Daily Dialogue — December 31, 2017

Ted the Bellhop: A block of wood.
Chester: [raps it with his knuckles] Continue.
Ted the Bellhop: Three nails.
Norman: Why three nails?
Chester: That’s how many Peter Lorre wanted. Continue, Ted.
Ted the Bellhop: A ball of twine.
Chester: Well, that is definitely a ball of twine. Continue.
Ted the Bellhop: A bucket… of ice.
Chester: You into it?
Norman: I’m into it!
Chester: All right, go on!
Ted the Bellhop: A donut.
Chester: That’s for me. [eats it] Continue.
Ted the Bellhop: A club sandwich.
Angela: That is mine.
Ted the Bellhop: And finally… a hatchet.
Chester: “A hatchet as sharp as the Devil himself” is what I asked for.
Ted the Bellhop: Well, sir, you be the judge.
Norman: No, no, I’ll be the judge.

Tests it with his finger.

Ted the Bellhop: Careful, sir.
Chester: What do you think?
Norman: It’s a sharp motherfucker. All right, forget the nails and the twine and bring all this other bullshit over to the bar.

— Four Rooms (1995), written by Allison Anders (segment “The Missing Ingredient”), Alexandre Rockwell (segment “The Wrong Man”), Robert Rodriguez (segment “The Misbehavers”), Quentin Tarantino (segment “The Man from Hollywood”)

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: New Year.

Plot Summary: Four interlocking tales that take place in a fading hotel on New Year’s Eve.

Trivia: The film was originally to be titled “Five Rooms,” with Richard Linklater contributing a segment, however he withdrew before production began.

Dialogue On Dialogue: The Tarantino segment averages 9.2 “fucks” per minute.