Amazon.com

If you want the full sledgehammer-to-the-stomach effect of Audition, stop reading this review now. Just watch it and take the consequences. At first glance, Takashi Miike's jack in the box of a movie works like a romantic comedy: amiable widower Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) decides it's time to find a new wife, and a friend suggests holding a fake audition to find the right girl. It soon becomes clear that there is something wrong with Aoyama's choice. This is no ordinary Fatal Attraction-style thriller, however; Audition slowly and carefully builds into a wrenching exploration of both deep male fears and the stereotype of the cute, submissive Japanese woman. Audition is by no means an easy movie to watch--even hardcore horror fans may have trouble--but it will stay with you for a long, long time. --Ali Davis ... Read more

Reviews (103)

Tender and brutal
You've probably heard that "Audition" is extremly violent - and that's true. But what makes this violence so disturbing is the tenderness that lies in this movie's heart.
Basically, it's a story about two lonely people, in a lonly society (as one character notes - "All of Japan seems lonely"). These two people try to make a connection, and each of them fails miserably. The man find it hard to see past his ideals about what a woman should be - and misses the person in front of him, while the woman needs, probably because of her troubled childhood, demands total love.
Out of the failure of the relationship comes a climax, which is very brutal and graphic (I've found it hard to watch - and I'm a med school student and am used to the dissections...). The fact that you come to care so much about these characters, make the violence seem human, and not horror movie cartoon gore.
A spacial notice should be made to the work done by the lead actrice, Eihi Shiina. It's her first time on-screen, and acording to the director's note, a large part of her acting in the latter part of the film came from improvisation. Perhaps she was working on her inner demons, but her performance is hard to forget.
I'd recommend this to anyone who thinks he can stomach graphic scenes.

A+
AUDITION - directed by Takashi Miike (2001)
DVD/VHS
10/10
Japanese with English Subtitles
This film is un-rated and contains graphic violence.

Takashi Miike has accomplished drawing the audience in slowly with subtle and well-made storytelling that turns into a roller coaster ride of white-knuckle extreme terror. At first it seems as though Miike is presenting at straightforward family drama. Husband/father Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) widowed seven years prior decides under the gentle and humorous direction of his son (Tetsu Sawaki) it is time to remarry. Simple? Well, no. Aoyama's drinking buddy Yoshikawa (Jun Kunimura) decides to hold a fake audition for a film in search of the perfect woman. The editing during this sequence has a natural rhythm and humor that highlights the whole facade as the numbers of unusual women are asked a series of questions. Enter Asami (Eihi Shiina), a former ballet dancer, who seems to have suffered in her past. Aoyama falls in love quickly, and against the warnings of Yoshikawa moves forward in quest for the perfect mate," a compliant woman is best." Takashi quickly cuts to a still shot of Asami, sitting on the floor her head bent down, her hair falling over her head so we can't see her face, a telephone in the foreground, and a very large canvas bag. Throughout soundtrack is very well done and there are very different types of music to fit each scene. At this point, however, there is total silence. Long enough to create tremendous tension. Miike takes the audience with Aoyama as hints Asami's of psychotic disintegration almost subliminally sneak into the narrative. At the midway point we become just as disoriented as Aoyama. Is love blind and deaf? In a series of well-edited montage scenes we are shown previous shots of conversations with different dialog, or simply, more direct. Asami seems to be disclosing all of her painful and tragic past. Or is she? Do we really listen when we are in love, or do we simply hear what we want to hear? Asami's lifelong forced submission and compliance have been driven so deep they boomerang ..standing these traits on their heads. I enjoyed Takashi's sense of direction. The film flows, picking up pace towards the final scenes effectively employing the lost art of giving the audience the maximum amount of tension and fear while revealing little. By then it is too late. Throw in a couple of misplaced acupuncture needles, dismembered limbs, three fingers and a tongue. Well, you can imagine the scenarios. Or can you? This is a slow burn, with a great pace and it really pays off. Not for the squeamish, faint of heart or anyone who is afraid of needles. Deeper, deeper..deeper.

Audition
The other reviews will give you a description of what the film is about (though probably too much of one), so I won't dwell on the subject. It's a film that Should be seen and not described anyway. This Is one of my all time favorite films, so I am going to be incredibly biased. This film is excellent: Takashi Miike (the director) is perfectly in his element with this kind of film. The best way, I think, to describe this film is to say that Audition is to Japan, what Silence of the Lambs or Psycho is/was to America. The lead actress, Eihi Shiina, does a frighteningly great job in her film debut. Simply put, Audition is an awesome and exceptional film :).

Overrated
Audition is a film that relies heavily on the last twenty minutes of its running time. In the first eighty minutes there is only one, but good, scare. Otherwise this is a fairly tedious film that has very little emotion, for which the director is to blame. On imdb.com this film is given a 7.3/10 rating. I feel that this film deserves more of a 4/10 rating, becasue it really is boring. The amazon.com review states that this film will stay with you long after you have seen it, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it is good. This film relies on the violence towards the end of the film for its substance. This violence too is ridiculous, just like the rest of the film, which is not really a true horror movie. I am not a person who rejects violence; I like movies like The Wild Bunch, Kill Bill Vol.1 and Evil Dead, because those movies actually had something to go with the violence. I don't recommend this film unless you are a true horror fan or you are just curious.

It was okay.....still better than most Hollywood thrillers!
I went into the viewing of this film with great anticipation since I'd heard how terrifically chilling it is. Although I will try and write about the film as a whole without giving away too much of the events, please be warned that some plot points may exposed.

However, as you may already know, the story centers around a single father(Aeyoama) that is considering the prospect of a second marriage; with his 16-yr old son's approval and recommendation, actually. After holding phony auditions, with the aid of his friend, to find the "perfect" girl, he is smitten as a kitten with a girl named Asami, and together they begin the courting process.

Too much time was spent in scenes where Asami proclaimed how happy she was that Aeyoama had called her for a date, or happy he called her, blah blah blah. I don't know how Aeyoama could not help but roll her eyes (I was!) after listening to her express that sentiment over & over, but hey, perhaps that is the type of complacency he was searching for in a wife? Originally, he'd picked Asami out of a stack of eligible partners as a result of the thoughts she had written down on her application. After meeting her though, it seemed like he became much more interested in her physical appearance. In one isntance, Aeoyama
compliments his son on the sexy young lass that followed him home from school that afternoon.

Eventually, she disappears and Aeyoama completely loses it, goes against his best friend's advice as well as his dead wife's warnings (in dreams) and goes to search her out, whatever the cost.

When she finally does reappear, Asami is no longer her shy bashful self. Instead, she is at the far end of the sensitive scale, to put it lightly. She inflicts pain on Aeyoama that can be expressed as the novel "Misery" times 100.

It seems as though the unspoken arrangement between torturer & torturee was written soon after Asami had gained Aeyoama's love for her. But apparently, this love was based on the love that Asami had been shown in her own life, as we are treated to scenes of Asami growing up & her studies of ballet. This is something that Aeyoama was not aware of, or probably failed to pick up on. It would be interesting to discover if he would have volunteered for the severe torture at the end of the film, had Asami asked; in comparison to Van Gogh's cutting off of ear. Apparently baking a cake for the loved one was not an option.

Anyway, there is a bit of confusion on this last idea since she is definitely getting her cookies out of the carnage she is inflicting; the idea being that she is the heroine and Aeyoama is the filthy "man" that uses and abuses females. She must phsyically alter him to represent the grotesque being he really is.

Very interesting ideas, very well adapted into film, but falls short in arriving at a conclusion of any kind. Some may view that as a plus, but I wanted Aeyoama to either accept responsibility for the violence infliced on him, or reject it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

It's not the scary hit that The Ring was in 2002, but The Grudge makes a similarly convincing case for American remakes of popular Japanese horror films. Barely a year passed between the release of Takashi Shimizu's creepy ghost story Ju-On: The Grudge and the production of this American remake, set in Tokyo and starring Sarah Michelle Gellar in her first post-Buffy horror film. About the only significant difference between the two films is the importing of a mostly-American cast (including Bill Pullman, Clea DuVall and Grace Zabriskie), but The Grudge was reconfigured (by screenwriter Stephen Susco) to allow Shimizu to refine and improve the spookiest highlights of his earlier version, which enjoyed previous incarnations as a short film and two made-for-Japanese-video features. Surprising box-office analysts with a $40 million opening weekend, The Grudge may disappoint hard-core horror fans because it lacks gore and graphic violence, but as a creepy tale about a very haunted house, it's guaranteed to send a few chills up your spine. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (344)

I gotta hold a "Grudge" here...
Let me just get this off my chest...for the love of God, just because the Ring was a surprise horror hit, could you please stop trying to copy it in every horror film! This film has the same cheesy lighting and imagery that 'the Ring' did. The main terror in this film is bottom line, a naked asian boy who meows. That scares me, but not in a horror way. Sarah Michelle Gellar is not bad nor any of the actors cast in here, they just weren't given much and unfortunately neither were we. Catch it on cable or satelite tv late one night, then forget it. Not one you want to waste adding to the collection.

Buffy - The Horror Genre Slayer
I couldn't wait to watch this movie. I thought the plot was superb. The acting was terrific. And the CGI and FX where the best I've ever seen. The main ghost women looked so realistic. And Buffy looked great. I haven't seen Sarah Michelle Geller play such a terrific role since Scooby-Doo. The ghosts in this film are so scary to look at.

Now I'll stop being sarcastic and give you the words to decode my review.

I couldn't wait to = I unwittingly suffered through this...
superb = crap
terrific = pathetic
best = worst.
realistic = s##t house
looked great = made me wanna puke as usual.
Scooby Doo = Debbie Does Dallas
are so scary = Are constipated looking dummies that should have been designed to look more like Michael Jackson if they wanted motionless, falling mannequins to look scary.

Wow, what a bad movie
I went to see the grudge in the theatres and I wasn't expecting a good movie because of the recent surge of poorly made PG-13 movies released. Unfortunately it was worse than I was expecting. I watched it and I kept thinking "what the hell is going on?" My biggest gripe of the movie was that things would happen that wouldn't be explained. Half way through the movie I kept debating whether or not to walk out. Three-fourths of the way in I wanted to gouge my eyes out. I gave it a 2 because it was, somehow and somewhat, better that other movies of it's kin (ie; Abandon, The Ring 2, etc.)

And Sam Raimi used to be such a good director too.

Scarier and Better than Original
I am, of course, a huge Sarah Michelle Gellar fan.I thought the initial, theatrical version of "The Grudge" was a very well done and original movie.It was scarier than "The Ring," it had better acting, better directing, and a more intriguing plot.My problem with the film was due to the fact that the filmmakers never really showed WHAT exactly happened in that house.The audience easily inferred what took place, but the audience was never explicitly told, "this is what happened, and why all this crazy, evil stuff is now happening."This version changes that.

I prefer this unrated, extended, director's cut, or whatever they are calling it becausethe include what actually happened in that house, and it is truly horrifying.The majority if the added scenes depict some pretty scary stuff that I think was important to the plot of the movie and should not have been cut.Thanks to this version, it has been added back in to the film.Now, we the audience, can truly understand how terrifying this movie is.

p.s.The terrifying aspect works best at home in the dark by yourself when you start the movie at around midnight or so.

Lost In Translation??
This movie was a remake of the Japanese Horror film Ju-On: The Grudge.In fact, it even has the same director.However, I think there are a lot of things taken for granted in Japan that Americans don't really understand.

So at the end of the movie I was left scratching my head thinking, "What did I just watch?"I understand how the killings started, so maybe a better question was, "What was the point of this?"The ending is not an ending at all, but more an opening for a possible sequel.

The strongest aspect of this movie was that the bulk of the gore was left to the imagination of the viewer.You don't see people getting killed, you see it coming and then the rest is up to you.I think this actually makes it more scary than seeing what actually does happen.

The best part is that it lowers the rating from an 'R' rating to a 'PG-13' so more people can see it.With an 'R' rating, this movie would not have made as much as it actually did.

However, if you like a scary movie then go ahead and watch this.If you don't like them as they keep you up for weeks with nightmares (and you don't want this) then stick with Mary Poppins.This movie will have you jumping a couple of times. ... Read more

Description

A wave of unexplainable suicides sweeps across Tokyo after 54 smiling high school girls join hands and throwthemselves from a subway platform into an oncoming train.Are the jumpers part of a cult? What is the connection tothe website that chronicles suicides...before they happen? And, what is the connection to the Japanese all-girl pop group "Desert?" Suicide Club is a stylish, bizarre thriller that examines pop culture and disaffected youth. ... Read more

Reviews (46)

A Hellish Nightmare You Soon Won't Forget
I never knew about this whole subculture of Asian "shock' cinema only until I happened to have stumbled on the film "Audition" and ever since I've been hooked. This whole line of films from the Orient has to be the most original, bizarre, violent and intriguing films on the market today which for the most part, unfortunately, will probably never be seen by the public. That is until its Americanized and bastardized, which is unfortunate. Well, enough of my ramblings. Let me tell you about my latest delve into this underground market, the "Suicide Club", which is a pretty sick and twisted look at today's youth. There are a few scenes that don't particularly work well and some will leave you wondering, "what the hell?", but overall this is one helluva ride that's pretty dark and disturbing.

"Suicide Club" opens right away with a bang and never lets up right up until the very end. It begins as 54 school girls waiting on the subway platform all clasp hands, count down to three, and then jump in front of an oncoming subway car!
Even as the boxcover told me this I really didn't know what to expect and it still came as a complete shock as blood and body parts are strewn across the train, passengers, and onlookers. Gruesome to say the least. This though is only the beginning as more teens begin throwing themselves off buildings, sticking their heads into ovens, and just a frenzy of various suicides. As the suicides mount the police are drawn in, especially after finding a carry-on bag with the contents I'll leave up to your imagination. The police are led then led to a mysterious website, by an unknown caller, where it has been keeping track of the deaths by colored dots and nothing more.

Thrown into the entire mix of this is a pre-teen pop group that seems to be popping up all over and on everyone's tv's! This madness continues to spiral out of control and then in a slight twist midway we are introduced to a bizarre cult, led by an even more bizarre leader. This part of the film took a turn that just didn't quite fit in but it was still dark and edgy as this cult leader was one of the sickest villains I've seen in quite a while. I won't give away any details but let's just say that his victims are kept tied up in oversized cloth bags on the floor in an abandoned bowling alley! Sounds bizarre? It is and its even worse then that!

The suicides mount until the ending culminates to what you would think would be a clean and tidy ending but kudos to Shion Sono who takes us onto this dark journey only to leave us in the "middle of the road". You'll know what I mean after seeing it. This film is totally not for everyone, the faint of hear, or those with a weak stomach. I found it fascinating, intriguing and couldn't wait to see where I was going to be led next. Bravo for yet another Asian horror film that dares to overstep the boundaries and take the viewer on a hellish nightmare or a ride! I read where this film was a response by the director to bring Japan's rising teen suicide rate to the forefront but whether it was or not I'm not sure. It surely doesn't voice an opinion but rather uses that as a stepping stone for its decline into madness. If you like graphic, violent, twisted films check this out, its one you won't soon forget!

Gory but half-hearted social commentary
Beneath the surface, Suicide Club is more than just another stylized blood bath. The director Sion Sono's vision of a bleak satire/commentary on the state of modern Japanese culture is apparent throughout the film. However, the underlying themes are so poorly executed and unstructured that they are eventually lost among the bits and pieces of plot/characters/limbs scattered throughout the film.

As far as gore and shock value goes, Suicide Club won't disappoint fans of Audition or Battle Royale. The first 5 minutes of the movie inside Sinjuku station set a reverberating macabre tone throughout the movie with promises of wall-covering blood, strewn limbs and human-skin rolls (wink wink) to come. Director Sion Sono (also a noted gay porn director and experimental poet) does an excellent job creating and maintaining the creepy and sinister undercurrent throughout the movie. The problem is, the undercurrent simmers and simmers but never boils. The plot is at best non-linear and mostly illogical, peppered with characters with unclear motives, an out-of-nowhere Rocky Horror-esque musical number, and existential soliloquies that fans of Neo Genesis Evangelion would instantly identify. There are plenty of impressive moments throughout Suicide Club, but it is unclear whether they serve to enhance or befuddle the main mystery of the suicides.

It's really a shame because Suicide Club is really a social commentary with underlying themes that cut deep into the Japanese psyche. The suicides baffle police detectives partially because the truth is hidden somewhere in bubble gum pop music, internet message boards and instant messaging, phenomena on the other side of the generation gap. The suicidal slogan "To connect yourself to yourself" while trite to us Americans post-teens, is nevertheless an important commentary on the Japanese society that is historically obsessed with community and nationalism at the cost of individual liberty and identity. Perhaps the real horror of Suicide Club is that the premise of the movie, in the eyes of all the over-studied students, over-worked salaryman, and over-disconnected families of Japan, is not really that far fetched.

Unfortunately, all its earnest intentions at social satire are mostly drowned in the blood of Suicide Club.

Genesis is hotter than YOU!
there were a few times during this movie that i had to walk out with my friends and smoke a cigarette just to chill out a bit. i know alot of people can just watch wave after wave of psyche-defying mutilation and giggle, and i thought i could, but i really can't. honestly, people say the message this movie offers has nothing to give to an american public. i disagree. i find the message all too relevant.

i liked the movie. not so much for the particulars of cinematography or linear plotline, but for the awesome GEEK moments. i hope that if i ever jump off a building and land on my wife on the way down, she'd go and get a cup of coffee afterwards. that and if for nothing else, you must see the character called GENESIS. HE IS HOTTER THAN YOU!

Don't take it so seriously
I had a great time with this flick. It didn't change my life or say anything profound. I don't watch films for my social commentary/satire, I watch them to be entertained. If they accomplish that, so what if you have no idea what's going on.

The tone is set within 2 minutes. Around the 30 minute mark the huh? factor takes over.

Look past the lack of character development and holes in the plot. Who says you need those elements anyways? I watched SC with my wife, and we both ran the gauntlet from shock/disgust to laughing histerically. We sang "Mail Me" for 2 days. That song is too funny. And that really bad music isn't accidentally put as a backdrop to the horrible acts you're watching. You could say that it's used to numb the viewer to the seriousness of the suicides, just as the growing MTV culture and "Dessart" always puts on their happy face. Different people will see different things. Thats not the point.

The point is: watch it, don't take it too seriously, and you might have a good time. Then buy the soundtrack.

5 stars -- one of the 10 best films of the year

What the hell was that?
This could have been a pretty good movie. It started with a bloodbath, that didn't at first seem to be obligatory. As the number of suicides mounted and the collective tension of the detective squad got worse.. this movie does a swan dive with the introduction of a fey, mincing rockstar-wanna-be character that ultimately has nothing to do with the plot.

Did I say "plot"? It's shortly after this point in the film when the whole thing runs out of steam. There's no more plot advancement. Characters disappear for no reason. And instead of coming to a climax, the movie just stops, as if the filmmaker ran out of film. Real stories have a beginning, middle and an end.

I rented this thing for $2.99. Someone owes me $2.99!!!! ... Read more

Description

In America, they call it the Mafia... In Japan they call it Yakuza. When they meet they call it war! Viggo Mortensen (G.I. Jane) and Michael Nouri (The Hidden) star in this explosive action-thriller about the first American accepted into the savage brotherhood of Japan's criminal underworld.Sent to infiltrate the American arm of the Yakuza, FBI agent Nick Davis (Mortensen) rises through the ranks of assassins and is soon adopted into the powerful Tendo crime family. His work brings him into brutal conflict with not only the Italian mob, but also a hard-nosed FBI taskforce guided by unscrupulous Agent Littman (Robert Forster).Caught dead center in a war between the Yakuza, the mob, and the FBI, Davis must decide what's more important: his old loyalties--or his new bond of blood. ... Read more

Description

Japanese pop stars Gackt and HYDE star in this wild hybrid of futuristic science fiction, John Woo-style gunplay, and Gothic vampire horror. MOON CHILD follows a group of childhood friends as they advance in a futuristic criminal underworld. Sho (Gackt) feels he is doomed to walk in hisidol Kei's (HYDE) footsteps as a vampire with the gift ofeternal life and the curse of blood thirst. Over time, their tight friendship becomes corrupted because of theirrivalry and love for the same woman. Filmmaker Takahisa Zeze brings a stylized sting to the blood draining and hyper violent proceedings. Japanese with English subtitles. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Better than you'd think
For years I have been a fan of Hyde and L'arc En Ciel. When I heard he and Gackt were making a movie, I, like many others here, was concerned that it would turn out poorly but I had hopes. In American media, actors usually can't sing and singers usually can't act. However, I have been pleasantly surprised by the versatility of many Japanese talents (can anyone say Kimura Takuya? -- to name but one). Hyde laid my fears to rest; he was excellent in his role. Gackt was fun in his, although I felt he was noticably straining and vaguely cartoonish. They had good chemistry together, though.

As to the movie and its plot. Artistically it was well shot and looked good (taking the occasional special defects aside). Plot-wise, it wandered through several genre staples, gangs, vampires, romance and mixed them with only the occasional stutter. All in all, worth seeing and some of the comedic touches were great! A stand out in my mind is one of the gun fight scenes where Hyde uses an enemy as a shield and casually ballroom dances around the room trading shots with other enemies as he does so.

Gackt and Hyde...
What more could you ask for in a film!!? :P Usually singers turn actors don't work out very good. But Gackt and Hyde just blow away all of that! This was an astounding movie and the story of love and friendship is a good twist from the yakuza (gang) storyline. Gackt was sooooo hot in this movie, and he's so funny too! His facial expressions are just so cute! And Hyde also does a wonderful job portraying the tortured vampire who doesn't know where he belongs and doesn't like who he is. Both Gackt and Hyde played their characters so well that sometimes it seemed as if they weren't acting in a movie at all. The diretor certainly takes the viewer on a roller coaster ride of emotions and keeps your attention the whole time! From comedy, to action, to gun blasting excitement, to sadness, this movie is just one you have to see! And beleive me, it will quickly become one of your favorites!! It's extremely sad too, I cried my eyes out until I got a headache, lol. The ending is just perfect for this movie and leaves you wanting more. Plus after you watch the movie, you can go buy all of Gackt's cd's and listen to what a good singer he is too!! Definetaly the best movie I've ever seen (and not just because Gackt's in it, even thought that is one of the main reaons, Lol).

Even Gackt and HYDE Couldn't Save This Movie
Let me start by saying that I bought this movie only because I'm a big Gackt fan and a fan of HYDE, too. I have to say, I wasn't dissapointed by them. I was dissapointed by the plot. Or should I say, the lack of a plot.

The movie's main plot was very weak at best and the whole thing lacked any sort of cohesion at all. I would have to describe it as, 'Some guys and an incidental vampire shoot at each other and they all end up dead.'

The whole vampire angle was the only thing that interested me, but it was almost ignored until the last fifteen minutes of the movie. And when it was finally remembered, it was done in a very cliche manner with the ever-dreaded vampire-angst. Perfectly willing to gun people down, we still don't like drinking blood.

So, in closing, I would only reccomend it based on a love of Gackt and/or HYDE. Gackt looked very cute throughout the entire movie and HYDE looked nice most of the time. If you're just looking for a good movie, don't waste your time here.

Dramatically thrilling.
Moonchild's meaningful and in-depth story unfold in your very eyes as the story progresses. The characters are well developed and the director vividly bring forth their feelings to the audience. Moonchild brings out the best of Gackt Camui. He plays his role excellently in the movie with enough emotions; in contrast to his real personality. In addition to the casts full of gems, fasten your seat belt cause you are in for a ride in one of the best gun fights movie ever. This is, personally speaking, the best movie that has flawlessly put together the elements of drama, sci-fi and action. As for the limited edition set, I do admit that the price is a little steep but i recommend it to every die-hard gackt/hyde fan. The limited edition comes with a nicely compiled set of 3 DVDs. It definitely worth every money!

Excellent movie
I've been a fan of Gackt and Hyde for quite sometime, so hearing that they were doing a movie together I was very excited, even if I had my doubts to their abilities. After finally seeing the movie I can say I am not at all disappointed. Sho and Kei are lovable characters the develop nicely throughout the entire movie. The fight scenes can be funny and are well choreographed. Plot-wise the story was average. It's nothing completely original, but today, what is? I laughed, and cried... okay I cried quite a bit towards the end, but that was refreshing. Gackt and Hyde portrayed their characters so well they can actually move the audience to tears. All-in-all, it's a great movie and worth a look if you like Gackt, Hyde, Vampires, and/or cool gun fights. ... Read more

Description

A wave of unexplainable suicides sweeps across Tokyo after 54 smiling high school girls join hands and throwthemselves from a subway platform into an oncoming train.Are the jumpers part of a cult? What is the connection tothe website that chronicles suicides…before they happen? And, what is the connection to the Japanese all-girl pop group "Desert?" Suicide Club is a stylish, bizarre thriller that examines pop culture and disaffected youth. Japanesewith English sub-titles. ... Read more

Reviews (46)

A Hellish Nightmare You Soon Won't Forget
I never knew about this whole subculture of Asian "shock' cinema only until I happened to have stumbled on the film "Audition" and ever since I've been hooked. This whole line of films from the Orient has to be the most original, bizarre, violent and intriguing films on the market today which for the most part, unfortunately, will probably never be seen by the public. That is until its Americanized and bastardized, which is unfortunate. Well, enough of my ramblings. Let me tell you about my latest delve into this underground market, the "Suicide Club", which is a pretty sick and twisted look at today's youth. There are a few scenes that don't particularly work well and some will leave you wondering, "what the hell?", but overall this is one helluva ride that's pretty dark and disturbing.

