The Booth - Bûsu

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

(aka "Bûsu" )

directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura
Japan 2005

While his usual studio is being remodeled, radio lovelines DJ Shogo (Ryuto Sato) must broadcast his show from Studio 6 which has been unused since a previous DJ committed suicide years before. In the midst of his show, Shogo starts receiving disturbing calls (describing incidents from his own past where he has hurt others) as well as interjections from a woman's voice calling him a liar and starts seeing apparitions of a co-worker (who he has been sleeping with) who mysteriously did not show up for the broadcast. Shogo starts to become paranoid and lash out at the technicians who he thinks are playing a prank on him but is it possible that the radio booth itself has discovered his secrets and intends to claim him as it did the previous DJ years ago. Like PRAY, THE BOOTH is one of the better post-RINGU/JU-ON Asian horror entries because it retains the familiar stylistics of the genre but does something new with the plotting and it also derives its success from a strong lead performance (male protagonists are atypical paranoia victims of Asian horror films). The well-staged vintage prologue resonates throughout even as the story takes bizarre twists away from the "curse of Studio 6" and into the past of protagonist Shogo. It also runs a very lean 74 minutes but does not feel at all compromised by the running length.

Eric Cotenas

Theatrical Release: 5 November 2005 (Japan)

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DVD Review: Tartan Video (Tartan Asia Extreme) - Region 1 - NTSC

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for the Review!

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Tartan Video Region 1 - NTSC
Runtime	1:14:12
Video	1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 8.18 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate
Audio	Japanese DTS 5.1; Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1; Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
Subtitles	English, Spanish, none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Tartan Video Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.78:1 Edition Details: • The Making of THE BOOTH (4:3; 18:24; in Japanese with optional English subtitles) • Q&A with director and actor (4:3; 8:34; in Japanese with optional English subtitles) • On-Air Interview with the filmmakers (4:3; 2:28; in Japanese with optional English subtitles) • Trailers for PRAY, MAREBITO, NATURAL CITY, R-POINT, and AB-NORMAL BEAUTY DVD Release Date: May 23, 2006 Amaray Chapters 15

Comments

Tartan presents THE BOOTH in an anamorphic but interlaced (not PAL-sourced) transfer with its usual audio options (half-bitrate DTS, DD 5.1 and 2.0 stereo downmix). I'm not sure about the Japanese R2 or other import releases of this title, but the Tartan extras are pretty comprehensive, subtitling a making-of segment, two Q&A segments with the filmmakers, and the trailer (as well as other Tartan trailers) which were likely untranslated on other editions.

The film is definitely worth seeking out (although the Tartan disc is out of print - and can be found both new and used for under $5 which is a good deal since it includes all the extras which would be lacking from a budget import edition of the title - Palisades Tartan may also have unopened old stock as well as TLA).

- Eric Cotenas

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