Audition

Rating:
Summary: impressive
Review: no film deserves five stars.
at any rate my impression of this film further developes the mystery of how ridiculous anime porn and childrens fair (probably done by many of the same animators) and outstanding filmatic expression such as this and just about all of kurosawa's film can be spawned from the same culture.

i will say no more than that this is a very beautiful and disturbing visionary work.

Rating:
Summary: kiri, kiri, kiri, kiri...
Review: Aoyama is a sad lonely man whose wife died seven years previously. Instead of remarrying, Aoyama decided to put his all into his work and becomes relatively successful. However, the death of his wife leaves a hole in him, and when his son suggests that he get remarried he asks his friend Yoshikawa helps him by having a fake audition in which Aoyama can select 30 women and decide which one of them he wants to marry. He decides on the gorgeous Asami Yamazaki who is also very soft spoken, pleasant, and obedient. Aoyama soon becomes obsessed with the young woman, and their relationship begins to blossom revealing a flower full of worms. Asami is much more than what she appears to be.

It should be noted that, although Miike gets most of the acclaim for this film, Murakami Ryu wrote the screenplay. Murakami penned such notable novels as _Almost Transparent Blue_, _Coin Locker Babies_, and _In the Miso Soup_. If I had never heard of Miike before watching this film, I would have still known to be on my guard because of Murakami.

Although this film is ripe with violence, I believe that the main theme is lonliness. Aoyama is lonely. Asami sits by her phone in a dark room desperately waiting for Aoyama to call. These scenes display the lonliness that a number of Japanese, and of course others, feel in their post modern country. Surrounded by people, but all alone with no one they can really relate to.

Please be prepared for some very disturbing imagery.

Rating:
Summary: A True "Femme Fatale"
Review: This asian romantic comedy-gone-wrong has a couple of neat and compelling ideas yet as a whole ends up being a disappointment. "Audition" tries to play with some conventions regarding the oriental female stereotyped role (shy, loyal and submissive women), delivering a strong and unexpected twist by the end of the movie. While this concept is somewhat interesting, the plot moves at a terribly slow and tiresome pace, being nothing more than flat mumbo-jumbo for about 3/4 of the movie.

This effort is forgettable and not very enticing for the most part, presenting a japanese romantic comedy (not very funny though) about a middle-aged man that makes an audition in order to choose an actress for a movie. Simultaneously, he`s also trying to find a girfriend in the process (and he manages to get one). "Audition" develops this scenario and suddently delivers a strong twist that provides some shocking and disturbing scenes, giving a new perspective into the protagonist`s recent (and apparently innocent and fragile) girlfriend.

Director Takashi Miike tries to raise subjects like the effects of isolation, the possibilty of love and the old "looks can be decieving" idea, yet this cinematic experience is flawed overall and just fails to convince. Sure, "Audition"`s last 20 minutes are strong and memorable material, still that doesn`t make for the unengaging and bland previous events.

An interesting failure.

Rating:
Summary: Blood, fright and smart !
Review: Japanese film makers are doing well these recent years and The Audition is the right example. They have their own way to tell stories and especially frightning ones. After the scary THE RING, this is the disturbing The audition.Starting quietly, the pressure increases and you wonder what it's going to happen next.Japanese have their way to film what NO US film makers in my opinion,can equal.With this movie, you will be passing through emotions such as compassions, love, doubts, fright and disgust.At the end, you will think about what you just saw and will be troubled for sure.
If you like Ringu, try this out.Some scenes will remind you the creepy girl from the video tape. I will applause for the casting, the acting, the fx, the lighting and editing.
Japanese filmaking rules !

Rating:
Summary: Creepy
Review: Well at first I thought this movie was plain boring. But like most people felt after the audition you did just get a bad feeling right away with this girl, I mean the creepy waiting around for him to call just freaks you out. The movie to me seems some what confusing but very interesting the way it plays out and how it ends is something that I personally did not see coming. I recomend it if you don't mind kinda slow movies with strange plots.

Rating:
Summary: Close but no cigar
Review: I wish I could give this a higher rating because it is quite an original story with some compelling moments, but the fact is the movie falls apart near the end. Briefly, some years after the death of the protagonist's wife, he decides he might want to re-marry and goes about trying to find his ideal mate through auditioning women for a documentary about his trying to find his ideal mate. The woman he ends up falling for turns out to be a nutcase who proceeds to torture him to death ( or at least to an extreme degree of being handicapped).

