The show was a staple of the network for so many years, and it finally began to slip in the ratings a little and ABC got worried to quickly and juggled it around to a bunch of different time slots. Add that with the reality TV craze, and a show like the Drew Carey Show which I think cost quite a bit to produce became obsolete very quickly.

That's a nice thank you after the show and the show's main actor did a lot to help the network.

A lot of people peg Christa Miller leaving the show as the down turn. I don't think so. Cynthia Watros was did a decent job for having to come in 7 years into a series and take over the lead actress role. The series was still funny and could have been had ABC left it alone.

Sadly, the final season was run completely out of order with large gaps in between air time which made it nearly impossible to keep track of.

Hopefully, they'll release it on DVD to give this very underrated and funny show a proper sendoff.

Vanilla Sky (2001)

Having re-watched it last night...

[8/10 · 13 June 2004]

Vanilla Sky still is one of the better movies I've seen in recent years. I will note for the record that I have not seen "Abre Los Ojos," but I think I'm going to check it out after this

There are several reasons I enjoy this movie. One, the acting. Yes, the acting. I'm sorry, but Tom Cruise actually does a very good job in this movie. Cruise is not a great actor in general, but he's seems perfectly suited for the David Aames role (draw whatever conclusions you want about Tom from that.) and does a very good job in what is by far his best performance to date. Penelope Cruz is very charming as Sofia Serrano because she's basically the antithesis of David Aames, but plays it in a very warm and cute way. Kurt Russell, Cameron Diaz, Jason Lee, Timothy Spall, and Noah Taylor are all worth mentioning. It is an outstanding supporting cast.

The greatest asset of the movie is the music. From Nancy Wilson's score to the songs chosen, it is flawless. Cameron Crowe uses the music of this film not just to set mood, but as a story telling device which works very well.

This is definitely a movie that needs to be watched twice. Once to learn the story, and once (or more times if you like it) to pick up on the detail. Some feel that Cameron babies the audience being to obvious with he clues in this mystery, but I think the fact that there are four legitimate interpretations (according to Cameron on the DVD commentary) means that the audience is given a chance to fill in blanks with their imagination.

There is a pocket of negative reaction that swirls around this film and I want to address that. First, much of it comes from people who saw and loved Abre Los Ojos. This is expected. If you've seen Abre Los Ojos before Vanilla Sky, I don't fault you for not liking Vanilla Sky. 99% of remakes never live up to the original in the viewer's mind. I myself have not seem ALO. Second, there is a certain number of people who just dislike Tom Cruise. Understandable to an extent, but try to go into a movie with an open mind. Third, I think some people went into this thinking, "Feel-good, romantic comedy with some action spliced in" and came out completely surprised by what this movie really jumped in to. This is the fault of Crowe and the marketing. Unless you saw ALO and knew this was a remake, it's understandable how some people were disappointed. Fourth, it's a movie that takes some time. Not everyone wants that. Many want instant gratification.

All told, I like this movie very much. The music's incredible, the acting is very good. 9 out of 10 is my rating. Both those who like Vanilla Sky and those who were disappointed with the fact that Cameron has his Edmund Ventura character explain much of the plot at the end would do well in checking out Donnie Darko, a somewhat similar movie in genre with much more subtlety. Still, Vanilla Sky deserves it's due as a good movie.

Vanilla Sky (2001)

Why people dislike this movie...

[8/10 · 4 December 2003]

I for one really like this movie for some reasons I'll go into late but I want to touch on why I think people don't like it. First off, there are people out there who just like to hate Tom Cruise. I don't understand it really. Second, Cameron Crowe I think successfully p***es off two groups of movie-goers with this film. The casual, relaxed, "not looking to think too hard" group of movie-goers are left confused when the plot takes a complete 180 at the end of the movie. And the deep, philosophical, mystery-fans are devastated when Crowe has one of his characters completely explain the mystery.

This is a good movie. And Tom Cruise does a very good job in it. I think it's probably his best performance from what I've seen all though I haven't seen all of his movies, or even a majority of them probably. The supporting cast is good as well. Penelope Cruz gives a solid performance and Jason Lee was enjoyable.

I like the story, and I think that's what Vanilla Sky is more than anything. It's a mystery, an adventure, and a romantic comedy, but it's mostly just a good story. And it has a lot of philosophical undertones to it, and many similar ideas and stories like this occur in historical philosophy. David Aames (Cruise) is the man that had everything he wanted, more or less lost it, was given a second chance with a catch to regain it all back, and in the end facing his demons and the full scope of what is happening, chooses reality, simplicity, and normality to see if he can finally find the one thing he could never get a grip on: happiness.

Many people were disappointed that Crowe laid out the complete mystery at the end. I think it's necessary. The audience then knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that David is aware of his circumstances and it makes the choice at the end all the more powerful.

And the music in the movie is great. It's probably what makes the movie as enjoyable as it is. Particularly, "Njosnavelin" by Sigur Ros, which is an amazing song.

All in all, I'd give it 3 out 4 stars. It's a movie with some substance for those who like to think things through, and a great story for those looking to relax. That "moderate" approach is probably why people dislike it so much because it isn't a full blown mystery, or a full blown love story. It mixes and matches different elements and genres.