Audition

(1999) ****1/2

The Brothers XPants (as Octopunk affectionately referred to them) reviewed this psychological Japanese horror film in 2005. I watched it last weekend and I won't ever look at a burlap sack the same way again.

It's filled with delicious marshmallows.

The central character of the movie is Shigeharu Aoyama, a lonely widower who is trying to get his groove back and is convinced by a friend and coworker to hold an audition for a new wife. This was already a bad start to what unfolds into a gruesome ending.

This guy couldn't hurt a fly if it was wielding a machete and sporting face paint a la Braveheart.

One can already guess what is about to happen just by looking at the cover, or reading a synopsis, but seeing how everything unfolds is the entertaining-yet-creepy aspect of Audition -- indeed, the less you know about this move, the better.

This one is definitely for the keeping, and worth seeking out other work the director and stars have been in. Audition was great because I was intrigued during the "boring" bits and once weird crap starts happening you care about the characters enough to attempt to make sense of it all. I distinctly remember stealing JSP's popcorn during the climax because it was that captivating.