The problem is that this may not really be happening and may only be a nightmare. The question is, there is really nothing in the set-up to suggest the whole thing isn't happenening exactly as the audience is seeing it, so why suggest it? It is certainly much more compelling to see this sweet (if creepy/mysterious)girl go off the deep end than to think it isn't really happening. And as you come to the end and she begs for sympathy due to her past, you are expected to forgive her for something she may not have even done.

This brings to mind the film Donnie Darko, where the viewer finds he has been caught up in some alternative reality. Finally, that film probably has more questions than answers, but it contained some weird, internal logic and still left me satisfied. This film left me frustrated because it doesn't resolve the key issue of who this girl is and did these things really happen.

This would have worked better as a straight-ahead thriller. It has a great premise and a really good set-up. The minor detective worked performed by the two main characters unveils some genuinely creepy things about the girl. If the director would have stuck with it to a more logical conclusion it would have been one nifty flick. As it stands, this might be one of the few films I hope Hollywood DOES attempt to re-make. This could be so much more.

Rating:
Summary: Well done, but simultaneously excruciating
Review: Audition is a Japanese thriller with 20 of the most excruciating minutes I've ever seen.

Though I look forward to forgetting about Audition completely, I cannot fault the quality of the film. The cinematography is stunning and the acting is mostly top notch. But that isn't enough to overcome the almost joyous gore and torture the director subjects us to.

One could argue that Audition is the logical progression expanding on David Lynch and Alfred Hitchcock. But I would argue that there needs to be a limit. While Audition is very well made and intelligent in it's own way, that same quality makes the gore even more unbearable.

If you didn't know that Audition was a horror piece, you might have watched the first hour or so and enjoyed it. But by the end of Audition, I defy anyone to tell me they are glad they saw this film.

Audition owes a lot to Italian horror master Dario Argento - particularly the film Trauma. Like Trauma, Audition has moments that will make you look away.

American horror films have nothing that can compare to this film and other films by Argento. American horror films often give the viewer a chance to feel comfortable. But once Audition gets rolling, I seriously considered stopping the DVD several times.

Audition is only suitable for certain audiences. Only extreme horror fans will enjoy it. The rest of us will simply want to take a shower.

Rating:
Summary: This Movie is insane, In A Good Way!!
Review: Great acting and a very interesting story and then Asami (Eihi Shlina) goes "American Psycho" on Aoyoma (Ryo Ishibashi). Never tell a ex-ballet dancer with serious emotional baggage that you will love her and only her.

The classic story of love, heartache, torture and mutilation. You must see this movie if you are a fan of "Strangeland", "American Psycho", "Clockwork Orange" or "Ichi The Killer".

Rating:
Summary: Why using women does not pay
Review: At its very dark heart Audition is just another femme-fatal attraction movie. The bases for everything on display here is how women are used by men and the lengths that some will go to get revenge. The real strong point of this film is that the main male protagonist is just a really nice guy who messes it up with the wrong woman.

The premise is simple. Lonely father seeks out his film making buddy to hold a fake Audition for a movie so that he can find a woman that he wants. The woman he chooses turns out to be a bit of a mystery and so he tries to track her past down only to reveal a lot of murder and mayhem along the way. The film then sort of becomes dreamy and we learn through some very confusing sequences that the protagonist has done a lot of bad things off-screen that we did not know about. The ending is torture in every sense of the word and has become legendary in Asian horror cinema.

Many people will not like this movie because it is very slow moving and is often confusing even at the best of times. Towards the end of the film the director brings out a couple of flashback and dream sequences that actually show that our protagonist has been doing a lot of cheating and in many ways is getting what is coming to him, however at the same time what happens goes a way beyond justification and certainly shocks the viewer on all counts. Many viewers will have their eyes firmly shut until the screaming stops.

The imagery and editing in this film are striking. The story is non-linear and this will put many people off but it is done in a David Lynch sort of way. The film must be watched more than once in order to understand the story but this can be a hard task to be put through twice because of its sluggishness at the start and merciless display of horror at the end.

Although never one to tell the audience everything directly Takashi Miike's modern masterpiece still works as a structured film although crudely done but highly original all the same. This is an extremely graphic film that is not for the squeamish by any means but you will be hard pressed to find any femme fetal movie that can match it for horrors.

