Our little Frodo is becoming quite the horror icon. Actor Elijah Wood might always be first associated with his role as the hobbit in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, but his dabbles in the horror genre should not be overlooked. After playing a serial killer in 2012's Maniac remake, Wood has also lent his talents to the thriller Grand Piano, the indie horror Cooties and presently as lead in Nacho Vigalondo's Open Windows.
Spanish director Vigalondo is best known for his brilliant Timecrimes (2007) and it has been 6 (too) long years since his last feature. With Open Windows, Vigalondo casts Elijah Wood as Nick Chambers who wins a contest to have dinner with his favorite celebrity, Jill Goddard (Sasha Grey). But when Jill seemingly cancels the date, a mysterious man by the name of Chord (Neil Maskell) contacts Nick and offers promises and ideas on how Nick salvage his trip to Austin and get close to his idol. Nick is too naïve to realize he is being used as a pawn in a dangerous cat-and-mouse game that is seen entirely through technology devices such as computers and camera screens. Nick follows Chord's orders and questions motives in necessary situations. But when Nick gets involved so deep that walking away from Chord's demands would lead to incarceration or worse, Nick has to devise his own plan to save both himself and Jill from the villains maniacal plans.
Open Windows is a complex thriller that demands your attention from start to finish. Answers to questions posed by the enigma of a plot are not spoon fed to the audience and those that go to movies to see talking transformer cars wreak havoc on our cities will be challenged to keep up with the overlapping story developments on display in Open Windows.
With the entire movie having been presented through the eyes of camera lenses and computer screens, Open Windows offers as unique a filmmaking experience you can find this year. With multiple windows opened on a screen there are plenty of things to watch and catch as things unfold and we can't imagine the complexity of post-production putting the pieces together.
Elijah Wood continues to show his versatility and although Sasha Grey does nothing to convince us that she is the next Meryl Streep she isn't a distraction either. Some of the other voice overs are less convincing in their conveyance of stress or urgency but again, the plot is thick enough that hanging on such trivial sidebars is a futile adventure.
Open Windows ends up being a two-viewing necessity. You might not understand everything or follow all plot points on the first go. But upon a repeat viewing, I am sure that Open Windows will serve itself as an adult and taut thriller that zig zags in unexpected directions until the curtains close.
www.killerreviews.com
Spanish director Vigalondo is best known for his brilliant Timecrimes (2007) and it has been 6 (too) long years since his last feature. With Open Windows, Vigalondo casts Elijah Wood as Nick Chambers who wins a contest to have dinner with his favorite celebrity, Jill Goddard (Sasha Grey). But when Jill seemingly cancels the date, a mysterious man by the name of Chord (Neil Maskell) contacts Nick and offers promises and ideas on how Nick salvage his trip to Austin and get close to his idol. Nick is too naïve to realize he is being used as a pawn in a dangerous cat-and-mouse game that is seen entirely through technology devices such as computers and camera screens. Nick follows Chord's orders and questions motives in necessary situations. But when Nick gets involved so deep that walking away from Chord's demands would lead to incarceration or worse, Nick has to devise his own plan to save both himself and Jill from the villains maniacal plans.
Open Windows is a complex thriller that demands your attention from start to finish. Answers to questions posed by the enigma of a plot are not spoon fed to the audience and those that go to movies to see talking transformer cars wreak havoc on our cities will be challenged to keep up with the overlapping story developments on display in Open Windows.
With the entire movie having been presented through the eyes of camera lenses and computer screens, Open Windows offers as unique a filmmaking experience you can find this year. With multiple windows opened on a screen there are plenty of things to watch and catch as things unfold and we can't imagine the complexity of post-production putting the pieces together.
Elijah Wood continues to show his versatility and although Sasha Grey does nothing to convince us that she is the next Meryl Streep she isn't a distraction either. Some of the other voice overs are less convincing in their conveyance of stress or urgency but again, the plot is thick enough that hanging on such trivial sidebars is a futile adventure.
Open Windows ends up being a two-viewing necessity. You might not understand everything or follow all plot points on the first go. But upon a repeat viewing, I am sure that Open Windows will serve itself as an adult and taut thriller that zig zags in unexpected directions until the curtains close.
www.killerreviews.com