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2009 | 2008

1-20 of 47 articles from 2009   « Prev | Next »

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Audition T-Shirts: Now With More Blood

26 November 2009 12:05 PM, PST | Fangoria | See recent Fangoria news »

Share a twisted moment with your friends with your very own Audition t-shirt from Shout! Factory.  Those titans of preservationists (It’S Garry Shandling’S Show!!!) are commemorating the latest DVD (review here) and Blu-ray (review here) release of the Takashi Miike’s classic with a line of Audition apparel.

Available in hoodie and T, each one features the standard Asami with needle pose, the only variation being where the design is placed on each shirt.  The centered picture design features a clear unaltered photo set against a blood red background.  This version makes for a nice standard shirt and straight forward tribute to one f’d up flick.  The off-centered blue-toned version is still set against a blood-splattered background. However, the excessive black space at the top distracts from the design and is more suited to the hoodie. 

The shirts are printed on 100% heavy cotton, a fabric that is »

- no-reply@fangoria.com (David McKendry)

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Audition (Blu-ray Review)

16 November 2009 4:42 AM, PST | Fangoria | See recent Fangoria news »

Even among horror fans, some people just don’t understand the appeal of a Takashi Miike film. It may be his genre ambiguity; you could hardly argue the yakuza-and-cops story Dead Or Alive as horror, and Visitor Q and Happiness Of The Katakuris play as inexplicably broad satires. If Miike was more respected by mainstream critics, his work might be considered alongside modern surrealists like David Lynch or Alejandro Jodorowsky, but the emphasis on graphic violence keeps him in horror company even while his stories diverge from any recognizable genre tropes. You could compare the Japanese director to someone like Dario Argento, another auteur crafting shock-violence with a painter’s eye, but Argento snuck art into ghost stories and slasher flicks. With Miike, you might wonder who the audience is supposed to be.   

For example; even if you fervently loved Takashi Miike on the basis of the cartoonishly sadistic, brutality-as-slapstick feature Ichi The Killer, »

- no-reply@fangoria.com (Jack Bennett)

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New Body Count Episode: Post-Halloween Picks

3 November 2009 | shocktillyoudrop.com | See recent shocktillyoudrop news »

Filmmaker Joe Lynch is back with the latest episode of G4's Body Count , this time focusing on three post-Halloween horror flick picks. His choices? Fred Dekker's cult classic Night of the Creeps , Takashi Miike's notorious, unforgettable Audition and Richard Stanley's 1990 sci-fi/horror epic Hardware . Check out the video clip below! And check out two previous episodes here and here . Video Game - E3 2009 - Attack of the Show »

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Palisades Tartan’s Asian Horror: Essential Collection Review

30 October 2009 3:34 PM, PDT | Beyond Hollywood | See recent Beyond Hollywood news »

Just in time for Halloween, Palisades Tartan has grouped together three of the most successful Asian horror films of recent years in one region 2 DVD collection. Although terms such as ‘essential’ are woefully overused when it comes to such compilations, in this case it certainly rings true, as the three titles are arguably among the most important and influential examples of the modern Asian genre – not least since two of them have been the subject of markedly less successful Hollywood remakes. The films in question, “Audition”, “Dark Water” and “The Eye” also provide a showcase for three highly acclaimed directors in the ever prolific Takashi Miike (still best known in the West for his infamous “Ichi the Killer”), The Pang Brothers (who recently headed for the Us themselves with “The Messengers” and a remake of their own “Bangkok Dangerous”) and Hideo Nakata, whose “Ringu” launched the new wave of Eastern horror. »

- James Mudge

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Blu-Ray Review: Takashi Miike’s ‘Audition’ More Effective 10 Years Later

20 October 2009 1:47 PM, PDT | HollywoodChicago.com | See recent HollywoodChicago.com news »

Chicago – Takashi Miike’s controversial and terrifying “Audition,” recently released in a ten year anniversary Blu-Ray edition, feels even richer and more dramatically interesting than it did ten years ago as the dating world has become so much more reliant on technology. And it remains just as effective as as when it was first released in terms of genuine, chill-inducing scares. The Blu-Ray is a bit disappointing in terms of technical presentation and the special features are merely so-so, but the film itself is still a must-see and the release a must-own for foreign film or horror fans.

Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0

“Audition” is not a typical horror movie. If you want traditional scares this Halloween, check out the great “Drag Me To Hell” or go see “Paranormal Activity”. “Audition” is a domestic horror tale, more in the vein of something like “Fatal Attraction” than anything supernatural (or even typical Miike insanity »

- adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)

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Audition: Collector’s Edition (DVD Review)

7 October 2009 2:44 PM, PDT | Fangoria | See recent Fangoria news »

Audition first hit American shores as one of the earliest entries in the late-1990s J-horror craze, and since then it has held an almost unassailable position as one of the masterpieces of the genre. The new two-disc Collector’s Edition from Shout! Factory attempts to capitalize on that renown by convincing nostalgic fans to purchase yet another edition of the film (there have been at least two others just for the Region 1 market), but unfortunately, there isn’t much here to make you open up your wallet if you already have before.

Normally, you’d expect a 10th-anniversary special DVD/Blu-ray to be awash with in-depth breakdowns of the shooting process, anecdotes from cast and crew, self-congratulatory praise for the legacy of the movie; in short, some kind of recognition that this was not a mere movie, but an Event. However, that’s not really the situation with this release, »

- no-reply@fangoria.com (Jennifer Morrow)

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This Week In DVD: October 6th

6 October 2009 11:10 AM, PDT | FilmSchoolRejects.com | See recent FilmSchoolRejects news »

Rob Hunter loves movies.  He also loves working as a TV producer who sets up friends and strangers alike on blind dates with unwitting actresses. These two joys come together in the form of cash money payments that he receives every week and immediately uses to buy more DVDs.  So join us each week as he takes a look at new DVD releases and gives his highly unqualified opinion as to which titles are worth BUYing, which are better off as RENTals, and which should be AVOIDed at all costs. Click on any of the titles below to magically head over to Amazon.com and pick up the DVD.  And don't forget to check out Neil Miller's hilariously titled This Week In Blu-ray column for reviews on the latest high definition Blu-ray releases! Audition: Collector's Edition Pitch: Shows why celibacy is better than risking a blind date Why Buy? Not »

- Rob Hunter

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This Week On DVD and Blu-ray: October 6, 2009

6 October 2009 2:16 AM, PDT | Rope of Silicon | See recent Rope Of Silicon news »

DVD Links: DVD News | Release Dates | New Dvds | Reviews | RSS Feed

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Platinum Edition) I just posted my review of this one (read it here) and I tried to keep it as short as possible all while managing to gush all over it. Seriously, this baby is packed with goodies and the film simply looks spectacular as Walt Disney's first feature length animated film comes to life in high definition. Snow White is 72-years-old and boy does it age well.

I reviewed the two-disc edition (or three-disc if you count the included DVD version of the film), but there are a ton of additional versions to buy including the collector's pack featured in the image to the left and then one that comes with a bunch of stuffed toys. Oh, and if you buy it at Amazon you can enter the promotional code Snowhite and »

- Brad Brevet

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DVD/Blu-Ray Releases for Oct. 6, 2009

5 October 2009 9:52 PM, PDT | iconsoffright.com | See recent Icons of Fright news »

The Chinese proverbs warns you, "May your life be interesting," and today sure is an interesting day for DVD and Blu-Ray releases, to say the least.

 

 

This week sees the DVD releases of the much lauded The Children, as well as a pair of remakes, one long shelved, one a SyFy version of a Stephen King adaptation that's being remade elsewhere, neither much called for.  Yes, Oct. 6 sees the release of It's Alive and Children Of The Corn.

 

 

 

 For those with Blu-Ray players, Takashi Miike's deceptively vicious Audition sees its re-release in the high-def form.  Miike's Japanese, and I can personally affirm that the Chinese proverb doesn't apply to this one.  At least not until it's killer ending, which should shock and disgust like few others.

  »

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cinemadaily | Takashi Miike’s “Audition” Turns 10 with DVD Reissue

5 October 2009 11:40 AM, PDT | IndieWIRE | See recent indieWIRE news »

Cult director Takashi Miike’s 1999 international breakout hit “Audition” gets a special 10th anniversary, 2-disc DVD release this week courtesy of Shout Factory. “A slow-burning nightmare of psychosexual anxiety, ‘Audition’ begins as the subdued tale of a mild-mannered widower in search of a new bride and ends with a 20-minute torture session featuring acupuncture needles and a piano wire used as a bone saw,” writes Dennis Lim in the La Times … »

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Weekly DVD & Blu-Ray Chopping List 10/06/2009

3 October 2009 11:06 PM, PDT | Fangoria | See recent Fangoria news »

Curious to know what frightful films and devilish discs will be available to view in the privacy of your own digital dungeon this week? Fango's got you covered.

Below the jump you'll find the full list of titles arriving in-stores this Tuesday, October 6, 2009 in our weekly version of the famous Fangoria Chopping List. It's a Big week, with Trick 'R Treat finally hitting the home market, along with re-issues of The Gate, Audition, and a whole lot more!

