Location, location, location! This definitely rang true in the homage to film noir Fritz Lang style, Across the Hall, directed by Alex Merkin and written by Jesse Mittlestadt. The Riverview Hotel, lighting, set design, music and mad editing skills were personified respectively. These elements were also utilized to thread  together the tangled web tale of mass deception and desperation.

I had the privilege to be invited by the fantastic Amy Britt, Executive Director of Britt Media Relations, to a private screening of Across the Hall at Cipriani's Wall Street. I must say, that the collective performances by Brittany Murphy, Mike Vogel, Danny Pino and Brad Greenquist, seemed to simultaneously enhance and melt into the Barton Fink-esque world created by Merkin and Mittlestadt.

FYI: The film was shot in 17 days, with not a single pick-up or re-shoot... This, if anything, confirms that Ms. Murphy, the co-stars, and crew are diligent, professional, and rock solid talents.

Across the Hall was first introduced as a short starring Adrian Grenier in 2006. After gaining critical acclaim and winning over 15 awards at multiple festivals, Merkin was quickly approached to turn it into a full-length feature.

I'm not sure if Merkin ever imagined he would end up directing on the same Sound Stage at Universal where his personal influence Alfred Hitchcock, shot Psycho in 1960.

The feature-length noir thriller follows the tense stand off between a young man, his best friend, and his fiancée.

Terry (Pino) learns that his fiance, June (Murphy), has checked into a hotel with another man, sending him into a fit of near-homicidal fury. Desperate to hear a friendly voice, he calls his best friend (Vogel), admitting he's in a hotel room across the hall from June and plans to kill her lover. [IMDb.com]

Stay tuned for interviews with Danny Pino, Brad Greenquist, Mike Vogel, and others...

Across the Hall premiers tonight in Los Angeles and opens this Friday, December 4th in New York and Los Angeles.

*Production: Elton Brand, Gary Gimelfarb, Evan Ferrante, Stephen Fromkin, Insomnia Media Group, Cold Fusion, Milk and Media, and Image Entertainment.

Thursday evening, I attended the Cipriani Wall Street Fashion Series featuring designer Duncan Quinn. Alex Merkin, who relayed the designer’s regrets for not being able to present the collection personally, introduced the menswear collection. Mr. Quinn is currently in Miami in preparation for the opening of his forthcoming Limited Editions pop-up shop in Miami's design district… featuring its own indoor croquet pitch.

The London-born, New York based designer and “recovering lawyer” found inspiration for his featured designs in film and classic works of art; including all things Alfred Hitchcock, The Thomas Crown Affair, James Bond, Eastern Promises and the Mona Lisa.

I found the color palette for the line to be both regal and playful, with heavy plums, burgundy and charcoal tempered by lavender and rose accents in ties, handkerchiefs and dress shirts. There is an intellectual sharpness and meticulous attention to detail in the cufflinks, leather duffels, and umbrellas.

After the show, I caught up with Mr. Merkin, donning Duncan Quinn garb head to toe. The Director of the upcoming film Across the Hall, indulged my questions about the December 4th New York release. He told me that the film, featuring Danny Pino, Brittany Murphy and Mike Vogel, is a thriller about a standoff between a young man, his fiancée and his best friend, who occupy hotel rooms across the hall from one another. I gathered it’s a little dark and scandalous, a delicious combination.

Later into the night, I had a lively chat over drinks with Simon van Kempen and stylist Derek Warburton, who lamented over Editor Britten Heft’s absence. It seems they just missed each other at an earlier charity event. Designer Peyman Umay joined us for a spell, offering style expertise and exchanging opinions of the evening’s presentation.

I left Cipriani picturing how dapper and tailored my man would look in a “bespoke Duncan Quinn suit” while defending clients in the courtroom and for all our upcoming Holiday festivities… I think Christmas may have to come early this year.