An action-packed slog

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.

First, I should mention that I really enjoyed ISHII Katsuhito's previous film "Samehada Otoko to Momojiri Onna" ("Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl"). Although it owed a debt to Tarentino's "Pulp Fiction", Ishii's cast was up to the task of carrying the story, and the entire film crackled with energy. The scenes between ASANO Tadanobu and GASHUIN Tatsuya were particularly engaging. There was action, intrigue, bizarre characterizations, enough sex to keep things interesting, and an utterly unpredictable story line.So it was with a certain amount of anticipation and optimism that I began to watch "Party 7". And my enthusiasm was certainly piqued with the opening credits, which left my wife and I actually stunned by how dynamic and exciting they were; the mix of anime and live-action work was brilliant! Then, the actual movie started. Actually, it didn't so much "start" as sort of shuffle in the side door and stand there, fumbling through its pockets, looking uncomfortable.The entire film takes place in three rooms. One is a futuristic voyeur's paradise (borrowed a bit from "Shark Skin Man..."), another is a travel agent's office, and the third (and far the most used) is a seedy hotel room. In that room, a cast of seven characters meets and...does approximately nothing. Really. I'm no stranger to "talking" films. One of my all-time favorites is "My Dinner with Andre", the talkiest of all talking films. "My Dinner with Andre" is far more exciting, and it just has two middle-aged men discussing their lives over dinner. The key is that Andre Gregory and Wallace Shawn tell interesting stories. The cast of "Party 7" literally just whine at each other for the entire film. "No, you don't!" "Yes, I do!" "No, you really don't!" "Yes, I really do!" "No, you really, really don't!" Yes, I really..." you get the idea, I hope. I wish the directer had."Party 7 is an unbelievably unengaging film. There is only the flimsiest of plots (money stolen from the Yakuza, just like in "Shark Skin Man..."), accompanied by almost no action. There is no interesting dialog. The characters are largely uninteresting. It was as if Ishii took the throwaway conversational moments from Tarentino's films and built an entire film around them. But Tarentino's conversations always have their own internal logic and wit ("They call it a 'Royale, with cheese'"). Not so with the dialog here, which is duller than you can imagine. If it weren't for the brief, hilarious cameo from Gashuin (who is always marvelous) and a low-key performance from the awesome ASANO Tadanobu, I would've given "Party 7" a single star. It really was chore to make it all the way through.

Today I acquired the "Party7 - Perfect Edition" DVD, released by Tohokushinsha Film, on their Best Selection brand. Initially the DVD caught my eye because of the beautiful girl on the cover (the gorgeous Akemi Kobayashi), but then I saw that it was another film by Katsuhiro Ishii, so I had to get it. For any of you who aren't aware of his work, you can look here (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0411002/); his film Sharkskin Man and Peachhip Girl is classic, and you all know of The Taste of Tea.So about the film. On the cover, there is the aforementioned, "beautiful girl" (in a silver bikini top, and red black and white flame print leather. or are they PVC, hotpants, mind you! :D). Under the film's title, it says "Perfect Edition", and I am not sure why exactly. I wonder if it is not just some "english" garnering on top, but it's probably because there is an adventure game that enables you to view trailers, sketches and other extras, on the disc.I have already mentioned the heartbreakingly cute Akemi Kobayashi, but the film also stars Masatoshi Nagase, Keisuke Horibe, Yoshinori Okada, Tadanobu Asano, Yoshio Harada, and Tatsuya Gashuin: seven characters, hence Party7. All of them are larger than life, and some are truly bizarre and would be perfect in an anime or comic. In this film, all of the characters are at least a little strange, but I think that that is the point, and if you have already seen SM&PG you know what to expect.The film jumps back and forth between 2 major story-strands, and some auxiliary ones, but it primarily centers around Nagase's character Miki, and the hotel room he is hiding in. With very similar premise to Ishii's previous work Sharkskin Man and Peachhip Girl, he has stolen crime syndicate money, and is on the run. However, Party7 is by no means a re-run of old ideas. There is so much more in this film that differentiates it from that, and any other film .. of any genre: This movie is very weird. Delightfully strange in fact. From the stylishly animated opening, to the creative design and editing throughout the film, to the enigmatic peeping-tom superhero, Captain Banana; this film is rarely predictable.Captain Banana? Oh yeah, I jumped head a bit ... this film has a few story-strands that interweave and cross over each other. The story centers on Miki, who is hiding out with the stolen money, in Hotel New Mexico, when an old girlfriend, Kana (the pants stretchingly delicious Akemi Kobayashi) comes looking for him, looking to clear some debts. At the same time, a hit-man (Horibe) is sent by the Syndicate Boss, to find and kill Miki. In the background to all this, a serial peeping-tom, Okita (Asano) is released from prison, and visits his dying father in hospital. On his deathbed, he tells Okita of a secret room in a hotel: a room from where he can spy on the guests. Upon sneaking into this room through a vent, Okita finds himself faced with the PVC clad, helmeted, Captain Banana (Harada) - the master of this high-tech and comfortable Peeping-Room. Together they spy on the adjacent room, occupied by Miki, and the story unfolds.I can't say too much about the plot though, because, though simple, so much of it is a surprise. It is really supported by the fantastic dialogue, and I am sure many mainstream movie-goers have already compared it Tarantino's work, but they would be denying this film maker his credit. The conversations are hilarious, ranging from amusing squabbles, to some perverse re-countings of peeping-tom adventures. As is the style of the director, the viewer often arrives in the middle of a conversation, and has to work backwards to find out the topic. It's really well done, and very involving.Party 7 is a unique, and engrossing film, that has, at its heart a very simple story. However, it's the organs and limbs around that heart that make it truly fantastic. I didn't find it to be as special as SM&PH, but that film is a hard one to top, and maybe it is Party 7's simplicity that holds it back a little. This kind of surreal and twisted film-making is perfect for after-showing conversations with friends (over beer of course, or Pepsi for you youngsters .. hey you can't watch this anyway!:P ), and there is definitely much to puzzle over.Don't get me wrong though, there is much more to this film than it being an oddity. It is its oddness that makes it so good. There are not many films out there like this, and if you haven't seen this, you are doing your brain an injustice!

The Japanese company that owns the film has apparently declded to put it on the shelf, so the inevitable DVD (probably without subs, and definitely with Region coding) may be your only chance unless you act quickly. If Cult Cinema is your groove, Party 7 is likely o be your party. In the bowels of a tacky Japanese hotel, Mr Banana -- dressed in a yellow and black hero suit -- is trying to anoint a multiple-convicted peeper into his special world, which has direct view into promising rooms. As the hotel room drama plays out, there's a hood in a pink leather suit who has a suitcase filled with money, a former girlfriend who wants the same money, her trendy camera expert boyfriend out to keep his girlfriend, and a tough but gullible yakuza. Vinyl-suited Mr Banana and his assistant Mr Yellow peep as its all happening. There are flashbacks, extreme humor, and enough bizarre twists to keep anyone guessing. The cast is first-rate, composed mostly of great genre actors. The filmmakers probably weren't making it up as they went along, but Party 7 has that feeling, and it makes for a refreshing change of pace.

This is the funniest film I have ever seen. I will say no more, really- preposterous, brilliant, and hilarious. Great work.The actors dive into the script head first, with absolutely no let up, ever, turning in the best ensemble comedy work I have seen in years. Laugh out loud excellence, Captain Banana is worth the price of admission.Craig