I had no idea what to expect from this movie. From ads I'd seen it looked like an Asian version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC with a family cavorting and singing through the tall grass on a hillside. Coming from director Takashi Miike I knew that this wasn't likely. But I've always enjoyed the few films of his I've had the chance to watch including ICHI THE KILLER and 13 ASSASSINS. He has a great visual style in everything he makes as well as an off kilter look at the world. No, I knew this was no Von Trapp family outing here. What I didn't expect was to absolutely enjoy and love this movie when it finished.A word of warning here. Know that I occasionally love movies that are extremely off the wall and this film fits that category. I'm not talking offensive movies but movies that are quite unlike anything else made. Some of those types of films stink but this isn't one of them. This one made me smile even when bad things were happening. It was all played for laughs and not to be taken seriously.The Katakuri family has seen better days. Dad was a top shoe salesman looking forward to retiring with a pension one day but who was laid off. Mom worked at the same store and that's where the two of them met. Sister falls in love to easily and as a result has a youngster to take care of, the narrator of the story. Brother had a few run ins with the law and is laying low. And Grandpa, well he lives with them all. When word reaches father that a new highway will be going through a location nearby, he purchases a cottage to rent out rooms to travelers along that route. Unfortunately as the film opens that hasn't come to pass and things are rough.They get worse when their first guest to take a room ends up killing himself during the night using the room key to cut his throat. Fearful that the police will let everyone know that their first guest committed suicide will make them lose business, the family decides to just bury the man out in the back end of the property. But this won't be the first guest that they lose nor the last person buried on their lot.Sister has fallen hard for a young man dressed in Navy whites who claims to be working for the Queen of England. In truth he's a con man on the lam and using sister to get whatever he can. When the local constable drops off a wanted poster she doesn't notice him their but grandpa does.As I sit and type I realize that it's difficult to explain all that happens in this movie without giving too much away. So rather than a start to finish description I'll move on to the things that make it worthwhile. It's funny. Yes it's in another language but that doesn't matter. It's still hilarious in parts. It's filled with music, nothing that you'll find yourself singing for days after but this movie is a musical of sorts. The first major number is laughter inspiring as 4 family members enter the room of their first guest in what appears to be styled like a music video from the 80s, with smoke pots, mood lighting and posing actors singing out.Before the end of the film you'll witness zombies dancing (not Michael Jackson zombies but bluer zombies that have begun decomposing in weird ways), clay animated sequences usually involving black birds, an erupting volcano and a mudslide that nearly destroys everyone in the film. Even through all of that by the final moments on screen you'll still be smiling and laughing. With all that happens in the movie I still felt lighthearted and joyous at what I'd just seen. And I was left wondering why, since this movie is 14 years old, has no one turned this into a major Broadway production? It's ripe for something that would play there. If it doesn't happen in the next ten years I will be stunned.So know ahead of time that this movie isn't for everyone but it is a hoot and one that you might just enjoy if you give it a chance. Yes, there are subtitles but for myself I get tired of people saying that makes it too difficult to watch. It doesn't. Get over it. English is not the only language in this world.This Arrow Video release is like all of their releases, filled with extras that actually add something to the movie rather than just being press packages for already famous stars. Included are interviews with the cast, a piece on the Claymation animation, a making of documentary, trailers and a commentary track by Miike himself. All of it makes the movie more enjoyable. If you like something a little different then I can't recommend this one enough. If you're willing to take a chance you just might wonder about the whole Broadway thing like I did. This is one I will more than likely pull up again to watch from time to time.

Weird can be good, as long as it's compelling to watch. And that luckily is the case with Takashi Miike's horror musical "Katakuri-ke no kôfuku".Basically the one thing that this movie has really got going for it is the fact that it's a real joyful movie to watch. It's an horror, that got presented as a feel good movie. An unusual approach to the genre, to say the very least but it does work out well and the movie is a true pleasant, though weird, experience to watch.Of course this movie is quite weird, after all, it's a Takashi Miike movie and the concept of the movie also isn't exactly a very common one. But you actually get used to its weirdness pretty fast, since you're taking real easily by the movie its cheerful atmosphere, silly musical routines and its good humorous approach. There will be still people that just can't get into this movie of course, since it's a movie that isn't simply for all tastes but I think that overall most people will truly enjoy this movie, even those that aren't familiar with Takashi Miike other work or style of film-making.You can also really take this movie as a spoof on the entire musical genre and scene. It pokes fun at the type of cheerful and colorful musicals in which the characters burst out in singing suddenly, for no real apparent reason. These type of movies also aren't exactly my favorite thing, so I could really appreciate the movie for sort of making fun of it, by going over-the-top and adding all sort of horror elements, that are obviously in large contrast with the 'normal' musical genre. And having said that; the musical moments in themselves are also quite good. They are well shot, choreographed (deliberatly silly and over-the-top) and some of the songs are quite catchy, even if you don't understand Japanese at all.But just like basically all Takashi Miike movies, the movie is not just one thing. It's not only just a musical but so much more really. When you start analyzing its story it completely plays out as a standard and familiar horror movie, with slasher elements in it. But also all of the characters are more complex than they seem at first sight. Also comedy and drama plays a central role in the movie its story and on top of that, the movie becomes a claymation movie as well at times. It makes the movie always a surprise to watch, since you literally really have no idea what will happen next. It's too weird and too unique to predict anything.If I'll have to say one negative thing about this movie is that it's being a bit too long for the movie that it is. The movie could and should had wrapped up things sooner really. Not that the movie becomes boring but it does start to drag toward its end and even though the movie is well below 2 hours, it feels like a much longer one.Other than that, a greatly cheerful and unique horror musical from Takashi Miike (who else?).8/10 http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Probably the most random thing iv ever seen! First thoughts through my head were what the hell!? and yet its brilliant!The beginning really has nothing to do with the rest of the film apart from that hint of death and some people who turn up for a tiny bit in the middle...it in a way prepares you for the randomness ahead. After such a random start you would expect the randomness to continue but it completely dies for a good 15 mins of introduction of the Katakuri family. Not the most normal of families...A selfish rarely smiling grandad, overly happy dad who is always sure everything will turn out OK. A mum who cooks and is very over the top, a daughter obsessed! with falling in love, a normal son who is disapproving of everyone but changes at the end and the daughter's daughter who pretty much just looks at the camera now and again throughout the film. Poochi the dog is also crazy! This family have moved to the middle of nowhere and built a guest-house. They have never had a guest when a famous person off the TV comes to stay and ends up killing themselves but because the family don't want people to know their first guest died they just bury her away int he woods...a string of deaths follow some amusing situations and again they bury them...its rather comic throughout... When anything goes wrong they sing and dance and everything becomes right again..its odd.With a zombie scene, love scene, fight scene and random other scenes its a great watch! With all the major things being in modelling clay its all rather random but yet you have to see it to the end.BRILLIANT film! Odd...no real plot but humorous and so so random!

“In life anything can happen” -Grandfather Katakuri And to the Katakuri family it does. Repeatedly.Initially I had decided not to see this movie because it seemed too odd, but eventually my curiosity got the better of me - and I'm glad it did. Shifting tone liberally and playfully a number of times during the film Miike combines half a dozen genres (including of course genre clichés!) into a film that above all is a comedy – a surprisingly successful and enjoyable comedy for the openminded viewer.The likable family are the focus of the movie and fortunately the actors portray them convincingly. The numerous musical numbers with dancing and sometimes special sets are diverse and great fun, and do have relevant messages about life and family. In the course of the film events get increasingly weird culminating in a truly hilarious finale.