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Monday, March 2, 2015

Open Windows (2014) Thriller

Open Windows (2014) - Sasha Grey is actress with an attitude Jill Goddard. Star of Dark Star: The Third Wave she is a sought after woman by fans around the world. One lucky fan Nick Chambers (Elijah Wood) thinks he has won a dinner with the actress but unfortunately the contest had been cancelled. Sadly he traveled all the way to Austin TX to have the meeting but is left hanging. In his hotel room he is contacted through his computer.  A hacker or some sort of guy on line gives Nick the opportunity to see the through all the devices at the convention. So Nick is hacking into the life of the actress after she cancelled his prize. One of the funny lines early in the film is that Jill Goddard has never shown her breast while we all know in real life that Sasha Grey made her name in porn. Not to disparage Miss Grey as she makes valid effort at leaving that behind and make her name as a non adult film actress but it a funny tongue in cheek reference.
The film very quickly goes from being a hacker helping a jolted fan get some spy time, to a weird and twisted and not believable thriller.  The technology being displayed early in the film is so unbelievable with access to all things around Nick. Chord (Neil Maskell) the voice on the other side of the is a hacker extraordinaire and leaves Nick set up to watch Goddard in her hotel room has a choice to make. He can or can spy if he wishes without anyone knowing. She is meeting her agent and lover, what will Nick do? You also have to mix in a wild card and in this case there are another group of hackers trying to impress Chord by cutting in on his feed. Only the thing is that Chord is already off  line so the guys are just talking to Nick. The situation gets set up where Nick is following directions and what seems like being played. Early in the film you have to think that this is an elaborate stunt being played on Nick by the movie people. There is too much already set up for the events to be anything but that. They have to jump through hoops to allow us to be able to suspend disbelief. They set it up that Nick must follow instructions and after he stun guns the agent he could be in trouble with the police so he is obliged to continue in this game.
  So much depends on the the viewers ability to accept the scenario of the hacker running Nick. This was the catch for me and I just could not get past it. Everything hinges and fails with this premise, especially since the end game seems to be making Nick guilty of crimes while the hacker what wants to see her tits? The film very quickly spins out of control with Hacker Chord an obvious crazed Goddard fan running things. Nick who in the turn ends up more than at first thought has the most unbelievable transformation. The three hackers who are helping him while they try to prove themselves to Nick who they believe is another famous hacker. It all gets even more outrageous as the plot thickens leaving the view either riding the roller coaster to the end or as in my case being annoyed and just wanting to see where it goes.
  There is certainly some messaging in this film about our voyeur society that constantly wants more and more from its celebrities. It is also about how we have (or imagine we have) the technology to see into the lives of  anyone with a device. This film has cameras in computers, phone and security systems to use as a window into the world of Miss Goddard and Nick. Even as Nick becomes mobile and enters his car, there is the transponder in the car, and those of the police cars to track. There is some mumbo jumbo about composite imaging multiple devices. It all culminates into a message about how all our electronics might be a window in the world none of us really wants.
  In the end this is a film that pushes boundaries of belief. The ridiculous wild plot twists lead this to the film just being too crazy for this viewer.  It did not really work for me but I could see it really being something many people could like. So no recommendation but I would not warn you away from it.

 

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