CommentsXp Best movie ever!

Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

Kamila Bell This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

SnakesOnAnAfricanPlain 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 :(

Chung Mo 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.

squelcho 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.

Simon Booth 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)