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Audition (Uncut Special Edition) 
Actors : Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Tetsu Sawaki, Jun Kunimura, Renji Ishibashi
Director : Takashi Miike
Studio : Lions Gate
by Lions Gate
Release Date : 2005-08-23
Publisher : Lions Gate
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 0031398178972
UPC : 031398178972
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 268 reviews)
List Price : $14.98
Our Price : $8.71
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Americancivilwar.com |
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If you want the full sledgehammer-to-the-stomach effect of Audition, stop reading this review now. Just watch it and take the consequences. At first glance, Takashi Miike's jack in the box of a movie works like a romantic comedy: amiable widower Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) decides it's time to find a new wife, and a friend suggests holding a fake audition to find the right girl. It soon becomes clear that there is something wrong with Aoyama's choice. This is no ordinary Fatal Attraction-style thriller, however; Audition slowly and carefully builds into a wrenching exploration of both deep male fears and the stereotype of the cute, submissive Japanese woman. Audition is by no means an easy movie to watch--even hardcore horror fans may have trouble--but it will stay with you for a long, long time. --Ali Davis |
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Not really effective |
I have seen way to many horror/thriller films for this to have any effect on me. I was expecting something far more dark and interesting. I have heard many things about this film. It is supposed to be scary, crazy, amazing torture scenes, its not for the squeemish, etc. I must say, after watching this, that this is borderline mild, compared to other films I've seen. It is certainly not a horror film, but a messed up love story disguised as a thriller. There really is no air of suspense, no jumps of any kind, and it makes no sense. The supposedly infamous torture scene is very boring and again, very mild, unless you are afraid of needles...
I realise that violence and gore do not necessarily make a movie. Obviously, it is the case with great films like the Sixth Sense and The Others. However, Audition has nothing at all to offer. The story line is confusing, jumpy as hell and the end leaves you feeling absolultely nothing. The entire thing feels like a waste. If you want to watch a truly gruesome, wicked and suspenseful film with an OMG type of ending, watch the french film "Inside." |
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Watch the director's commentary also |
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There's already plenty of other reviews about the movie itself, so I'll just skip right to my own thought: be sure to watch director Takashi Miike's commentary. The last part of the movie does get confusing, what with different characters and scenes getting jumbled together and conversations changing. The director's commentary clarifies some things as he explains what he was trying to communicate with a particular scene or with a character's actions. Not all questions are answered though, but enough to make the movie a richer experience (as opposed to an "ok, what exactly happened here?" experience). Even the "kiri kiri kiri kiri" words spoken by Asami are given some additional explanation by Miike that, to me, makes them all the more creepier. |
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Audition is a classic film |
Audition is a simple movie about a man who, after losing his wife to illness years ago, is pushed by his son and friends to "get back out there" in the hopes he may find happiness again. His friend and coworker, both he and his friend work in show business, pushes him to put on an audition for a movie...that doesn't exist...in order for him to meet some women. Reluctantly, our hero finally agrees.
Our hero meets a very shy, soft spoken women...wearing all white...that he is attracted to. His friend doesn't think she is the right type of women for him but he decides to ask her for a date anyway and she accepts.
The rest of the movie is them finding out about each other. Basically, he is a widower that is feeling guilty about dating again and dreams that his new "dream girl" has a few, let's say, issues.
I believe this is one of the best suspense movies ever made. I put this movie in the same category as Hitchcock's best and absolutely feel comfortable saying this movie should be on the top 50 movies list of all time. It is a special movie. |
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Well, it's certainly effective as horror |
I knew this film was going to be rough to watch, but when the girl really got going I had to turn it off. And that's rare for me. This is strong viewing.
I admire Miike in small doses, but this was just too disturbing for me.
(LOL, I can't watch Marathon Man for the same reason!) |
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Like Nightmare on Elm Street, But Worse! |
So I like horror. I liked Hostel. Audition director Takashi Miike was in Hostel. I liked the book In The Miso Soup. Audition is an adaptation of a book by Ryu Murakami, who wrote Miso Soup. Seems like I should enjoy this movie, but alas, I did not.
The movie starts real slow, like 80 minutes of setup, but I'm thinking, That's cool, he's just making us feel comfortable before he hits us with the hammer. But when the hammer fell, I was not awestruck.
The beginning was fine and the ending was fine, but right before the torture starts there's one of the strangest montages in cinema history. It's like a flashback, but it includes things we never saw before. We don't know if this is a flashback, a dream or something else entirely. And the sequence ends with the worst horror gag of all time, the fake it-was-all-a-dream awakening, before going right back to where you started.
I cannot tell you how much I hate not knowing what it is I am supposed to be watching. That's why I gave up on the Elm Street series, and the even worse TV show. Every five minutes someone wakes up. Was it a dream? Was it real? Was it a dream that WAS real? Is this a dream? We are never told, and I lost any investment I had in the movie.
Don't buy it. You're wasting your money. Unless you'd like to buy my copy, which I will definitely be selling without giving it a second viewing. |
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