Ghostroads: A Japanese Rock N Roll Ghost Story (2017)

A struggling musician finds a haunted amp with a ghost who promises fame.

Directors:

Enrico Ciccu, Les Decidous Jr.

Writers:

James Honeycutt, Mike 'in Tokyo' Rogers (as Mike Rogers)

Stars:

Makoto Arikida, Rodney Bingenheimer, Kansas Bowling

2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Makoto Arikida	...	Engineer
Rodney Bingenheimer	...	Self
Kansas Bowling	...	Radio engineer
Ura Dai	...	Muddy
Darrell Harris	...	Peanut Butter
Tomomi Hiraiwa	...	Shinobu
Tosa Kazuya	...	Larry
Shinichiro Kodo	...	Danny
Hiroshi Matsumoto	...	Self
Koji Morihara	...	Self
Naoki Murakami	...	Engineer
Takumi Nakamura	...	Pete
Tatsuji Nobuhara	...	Shinzo
Ryô Ohkubo	...	Mr. Chang
Miwako Osamura	...	Miwa Rock

Storyline

It's a Hard Day's Night in Japan with a Faustian Twist. The Screamin' Telstars are a Japanese retro rock band that are fronted by Tony as lead vocalist & lead guitar. They have been struggling and playing with each other for years but have never met with any real commercial success. One day, Tony's amp burns up and he goes to buy a new one at a guitar shop with a curious owner. Tony winds up with an amp that has a history behind it. From the amp, comes a ghost who promises Tony fame and immortality in return for a favor; namely getting rid of his band - forever. The ghost also promises Tony fame greater than his old rival from his student days, rock god Shinzo. Tony gets everything he ever dreamed of... But not exactly the way he planned...

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Plot Keywords:

rock 'n' roll | ghost | japan | cult | 

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Taglines:

It's a Hard Day's Night in Japan with a Faustian Twist.

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror | Music

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Mike Rogers, producer, writer and co-director was the lead singer of a famous early 1977 Los Angeles punk band, The Rotters, who performed the seventies punk classic, "Sit on My Face, Stevie Nix."

User Reviews

A Rock and Roll Love Letter

As the contextual setting for the story of a struggling rocker, the sublime and completely-its-own "Ghostroads: A Japanese Rock N Roll Ghost Story" marries a clear love of the very roots of rock n roll with that same era's unique fingerprint on Tokyo's compelling modern-day music scene. This is a wonderfully self-aware and cleverly camp film leveraging the core tenets of rock mythology to tell an immensely charming, engrossing, and absurdly fun story -- and all with a wholly individualized presentation that somehow has no direct comparables. How does one say "imminent cult classic" in Japanese?

The charismatic and enigmatic Mr. Pan plays Tony -- a quaffed Tokyo rocker who fronts the initially underwhelming Screamin' Telstars. While shopping for gear pre-show, he discovers a seemingly haunted amplifier whose resident spirit endows Tony with the rarefied musical powers we dream of when we first reach for a guitar. Literally overnight, Tony becomes a face-melting Chuck Berry doppelgänger, and the crowds take notice. Yet it comes to pass that the possessed amp isn't solely a one-way genie in a bottle: Its spiritual occupant wants something from Tony in return, and that proposed tradeoff places our man at the crossroads between band loyalty and the rapid onset of Lead Singer's Disease.

"Ghostroads..." proudly waves the flags of the wild-hearted spirits of both indie film and rock music, as it's a tale which leans on the best DNA markers from each to create something of its own fabulous and inspired shape. It's further legitimized by a heavy fortification of killer '50's-influenced but resolutely modern Japanese rock, leaving no doubt that its creative team must be well-versed in the machinations of music's great historical engine. It's a reverence that empowers the film to break the language barrier as a vehicle made by music fans for music fans. "Ghostroads: A Japanese Rock N Roll Ghost Story" is aspirational, humorous, and visionary, and with a payout that hits like an adoring punch. - Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful". Cheers!

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Web page

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese English

Release Date:

25 September 2017 (UK)

Also Known As:

Ghost Roads

Filming Locations:

Tokyo, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Robot55

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD