if so, what did you think? there is so much talk about how shocking it is. rated extremely high almost everywhere you look. i thought it was boring. definitely not scary. one scene doesn't make up for 100 minutes of snail paced boringness that precedes it. without spoiling anything for people that didn't see it, i'm still not sure if those events really happened or were a dream. i say it was a total dud, but i can't find one other person who agrees with me.
Never heard of it. A decent (not the best I've ever seen, but kind of caught me off guard) scary/creeper of a movie is a movie called "The Skeptic." I don't know if you could totally classify it as a scary movie. It'd almost be more of a mystery....
It was pretty boring. The climax was pretty good although you are right, it doesn't really make up for how boring it was. Seemed like it was a bit over hyped. I will tell you which movie is a trip, Visitor Q. That movie has so many "wtf" moments! It isn't great but I do recommend it. Not sure what you were expecting from Audition, but if shock is what you want, shock is what you will get from Visitor Q.
Yeah, I saw Audition a while back and it didn't live up to all the hype. Not bad, but not that great either. I was under the impression that all the events in the movie actually happened. Ichi the Killer, directed by the same guy, definitely did live up to the hype. I've been meaning to see Citizen Q and I think a poster here recommended Crow Zero too both by the same guy as well. However, if you're looking for a Audition type movie, I would recommend the French film High Tension.
What you think of as boring, some of us think of as slow-burn. Audition is brilliant because it's so patient with it's story - I can't think of another movie that bides its time so well. Visitor Q and Ichi are comedic shockfests - the story is less important than how many taboos they can break (although there is some social commentary in both films). If that's what you want out of a film, then I can see why you wouldn't appreciate Audition. High Tension was just plain stupid- the twist was completely illogical given some of the scenes. It's not nearly in the same league as Audition.
Audition is badass, what a payoff at the end.. I've met some crazy azz biotches in my life, but the chick in this movie takes the damn cake...
In order to understand Japanese cinema, you have to be aware that most of the times their films are very subtle and well paced... When it picks up its pace, it never lets go...
as a film school grad i definitely get what miike was trying to do here. slow burn is a delicate thing to pull off. the thing is, every viewer has their own "cook-timer" and mine was buzzing way before anything started to happen, which is why this film was lost on me. i'm usually ok with a setup as long as 45-60 minutes which isn't being impatient IMO. after an hour i start to get impatient if things aren't starting to develop. you're obviously a more patient viewer than i am. one more thing, can you explain if it was a dream or real? i just watched the movie again today and there are scenes to support both sides. thanks man!
Fair enough - I personally think there's enough to keep a viewer interested during the slow burn part in Audition but not everyone may agree. I think in your case, you approached the film expecting a "shocker" and thus sat waiting for the shock. Obviously, after an hour, you probably wondered "Ok is anything shocking going to happen here?" I think Miike's intention wasn't just to shock, but to specifically pull the rug from under the viewer - unfortunately, his intent is somewhat ruined by the notoriety the film has now (not to mention the movie posters). Only someone who hasn't heard anything about the film would probably experience it the right way. And I can see why the studio (or distributor) would be disinclined to market a movie with such a gruesome climax as a "light romantic drama" (which is pretty much how the first part of the movie is set up). I happen to like the juxtaposition of the two types of film, but not everyone does. As far as dream vs. real, I've seen good arguments for both. If you go over to IMDB and read the forum messages about Audition, they discuss it much better (and sometimes more creatively) than I ever could.
