FOUR ROOMS (1995) (Via Vision Entertainment Blu-ray Review)

FOUR ROOMS (1995) 

Label: Via Vision Entertainment
Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: MA15+
Duration: 98 Minutes 
Audio: English DTS-HD 5.1, PCM 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 

Director: Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Alexandre Rockwell, Allison Anders

Cast: Tim Roth, Madonna, Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Marisa Tomei, Jennifer Beals, Quentin Tarantino, Bruce Willis

Four Rooms (1995) is a quirky anthology told in four segments directed by four directors - on board are 

Allison Anders (Mi Vida Loca), Alexandre Rockwell (In the Soup), Robert Rodriguez (Desperado), and Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction), each of the segments follows the adventures of an irate and put-upon bellhop named Ted (Tim Roth, Reservoir Dogs) over the course of his first night working at the Hotel Mon Signor on New Year’s Eve. 

It’s Ted’s first night on the job… and the hotel’s very unusual guests are about to place him in some outrageous predicaments. First up is the Allison Anders directed "The Missing Ingredient" wherein a coven of witches reserve the Honeymoon Suite in an attempt cast a spell that will reverse a spell previously cast on the coven's goddess, Diana. In the room they gather around a makeshift cauldron and offer incantations while each placing a unique offering into the cauldron; however, one of them has literally swallowed the seminal ingredient, with time running out they call upon bellboy to give them a squirt of the necassary elixir. A fun female cast fills this one out, we have Jezebel (Sammi Davis, The Lair of the White Worm), Athena (Valeria Golino, Big Top Pee-Wee), Elspeth (Madonna, Desperately Seeking Susan), Eva (Ione Sky, River's Edge), Raven (Lili Taylor, The Addiction), and Kiva (Alicia Witt, Dune), some fun rhyming and ribald 

incantations, playful nudity and some sharp wit. It's quite a lovely opener and Madonna in a skintight rubber outfit in this era will always be welcomed, and I loved the "Bewitched" needle-drop. 

Up next is Alexandre Rockwell's "The Wrong Man" with Ted being called into Room 404 and find himself caught up in a couples domestic situation, held at gunpoint by a jealous husband Siegfried (David Proval, Innocent Blood) who accuses Ted of having slept with his wife Angela (Jennifer Beals, The Prophecy 2). Caught off guard Ted cannot figure out if this is real, some sort of fantasy kink role-playing for the couple, or what? He ends up hiding in the bathroom attempting to crawl out the fourth floor window only to be thrown up by a guy on the fifth floor.

Obviously he makes his way out, good job Ted, and next up is the Robert Rodriguez (Planet Terror) written and directed "The Misbehavers", which for my money is the best of the bunch. This one features husband (Antonio Banderas, Desperado) and wife (Tamlyn Tomita, The Joy Luck Club) running late for a New Year's Eve party, but they're unable find a sitter for their highly intelligent and rambunctious kids Sarah (Lana McKissack) and Juancho (Danny Verduzco) - so they tip a reluctant Ted $500 to keep an eye on them. As soon as the parents leave Ted turns into an arse threatening the kids with violence and coating their eyelids in VapoRub to make them keep their eyes closed and fall asleep, while also revealing some traumatic childhood memories to them. The kids are a bit smarter than Ted was at that age and still manage to get into trouble, watching a striptease on TV (featuring a very sexy Salma Hayek, From Dusk Till Dawn), smoking cigarettes, drinking champagne and a fiasco involving dead hookers and dirt needles, which all culminates in a wonderfully wild and weird finale, that brought to mind some of the idiosyncratic humor and editing rhythms of the French film Delicatessen. This one always has me in stitches by the end with poor Ted at his wits end, literally foaming at the mouth with anger as he tries to wrangle the kids. This one ends with a fun little bit featuring Kathy Griffin (Pulp Fiction) and Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler) with Ted trying to quit his job. 

Well, he doesn't, because that's not the last segment, so up next is the anthology capper "The Man from Hollywood", directed by Quentin Tarantino, also written on him but it's an adaptation of Roald Dahl's "Man from the South" which had previously been adapted for TV for both Alfred Hitchcock Presents (twice!) and then again for Tales of the Unexpected. Now this might be why it's my least favorite of the segments, I was quite familiar with. Obviously Tarantino spices things up with his penchant for interesting banter, but the story remains the same pretty much. A group New Year's Eve revelers who are friends of big-time Hollywood director Chester Rush (Tarantino acting, uh-oh) have gathered in his room, a bet is made with his pal 

Norman (Paul Calderón, Tenement) that he cannot light his Zippo ten time in a row without a misfire, on the line are Chester's car versus Norman's pinky finger, Ted is roped in with the promise of a wad of cash as not only referee of the contest but as the one to chop of the finger should Norm lose the bet. As I said, this is my least favorite of the four, but at least Ted walked away with a won after a shitty night on the job. Among the party goers at Chester's are Angela (Jennifer Beals) from "The Wrong Man" and an uncredited Bruce Willis.

Audio/Video: Four Rooms (1995) arrives on region-free Blu-ray from Via Vision Entertainment in 1080p HD widescreen (1.85:1), stating the source to be a curious "From a NEW 4K scan of the original file". Regardless, the source looks to be in solid shape, colors looks good, clarity and depth are pleasing. Audio comes by way of uncompressed English DTS-HD MA 5.1 or PCM 2.0 with optional English subtitles. Both options are clean and free of any age-related issues, dialogue is clean and distinct, sound effects and the score neo-loungers Combustible Edison comes through quite nicely. 

Extras include the archival Four Directors, Four Friends, Four Rooms – Featurette, plus the vintage Making Of Featurette, plus the Theatrical Trailer. I am a but surprised this is not a title that Via Vision relegated to their premium sub-label Imprint Films, which probably would have garnered some new artwork and newly commissioned extras, to me this is a prestige title, but maybe that's in my head. Regardless I am quite pleased to have it in HD with uncompressed audio and vintage extras that weren't even included on my old Mirimax DVD. 

The single-disc release arrives in a  standard oversized keepcase with a 2-sided, non-reversible sleeve of artwork featuring the traditional keyartwork for the film. The reverse side features a Via Vision Entertainment add on the backside and a promotional image for the film. We also get a limited edition glossy-finish slipcover with the same artwork. The wrap features the MA 15+ ratings logo on the front and spine, the slipcover does not. 

Special Features:
- Four Directors, Four Friends, Four Rooms – Featurette (21:11) 
 -Making Of Featurette (6:19) 
- Theatrical Trailer (2:12) 
- Glossy Limited Slipcase

As of today there is still no U.S. Blu-ray of Four Rooms (1995) - what the heck!?! That's why it's great that this edition from Australia's Via Vision Entertainment is region-free, plus it has archival extras that are not on the ancient Mirimax DVD, which is very cool. 

Screenshots from the Via Vision Entertainment Blu-ray: 

Extras: