Open Window

Open Windows

Open windows is twisted, swervy plot that takes place completely in computer window screens and monitors. The conceit is a super fan (Elijah Wood) of a star wins a date with super starlet (Sasha Gray) only to get canceled at a last minute. A strange caller calls and gives him access to all her personal cell phones files and laptop info giving him birds eyes views. Things get crazy as the callers becomes more and more sinister.  If you like this movie depends on two things. One is, rather you can follow a protagonist that kind of creepy and pervey. The second is reather you think the road to the destination is more important than the destination. Because let me tell you the destination at the end of this movie is some old bullshit. I like to tell you you’re going to Disney land but really you going to grand old bullshit factory. Now that not to say the road to this movie isn’t fun. It is if you willing to suspend some disbelief. You got to accept pretty much that hacker...is magic.  It is not going for realism. The hacker basically solves most obstacles of a hacker version of going “SHAZAM” and the problems.  That said, being able to hack into different camera and security footage plays well with the storytelling. It makes it fast and unique, giving you different views and shots of the scene. It makes the car chase scenes look frantic and fast pace. It's like a really good video game. It goes fast enough to not make you think about the sheer implausibility of all this. The main character bit of a pervert for going along with the caller plan as long as he did. You keep wondering why doesn’t he just hang up on this guy. The caller clearly shown to be insane the first couple minutes of talking to him. But Woods plays the character as docile enough where you’re not creep out by him and you can imagine him enough of a push over to fall for this. He seems good at playing weird character you still root for.  Sasha Gray plays the actress. She is ok. She isn’t the greatest actress. She doesn’t have a huge amount of range. She has a constant glum what called Eyorre face. You constant expecting her to say “Thanks for noticing me” but the character is a bit distant enough where that lack of emotion fits. There a couple of plots holes that hand waved away sloppily. Still you can get past that it might be a fun distraction (C+)

Breaking the Girls

When it comes to erotic thrillers, Lesbian loves and murder plots go together like peanut butter and Jelly. It just goes perfect together.  This is one such tell that takes a strangest on a train plot. Where two people joking about wouldn’t it be a great idea, if each one of them kills someone the other head. This way each one of them has an Alibi. But OH No...Turns out one of them wasn’t joking. One of them went through it and now expects the other person to return the favor. But here it has a down on her luck college girl. The College girl pines for an X boyfriend who dating a stone cold bitch. Who not only, gets her fired, evicted, and almost kicked out of school?  Ouch that a holy trinity of bitchiness. The college girl while down on her luck, meets a wild party girl and they hit it off and have a lesbian love affair. 

The college girl view this as a onetime thing...but party girls goes all single white female and wants more. It is the college girl who brings up the murder idea and the first to Jump. There twist and turns along the way. Some of which pretty fun if you let you mind go. Some of scenes are pretty hot and the party girls play a good crazy girl. The girls are pretty hot. It’s the main character that a bit of problem...since she seems lifeless and monotone a lot of time. She has one setting...and that setting seem to be a light cruise control. No matter how bad or crazy things get...she never hits the emotional pedal in her acting. She reacts to seeing a murder the same way you would react to finding a ticket on your cars. Also the plan she somewhat convoluted and require them to have the worst cops sense the cops on Dexter. A small amount of investigation would have totally destroyed the plan. And the plan requires for too many things going right. Still a decent watch for the ladies but their much better movies of it type. C+

Blackout

A nice bottle thriller about people 3 people stuck in the elevator.  One of which may be a killer. They slowly start go crazy, turning on each other till it reaches to a boiling point. A plot like this is something that been told a couple of times. It is a gimmick that be done but that not necessarily a bad thing. That is because if, the characters are interesting enough, it can overcome.  All 3 of them are and have nice plots that let you get to know how their personalities work for the most part. It helps that I liked two of the actors. One of them is the man who plays little finger in Game of Thrones. I call him Edward Norton light...or his Evil dopplaganger.  I wonder if you prick him will Edward Norton feel it. The other person is the start of Joan of Arcadia who I like as an actress. The other guy I never saw before but it’s pretty good. The thing is not much happen for a while. Sure it would be scary in real life but it not exactly thrilling seeing people in a box trap hanging out. When things start going south, its picks up and the good acting starts. But that pretty deep into the movie.  Also the killer background is not clear. You learn what makes the other tick...but you don’t learn what makes the killer a killer. The ticking clock the killer has to deal with though ads a lot of tension. All it not that great a movie. But not bad either.  C

Haunting House

Haunting house

2 Families go to a fancy house in the woods to try to buy it. Not a cabin in the woods, no. This is a multiple bed room house with little recordings that tell you about what is in the house. The place is big and cheap to buy. There one catch.  Once they get into the house they can’t leave. Whenever they try to walk to far from the house they come back to where they were.  They try to drive out and they go around in circles. They are  trap in a time loop, with a mute woman who seems to know about the house. They are  seeing  illusions and slowly going insane as dark secrets revealed. There are two things that help this movie. First one is the fact, they tried to leave the moment things looked weird. This avoid the “why don’t they just leave the haunted house”. Answer they can’t. They try and try to no avail. If you think of a way for them to escape, changes are they will try it. You follow them and feel the frustrations when they plans and theories go to hell. The seconds is it quickly skip months ahead of time, so you can see the madness kick in. The people quick get the idea there some sort of force working against them.

 One thing I didn’t like was the mute girl. A problem that could be solved is the woman just pick up an f’ing pencil. Just write down your words woman.  Since nearly everyone on here a little F up, part of the mystery is who to trust because they all seem to be horrible people accept for 1 or 2 people. That said some of the freak out of the character a bit over the top. Sometimes it becomes like a lifetime movie where a character is a nice guy one minute, then he ready to choke a B the next. So it gets over the top near the end and some of the decisions seem suspect. Although it hard to  blame on them to much going mad. Still has some fun twist into it, and a nice spooky picture. B

Death Race Inferono

This is a new brand new entry on the Death Race Prequel movies. This follows the original Frankenstein  as he finishing up his last couples of races. It this one a new bad guy, takes over the Death Race, and makes it INTERNATIONAL. The race is now taken to 3rd world area. Which translate to people driving around the desert for 2 hours? Seem the budget takes a hit every movie but it some imaginative kills with a nice over the top bad guy. He chews the scenery at pac man like proportions.  Frankenstein’s (always 1-2 races from escaping) has a run in with the new owner who wants to keep him there for good, or kill him. He also adds changes to the death race, like a collar the sends a missile after you if you try to escape and having the battles in open areas. Some of the death scenes pretty good, and it has a nice multiple cat fight scene in the middle. Not that I go for just tawdry affair. Me I am enlighten...I just pointing it out for the savages out there. It not like I pause, then rewind the scene 11 times. I am above such things. Although the babes aren’t THAT babelicious as past movies and there seem to be a lack of chemistry between the female and male leads.  Also it is hardly any nudity. If you’re going to do exploitation don’t pussyfoot around. There is missile chase scene that is pretty good. But the blood is tone down and some of the areas uninspired. It runs across the same desert multiple times and not as many memorable character to go up against. It seems more like a made for TV sci-fi movie. A lot of that has to do with budget though, but maybe they shouldn’t have aimed for an international story then. That said one scene uses the area pretty well that gets the bystanders and fans in on the action. And it is a key part of the plan. The main bad guy while fun doesn’t have the punch as the villains from the past movie.  Although the ending is pretty cool, and ties into the first movie well. It might be a good idea for future movies. All and All B-