Across the Hall

In this film, a young woman keeps an affair in a decadent hotel when her betrayed partner comes up unexpectedly, willing to catch and kill both. However, he doesn't know the lover is his own best friend, whom he's speaking through the cell phone. OK... nothing new here. We've seen similar plots in many films, be they major or minor plots. What this film does to make it look fresh is disarticulate the narrative, in the best Tarantino style. However, this feature isn't enough to do so, nor such a basic plot is enough to justify a film lasting more than an hour. The pace is slow as honey in the summer and worse, all story is highly predictable. In the other hand, it has a good soundtrack, an interesting cinematography, very misty and mysterious, and excellent sets. I really felt the decadence of that hotel and the neglect of most of the staff. The ending isn't necessarily surprising but it's served with elegance. Most of the cast are third-rate names ​​who don't make more than would be required. The highlight goes to Brittany Murphy, the most talented and capable actress here. Being a very low budget film, the final product is higher than my expectations, even though it's far from being a great movie.

The unbalanced Terry (Danny Pino) calls his best friend Julian (Mike Vogel) that is having a bath telling that his beloved fiancée June (Brittany Murphy) is cheating him. Terry has followed her to the decadent Riverview Hotel, where she checked in to meet her lover in room 507. Terry explains to Julian that he brought a revolver to shoot her lover and is waiting for him in room 508, but his friend asks him to be calm that he will meet Terry in the hotel. Surprisingly Julian leaves the bathroom and explains the situation to June in the room in the beginning of a tense and dramatic night.

"Across the Hall" is a dark slow paced thriller in the style of film- noir developed through a non-linear screenplay with many flashbacks. My only remark is the 88 minutes running time that could be a little shorter; anyway the pace magnifies the dramatic situation of the characters. I have really felt sad seeing the last work of the talented and gorgeous Brittany Murphy, who died so young. The music score is another plus in this good film that is neither a masterpiece nor an awful flick as indicated in some reviews but a decent low-budget movie. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Correndo Contra o Tempo" ("Running Against Time")

This movie may not have gotten very high marks, but if you love film noir you will probably like it. It's actually a good movie, I think you just have to really appreciate the cinematography and the dark ambiance of film noir, as well as the sort of slow pacing as well. But the film is well done, it creates intensity through its slow build up, as well as the scoring, acting, and the way it was edited and produced. It also stars brittany murphy in one of her last roles who is plays the role very well. I like how the film is really about the subtle nuances of how the characters deliver lines and interact and little mannerisms and such. It also has a sort of old timey look because of being filmed in an old hotel so that contributes to the ambiance quite well. While it may be a small independent low budget film and not a big production I think that all of the artistic integrity is there and that it was a very enjoyable watch. I think that a lot of people don't appreciate that old style and are looking for something more fast paced. But if you are looking for something a bit more laid back and appreciate the finer art of film making I think you should give it a try.

It's like a crossword - you can watch it to puzzle a little with the plot. But nothing more. No meaning, no deeper thoughts. Just simple mind-exercise. Very good acting though (Brittany Myrphy especially earns respect here. She adds complexity to her character, and deepens emotional dimension of this rather cold movie), witty directing and editing (it's a debut - bravo!), dark melodic music, and quite smart story, makes this movie... a good crossword.

Cinematography is rather poor though, contrary to what others here claim. Work of cinematographer is not based on choosing the angles and positions for the camera (that's director's part), but rather on choosing lighting for a scene. And this part sucks here - shitty lighting reveals cardboard origin of the sets, and reminds (oh Lord) "Saw" (2004). You can't focus on the actors, because you're constantly afraid of some wall being accidentally pushed to fall over. It COULD be bad work of the lighting team, or insufficient funds, but cinematographer is the one who gets the blame anyway in such occasion.

A nice touch is The Porter character, very nicely (yet a bit theatrically) played by Jamie Benge.

So summing up - very very very good B-movie and not so bad A-movie. Better to see it than not.

An interesting story, though a little predictable.

The suspense was upheld throughout the movie, and there was real tension in many scenes, accomplished through a nerve-wracking score and drawn-out scenes that got my teeth grinding.

I immensely enjoyed the cinematography and effects .. it created a dark and brooding atmosphere that had me mourning the conclusion before it came about.

The acting was fairly good, no real complaints. I especially enjoyed the hotel concierge character, who added an old-school feel to the film.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed the movie, although I found the story to be almost too simple for its length; it felt like a short story stretched to fit a feature length film.