Review: Werner Herzog’s Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds. Anthology series set in room 104 of a seemingly average American motel, telling each time a different story of the assorted guests who pass through, which can range from funny and fantastical to dramatic and horrifying. Unlike something like the anthology film Four Rooms, Room 104 has no connective tissue binding its various entries. Film. Daniel Fienberg Directors: Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck, Patrick Brice, Marta Cunningham, Doug Emmett, Megan Griffiths, Dayna Hanson, Chad Hartigan, Ross Partridge, Sarah Adina Smith, So Yong Kim Next: Room 104 season 2, episode 4 review: Hungry . and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango. RELATED STORIES. Review: Time Is an Oblique Look at Black Lives Undone by the Prison System. Set in a single room of an average American motel, ROOM 104 tells a different story of the assorted characters who pass through it in each episode. Review: Victor Kossakovsky’s Gunda Is the Eraserhead of Animal Documentaries. We are introduced to her in our beloved titular room eating some chips. Premieres: Friday, July 28, 11:30 p.m. ET/PT (HBO). Room 104 review: HBO’s premiere episode Ralphie was a chilling and brilliant start Sat Jul 29, 2017 at 4:01pm ET Sat Jul 04, 2020 at 4:01 pm EDT By April Neale TWITTER Jul 28, 2017. Creators: Mark and Jay Duplass While Family Guy and The Truman Show have tackled this idea of self-awareness inside a sitcom before, Room 104 takes it one step further by playing up the dark humour. Nathan and the bodyguards try and make excuses about why she shouldn’t leave. According to HBO's rather vague synopsis, this very special Room 104, "An unlikely source spurs Sam to confront her history of addiction." Echoing the Season 2 sentiment of IndieWire’s Ben Travers, “Room 104” also maintains its streak of avoiding being uninteresting. “I Knew You Weren’t Dead” was by far the most straightforward of the Room 104 episodes to date. But it suffers from a wholly different problem: its main story has trouble engaging us. The percentage of users who rated this 3.5 stars or higher. "Room 104" is a new anthology series set in a single room of an average American hotel. Forgot your password? If you like my reviews or my short films please subscribe to my Channel! 87% TOMATOMETER Please enter your email address and we will email you a new password. A series gets an Average Tomatometer when at least 50 percent of its seasons have a score. All rights reserved. A review of HBO’s “Room 104,” produced by Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass. Chris Cabin reviews 'Room 104', HBO's new anthology series from the Duplass brothers, in which many eerie happenings go down in the titular motel room. © 2021 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. The premise of Room 104 is simple — each half-hour episode tells a unique story with unique characters. THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER is a registered trademark of The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. by It has the plausible tone of an urban legend and, with the bathroom closed off, forces helmer Sarah Adina Smith to work in an even smaller space. The mania for season-to-season anthologies hasn't resulted in quite the same appetite for the episode-to-episode anthologies that used to be the medium's bread-and-butter. Room 104 returns this week with an artistic and surprisingly effective look at mental health in episode 3 of Season 4. But, of course, with every ending is a … "Voyeurs," from writer-director Dayna Hanson, starts with a cleaning lady's (Dendrie Taylor) curiosity about a dirty room and the clues pointing to the lives of its prior occupants, but becomes a literal dance of obsession with Sarah Hay (proving more alluring in 20 minutes than in the entirety of the Starz ballet miniseries Flesh and Bone). Room 104: Season 1 Episode 7 Teaser - I Have ... 