Party 7 (2000)

I was expecting a livelier affair than this after watching Sharkskin Man, but that didn't stop me enjoying it. The dialogue in the hotel reception, the fabulous peep suite, and the pivotal travel agency, eclipsed the rather predictable goings on in the hotel room itself. Not much happens, but the finer parts of the script, and the absurdity inherent in Captain Banana's dual existence as yakuza boss and superheroic peeper kept me interested. Nowhere near as satisfying as Sharskin Man and Peach Hip Girl, although the anime title sequence is probably worth the price of admission on its own. How long before my rental store has a copy of Trava?Katsuhito Ishii has his own unique style with live action movies. Unique enough to interest me in seeing his third and fourth films. I can understand why some people think it's all style and no substance, but I'm old enough to remember people saying the same thing about Clockwork Orange and Diva when they were first released. This is a conversational film with a lazy feel about it, but that doesn't prevent it from being amusing, or looking good in a nonchalant absurdist fashion. All ten of the featured actors seem to be enjoying themselves immensely, and the final scene, interwoven with the credits, is sublimely funny. Maybe Ishii's habit of mixing the credits into the finale is his way of making sure that everyone involved actually gets some recognition for their efforts. Here's hoping that one of the more progressive European distributors will eventually realise that there's a wider audience for Ishii's work outside Japan.

When it comes to boundary-pushing off the wall cinema, Japan is the world's undisputed leader. Party 7 is one of the most bizarre, creative and hilarious films I've seen in a very long time. Set almost entirely in a hotel room with adjoining peep-suite, the film thrusts together an ensemble of quirky characters and feeds them a non-stop supply of bizarre, perverse and highly amusing dialogue. The plot is almost non-existent, yet manages to be clever and surprising, and the delivery is perfect. You haven't seen anything like it, and you're either going to love it or hate it... it's as simple as that.Me, I loved every little bit of it!(And yes, Sharkskin Man and Peach Hip Girl is a great film as well)

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