GamerTab
That was an excellent one.
Supelice
Dreadfully Boring
Robert Joyner
The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
Rio Hayward
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
Harry T. Yung
Best known for his superb stage comedy "Warai no daigaku" (University of laughs), Koki Mitani has brought to the silver screen "A ghost of a chance", a star-studded comedy that is at once hilarious and heart-warming. As well, underscored again is the Japanese culture's uninhibited and philosophical look at the subject of death.Even the supporting cast is eye-opening. Yuko Takeuchi puts aside her familiar screen persona of gentle elegance and portrays a pair of twin sisters that you'll think twice about messing with. Tadanobu Asano, well known to the Western audience (sometimes as "the Johnny Depp of Japan"), also takes on a not-too-familiar screen persona, a scholar of history, passionate and emotional, in a quest to clear the name of an ancestor from some 400 year ago, a samurai falsely accused to betraying his lord. Ksuyoshi Kusanagi of SMAP, the male lead in "Yomihaeri" (another exquisite movie, anchoring also on the theme of death), plays here the ghost of the protagonist's father.And that was only a part of the support cast. The lead, Eri Fukatsu, is so very endearing as the protagonist, a young lawyer carrying the heavy baggage of her deceased father's success. As a blundering (albeit smart) underdog, she generates comedy and empathy in equal measures. Toshiyuki Nishida lovingly portrays the ghost of the samurai from 400 years ago, and it is such a delightful treat just to watch the spark between him and Fukatsu – you'll die laughing one moment and get all bleary-eyed the very next. Flanking them are Hiroshi Abe as the young defense lawyer's boss and Kiichi Nakai as the prosecutor, very different in the nature of the characters, equally brilliant portrayals. There are so many others that I can't possibly mention them all.I realize I haven't gone very much into the plot, but this is a movie that really needs to be watched to be fully appreciated. Suffices to say that the main plot is on calling up the said dead samurai, who is invisible to all but a few, to be the main defense witness. Just imagine the possibilities. But believe me, that only the beginning.
ebiros2
Very funny, and unlikely story about a samurai ghost becoming the witness in a murder trial.Emi Hosho (Eri Fukatsu) is a lawyer with no talent. She always says the wrong things, and blows her case. Her client Goro Yabe (KAN) is accused of killing his wife Fuko (Yuko Takeuchi), but it's really a plot by Fuko's sister Suzuko to kill her sister and put the blame on Goro. Goro's only defense is that he couldn't move at the time of the murder because he was pinned by the samurai ghost at the hotel. Emi decides to check if the ghost really exists and heads for the hotel Shikabane-so. There she meets Rokubei Sarashina (Toshiyuki Nishida) who's a 400 year old ghost of the Hojo clan. She asks Rokubei to be the witness, and Rokubei accepts. The problem is, Rokubei can only be seen by a select group of people. These includes the court artist Tamaru Himura (Sen Yamamoto), the prosecutor Tooru Osano (Kiichi Nakai), the truck driver Isetani (Zen Kajiwara), and the call girl (Ryoko Shinohara). Emi must figure out the common denominator between them to figure out why only they can see Rokubei. Then she needs to convince the judge, and the prosecutor that Rokubei's testimonial is legitimate.Kiichi Nakai puts in a stellar performance as the prosecutor. His straight laced acting actually adds humor to the scenes. Toshiyuki Nishida, and Eri Fukatsu also puts in good performance as the "Witness", and the lawyer. Zen Kajihara were really funny at the restaurant as the truck driver who can see the ghost.I think this movie is worth seeing for the performance of Kiichi Nakai alone. There are other funny scenes, but the battle between the defense and the prosecution is the highlight of this movie. Osano knows that Rokubei is real, but pretends that he doesn't know. He insists that a testimony by a ghost that is not proved by science, cannot be accepted in the court of law.Good movie that's a delight to watch for all the funny scenes.
cremea
SPOILERS, SPOILERS, SPOILERS.It's hardly great, but there's not much to dislike about this amusing courtroom comedy. Eri Fukatsu stars as Emi Hosho; an ambitious and hard working defense attorney trying to make a name for herself in her late father's shadow. Unfortunately, she's not very good at her job as she continually bungles cases and fails to win acquittals for her clients. Her boss (played by the ubiquitous Hiroshi Abe) gives her one last chance to prove herself with a case no one else wants
her task: defending a murder suspect who claims he was held down by a ghostly presence at a haunted inn during the time of the crime he's accused of"A Ghost of a Chance" (or, "Once in a Blue Moon", as it's also known by) is a pretty straight forward comedy with some minor sub themes dealing with family and life & death. Eri Fukatsu is terrific as always as the plucky young attorney
she's cute and likable, and this is a role for which she is well suited for. The rest of the cast is rounded out by a bunch of veteran Japanese actors and actresses, and they all play their parts quite well.As the story unfolds, Emi sets out to investigate her client's alibi and ends up spending the night at the same haunted inn as the suspect himself. She too receives a visit from the same ghost who haunted her client
in the form of a grumpy 400 yr old samurai warrior who was betrayed by his clan. Instead of being overly frightened by a sword wielding ghostly presence, Emi tries to convince this dead "wandering warrior" to testify in court on behalf of her client. He reluctantly agrees to do so in exchange for her clearing his good name and receiving a proper memorial to send him on to the afterlife.This plot is obviously quite ludicrous, but that doesn't prevent the movie from being an enjoyable watch anyway. This is a comedy after all, and the end product is satisfactorily entertaining. Emi and the "Wandering Warrior" quickly form a bond and understanding, others belonging to the afterlife chip in along the way, various scientific and supernatural methods are employed to convince the non believers, and, as a result, the most fantastical murder trial in the history of Japan is underway. I found this movie to be quite enjoyable
I can't whole heartedly say that is a "MUST SEE", but it does work quite well overall!
My biggest complaint (as is the case with many Asian films) is that it is simply too long
there is no reason or excuse for this movie to clock in at 2.25 hours. They could have easily cut a few scenes here or there, or deleted the mostly irrelevant boyfriend/live in actor sub plot, in order to better streamline this flick into a more economical production. That being said (written), I do recommend it as a decent and worthwhile diversion!Ummmm
I'm giving it 7 out of 10 stars
I probably would have rated it approx 65-75% under a different format, but, here on IMDb it's either 6 or 7
so, 7 it is IMO!