"Suicide Club" opens right away with a bang and never lets up right up until the very end. It begins as 54 school girls waiting on the subway platform all clasp hands, count down to three, and then jump in front of an oncoming subway car!
Even as the boxcover told me this I really didn't know what to expect and it still came as a complete shock as blood and body parts are strewn across the train, passengers, and onlookers. Gruesome to say the least. This though is only the beginning as more teens begin throwing themselves off buildings, sticking their heads into ovens, and just a frenzy of various suicides. As the suicides mount the police are drawn in, especially after finding a carry-on bag with the contents I'll leave up to your imagination. The police are led then led to a mysterious website, by an unknown caller, where it has been keeping track of the deaths by colored dots and nothing more.

Thrown into the entire mix of this is a pre-teen pop group that seems to be popping up all over and on everyone's tv's! This madness continues to spiral out of control and then in a slight twist midway we are introduced to a bizarre cult, led by an even more bizarre leader. This part of the film took a turn that just didn't quite fit in but it was still dark and edgy as this cult leader was one of the sickest villains I've seen in quite a while. I won't give away any details but let's just say that his victims are kept tied up in oversized cloth bags on the floor in an abandoned bowling alley! Sounds bizarre? It is and its even worse then that!

The suicides mount until the ending culminates to what you would think would be a clean and tidy ending but kudos to Shion Sono who takes us onto this dark journey only to leave us in the "middle of the road". You'll know what I mean after seeing it. This film is totally not for everyone, the faint of hear, or those with a weak stomach. I found it fascinating, intriguing and couldn't wait to see where I was going to be led next. Bravo for yet another Asian horror film that dares to overstep the boundaries and take the viewer on a hellish nightmare or a ride! I read where this film was a response by the director to bring Japan's rising teen suicide rate to the forefront but whether it was or not I'm not sure. It surely doesn't voice an opinion but rather uses that as a stepping stone for its decline into madness. If you like graphic, violent, twisted films check this out, its one you won't soon forget!

Gory but half-hearted social commentary
Beneath the surface, Suicide Club is more than just another stylized blood bath. The director Sion Sono's vision of a bleak satire/commentary on the state of modern Japanese culture is apparent throughout the film. However, the underlying themes are so poorly executed and unstructured that they are eventually lost among the bits and pieces of plot/characters/limbs scattered throughout the film.

As far as gore and shock value goes, Suicide Club won't disappoint fans of Audition or Battle Royale. The first 5 minutes of the movie inside Sinjuku station set a reverberating macabre tone throughout the movie with promises of wall-covering blood, strewn limbs and human-skin rolls (wink wink) to come. Director Sion Sono (also a noted gay porn director and experimental poet) does an excellent job creating and maintaining the creepy and sinister undercurrent throughout the movie. The problem is, the undercurrent simmers and simmers but never boils. The plot is at best non-linear and mostly illogical, peppered with characters with unclear motives, an out-of-nowhere Rocky Horror-esque musical number, and existential soliloquies that fans of Neo Genesis Evangelion would instantly identify. There are plenty of impressive moments throughout Suicide Club, but it is unclear whether they serve to enhance or befuddle the main mystery of the suicides.

It's really a shame because Suicide Club is really a social commentary with underlying themes that cut deep into the Japanese psyche. The suicides baffle police detectives partially because the truth is hidden somewhere in bubble gum pop music, internet message boards and instant messaging, phenomena on the other side of the generation gap. The suicidal slogan "To connect yourself to yourself" while trite to us Americans post-teens, is nevertheless an important commentary on the Japanese society that is historically obsessed with community and nationalism at the cost of individual liberty and identity. Perhaps the real horror of Suicide Club is that the premise of the movie, in the eyes of all the over-studied students, over-worked salaryman, and over-disconnected families of Japan, is not really that far fetched.

Unfortunately, all its earnest intentions at social satire are mostly drowned in the blood of Suicide Club.

Genesis is hotter than YOU!
there were a few times during this movie that i had to walk out with my friends and smoke a cigarette just to chill out a bit. i know alot of people can just watch wave after wave of psyche-defying mutilation and giggle, and i thought i could, but i really can't. honestly, people say the message this movie offers has nothing to give to an american public. i disagree. i find the message all too relevant.

i liked the movie. not so much for the particulars of cinematography or linear plotline, but for the awesome GEEK moments. i hope that if i ever jump off a building and land on my wife on the way down, she'd go and get a cup of coffee afterwards. that and if for nothing else, you must see the character called GENESIS. HE IS HOTTER THAN YOU!

Don't take it so seriously
I had a great time with this flick. It didn't change my life or say anything profound. I don't watch films for my social commentary/satire, I watch them to be entertained. If they accomplish that, so what if you have no idea what's going on.

The tone is set within 2 minutes. Around the 30 minute mark the huh? factor takes over.

Look past the lack of character development and holes in the plot. Who says you need those elements anyways? I watched SC with my wife, and we both ran the gauntlet from shock/disgust to laughing histerically. We sang "Mail Me" for 2 days. That song is too funny. And that really bad music isn't accidentally put as a backdrop to the horrible acts you're watching. You could say that it's used to numb the viewer to the seriousness of the suicides, just as the growing MTV culture and "Dessart" always puts on their happy face. Different people will see different things. Thats not the point.

The point is: watch it, don't take it too seriously, and you might have a good time. Then buy the soundtrack.

5 stars -- one of the 10 best films of the year

What the hell was that?
This could have been a pretty good movie. It started with a bloodbath, that didn't at first seem to be obligatory. As the number of suicides mounted and the collective tension of the detective squad got worse.. this movie does a swan dive with the introduction of a fey, mincing rockstar-wanna-be character that ultimately has nothing to do with the plot.

