Ken Uehara Movies

In this Japanese sci-fi adventure, Japan and the rest of the planet is being destroyed by a deadly series of earthquakes. Explorers soon discover why: beneath the sea is an enormous city, Mu, and to keep it going, they have been stealing energy from the Earth's core. They refuse to stop and so the Japanese government pleads with the commander of the air, land, and sea supership, the Atragon, to help them destroy Mu. Unfortunately, the skipper cares nothing for saving the world. But when the Mu-folk steal his own daughter, the commander changes his mind. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this romance, a Japanese goes to Honolulu to visit his younger brother, a student at the University of Hawaii. On the evening of his arrival, they attend a party to honor a the winner of a beauty contest. She won after the young man sent her picture to the judges. Her prizes is a two-week vacation to Tokyo and Hong Kong. The older brother joins her on the leg to Tokyo. They wind up falling in love; this causes problems as the younger brother also loves her. Fortunately, the beauty has an estranged sister for him. The brothers marry the sisters, the viewer gets to see many beautiful sights in Asia, and happiness and prosperity ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Mothra was the third major addition to the Toho Studios' giant-monster stable after Godzilla and Rodan, and the first female beast in the series. The creature begins Ishiro Honda's entertaining film as a giant larva worshipped by island tribesmen and guarded by twin sisters (Emi and Yumi Ito) who stand only a few inches high. Eventually, the larva metamorphoses into a giant female moth and panic ensues as the creature attempts to regain her stolen egg and her tiny protectors. The usual pandemonium and destruction is tempered here by a softer edge which would come to dominate the genre for much of the decade. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

One of a series of Japanese films shown at Japan House in New York in 1981, the Dancer and the Warrior, filmed in 1956, is another of cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa's successes. The story is set in a popular and well-known historical period in Japan: the end of the 12th century when the cultured Heian imperial court succumbed to the rule of a military dictatorship. By 1185, the Taira clan had lost the civil war with the Minamotos, and the Kamakura period had begun. Two brothers, the younger Yoshitsune and older Yoritomo have guided their Minamoto family to victory. Yoritomo is now the first military ruler in Japanese history, and the film shows the beginning of friction between him and his brother. To make matters worse, Yoshitsune defies his older brother by marrying a classical dancer without asking for his permission. Enraged, Yoritomo harrasses him until Yoshitsune has to flee the region, leaving his new wife behind. She bravely defies the tyrannical Yoritomo, determined not to give in to his abusive treatment. As the film approaches its end, the relationship between the brothers will have to be resolved, as well as the fate of the young wife. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Having lost her husband in the war, Haruko Inoue (wonderfully played by Yuko Mochizuki) struggles to raise her children. Making innumerable sacrifices for them, including prostituting herself, Haruko decides to send them to live with her brother in Tokyo. Her daughter becomes compromised in a flirtation with a teacher and Haruko rushes to the city. Once in Tokyo, she realizes her children could not love her less and have no respect for her and her sacrifices. Entirely destroyed by this shattering of her illusions, she throws herself in front of a train. ~ Brian Whitener, Rovi

Based on popular Japanese writer Fumiko Hayahi's final novel, a condemning portrait of married life and women's position in Japanese society, Repast tells the story of Michiyo and Hatsunosuke, a married couple who, in the routine of family life, have begun to fall out of love. With no child to cement their bond, they are still free to question their marriage. Especially since it was a marriage not of convenience, but of love. While Hatsunosuke seems unperturbed, Michiyo fully realizes the growing distance between them and the anguish deeply pains her. Events come to a head when Hatsunosuke's attractive young niece arrives and Michiyo suspects her of making advances. Her heart broken, Michiyo confronts her husband with all of her complaints. Once again, he is uninterested and aloof and she flees his house back to her family. After a long period of depression and several total failures to begin her life anew, Michiyo meets with Hatsunosuke and they superficially patch up their differences. The film ends with Michiyo returning to her married home, forlornly staring out the train window. ~ Brian Whitener, Rovi

In this melodrama, an ailing former army doctor discovers that the girl he loves is selling her body in Tokyo's post-war black market to paid for his medical treatment. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi