7.7 | / 10 |
Users | 3.1 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.4 |
A widowed TV producer is encouraged by his teenage son to remarry before he gets too old. Unable to find anyone suitable, he decides to hold auditions for a false movie in order to test out potential wives. He thinks he may have found the one he is looking for when he auditions a former ballerina, but she seems too good to be true, and an investigation into her past reveals a horrific secret.
Starring: Eihi Shiina, Ryo Ishibashi, Renji Ishibashi, Jun Kunimura, Ken MitsuishiHorror | 100% |
Foreign | 98% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0
Japanese: Dolby TrueHD 5.0
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Thomas Wolfe wrote, "loneliness is and always has been the central and inevitable experience of every man." It seems controversial Japanese autuer Takashi Miike (Gozu, Ichi the Killer, Visitor Q) would agree. Audition, Miike's unflinching exploration of one man's loneliness and the hell it invites into his life, is both a startling cautionary tale and an unsettling character study. He examines the desperation an isolated soul feels when divorced from love -- as well as the innate desire such solitude inevitably induces -- but ventures farther, allowing his flawed everyman to stumble into an inescapable labyrinth of his own making. It's more than a cult favorite horror classic, more than a grisly glimpse into the macabre. It's a truly disturbing, increasingly complex dissection of love, loss, and hopelessness; a perverse, inverted morality play that offers its lonely wanderer, and its audience, little respite or relief.
God help any man who has the misfortune to call Asami Yamazaki...
Sadly, the undeniable low point of Audition's Blu-ray debut is its problematic 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer. While aggressive grain and intermittent softness is and should always be a part of a faithful presentation of Miike's film, Shout Factory delivers a master rife with edge enhancement, wavering clarity, and contrast inconsistencies. It doesn't help that the transfer itself suffers from minor artifacting, heavy ringing, occasional crush, and slight banding. Thankfully, the upgrade to high definition produces several noticeable (albeit inherent) improvements over previous DVD releases. Colors are stronger and more stable, skintones are more natural and less prone to flushing, blacks are deeper and more absorbing, and foreground detail -- despite the picture's prevailing softness -- is more satisfying than before. Likewise, textures are slightly crisper (particularly during close-ups) and delineation (look no further than Shigeharu's investigation into Asami's origins) is much more revealing. Oldboy fans will be all too familiar with the uneven upgrade offered by this Blu-ray release. Sadly, while Miike diehards will be more forgiving than newcomers, most viewers will find Audition to be an average, somewhat underwhelming technical addition to their library.
Shout Factory rebounds with two comparable (if not identical) lossless options -- a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0 track and a Dolby TrueHD 5.0 track -- mixed from Audition's original audio elements. Dialogue is warm and intelligible, restaurant chatter and alleyway ambience is persistent, and interior acoustics will bring the hair on the back of your neck to attention. The rear speakers are used to great effect enhancing the already immersive soundfield, lending resonance to ringing phones and murderous songs, and dialing up the pulpiness of the film's tearing flesh and rending bone. Proper LFE support is certainly missed (for the uninformed, that's the .1 in 5.1), but dynamics remain relatively strong throughout and both tracks exhibit welcome weight when needed. Moreover, pans are frighteningly smooth and directionality is on point. Whether Asami is slinking across Shigeharu's apartment or mulling over a glass of wine, every environment is convincing and every scene encounter sounds all too real. The tracks aren't perfect, but they do handle everything Miike employs with ease. If nothing else, they undergird the tone and tenor of the film. Fans couldn't ask for much more.
(Please note that the film's English subtitles aren't optional. While they aren't burned into the image, the subtitle track can't be turned off or disengaged.)
The Blu-ray edition of Audition features a fascinating selection of extensive extras, most of which can be found on the set's second disc. While the interviews have been relegated to a DVD-9 disc (an odd decision considering the amount of space a single BD-50 disc would have afforded its producers), they're nevertheless a welcome addition to the release. The set also includes a small collector's booklet with an essay by Tom Mes, author of "Agitator: The Cinema or Takashi Miike" (a captivating, well-researched dissection of the director's themes, characters, and films I highly recommend).
Audition encapsulates my idea of a perfect horror film. Its disturbing blend of quiet character development, unsettling visuals, and elemental scares attest to Miike's steady hand and unwavering vision, showcases his cast's talent, and should continue to etch permanent images in viewers' brains for years to come. Its Blu-ray release falters a bit with a problematic video transfer, but a pair of sturdy lossless tracks and a strong selection of supplemental content makes this release a solid one. I hope Audition earns a more thorough overhaul in the future but, for now, Shout Factory's 2-disc release is a great little Halloween treat.
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