Now anyone who suggests that all Takashi Miike's films are great, or even good, is completely rabid and needs to find a peaceful pasture somewhere to think things over. Miike makes some stinkers. However, I think the man is just completely mad about filmmaking and just can't stop. He pushes bounderies, mixes genres, and takes chances, and by golly, I like that. Mixed in with the crap, mediocre, and fair films, are some wonderfully brilliant gems. I most humbly suggest that Audition is one such gem.

Audition starts out with the air of a romantic comedy, almost, and if you didn't know it was a horror film, you might mistake it as such. However, there is a subtle, prevalent sense of dread that clues you in to the fact that at the least this movie will have some sort of creepy morality tale behind it. It does.

A lonely widower, partly convinced by his son, and facilitated by his film producer friend, seeks to find a new love. The method he goes about finding her can be found in the films title, and the actresses don't know that the part they are actually auditioning for is not a film roll, at least not one meant to see production. The widower, Shigeharu Aoyama (played by Ryo Ishibashi) poses as his producer-friend's partner and the two proceed to audition the hopeful women in hopes that one of them will catch Shigeharu's eye. Something bad has got to come of this trickery.

This is where I stop on this one. No more plot. Suffice it to say that his choice is beautiful, quiet, shy, and seemingly not completely forthcoming about the details of her past or present. I'm suspicious already! And look at the DVD's cover. Oh oh.

What starts off as a story of ill-gotten romance, decends slowly into that of a disturbing thriller, finally making it's way to a nightmarish conclusion. Certainly not for the squeamish, Audition is one fantastic ride. Kind of like a roller-coaster, the longest part being the slow ascent to that first stomach churning drop then suddenly the ride really begins to take off. I say this as a warning because this is not a gore fest from the start, but a well crafted horror, that builds slowly and dreadfully until it's disturbing climax. Takashi Miike score again.

DO NOT BUY THIS FILM IF: You have a weak stomach; you think you might be just about to have a heart attack (wait 'till that feeling passes - and maybe see a doctor about that); you've just met someone too good to be true and she keeps a large bag of who knows what in her living room; or you are a casting director's friend, and he has a "great idea" for meeting chicks and you already agreed to do it - it's probably to late for you.

RECOMMENDATION: Recommended for everyone except the overly sqeamish. I guess I'm kind of desensitized. If you are at all squeamish, even a little, you may find some scenes hard to take. For everyone else, I highly urge you to try this movie. If you're a Takashi Miike fan, just go ahead and buy it. If horror movies scare you, this WILL scare you. If you're a bit too tough to be frightened by a movie, you will still find this an excellently made, entertaining film with a cute chick with cool outfits. You know.

COMMENTS
It's hard to say that this is a horror film, when it really has little to no horror in it. The first half of the film is like a slight comedic-romance. I thought the film was good, but was left with many questions towards the end.

The movie is pretty much about this lonely man who decides that it's time to remarry. He sets out to find a new woman when a friend holds an audition for a film they're working on. The man meets a girl and everything seems perfect, until the truth behind her slowly unravels to the shocking conclusion.

The ending of the film is very shocking indeed. It was confusing and looked incredibly painful. It's hard to explain it really without giving anything away, but lets just say it'll stick in your mind.

About half the film it's just about the lonely man and a woman he showed a liking to at the audition. It shows how he gradually begins to fall in love with her. This movie is very very slow, but it somehow kinda keeps you hooked. I knew something was gonna happen with the girl at the end and that's what kept me watching.

The acting in this film is excellent and very believable. The directing was also very well done. I think I was expecting too much from this movie and was a bit let down by the end result. Not by much though. This was more of a plot and actor-driven movie. It wasn't a slash'em up horror film. It had a very good plot.

My one real complaint about the movie, aside from it being slow and long, was the confusing ending. It just shows a bunch of stuff that just doesn't make sense. I dunno, maybe I need to watch it again. Anyway, that's really the only reason why I gave the film a 6-rating.

OVERALL
Good film, but not something you'd really expect. More of an actor-driven movie with a very good plot that leads to a whacked out ending. Not really recommended unless you don't mind waiting an hour for the horror to start. Might be a good film for all you plot lovers though.

The Ishibashi character, with the help of a business client, sets up an audition session with dozens of young ladies. They think they are going to be the heroine of a new movie. They're really auditioning to be the lonely father's next wife. Humor ensues. The audience is laughing.

Ishibashi is fascinated with one particular young woman, played by Miyuki Matsuda. She is innocent, beautiful and modest. They begin to date. He falls in love with her and is happier than we've seen him throughout the film. He takes her to an ocean guest house where he plans on proposing to her. They make love and when he wakes up later that evening she is gone. He doesn't know where to find her.

Needless to say, Ishibashi's character is distraught and begins a quest to find her based on the clues she gave him when they dated. While searching, he learns some very disturbing things about her. Without giving too much away, here the film turns 180 degrees away from good natured family comedy and enters ground I've only seen covered by David Lynch in "Lost Highway" and in the director's cut of Oliver Stone's "Natural Born Killers". You see, Matsuda's character is a hobbyist of sorts. Her hobby? Let's just say she isn't very nice to her lovers.

The last third of the film is surreal... the imagery often brutal. Here the audience is aghast and does not know whether to laugh, cry or (as many do) leave the theater in haste.

Audition is a very interestingly crafted film with excellent direction and acting. However, it is NOT for the weak stomached or faint of heart.

THE FILM
If you thought dating was scary.... you have no idea. Basically that is the premise, a lonely hearts worst nightmare. You may think you know someone. You may fall so head over heels you don’t see the warning sings. You may let someone get too close, and pay a difficult price for it... When you first meet someone and feel an attraction, your body releases a hormone called oxytocin, which leads to a basic overdrive of euphoria in people. Its why those first few months of dating are usually so memorable and a roller coaster ride on Cloud 9. Its also a good reason for, why, when the hormone starts to fade, sometimes only then do you realize certain things, perhaps annoying things, about your partner. Usually people say, “You changed”, but in reality, you were probably so swooning with hormones and affection you just didn’t notice. Well, imagine the same scenario, only you fell into the trap of a complete psychopath.

But it also about much more than that. It is about the objectification of women, the demands put upon them by men, whether it be in how they should look, to how they should behave, to what they should achieve. In Fatal Attraction, sure Michael Douglas is a scumbag, but Glenn Close is so crazy, the movie just has to have the evil psycho woman dead in the end and Douglas and his wife safe in each others arms. Whereas, Audition paints a different, less obvious picture. Shigeharu is a sympathetic character. While dishonest in his methods searching for a wife, he is a man who is coming out of a long period of mourning and seemingly so nervous about dating, that the audition process sounds like a good icebreaker. Likewise, Asami is clearly (in a way that is left somewhat ambiguous) the product of some kind of emotional and physical torture as well. Neither one of them are what they appear to be- Shigeharu not looking for an actress but a subservient, perfect wife- Asami not looking for a job or a kind mate but a victim. Shigeharu is the prototypical Japanese male, and Asami is the symbolic result of the years of degradation of Japanese females, exacting torturous revenge on the clueless male. It is the intelligent, reverse gender answer to torture films like the Japanese Guinea Pig series.

Takashi Miike’s Audition (Odishon, 1999) is a firecracker horror film. That is, the film is basically one long slow burn until an explosive ending. Its a bonbon wrapped until its the size of a basketball, it takes an hour and twenty minutes to unwrap it to get to the candy. It is a good 30-40 mins before we even get to Asami and the audition. Sure there are little shocks here and there, but the real horror and mystery aren’t revealed until the very end; its all about unraveling to the finale. And, this setup has its good points and its bad points. Fans of such hyperactive horrors as BrainDead (aka Dead Alive) will probably find the pacing bothersome. In making the film a slow burn, it drags out the unease, Miike manages to take his time and add layer upon layer of dread that will probably leave you itching in your seat, anticipating the horrible things to come. And then, after all that waiting, not only do we get the horrific payoff, but a plot payoff as well, giving a grand flashback?/imagining? of the possible reasons behind Asami's actions. And then, its over... While the ending has to be one of the better horror endings, it also makes re-watching the film a little drier. Even though the film concludes with some ambiguousness, once you’ve sat through that first, fresh time, repeat viewing isn’t quite the same. When I first saw Audition in the theater this winter, I was squirming in my seat, filled with dread, and then blown away by the ending. But upon a second viewing, all the thrill was gone. There aren’t any real surprises to rediscover and its ingenuity is only impressive on |hat first viewing. Since you know where its headed, it makes the trip longer and more of a chore to sit through.

Auditon is probably Miike’s most accessible work. His reputation as an outlandish, interesting filmmaker began with his yakuza films Fudoh and Dead or Alive 1 & 2, and recent works like Ichi the Killer, Audition, and Visitor Q, have cemented Miike as one of the great bizarre, outlandish, risk taking voices in cinema.

THE DVD
Region 3 Universe DVD. Picture- Widescreen. Picture is very soft and contrast leans towards more grays than deep blacks, lessening the details considerably. The color scheme has a warm (brown and orange-red) colors dominating it, tanning fleshtones. The print I saw in the theater was one of the dirtiest film prints I’ve seen in a long time, and the DVD transfer is fairly dirty too, with some worn blur spots. Overall, it is extremely dull and disappointing, especially considering the films only a few years old. While Asian imports are always a mixed bag, sometimes great, usually flawed but fine, this one has a few too many minuses for my taste. Still, it beats a bootleg. Sound- Dolby Digital 2.0 Japanese with optional English and Chinese (traditional and simplified) subtitles. This was a different sub translation than I saw in the theater, and one that was a little awkward. My memory can’t recall the specific details, but the Universe sub translation just didn’t have the same feel, some phrases were off and confusing. The audio isn’t a dynamic mix, but gets the job done with no huge distortions Extras- 9 Chapters--- Trailer--- thats it.

