Open Windows (2014)

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Released in the same year as 'Unfriended', though not as widely seen, 90% of the action here likewise takes place on a single laptop screen with the camera darting between various open windows (hence the title), including a webcam of the protagonist. It is a very well paced movie and one that offers further proof of the ability of a single laptop screen to create a riveting thrill ride. Little can be revealed of the plot without ruining a fresh experience, but suffice it to say that it focuses on a nebbish who receives an invitation to spy on a famous actress through his laptop and then has trouble preventing a planned kidnapping without convicting himself. As such, 'Open Windows' plays into some interesting dilemmas faced by computer users in the voyeuristic era in which we live. At the same time though, the film mounts such a series of ludicrous twists (especially in the final fifteen minutes) that the convoluted nature of the plot detracts from the novel laptop screen format. And in terms of the laptop screen format, 'Unfriended' plays better into the anxieties that we all face when the internet or our computers do not work properly, however 'Open Windows' certainly puts a new spin on clicking on links from non-trusted sources. It is a decent enough thriller, but it is easy to see why the tighter scripted 'Unfriended' has found a larger audience over time.

Open Windows is a cyber thriller starring Elijah Wood and Sasha Grey. Wood plays Nick, the webmaster of a fan site dedicated to pretty, young actress Jill Goddard (Grey) who finds himself smack dab in the middle of intrigue when, after winning a contest that promises a date with the starlet, he finds that the rendezvous has been summarily canceled. But that ain't all, as they say.So one moment Frodo is watching Goddard and others at a convention, remotely from his hotel room (no invite?), and the next he's learning there is no date – from a mysterious voice in his laptop who's named himself Chord. Chord promises to set things aright, though; he can gain access to Jill's phone, and they can both have some fun – since, Chord claims, she's the one who broke off the dinner.Things kind of spiral out of control, with the twists becoming more ludicrous as they progress. Red herrings abound. But there was just enough intrigue to keep me mildly interested, because the movie is never entirely predictable. Cheesy, yes, but not predictable. I couldn't figure out the end game. Someone was obviously not who they seemed to be. Someone was obviously going to turn on someone. These things happen. So I kept looking for clues and, finding none, went with the flow.Problem #1: The movie is filmed similarly to a found-footage film in that scenes are viewed through webcam (or phone camera) footage. It's the kind of gimmick that one must stick with if it's introduced at the beginning. Which, yeah, this one is, and yeah, it's kept up throughout. But the gimmick just gets old – it's sort of like watching the opening to a complex theme park ride, where the protagonists explain all the things you the rider will experience. In other words, I wasn't immersed in the experienced as much as held at a voyeuristic arm's length.Problem #2: Elijah Wood, who I'm sure is a really nice guy and who made for a great Hobbit, doesn't quite have the gravitas needed for the role. I had trouble shaking the idea that he had somehow gotten a hold of his dad's credit card and booked a nice hotel room for himself and was now going on an adventure that would wind up with him getting bailed out by his older brother. I don't know, he just didn't feel right in the role. Like I said – probably a swell feller, but this is not his movie.Surprisingly, former porn star Sasha Grey is pretty satisfying as Jill Goddard. It's said she took the role because, as a recognizable star (of sorts) she's experienced fanboys. And it's a good role for her; she's pretty and believable as the Next Big Thing among actresses. It helps that she doesn't overact, melodramatically playing a vulnerable young woman. Seems to me that novice actors make that mistake all the time, that they just can't offer a nuanced performance. Grey's performance, although not flawless, definitely contains shades. Of Grey. See what I did there? Ultimately, Open Windows is kind of nonsensical, with an overly complex plot and a lackluster lead performance. Frankly, it's only because of Gray and the minute intrigue that this sucker gets four stars instead of only two.

In yet another case of filmmaking coincidence, "Open Windows" shares the same idea as another movie made around the same time ("Unfriended") - that idea being a "live" (or "real time") movie seen almost entirely through computer screens. This effort goes a step further by eventually getting the characters out and moving around, which I admit does help prevent the movie from getting tedious. There are certainly some creepy and suspenseful moments, though I have to admit I found them mostly in the first half of the movie. Eventually, the movie gets really hard to swallow, with some really unbelievable revelations and actions by the various characters. And when you start to think about the movie after watching it, you'll be able to realize some additional plot holes. Also, the French accents of several characters are so thick that their dialogue is really hard to make up at times. Despite these problems, I admit that I was never bored by the movie, but all the same I felt unsatisfied at its end. "Unfriended" did it better despite being cheaper and less elaborate.

The title is very attractive, but in my opinion the end product is just a mix of concepts that don't complement each other. "Open Windows" is easy to visualize because it involves suspense and plays with technology such as our everyday devices. The problem is that it doesn't go further into the themes it presents.Once all the action inside the hotel come to an end, the rest seems to go out wildly. Nacho Vigalondo imposes a breakneck pace ... the problem is that history doesn't keep up. At one point, I had to go back a few minutes to see if there was a logical thread connecting everything. I don't consider that the problem is on the technical side but in the text. The concepts are good, but the rest ...It is unfortunate that "Open Windows" waste the potential that its beginning promised.