I have the same argument, but in reverse. the two movies are so incredibly similar(except for right near the ending, which Open your eyes handled better in my opinion). But if Vanilla sky offers nothing new, then what is the point? There was absolutely no reason to make the film from an artistic point of view. It was entirely economic driven.
"Hey, if we put in tom cruise and english, we'll make lots of money!"  its a sad reason to make a film. and its even sadder that Vanilla sky has ruined Open your eyes for people like Bigpoppa. If somebody repainted the mona lisa, but painted a coke can in her hand, it wouldn't be praised, so why praise this rip off over its predecessor?