FOUR ROOMS (DVD/1.85/DOLBY SURROUND/CHAPTER SEARCH/1.33) DVD

Four Rooms
Four of the most celebrated directors in the independent film community pooled their talents for this episodic comedy. Ted (Tim Roth) is the new bellboy at a beautiful but decaying luxury hotel; he is not having a good time of it on New Year's Eve, his first night on the job. In one room, a coven of witches are trying to summon the spirit of the goddess Diana; each of the witches must bring a different bodily fluid for their spell to work, but Eva (Ione Skye), who was supposed to bring semen, managed to lose her supplies, and needs Ted's help for a last-minute replacement. Another room, where Ted was supposed to deliver some ice, turns out to house an angry husband (David Proval), who is holding his bound-and-gagged wife (Jennifer Beals) at gunpoint. A third room is taken by a tough-talking gangster (Antonio Banderas), his doormat wife (Tamlyn Tomita), and their two children; the gangster demands that Ted watch over the kids, who turn out to be mischievous terrors beyond Ted's wildest imagination. And room number four is where an arrogant film actor (Quentin Tarantino) is holding a party. One of his guests makes a bet that he can get a Zippo lighter to light ten times in a row, with his finger at stake if he loses. Allison Anders directed the first segment, which also featured Madonna, Valeria Golino, and Lili Taylor. The second segment was directed by Alexandre Rockwell, husband of his frequent leading lady Jennifer Beals. Robert Rodriguez directed the third story, while the finale was directed by its star, Quentin Tarantino; the final segment also features Bruce Willis, who appeared unbilled. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Cast Tim Roth as Ted the bellhop Valeria Golino as Athena ["The Missing Ingredient"] Jennifer Beals as Angela (segments "The Man from Hollywood"/"The Wrong Antonio Banderas as Man (segment "The Misbehavers") Quentin Tarantino as Chester (segment "The Man from Hollywood") Bruce Willis as Leo ["The Man from Hollywood"]

Crew Mayne Schuyler Berke - Art Director Heidi Vogel - Co-producer Scott Lambert - Co-producer Paul Hellerman - Co-producer Mary Claire Hannan - Costume Designer Susan Bertram - Costume Designer Fernando Altschul - First Assistant Director Quentin Tarantino - Director Allison Anders - Director Alexandre Rockwell - Director Robert Rodriguez - Director Robert Rodriguez - Editor Elena Maganini - Editor Sally Menke - Editor Margie Goodspeed - Editor Quentin Tarantino - Executive Producer Alexandre Rockwell - Executive Producer Combustible Edison - Composer (Music Score) Esquivel - Composer (Music Score) Gary Frutkoff - Production Designer Rodrigo García - Cinematographer Buillermo Navarro - Cinematographer Phil Parmet - Cinematographer Andrzej Sekula - Cinematographer Lawrence Bender - Producer Sara Andrews - Set Designer Dolby sound - Sound/Sound Designer Alexandre Rockwell - Screenwriter Allison Anders - Screenwriter Robert Rodriguez - Screenwriter Quentin Tarantino - Screenwriter

Four Rooms
A pet project for its four directors -- all of whom were discovered and became friends at the 1992 Sundance Festival -- this vignette film is entertaining, albeit in a sick, darkly humorous way. Each vignette features a different helmer: Robert Rodriguez, Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, and Quentin Tarantino. Four Rooms has an overall down-the-rabbit-hole feel with the pedantic Tim Roth as the buffooning bellhop minstrel unifying the four stories. Anders' piece is mostly hogwash, replete with a halfhearted cameo from Madonna. Rockwell's entry is intense, thanks to a little help from a potty-mouthed Jennifer Beals. Rodriguez, on the other hand, takes a page out of Tales From the Crypt for a disgustingly ludicrous segment featuring Antonio Banderas. Tarantino's culminating piece -- an homage to Hitchcock's Rope -- is fraught with hysterical tension and a nicely mannered Bruce Willis. A slimy, sometimes hilarious slab of rambunctious cinema, Tarantino's bit even includes the director himself, as a high-falooting blowhard. ~ Mike DiBella, All Movie Guide
 

(no awards)

General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: English Sound Processing: 2: PCM stereo Additional Features: Dolby Surround Chapter search DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1: Theatre Wide-Screen MPAA Rating: R DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 98 min   DVD Chapters: Chapter Selection 0. Chapter Selection 1. Program Start [:14] 2. Words Of Wisdom [1:53] 3. Opening Credits [3:26] 4. The Honeymoon Suite [4:52] 5. Raunchy Ritual [4:10] 6. An Easy Fifty Bucks [6:19] 7. Bringing Back Diana [2:21] 8. Room 404 [1:14] 9. Big Mistake [7:22] 10. Don't Call Me Theodore [9:02] 11. Room 309 [4:52] 12. The $500 Baby-Sitter [5:57] 13. Smelly Feet [5:04] 14. A Little Vapor Rub... [3:28] 15. A Dead Body In My Bed [4:14] 16. I Need To Speak To Betty [5:32] 17. The Penthouse [1:31] 18. Try A Little Cristal [10:10] 19. Whacked Wager [6:31] 20. The Almighty Dollar [4:09] 21. End Credits [5:08]