Review of Open Windows (2014) by Michael T — 16 Feb 2015

Some critics have called this a 21st Century version of Rear Window. Its an apt description (sorry Disturbia). Almost every shot in this film directed by Nacho Vigalondo is from the point of view of a cell phone camera, surveillance camera, web camera, etc.

Elijah Wood (looking an awful lot like Tobey Maguire) plays Nick, a super fan of B-movie actress Jill Goddard (former Porn actress Sasha Grey). Nick wins a contest to meet Jill but he is informed by a mysterious figure named Chord that Jill will not honor the contest.

Soon, Nick is caught up in a massive and sinister plot orchestrated by the unseen Chord. It is a very thrilling and interesting Horror/Thriller movie with very good acting from the principles. Wood plays the part of a slacker/fanboy who gets in over his head very well (like many of Hitchcock's everyman heroes who find themselves in impossible situations) and Grey is surprisingly good as an actress trying to escape from the roles she has been typecast in (she may be drawing on personal experience).

Well worth a look if you are interested in a different spin on the Hitchcockian Thriller.