Executive Koala
Executive Koala
| 14 January 2006 (USA)
Executive Koala Trailers

Minoru Kawasaki directs this comedic psychological thriller that follows a large koala as he looks for help from several of his closest friends, which include a giant rabbit and frog. A hardworking executive at a pickle company, Mr. Tamura stands out from other employees because he's a koala bear who stands six feet tall. When his human girlfriend is found murdered, the blackout-prone Tamura goes on the run and tries to solve the mystery.

Reviews
SnakesOnAnAfricanPlain

Bizarre hardly begins to describe this peculiar offering. Tamura is a divorced company employee about to embark on a new venture with his company. Suddenly is sweetheart is found murdered and he's the prime suspect. Did I mention that Tamura is a koala? No? Oh! The fact that he is a koala doesn't seem to have any bearing on the plot at all. It's more of a strange distraction from the films inability to focus. By the time it gets to amnesia, implanted memories, and a shady past, it is all a bit too much. Certainly enjoyable at times, but when switching from dreamlike martial art sequences and axe murder, you can't really fathom what it's aiming to do.

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yauyuso

The idea of putting an actor in a furry koala suit in a movie and giving him the lead role does sound appealing. However, the lack of serious direction really ruins the idea. This is a mystery/ psychological thriller themes movie. But is also tried to include elements like martial arts/ kung fu, humor and light hearted musical, etc. It made the movie loses it's focus and audience like me will be more confused than entertained. Some of the elements like the killer traveling on off screen were too repetitive. It might be a cool effect for the first and second time but doing the same thing a couple of scenes and repeats at least 2 times per scene really worn out the effect. I always won't understand why Japanese movies often lack the seriousness. It's like the writer can't come up with a complete story for a good idea he had. There's interested characters (actors in animal suits)like the Koala, the bunny , the convenient store frog, etc. None of them were able to stand out because the lack of energy the scripts has for the characters.I don't really like the movie and I can't think of a reason to recommend it to anyone. I see it as a failed attempt for making a horror/comedy movie.

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troops79

This movie is so very special. One minute I was thinking it was the worst movie I'd seen and a minute later think it was one of the funniest. Its a strange one, that is for sure.I've not seen much, if any, Japanese movies so how much of the bad acting is just bad acting or cultural or deliberate, I can't say. Either way, it amused me. As did the pure absurdity of the whole story and where it went. I wouldn't call it a thriller cause I wasn't on the edge of my seat but I definitely wondered where we were going. And when we got there it wasn't what I expected, but isn't that what you want in a movie? I'd like to give a better description of this thing but it is so absurd and so random that I don't know where to begin. If you are wondering if you should watch it, let me put it this way. If you are a fairly mainstream movie going type person the answer is no. If you are a fan of the weird, the funny, the absurd, the surreal, or the slightly off kilter then i say go for it. Was it a good story? eh. Was I entertained? Absolutely.

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rjyelverton

I'm sure I missed some of the nation-specific satirical barbs in this off the wall Japanese comedy about cutthroat corporate culture and an anthropomorphic koala who may or may not be a killer. To this Western viewer, "Executive Koala" played like an Adult Swim entry with its unfailing, straight faced commitment to the absurd. Trying to cope with the disappearance of his wife, businessman and man-sized koala Tamura attempts to lose himself in corporate negotiations. He increasingly finds himself haunted by memories of violence and develops a tendency to fly into fits of unbridled rage accompanied by blinking, glowing eyes.I don't want to spoil any of the film's surprises and would advise renters to avert their eyes from the DVD label as it gives away one of the film's best visual gags. Those viewers who complain about the cheap special effects--for instance, the zipper being visible on the Koala's costume--have failed to realize that these are both budget and style choices. Director Kawasaki, who previously brought us "Rug Cop" and "Calamari Wrestler," has developed a cheapo aesthetic and this is an undeniable part of the film's charm. Troma fans are sure to be delighted by Kawasaki, but will find a sweeter, more gentle film in "Koala" than those produced by Kaufman.But a little of this goes a long way and the film's story is too flimsy to be compelling. The film works to a degree as it continually amps up the absurdity, but the plot is a tired retread of Hithcock themes with more concern about style than storytelling. It's DePalma for furries.

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