Note: Clickable links lead to Amazon.com

Audition (Bd)

New 1080P High-Definition Transfer From The Negative!

Deceptively innocent at first, Takashi Miikes Audition finds Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi, Suicide Club, The Grudge), a middle-aged widower of many years, urged by his teenage son and his film producer friend Yasuhisa Yoshikawa (Jun Kunimura, Ichi The Killer) to get out and start dating again. To help Aoyama meet women, Yoshikawa devises a plan to »

- no-reply@fangoria.com (James Zahn)

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HorrorFest 2009: 'Macabre' offers up a Jakartan chainsaw massacre

2 October 2009 3:00 PM, PDT | Hitfix | See recent Hitfix news »

Welcome to HorrorFest 2009. Did you see "Audition"? Don't think about it.  Either you did, or you didn't.  Either you remember it vividly at the slightest provocation, or you didn't see it.  It's one of those movies, and a big part of why it was one of those movies is the performance by one of those actors, a woman named Eihi Shiina. I find her genuinely loathsome.  Detestable.  Unnerving.  She is a special effect of the same sort as Tony Jaa.  It's like she was created in a workshop to specifically freak me out.  I thought I'd shaken my overpowering fear »

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Zombie Girl, Miike and more at 92YTribeca fright fest in NYC

28 September 2009 2:03 PM, PDT | Fangoria | See recent Fangoria news »

Joining the long list of horror-screening events taking place in October to celebrate Halloween, Manhattan’s 92YTribeca (200 Hudson Street) is presenting a Fright Fest running the entire month. Among the highlights is the New York premiere of Justin Johnson, Aaron Marshall and Erik Mauck’s documentary Zombie Girl (pictured), and a series of Takashi Miike films.

Co-presented here by UnionDocs, Zombie Girl follows 12-year-old Texan Emily Hagins as she sets out to shoot the undead feature Pathogen. Winner of the Spirit Award at this year’s Slamdance Film Festival, the movie will be shown at 92YTribeca this Friday, Oct. 2 at 8 p.m. You can see Zombie Girl’s official website here,  its Facebook page here and its MySpace page here.

The rest of the Fright Fest lineup is as follows:

Saturday, Oct. 3 and Friday, Oct. 9 at 10 p.m.: Miike’s The Happiness Of The Katakuris

Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 8 p. »

- no-reply@fangoria.com (Michael Gingold)

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DVD Playhouse--September 2009

26 September 2009 1:01 PM, PDT | The Hollywood Interview | See recent The Hollywood Interview news »

DVD Playhouse—September 2009

By

Allen Gardner

The Human Condition (Criterion) Masaki Kobayashi’s epic (574 minutes) adaptation of Junpei Gomikawa’s six-volume novel was originally made and released as three separate films (1959-61), and is rightfully regarded as a landmark of Japanese cinema. Candide-like story of naïve, good-hearted Kaiji (Japanese superstar Tatsuya Nakadai) from labor camp supervisor, to Imperial Army solider, to Soviet Pow, and Kaiji’s struggle to maintain his humanity throughout. Unfolds with the mastery of a great novel, beautifully-shot, and a stunning example of cinematic mastery on the part of its makers. Four-disc set bonuses include: Interview with Kobayashi; Interview with Nakadai; Featurette; Trailer; Essay by critic Philip Kemp. Widescreen. Dolby 3.0 surround.

State Of Play (Universal) Russell Crowe stars as a veteran Washington D.C. political reporter investigating the murder of an aide to a rising congressional star (Ben Affleck), who also happens to be an old friend. »

- The Hollywood Interview.com

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Takashi Miike's cult horror classic Audition in DVD Oct. 6

3 September 2009 9:54 PM, PDT | Monsters and Critics | See recent Monsters and Critics news »

Experience terror in deeper detail, as Takashi Miike.s cult horror classic is revived on Blu-ray Hi-Def. "Audition" hits the shelves October 6, 2009. A prolific filmmaker, Takashi Miike hit big with the creepy, acclaimed feature film "Audition" ten years ago. Miike's film is a cautionary tale of romance gone awry, making men worldwide squirm at its horrific climax. Celebrating 10th Anniversary of Takashi Miike.s modern horror classic, Shout! Factory presents "Audition: 2-Disc Collector.s Edition" Blu-ray Hi-Def on October 6, 2009. The 2-Disc Collector.s Edition DVD is also available to own on the same day. Featuring a 1080P high definition transfer from the inter-negative, with a new 5.0 digital soundtack mixed from the original audio elements, the »

- April MacIntyre

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Quentin Tarantino Top 20 Films Since 1992

