I like weird and offbeat films. And, some of the weirdest and most enjoyable have been some of the Japanese films, such as "Happiness of the Katakuris" and "Zebraman". However, sometimes films are just plain weird and don't seem to have much to them apart from their strangeness. Such is the case with a Japanese film, "Party 7". It's certainly quirky and strange...but it also left me feeling unsatisfied.The film is about a room in a hotel in the middle of no where. Into one room in the hotel come some very odd guests--a thief, his old girlfriend, her new and super-nerdy boyfriend, an assassin and an assassin who's out to get them all. But here is where it gets a lot weirder...as well as pretty disturbing. While Japanese audiences might have found the characters of Captain Banana and Yellow Man, most Americans probably would find them disgusting and no understand how audiences were expected to laugh at some sex offenders. Yep...these two get off watching folks from a hidden room and they are clearly intended to be comical. I just don't know what to think of all this. It was meant to be funny, but the sum total of all the pieces just seemed disjoint and unfunny.Perhaps this is a film best seen with a Japanese friend who can explain all this. I just felt confused and a bit disturbed.

Scattershot and hyperactive in a way only Japanese cinema can get away with, Party 7 is an enjoyable frantic mess. After a speedy animated introduction to 7 different characters, we are suddenly thrust into a narrative about some stolen money. As the man hides in a hotel room, he has no idea he is being watched by some professional peepers (one dressed in super-hero garb and calling himself Captain Banana). As people come looking for the money, the hotel room gets crowded, and twists are revealed. It's very claustrophobic, being set in just two rooms, which is painfully awkward given the over-the-top style. The humour is broad and weird. Funny and fun, even though I was disappointed that the image on the DVD case is nowhere to be found in the film :(

There are many very strange films coming out of Japan over the past few years and they are slowly making their way to the United States. Party 7 has two actors who later appear in the better known "Survive Style 5".The plot is very simple; a stupid criminal tries to hide in an out of the way motel with the mob money he stole. Several people, an ex-girlfriend, her new fiancé and the criminal's partner in crime, manage to find him and confront him in his motel room. These confrontations are observed through a one-way mirror/painting by the owner of the motel, in his Captain Banana suit, and the son of his recently deceased best friend. There are also two strange motel employees involved and a yakuza boss in flashbacks. And a twitchy travel agent.There are about 5 sets in the film total, it's almost like watching a play. The whole film is based on the characters' interactions as opposed to visual action. While there is lots of action in the crazy animated title sequence which was done by Peter Chung of Aeon Flux fame, it calms down a lot for most of the movie. Great art direction and photography, droll script and very good acting.Recommended.

Party up @ Hotel Mexico for a mixer of mayhem, tangential dialogue, and bizarre circumstances starting right from the courtesy desk!Socially maladjusted Okita, played to an eccentric point by the wonderfully gifted Tadanobu Asano, shows us fits of joy, sadness, and paranoia. Asano playing Okita, no matter how odd he is, successfully brings out his human factor. Also, there are unwanted guests, lies uncovered, shady bellhops, windows peered, stylized camera shots, a wacky hotel staff, and a very costumed eccentrics I've ever seen. Party 7 makes you laugh and in an unconventional way. If you like a variety in your film buffet, come down to Hotel New Mexico. Kana (AkEMI-KuN!) makes it all worthwhile!