CONCLUSION
Well, the transfer is not really that great. It doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, but I think the movie has a questionable rewatchability factor, so, combining that with a poor transfer I’ll have to give it a hesitant recommendation. Its a good rental for the curious. If you're already a die-hard Miike nut, it is a decent enough buy, but a better transfer would be welcome... There is a PAL version which I've read is an equally poor/wishy-washy transfer. There is also a Region One version that streets May 7, but no idea if that will offer better quality.

REVIEW:
*Potential spoilers.... I try avoid anything that will ruin the film, but some things are mentioned that hardcore purists may wish not to hear before viewing the film*

The first thing I should warn potential viewers about this film is to not let hype about this film get to them. Hype is always a recipe for disappointment, and with a movie as generally disappointing as this anyway, that just amplifies the feeling. I know that a proper review shouldn't mention hype and what not, but reality is that if you are checking this movie out - it's because you've heard something about it. Hype notwithstanding, though, this film is tedious at times and never really gives anything powerful enough to sink in memorably to a viewer.

The first hour or so of this film focuses mostly on our main character's search for a new wife. As a single father after his wife's death, some of his son's comments have gotten him to think about getting a new wife. As per the film premise, he uses an audition as a front to hand pick his perfect woman. This not only sets up for the relationship with his newfound wife-to-be, but seems to call into question the morality of using such a scheme to find a woman. Unfortunately, this first half of the film is quite tedious. There is little more than a hint or two of the later, more disturbing aspects. Rather, it spends its time setting up the characters, premise, and initial relationship between our two newfound lovers. It feels quite long-winded in doing so, no matter how necessary or not it may be.

The second half of the film gets far more psychological and "freaky", if you will. Here, we see a number of disturbing, unexplained events take place. These are blended with a dream-sequence type of narrative, calling into question what is real and what is not. The film does leave most of this ambigous, in the end. Much of this could possibly be questioning our main character's conscience as he deals with the way in which he found his wife-to-be.

Unfortunately, as interesting as this sounds on paper, it comes off more hollow in practice. I never felt scared or disturbed, as I feel viewers are meant to be. The shorter film time devoted to these latter segments, combined with the constantly jumping dream-sequence approach also served to keep this film from allowing me to settle on any feelings or mindsets. Unlike some psychological thrillers where this could be qutie interesting, this is not a good thing here. As the film is intentionally ambiguous often, this will leave viewers with a feeling of wanting in the end.

Unfortunately, I came away from the film feeling empty. No fright, no horror, no disturbance. The thing that kept some level of interest was the conscience question and how that plays into the dream-like sequences and their ambiguity. Unfortunately, this is never really pulled together in the end and while that is likely intentional, in this case it only serves to leave the film feeling hollow. Combined with the fact that the first hour and ten minutes are quite tedious development of the premise, this film drops down to a mere rental. Luckily, said conscience questions and some great direction and cinematography make this watchable at least once.

Aoyama spends secretive evenings looking through the selection of application forms and photographs, and finds himself inextricably drawn to the image of a 24-year-old ex-dancer, Asami Yamasaki. On the day of the audition, her mysterious charm and obedient nature make such an impact upon Aoyama that he arranges to see her again.

As the relationship between the two develops, Yoshikawa becomes increasingly uneasy about his friend's choice and, conducting his own investigation into Ayami's past, sets out to prove that she is not who she claims to be.

After spending many romantic evenings with Asami, Aoyama becomes increasingly convinced that she is the woman for him. However, his romantic ideals are about to be shattered in the most unimaginably cruel way, as the woman of his dreams takes him deep into her sadistic and vengeful world.

The plot is simple. Ryo Ishibashi is a middle aged widower with a nice teenage son. Lonely, and with prodding from his son, Ryo tells a producer friend he wants to find a wife. The producer decides that they will hold a fake film audition. Ryo is immediately smitten with the stunning and angelic former dancer Eihi Shiina. After the audition, Ryo and Eihi go on dates. Everything might just work out for the two. But lest we not forget, this is a Takashi Miike film.

The performances, cinematography, direction, all of that is good and dandy. Eihi Shiina is chilling and beautiful. Ryo Ishibashi is a great everyman hero. The cinematography is wonderful. The direction is brilliant.

I loved this movie. It fucked me up. When I let friends borrow it, it fucks them up. It is right up there with "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" and "The Untold Story" in the pantheon of fucked up, unforgettable movies you just can't forget.

There isn't too much I can say without giving it all away. I don't want to be like other reviewers, who have ruined it for so many others. All I can say is, be prepared. This movie will get to you.

Takashi Miike is a madman. Don't believe me? Watch this on a triple bill with "Ichii The Killer" and "Visitor Q".

deeper...deeper...deeper...