A typically irreverent and offbeat Japanese musical comedy from one of that country's most eclectic directors, Takashi Miike. I previously watched DEADLY OUTLAW REKKA last week and was disappointed in its predictability and lack of outrageous eccentricity that Miike is best known for, so I came to THE HAPPINESS OF THE KATAKURIS in two minds, hoping to enjoy it and hoping it wouldn't let me down, knowing that Miike films can be all over the place tonally. The good news: it didn't let me down; far from it!
This is a unique stab at musical cinema, with a plot that somehow manages to incorporate claymation, zombies, murder, death and a volcano. The setting is a seemingly idyllic hotel run by a family of diverse characters, who find out that their guests keep on dying strange deaths. Rather than calling the police or getting upset at the impact on future bookings, they decide to bury the bodies in the local forest while taking part in one song-and-dance number after another.
The film is filled from beginning to end with verve and vitality and the music numbers really zing, proving real highlights. The whole film has a bright and colourful look and feel to it and lashings of black comedy only add to the appeal. It truly is an anything-goes experience and one that's hugely entertaining from start to finish; a more original piece of film-making I haven't seen all year.
This is a unique stab at musical cinema, with a plot that somehow manages to incorporate claymation, zombies, murder, death and a volcano. The setting is a seemingly idyllic hotel run by a family of diverse characters, who find out that their guests keep on dying strange deaths. Rather than calling the police or getting upset at the impact on future bookings, they decide to bury the bodies in the local forest while taking part in one song-and-dance number after another.
The film is filled from beginning to end with verve and vitality and the music numbers really zing, proving real highlights. The whole film has a bright and colourful look and feel to it and lashings of black comedy only add to the appeal. It truly is an anything-goes experience and one that's hugely entertaining from start to finish; a more original piece of film-making I haven't seen all year.