7 TV Shows You Should Binge-Watch This November, 10 Contenders Poised to Take Over Peak TV. The most satisfying episodes function like one-act plays, with well-structured narrative arcs and twists and reveals. With Jennifer Lafleur, Jon Bass, Jenny Leonhardt, Kristina Harrison. The absolute best Room 104 has to offer is a theatrical experience in and of itself, a new-wave dream ballet written and directed by Guggenheim fellow Dayna Hanson in which a housekeeper (Dendrie Taylor) relives a painful memory through movement and moody lighting—and eventually a pas de deux with her younger self (Sarah Hay). Annoyed, Darla tries to leave, but the bodyguards block her at the door of Room 104. Really, though, it goes into itself, pondering the passing of time and the torch to the next generations – its title is no accident. Room 104 review: The Duplass Brothers and HBO invite you to watch a strange, bizarre, scary and funny anthology series. These stylistic flourishes help justify the time shift to a degree. Email. The canned laughter when Harry hits his head badly is one such example, and helps to drive home that sinister undercurrent of … It's well done! Pinterest. SPOILERS AHEAD! There's some drinking, too. “Room 104” is the more adventurous of the two new hotel-set series, but also quite tiresome at times. The six episodes sent to critics, celebrating a diverse assortment of either lesser-known or lesser-known-to-TV directors, aren't bound by genre or form, and they're mostly pretty good. Room 104. In one episode, characters refer to having stayed in the room 56 years earlier, so that's its age, but depending on whose eyes the room is shot through, it can appear comfortable and average or it can reek of practically pay-by-the-hour desperation. July 28, 2017 at 03:10 PM EDT Advertisement. The only commonality is the eponymous motel room that serves as the show’s sole setting. Room 104: Mark Duplass Previews Series' Biting, 'Bonkers' Animated Tale Mark Duplass Breaks Down Room 104 Premiere's … Unlike some episodes of Room 104, there’s no major twist or foray into surrealism. Save FB Tweet. It's a lesson in creative use of space (it's one room, plus a bathroom, maybe with a closet or two), elapsed time (guests rarely stay in a room more than a couple of nights) and set decoration (finite furniture, but ample redressing possibilities). Set in a single room of an average American motel, ROOM 104 tells a different story of the assorted characters who pass through it in each episode. Set in 1997, an aspiring novelist (Karan Soni) spends the episode on the phone trying to talk his mom through emailing him a copy of his manuscript, a non-stop and ultimately revelatory conversation. By Ray Rahman. SPOILERS AHEAD! Though each episode tells a different story, viewers can expect disturbing scenes that include sexuality, violent and bloody events (including the murder of a child), and cursing. Review: Room 104: Season One. | California Privacy Rights The Duplass brothers indulge their most out-there ideas in Room 104: EW review. With Dave Bautista in the driving seat, the entire episode revolves around a retired wrestler reliving painful memories from the past. It's a series with few rules and few real restrictions, and with running times of under 30 minutes, even an episode with a questionable creative conceit is over before it can really grate. By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy Privacy Policy | More. YOUTUBE. The only constant in each 30-minute episode is the four walls of the title room. The worst thing about Room 104 is that it’s completely inconsistent. The Average Tomatometer is the sum of all season scores divided by the number of seasons with a Tomatometer. Parents need to know that Room 104 is an anthology series about the guests who stay in a specific room in a fictitious airport motel. A babysitter (Melonie Diaz) arrives to watch a small boy for the evening and learns that, locked in the bathroom, is either the child's evil twin or something even stranger. The intricate choreography of both "Voyeurs" and "The Fight" prove how few limitations the space presents in the right hands, while Hoffman and Luqmaan-Harris' performances showcase the advantages of the space's intimacy. Room 104 - Generations - Review Posted by Vaughan Grey at October 10, 2020 0 Comments Reviews. Sitemap | collider.com Movie News The Best Horror Movies on Netflix Right Now. Sam is played by Brittany Runs a Marathon star Jillian Bell. It's creepy, weird and sticks with you. Although Mark wrote many of the episodes, the brothers didn't co-direct anything here and whether the tone and style of their past work is an inducement or deterrent to you as a viewer, Room 104 doesn't feel like a Duplass brothers film. Get the freshest reviews, news, and more delivered right to your inbox! Room 104, by not always achieving purity, achieves a pure vision of this idea. Is this the end, or will there be another year? VG. Room 104 has received generally positive reviews from critics. WARNING: Please don't read if you haven't seen Room 104 4x12 Generations yet! ‘Room 104’ Review: HBO’s Anthology Series Delivers Its Trump Episode With ‘Red Tent’ Posted on Monday, October 2nd, 2017 by Kristin Hunt HBO's new half-hour series Room 104 feels almost experimental and new, even though its premise is the most basic and traditional of film school exercises: Tell a … Created by Jay and Mark Duplass, who seem to have fairly free rein from HBO within a certain minuscule budget and if they're OK with airing at 11:30 p.m., Room 104 really does have the feeling of a student film anthology in many of the best ways possible. HBO's new half-hour series Room 104 feels almost experimental and new, even though its premise is the most basic and traditional of film school exercises: Tell a single story within the confines of a single motel room. Sidney Poitier’s 7 Most Memorable Performances, All Harry Potter Movies Ranked Worst to Best by Tomatometer, Golden Tomato Awards: Best Movies & TV of 2020. "Voyeurs" is dialogue-free, in contrast to "The Internet," directed by veteran cinematographer Doug Emmett. Cast: Hugo Armstrong, Davie-Blue, Melonie Diaz, Jay Duplass, Veronica Falcon, Adam Foster, Ellen Geer, Keir Gilchrist, Philip Baker Hall, Sarah Hay, Poorna Jagannathan, Orlando Jones, Ethan & Gavin Kent, Amy Landecker, Konstantin Lavysh, Sameerah Luqmaan-Harris, Keta Meggett, Natalie Morgan, Ross Partridge, Karan Soni, Dendrie Taylor, Tony Todd, Will Tranfo, James Van Der Beek, Mae Whitman, Nat Wolff It's just two beds, a small table and a vanity area. The most frustrating element of Room 104 thus far has been a string of ambiguous payoffs and endings, wrapping up three very enticing story set-ups. But Room 104 ’s period pieces have done a subpar job of engaging with the social contexts of their eras. 11:43 AM PDT 7/18/2017 Season 1 Review: The worst thing about Room 104 is that it’s completely inconsistent. and the Terms and Policies, All rights reserved. Room 104 uses its anthology structure to its advantage, telling a series of short, eclectic stories that hit their marks more often than they miss. Smith also directs the differently unsettling, somewhat less bracingly satisfying "The Knockadoo," which features the compelling Sameerah Luqmaan-Harris as a woman who is taking the last steps toward enlightenment with the emissary (Orlando Jones) of a strange religious cult, only to discover that opening herself up to her new faith might have unexpected consequences. Terms of Use | | Do Not Sell My Personal Information Created by Mark and Jay Duplass with … The show's premiere episode, "Ralphie," is either a horror movie or an internalized nightmare. It’s just two fine actors, delivering slow-burn performances that transform into something explosive. Copyright © Fandango. EMAIL ME Room 104 has a fertile format, and I think the Duplass brothers and their creative team are only beginning to tap its potential. I started watching Room 104 and this is what I think about it. Sign up here. The first episode is weird, creepy and it will make you 'wtf', but it has interesting dialogues and crazy story. On Metacritic, the first season has a score of 65 out of 100 based on 22 reviews. It even ponders why a motel room, though admittedly that’s in the context of why a cabin on a spacecraft is modeled after one, not why the show itself is set in one. Sophie Gilbert. Resistance is futile. The eponymous setting is described as "a single room of an average American motel" and indeed, its exact location is mostly irrelevant and the quality of accommodation seems fungible from week to week, director to director. "Ralphie" illustrates how the structure can be used for no-fat, effective storytelling, and there are hints, here and there, of how a budget-conscious motel like this can be used for critiques of race and class. In its final episode, Room 104 goes into space. | EU Privacy Preferences. The only thing connecting any two episodes of Room 104 are the people behind the camera and the room itself. Grade: B+ Room 104 airs weekly episodes on HBO, starting July 24. Room 104 S4E12 “Generations” (directed by Sydney Fleischmann and written by Julian Wass) brings things to an end with either lilies (white) or golden daffodils, but whatever happens after the frame turns to black hardly matters. The most satisfying episodes function like one-act plays, with well-structured narrative arcs and twists and reveals. AdChoices FACEBOOK On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an 87% approval rating with an average score of 6.85 out of 10 based on 39 reviews. Created by Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass. 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