Set Fire to the Stars (2014)

Directed by Andy Goddard
Written by Andy Goddard and Celyn Jones
Starring Elijah Wood, Celyn Jones, Steve Mackintosh and Kelly Reilly

An aspiring poet in 1950s New York has his ordered world shaken when he embarks on a week-long retreat to save his hell raising hero, Dylan Thomas.

Based on a true story and filled with exerts from the poems of Dylan Thomas, this is one of the more beautifully written films I have seen. Unfortunately that is only because of the subject matter. In regards to the screenplay, it felt as though the writers would throw in a poem whenever they were out of ideas. They were, however, clever enough to make the poem being recited relevant to the scene.

It was apparent that the theme the director was trying to get across was feeling your emotions before you try to break them down and understand them. Being the life philosophy of Dylan Thomas (at least in this film), it attempted to explain why he would act out and had no filter. Rather than accomplishing this, it felt more like a cheap attempt to make this story that didn't really need to be told mean something.

The only real positive points about this movie are the poems, the reciting of said poems and the cinematography. Everything else just bored me. Had this been twenty minutes longer, I'm not sure if I could have finished it without taking a break. 

This movie has been getting very mixed reviews. The audience is almost perfectly split down the middle. So who know. You may love it. Check it out and let me know what you think.

My Rating: 5/10

Grand Piano (2013)

Directed by Eugenio Mira
Written by Damien Chazelle
Starring Elijah Wood, John Cusack, Kerry Bishé and Alex Winter

When a disgraced pianist attempts to make a comeback at the memorial concert for his teacher and mentor, he receives a note in his sheet music-- "Play one wrong note and you die!".

Elijah Wood's career after "The Lord of the Rings" has been a strange one. Having been blackballed by Hollywood because of his famous character, he unfortunately hasn't had many options. But I feel he does alright, all things considered. He's become the go-to guy for psychological thrillers too different to get backed by a major studio. With films like "Maniac", "Open Windows", this and the TV series "Wilfred", it's as if he's had to start his career over completely. But it could be worse.

This movie has a familiar concept. Much like "Photo Booth", it's just another man-becomes-hostage-in-public story. It is interesting enough, but nothing really sticks out as a selling point. Some scenes are intense while others make you wonder you are supposed to feel. And there are many plot holes that in my mind are so hard to miss that I find it hard to believe the writer (Academy Award Nominee, Damien Chazelle) didn't notice.

I also find it hard to believe that Elijah Wood is his generations

greatest pianist, yet walked away from his career for one slip up.

Is this a bad movie? No. But it definitely is not good. As the countless majority of movies are, it's just extremely mediocre. Just another movie to watch to pass the time. If one thing does stand out from this movie, it is the beautifully unique cinematography. But it takes more than pretty pictures to make a great movie.

My Rating: 5.6/10

Open Windows (2014)

Written and Directed by Nacho Vigalondo

Starring Elijah Wood, Sasha Grey, Neil Maskell and Adam Quintero

A jilted fan finds himself pulled into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse after he accepts the opportunity to spy on his favorite actress via his laptop. A skilled hacker works his way into every aspect of the fan's life in order to control him throughout the night.

This movie is definitely interesting. It takes the fear of hackers and their obsessions with actresses and displays their computer onto the big screen. Filmed and edited entirely to only show the open windows (OH, I GET IT!) of programs on a computer desktop, the action never cuts away from what the protagonist is looking at on his screen. 

Instead, the director chose to only move from window to window, looking into various programs, phone calls and videos. The style of this movie is undeniably unique. And one that I feel will be copied in future movies. But that is where the positives end for this movie.

Sorry, Elijah

The entire plot seemed like it was attempting to be convoluted in order to impress, but rather than achieve that, it just felt simple and convenient. Many of the things that the computer hackers were doing  seemed overly fictitious and made up for the sole purpose of making the style this was made in less boring.

Topped off with terrible acting (Elijah Wood excluded), this movie had little going for it other than the unique filming style. If you want to watch a decent thriller film with a unique filming style, that happens to be starring Elijah Wood, might I suggest 2012's "Maniac". It's not amazing, but if you're looking for those criteria, that is a much better choice.

My Rating: 3/10