Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
3.5/4
Audition is one heck of a ride.
Monnie1976 - wrote on 08/19/2013
Audition is one of those films where the less you know going in the better off you are and the more powerful the experience. It really blew me away. The cast is wonderful with veteran Japanese actor Ryo Ishibashi starring as our likeable, though misguided protagonist and the seemingly demure Eihi Shiina as his love interest. The movie takes its time with the pace which is one of the reason it ends up having such an impact. If you want constant carnage and a fast pace this film is not for you. If you love a slow build with an unforgettable finale though, this is your movie. The acting, the setting and the strange surreal feel all conspire to make it one of the most disturbing movies I've seen. The plot definitely asks a lot of its audience and at the end it will leave you thinking.
Rating of
3.5/4
"Audition" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 05/09/2012
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 …
Rating of
3.5/4
Audition review
Daniel Corleone - wrote on 01/17/2012
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 …
Rating of
4/4
90%
CJP - wrote on 10/07/2008
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 …
