I watched a
movie and it was called Four Rooms, directed by Allison Anders, Alexandre
Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez, and Quentin Tarantino, released in 1995. It is a
film that has each one of the directors directing a segment of the film. The
story is about a bellhop, Ted, who is working the late shift at a hotel on New
Year’s Eve and comes in contact with some very strange people. Will Ted make it
through the night?
I saw this in late 1996 or so, maybe 1997, and I was in the height (as we all were) of my Tarantino phase, though to be honest, I was still a neophyte when it came to movies. Not that I am a total expert now but I have seen many more since that time. I even have a vhs version I taped off cable, I loved this movie so much. I feel like it is really ahead of its time because it takes a premise of Ted the bellhop and puts him in these crazy situations and having multiple directors directed a part of the movie is well, genius. I really haven’t seen another film that really does that. Tim Roth plays Ted so well in this. Not really bungling like Jerry Lewis in his Bellboy movie, though there is more of an extreme reality happening here and Ted is in these situations because of his job. I think Tim Roth should’ve done more comedy because he certainly has the panache or flair for it. A lot of cameos in this movie too that are very 90’s, if you get my meaning. The music was done by Combustible Edison with some contributions by Mark Mothersbaugh, one of the members of DEVO and it adds a strange quality to the movie that is really just right for it and works. It has a nice mix of coherency and incoherency though this doesn’t deviate from the film because it is a bit crazy anyway. It is a really amazing showcase of what directors that were up and coming were doing during that 90’s indie movie movement and what was to come later on. I really wish they still made movies like this but if they did, this golden period that I grew up in wouldn’t be so golden. I suppose everyone gets nostalgic for older movies, while somewhat pooh-poohing the newer things that get released. I’m not saying all movies from this period are so good, like most periods, but there are those like this one and a few others that stand out to me as being truly independent.
If you can find it, I suggest checking it out. No pun intended. You’ll not look at Mr. Orange the same again.
I saw this in late 1996 or so, maybe 1997, and I was in the height (as we all were) of my Tarantino phase, though to be honest, I was still a neophyte when it came to movies. Not that I am a total expert now but I have seen many more since that time. I even have a vhs version I taped off cable, I loved this movie so much. I feel like it is really ahead of its time because it takes a premise of Ted the bellhop and puts him in these crazy situations and having multiple directors directed a part of the movie is well, genius. I really haven’t seen another film that really does that. Tim Roth plays Ted so well in this. Not really bungling like Jerry Lewis in his Bellboy movie, though there is more of an extreme reality happening here and Ted is in these situations because of his job. I think Tim Roth should’ve done more comedy because he certainly has the panache or flair for it. A lot of cameos in this movie too that are very 90’s, if you get my meaning. The music was done by Combustible Edison with some contributions by Mark Mothersbaugh, one of the members of DEVO and it adds a strange quality to the movie that is really just right for it and works. It has a nice mix of coherency and incoherency though this doesn’t deviate from the film because it is a bit crazy anyway. It is a really amazing showcase of what directors that were up and coming were doing during that 90’s indie movie movement and what was to come later on. I really wish they still made movies like this but if they did, this golden period that I grew up in wouldn’t be so golden. I suppose everyone gets nostalgic for older movies, while somewhat pooh-poohing the newer things that get released. I’m not saying all movies from this period are so good, like most periods, but there are those like this one and a few others that stand out to me as being truly independent.
If you can find it, I suggest checking it out. No pun intended. You’ll not look at Mr. Orange the same again.
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