Tim Roth stars as a twitchy, maligned bellhop in this wacky anthology of four loosely-linked short films. With a different director behind the wheel for each chapter, it shouldn't come as much surprise to hear this is an uneven tale that never settles on a firm identity for itself. The underlying theme is light slapstick suspense with a vibrant collection of supporting players, but each act also has its share of dark secrets and sinister overtones.

The first two portions are colorful, but too thin for my taste. It seems like both had a solid beginning and ending in mind, and only set about painting by numbers to bring the two together. But that’s not such a big deal, really, because it’s Robert Rodriguez's third act and Quentin Tarantino's closer that drew me to the show in the first place. Both serve as bite-sized capsules of both the best and worst habits that have come to define each director.

Rodriguez's arc, which naturally features both Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayeck (albeit in short cameos) is a middle ground of sorts between Spy Kids and Planet Terror. It's part kid-focused mayhem and part pulpy, black, gross-out trauma; an enthusiastic, if shallow, ride.

Tarantino's adventurous final chapter is more dialog driven, with the director (of course) playing the leading role. Like a caricature of himself, he spends a good ninety percent of the scene spewing pop culture references and jazzy one-liners before the whole drama culminates in a jolting, blunt burst of adrenaline.

Overall, Four Rooms is a mixed bag, and apart from the Tarantino chapter, none of the acts stand up particularly well. While fans of the director will no doubt love Quentin's arc, it's short enough that it would probably be just as easily - and effectively - viewed on YouTube or Vimeo. Interesting concept that didn't ultimately pan out.