05/09/2012 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

"Audition" by Yojimbo

A TV executive decides to remarry 7 years after the death of his first wife and sets up a fake film audition to look for suitable candidates. This stunningly clever psychological horror leads your perceptions up the garden path and then cheerfully garrotes them with cheesewire; the first half of the film could easily be mistaken for a breezy mainstream romance, but once Aoyama begins to look into his potential fiancee's past the tone darkens into a horrific blend of reality, fantasy and nightmare. Miike takes a familiar formula, this time the scorned woman-turns stalker idea and turns it on it's head; not only does he fail to follow the usual expectations of the genre, he actually uses them against you. The use of colour, and particularly sound is stunning and the way he transforms the vi...

Rating of
3.5/4 

01/17/2012 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

Audition review

Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) is a widower taking care of his son. His son Shigehiko (Tetsu Sawaki) encourages his father to re-marry again. Aoyama’s friend Yoshikawa (Jun Kunimura) creates a mock audtion for a film. The resumes are screened and Aoyama becomes fascinated with Asami Yamazaki (Eihi Shiina), who used to be a ballet dancer with a troubled past. In this reviewers mind, this film had one of the best thought provoking lines for its genre. Clever quotes from the film: Asami Yamazaki – “Words create lies. Pain can be trusted.” “I never felt unhappy...Because I have been unhappy all the time.” Shigeharu Aoyama – “It's hard to overcome that experience, but, someday you'll feel that life is wonderful. That's life, isn't it?” Only minor flaw in this critic’s opinion is the length of c...

Rating of
3.5/4 

10/07/2008 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

90%

Action: 3/3 + Comedy: 1/2 + Good vs Evil: 1/1 + Love/Sex: 1/1 + Special Effects: 1/1 + Plot: 1/1 + Music: 1/1 = 9/10 or 90%.

One won't feel good about the bag! The set-up and understated performances highlight the tense mystery and secrets, which build and build until the revelation and witness to what's going on literally will make one squirm. It is rare that the horror genre presents, builds, and sustains such shock of this magnitude. Wannabes like Hostel, House of 1000 Corpses, and Hills Have Eyes pale in comparison.

Please note: paranoia will set in here and you will have to cover your eyes for perhaps the last 30 minutes. Meeting new people, casual encounters anywhere, and seeing old friends will all seem frighteneing after this. The gruesome realism of the main character's psy...

Rating of
4/4