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

Agression Scale

Aggression Scale

To understand the main character of this movie, picture the kid from Home alone if he was a complete sociopath...so basically picture the kid from Home Alone. This a dark take. Criminals break into someone house who stole money from them. It up to the two kids to escape as the bad guys tries to take them out. Little do they know the boy is lunatic with a history of violence and love to hurt people? It’s a pretty good twist. The kid is really creepy and when the criminals found out what they dealing with they have a nice “Oh $%it face” and some of the take downs pretty brutal. The problem is the brother and sister doesn’t have a great amount of chemistry together. I know there step ceilings but they don’t play off each other that well. The boy doesn’t talk...so it ups to the sister to carry most of the dialogue and exposition...and she not a good enough actor to carry that much weight. She mostly whines and kind of useless. The boy pretty good at his expressions but it a bit one note, Silent Bob this kid is not. But he plays a good lunatic. Although you get to the point where you say...dont these criminals have guns that can aim. Don’t the kids know where cops are or neighbors are or have Cell phones. Why they heck are they Rambo’ing it against these guys. Also the parents hiding the money kind of makes them the worst parents ever. All in all a nice fun flick to play if you have nothing to do C+

Get The Gringo

Get the gringo

Mel Gibson plays a Parker like Criminal who just did a robbery, and now escaping from the cops with a load of money.  In the first minutes, he is on a chase from the cops heading toward the boarder. His partner gets shots and he crashes over the border. His money gets taken and he ends up a prison that likes it own city, and his goal is to survive and get his money. Say what you want about Mel’s insanity...this guy knows how to make a moving and good action pacing. He plays a real scum bag in this that you root for cause he surrounded by much bigger scum bags. So you root for him. He also bounds with this kid in the prison and his mother that makes him more sympathetic. Yes it’s a cheap gimmick to make you feel for the character but the explanation of why the kids there pretty smart and add some tension. Also you know ever hard edge noir anti hero is puddy in a dames hand.  Lot of fun characters. He ends up double crossing and setting up the bad guys and it’s pretty satisfying. Now some may argue the realism of this prison, in fact I am sure the Mexico tourist board will have words with this movie. The cops are crooked to the point it makes Boss Hog look like Serpico. The people guarding the prison and the bad guys seem to have learned security from the cop from the COOKIE CRISP commercials. But it still hella fun if you let that go. Yea I said Hella...I am bad ass like that.  Not only are the character good but the world is a character.  The way its shot you can feel the heat and sweat.  You can feel the dirt and the culture that is around the movie. It a bad place to be by the story never that down beat. It’s like a twisted little theme park culture stereotypes.  The camera works is very good and show is music. It looks like a bigger budget then it really is. It could have been in theaters longer but I think it getting just a limited release…is due to Mel somewhat spectacular melt downs and less to do with the movie. It’s ashamed that he maxed out his celebrity F up card.  I say that not cause I am feeling sorry for him (he could of got back into people good graces if he played it smarter) but due to people might me missing out on a fun little flick. If you like a good modern noir crime movie you will love this