Men of the world, learn the message well. Keep your thing firmly in your pants with strangers of the opposite sex if you don't want to end up like him!

Rating:
Summary: Piano wire makes for a fun evening!
Review: In the battle between men and women, who will triumph? Who knows, but Japanese director Takashi Miike's film "Audition" shines a particularly brutal light on this eternal conflict. Set in Japan, the film takes on additional significance considering what we know about the role of women in that society. I am far not expert on Japanese social roles or mores, but I imagine the stereotypical picture of a Japanese woman as a subservient figure to men is more or less an accurate one. Certainly, gender roles have changed somewhat over the last fifty plus years as Japan rapidly industrialized and assumed a western style political system. One hopes that some progress in this area has taken place there, but I am not so sure after watching this film. Apparently, the idea of a docile, ever ready to serve her partner woman still exerts a strong influence in that country. Otherwise, "Audition" would make little sense to its target audience. Completely independent of its effect on Japanese audiences, the movie will send shivers down the spine of every American male.

"Audition" starts like a Japanese adaptation of some saccharine American family television program. Aoyama, a man whose wife died some years before, desperately seeks female companionship. He works as a television producer, has done an excellent job raising his son, and enjoys bonding with this son on fishing trips. Aoyama, in other words, is a really nice guy. It's just that he is so lonely nowadays since his son is quickly growing up and has less and less time to spend with his father. Aoyama therefore soon faces the prospect of almost total solitude. Our hero opens his heart to his business partner one evening at the local bar, lamenting the changing face of Japanese society that has led to a decline of traditional women--meaning ladies who will stay home and serve their husbands--and a rise in the numbers of modern, cynical women. After commiserating with his buddy, the two come up with an excellent idea. Recognizing that they work in the film business, why not put out an ad for a female part in a new television program while secretly using the audition process as a means of securing the perfect mate for Aoyama? What a brilliant idea! A quick perusal of the resumes beforehand will help narrow down the final choices.

The plan goes off without a hitch, and Aoyama does indeed discover a young woman who he thinks will be his ideal match. Blessed with an ethereal visage and the pretty name of Asami, this young woman seems like a magnificent catch. Aoyama likes the fact that the young woman has undergone a few personal tragedies in her life but emerged stronger because of them. He even seems to like her perpetual shyness, perhaps because it indicates Asami is a traditional woman who will know her place in Aoyama's household. Even after deciding on Asami, our hero hesitates to pursue the relationship. Should he be so forward? Wouldn't it seem indecorous to make such blatant overtures? As Aoyama debates what action he should take a few problems emerge that cast a pall over his choice. His partner encourages him to choose someone else, saying that her "chemistry" isn't right and that he has a bad feeling about this young girl. Another possible problem emerges when Aoyama discovers that Asami has no permanent address. Only a phone number links the two potential lovers, but the lonely Aoyama throws all caution to the wind and calls anyway. On the other end of the line sits Asami, who spends a lot of time sitting around a bare room waiting by the telephone. When the phone finally rings, a smile full of sinister implications stretches itself across Asami's mug. She obviously knows her charms worked on the older Aoyama and now she plans on running a show full of painful activities.

No guy wants to think the sort of things that happen to Aoyama could really occur, but it can happen when you start treating people like objects instead of living, breathing beings. And Asami has been treated like an object by every male figure in her life. When it comes time to lash out at her oppressors, Aoyama is there to take the fall. The film becomes problematic when we learn that the main character is actually a nice guy. He loves his son, certainly wouldn't treat a woman badly, and is so lonely that it is tough to not empathize with the desperate measures he takes to find a woman. Miike lessens the likeability of Aoyama during the second half of the film, when we see he has some decidedly unsavory desires of his own, but I still couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy.

Whether the extreme torture session between Aoyama and Asami actually takes place or is a dream really isn't all that crucial to the story line although it certainly achieves a fingernails on the blackboard effect for any male watching it. I think "Audition" is a film about how men and women constantly and consistently fail to connect on a personal level. When Aoyama authorizes the audition and reads through the resumes looking for the perfect woman, he assigns a host of assumptions to Asami based on what HE wants in a woman. Whether she will fulfill these expectations in person is secondary to what the man wants. Watch the movie, not just for the gore scenes, but also to view a social critique about gender roles and miscommunication.