Did I say "plot"? It's shortly after this point in the film when the whole thing runs out of steam. There's no more plot advancement. Characters disappear for no reason. And instead of coming to a climax, the movie just stops, as if the filmmaker ran out of film. Real stories have a beginning, middle and an end.

I rented this thing for $2.99. Someone owes me $2.99!!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

It's hard to describe the hypnotic authority of director and actor Takeshi Kitano. In his first American venture, Brother, Kitano plays a yakuza who's been exiled from Japan after the death of his boss. In Los Angeles, he discovers that his half-brother has become a small-time hood. Kitano quickly takes over, casually setting in motion gang wars and killing sprees. But a basketball game gets as much emphasis as an assassination; Kitano's camera watches a dead body lit up by the flash of gunshots, completely ignoring the shootout that's causing the light. Yet his movies don't seem arty, just efficient--and effective: you may not know whether to laugh or flinch, but you will not stop watching. As an actor, Kitano slouches, twitches, and stares blankly--but you won't stop watching him either. If you like Brother, check out Fireworks and Sonatine; gangsters will never seem the same. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Description

What she just saw could kill her. Virginia Madsen (The Rainmaker) and Harry Dean Stanton (The Green Mile) star in this sleek, stylish thriller about an ancient myth that comes to life in a woman's quest for vengeance. According to legend, the savage Blue Tiger has only one weakness: its desire for a Red Tiger soulmate. When a Yakuza assassin emblazoned with the Blue Tiger tattoo kills her young son, Gena Hayes (Madsen) transforms herself into the predatory Red Tiger to seek revenge. Aided by reclusive tattoo artist Smith (Stanton), she prowls the underworld of Los Angeles's Little Tokyo, seducing Japanese gangsters one by one to see if their bare bodies contain the tattoo she seeks. Increasingly dependent on a world she barely understands, Gena realizes she cannot stop until she finds the Blue Tiger--and her own true destiny. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Better than it should be
While skirting the edges of formula, this film nevertheless manages to include a few elements of originality that definitely place it above the norm in the thriller arena.

Gena Hayes, a single mother of a five year old son, watches in shock and grief as her young son's life is destroyed by a yakuza in a drugstore wearing a silver mask. She sees a blue tiger tatoo on the yakuza's chest and does some research, ultimately finding a tatoo artist who knows its signficance. When she has him ink a red tiger on her bare skin, following the legend of the meeting of the two tigers, it's purely for revenge.

So the revenge motif, long a staple of the thriller--American and otherwise--pins the story's plot to its characters. But here the writing and directing are both fresh and lean, so there is a minimum of unnecessary grunting, emoting, slipshod hammy dialogue, and pointless commanding and commandeering (i.e., You do this; Steal that truck...etc.)

Instead what we have is a sharper, crisper entry in the East meets West thriller department (the setting is Los Angeles' Little Tokyo) whose momentum is strong and confident enough to pull you to the finale which is a meting out of just desserts. More important than the inner working of the yakuza is Gena's own thinking on how to find the one who killed her child. (For a more in-depth, gritty, and intense portrayal of the yakuza, see a few films by Fukasaku like Battles Without Honor or Humanity, or Yakuza Graveyard--or by Beat Takeshi, like Sonatine).

Harry Dean Stanton here plays a reclusive tatoo artist and acquits himself well. Only one logical flaw comes to mind here. Is there only ONE man with a blue tiger tatoo?

You decide.

Well done
This movie was well done. It got it's message across on how revenge motivates people to do things. Madsen was execellent as the mother out for justice. The other actors did well also. I'd recomend this to everyone I see.

Great Action
If your into action movies, this is right up your alley. It keeps you hooked. Virginia Madsen does a great job as a mother getting revenge on the person you killed her son. I'd recommend this to all my friends.

Violent, haunting, stunning
"Blue Tiger" is a film that you want to hate for its overtly gratuitous violence, but instead you find yourself compelled to watch it again and again, haunted by the tragic story that slowly unfolds before your eyes. The film begins with the death of a child. A young mother Gena Hayes played magnificently by Virginia Masden witnesses the death of her son when he is accidentally shot by a member of the Japanese Yakuza. All she sees of the killer is a tattoo on his chest and back depicting a red tiger. This image haunts Gena and to stop herself descending into madness she decides to find the man who killed her child. In order to find him she must first infiltrate the world of the Yakuza. This she does by becoming a hostess at a club frequented by Yakuza gang members. She learns to speak Japanese, teaches herself how to handle a gun and then sets out on her quest of retribution. At the same time she learns more about the red tiger she saw. Harry Dean Stanton is superb as the dying tattoist Smith who tells her the legend of the red tiger and the blue tiger. These two mythical creatures are destined to meet one day, whether in passion or in violence, but when they do meet a price has to be paid. Gena takes this legend to heart and gets Smith to craft into her flesh the image of the red tiger's nemesis. This is he does, and it is one of the film's pivotal moments as we watch him begin to tattoo her flesh, not swiftly with an electric needle but done over time with crude instruments, as it would have been done hundreds of years ago in Japan. Gena's pain becomes our pain as she suffers the agonizing crafting of the Blue Tiger onto her flesh for like her we know that soon the two tigers will meet and only one will survive. The director uses the image of this tiger and its counterpart as a central theme that runs throughout the story. This is not just a story about revenge; it is also a love story, because Gena inadvertently falls in love with the killer of her son. There are several sub plots to keep track of such as the killer's relationship with his brother, a gang war between Asian and Whites, and a cop who suspects that Gena knows more about her son's killer than she is letting on. The film is amazing because it manages to grab you by the throat from the beginning and keep you riveted to your seat right to the end. This is one of the best films you will ever buy; it will stun your senses and leave you begging for more. Virginia Masden brilliantly portrays the fragile but vengeful Gena Hayes and Tôru Nakamura is totally believable as the damned killed Seiji, a man of violence, yet a man of compassion. "Blue Tiger" is well worth adding to your collection of videos if you want something intelligent but action packed on your shelf; it's just a shame it isn't available on DVD as well.

Best in Class!
This is an excellant film in nearly all regards. While the storyline is fairly "mature", the plot twists and characterizations are fresh and new. And as anyone with body art will attest, as the ink work progresses with patience and no little amount of discomfort, so to does the film. It's almost as if the frames of the next scene can't come soon enough! I've been looking for this film to add to my collection for some time. Harry Dean Stanton is a real sleeper here. GREAT acting. When the economics allow, it's spot is reserved. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Back to the School Yard
_Kids Return_ marks the 5th film directed by Kitano Takeshi that I have had the pleasure to watch. Unlike the pure sentimentality of _Kikujiro_, the brutality and arthouse elegance of _Fireworks_ the near silent _Scene at the Sea_, and the over the top madness of _Getting Any?_, _Kids Return_ is a simpler story that depicts the lives of two high schoolers Masaru and Shinji.

Masaru, Ken Kaneko, _Himitsu_, is a brash young man with chin length hair who enjoys bullying other students for pocket money. He also enjoys playing a number of jokes on his teachers. Sick of his delinquent ways his teachers give up actually teaching him anything and patiently wait till the day he will graduate. Things seem to be going pretty well for Masaru until one day an amatuer boxer beats him up avenging one of the schoolers Masaru had robbed earlier. Masaru soon drops out of school and joins a boxing gym

Shinji, Masanobu Ando, _Tribute to a Sad Genius_, _Battle Royale_, almost seems to be the polar opposite of Masaru. Whereas Masaru roughs up a number of individuals to get their money, Shinji just goes along with his friend silently. After Masaru quits school and joins the gym, Shinji quickly follows suit.

However, it is soon evident that Shinji has more athletic ability than his friend, and after Masaru quits after losing a sparring match to Shinji, Shinji's star continues to rise in the amateur boxing world. Masaru, looking for a place to belong, joins the yakuza and tries to find his niche in organized crime.

However, things do not work out quite like he two friends would hope.

DVD quality isn't.......
As far as the review of the movie, I must concur with all positive writtings about it. HOWEVER, I must stress that the movie wasn't remastered or anything, hence the DVD quality is actually below satisfactory level. What a shame, coz' the movie IS kick-a**!!

...
More than any other movie I've seen, Kids Return does the all-too-impossible-but-very-simple job of portraying the inevitable drift through the societal meat grinder young adults generally face (friendships fading into the past, troubles with love, school and finidng a career, and... the moments when all those small 'insignificant' things you neglected or avoided and otherwise didn't do suddenly turn into a 50' tall tsunami hitting you point blank). Natch, I can't say if it was Kitano's intent to do so, but it's a significant part of what I noticed, understood, and enjoyed.

Stylistically, this is the best Kitano movie I've seen. Although I'm constantly tempted to call into question his taste in music, the persistant, if somewhat cheesy scores' driving qualities seem to enchant his movies (If only someone would slide him some recordings of Phillip Glass, Steve Reich, or even Marjan Mozetich). The visual elements are also terrific as ususal (and maybe more so). The most siginificant improvement Kids Return makes over every other Kitano movie I've seen is in the narrative/presentation... it's done in a manner that has a sort of blurred focus... never concentrating on its main characters for long before switiching over to another character, which is really what allows it to convey that 'societal meat grinder' mentioned earlier. This vaguely reminded me of Nashville, but unlike Altman's multi-character orgies, Kids Return seems to have a more intimate focus on its characters and their general situation.

At any rate, Kids Return, along with Kikujiro and A Scene at the Sea, is a good introduction to Takeshi Kitano's movies for those non-action fans who were turned off by his more famous ones like Hana-Bi and Brother (as opposed to the action junkies who were appaled that they wern't 99% car chase and raid on enemy headquarters).

A great movie, probably more so for Kitano fans
I took this movie on the shelf one day even though I had never heard of it, only to discover how great it was.I've never been that big a fan of Takeshi Kitano, but I have to say that Kid's Return is a great movie and in my opinion his best. It's very funny, especially in the beginning and has a great score. It seems like most movies involving boxing never fail.

Once again Kitano does it right!
Kid's return is Takeshi Kitano's fifth movie. Born in Tokyo in 1947, Takeshi's movies are filled with childhood memories. Kids return is once again a masterpiece. Two friends go back to their school and talk about the past, when they first met. In the beginning, they are enemies but as the time goes by, they end up as best friends, and become bullies. Boxing is the element that has linked them but only one of them follows a boxing carrier while the other turns out to be a Yakuza. A very fine movie full of intense moments. If you are a Kitano fan, get it into your collection. I can promise that you won't regret it! ... Read more