24 August 2009 12:00 AM, PDT | ShockYa | See recent ShockYa news »

In celebration of Inglorious Basterds #1 box office weekend. Here’s director Quentin Tarantino’s list of top 20 films from 1992 to the present. These are the films that he admires the most, since he became a director. Be sure to check out the video below. #1 “Battle Royale” by Kinji Fukasaku #2 “Anything Else” by Woody Allen #3 “Audition” by Takashi Miike #4 “The Blade” by Troy Harks #5 “Boogie Nights” by Paul Thomas Anderson #6 “Dazed and Confused” by Richard Linklater #7 “Dogville” by Lars von Trier #8 “Fight Club” by David Fincher #9 “Friday” by F. Gary Gray #10 “The Host” by Joon-ho Bong #11 “The Insider” by Michael Mann #12 “Joint Security Area” by Chan-wook Park #13 “Lost [...] »

- Brian Corder

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Still Talking (to Hirokazu Kore-eda)

22 August 2009 1:37 PM, PDT | GreenCine Daily | See recent GreenCine Daily news »

by Steven Erickson Hirokazu Kore-eda is the only major Japanese director of his generation who is a direct descendant of his cinematic forefathers' humanism. Many of the best Japanese films of the past 15 years—Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Cure and Pulse, Takashi Miike's Audition, Koji Wakamatsu's United Red Army—are almost defiantly post-humanist. They depict a country rife with violent impulses, gender conflict and distorted sexuality. This isn't just a product of "Asia extreme" branding and pandering; a family film like Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away is every bit as scathing in its depiction of middle-aged Japanese adults as Audition's torture-fest. By contrast, Kore-eda's Still Walking (soon to be getting a theatrical release from IFC Films) shows contemporary Japanese family life as imperfect but not outright dysfunctional. It's one of the few recent films in which one can recognize the same society Ozu depicted in Tokyo Story. Kore-eda himself »

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Tarantino’s 20 in 17.

18 August 2009 11:02 AM, PDT | SoundOnSight | See recent SoundOnSight news »

This past weekend, in order to help promote his new film Inglourious Basterds, famed director Quentin Tarantino recorder a short video for online film-news website Sky Movies (movies.sky.com [1]). The video shows Tarantino naming out his favorite top 20 films of the past 17 years. 17 marks a lucky number for Tarantino, as it was 17 years ago when he directed his first feature length film Reservoir Dogs (‘92). Starting out with a budget of only $30,000, Reservoir Dogs went on to become a cult phenomenon for younger generation filmmakers, grabbing the Grand Jury Prize nomination at Sundance and initially paving the road for Tarantino’s future projects. Why not celebrate with commemorating the best of favorites? Named Tarantino’s favorite, from all films released in the last 17 years, is Kinji Fukasaku’s Battle Royale (2000). “If there has been any movie that has been made since I’ve been making movies that I wish I had made, »

- Eric

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'Audition' Is Heading to Blu-Ray

13 August 2009 8:24 AM, PDT | ESplatter.com | See recent ESplatter news »

Shout! Factory announced that Takashi Miike's "Audition" is hitting 2-disc special edition DVD and Blu-ray on Oct. 6. The new edition features an introduction with director Miike and star Eihi Shiina, newly-recorded audio commentary with Miike and screenwriter Daisuke Tengan, new interviews with cast members Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Renji Ishibashi and Ren Osugi, international trailers and a booklet. The new editions of the film are mastered from a new 1080p high definition transfer from the inter-negative, and feature a new 5.0 digital soundtrack mixed from the original Japanese audio elements. It should be noted that it is rare for Miike to do a commentary. . »

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Tokyo Gore Police: Review #2

1 August 2009 3:52 AM, PDT | 24framespersecond.net | See recent 24FramesPerSecond news »

Director: Yoshihiro Nishimura. Review: Tim Irwin In what is surely one of the bloodiest films since Peter Jackson's Brain Dead, Yoshihiro Nishimura brings us the culmination (so far) of Japanese shock. It seems as though everyone involved had watched all of Takeshi Miike's movies and jammed as much of his craziness as they could into their own movie. The star here, Eihi Shiina, even starred in Miike's Audition. Some of the guys from Machine Girl were involved, too, and the fight choreographer from ‘Versus’ and ‘Azumi’ performed the same job here. It's almost as if everyone involved with Japan's low-budge shock cinema got together and somehow found a bunch of money. Tokyo Gore Police is the result. There is actually a story, though you may be surprised to hear it. Tokyo's police department has now been privatized. All the cops dress in silly hats that look like rooftops and wear a lot of armour. »

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2009 | 2008

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