Across The Hall (2009/Image Entertainment Blu-ray)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: C Film: C
It is
sad, but the term Film Noir has become the most abused, misunderstood idea in
film thanks to too many film schools, bad filmmakers and those trying to sound
smart when they are not. This is to the
point that even filmmakers with some interesting ideas can get confused and
sabotage their own projects. The latest
of what seems like an epidemic of cases is that of Writer/Director Alex Merkin,
whose Across The Hall (2009) trips
up on some good intentions and does not get anywhere we have not seen before.
Co-written
with Jesse Mittelstadt and Julien Schwab, the film is about how June (Brittany
Murphy in one of her last films, not in this one enough) has gone to a hotel to
meet a mysterious man. Her fiancée Terry
(Danny Pino) finds this out and goes searching for her in a art deco-type hotel
and does not get anywhere fast. He even
gets his best friend Julian (Mike Vogel) involved, but odds of finding her and
walking out as peacefully as he walked in are fading fast.
Though
the actors are not bad and locations workable, everything else here fails. The story is predictable and formulaic, the
mystery is non-existent, the pacing is awkward, the 93 minutes do not ad up to
much and the makers have no idea if they are doing a Noir, a flat-out mystery
or just an excuse to do a stylish film thinking that will be sufficient to make
this all work. As a result, a good set
of potential ideas is lost in sheer inexperience, misunderstanding of film
genre, cluelessness on how to write a mystery and desperation as reflected in
the final product. That includes a lame
conclusion that, like many moments in the film, don’t even fit what seems first
intended. Too bad.
The 1080p
2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image has some good moments, but too often is
a little noisier and soft throughout than a new production should be and this
is beyond any style attempts by the makers and Director of Photography Andrew
Carranza. The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio)
lossless 5.1 mix has some good moments too, but this can be often
dialogue-based and has intended moments of silence. The dialogue recording is not always
consistent either. Extras include
interviews, trailer and a making of featurette.
- Nicholas Sheffo
