Yosuke Natsuki Movies

Nearly ten years after his last screen appearance (in 1975's Terror of Mechagodzilla), the Tokyo Terror stomps again -- albeit awkwardly -- in Toho Studios' highly publicized bid to reestablish the Green Guy's popularity in Japan and overseas. More a remake of the 1956 classic Godzilla, King of the Monsters than a continuation of the series, Godzilla 1985 represents an attempt to revamp the Big G with Star Wars movie technology and a more "serious" approach. Unfortunately, Toho's efforts may have gone astray, since the film resorts to exactly the same cheesy conventions that had endeared the series to bad-movie buffs around the world: flimsy cardboard buildings, inconsistencies in the monster's size from one scene to the next, and the same mock-profound commentary from Raymond Burr. The only notable additions consist of some interference from those evil superpowers, America and the Soviet Union, who both want to nuke Godzilla before he decides to direct his rage somewhere other than Japan. Though the film did manage to jump-start the franchise, spawning several high-tech sequels (continuing with Godzilla vs. Biollante and 1995's Godzilla vs. The Destroyer), its cheesiness spelled certain doom for the series in overseas markets, with minimal legitimate U.S. distribution until their arrival on video amid advance hype for Sony-TriStar's mega-budgeted 1998 version. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Lord Akashi (Toshiro Mifune) is a heroic warrior who comes to the aid of the needy and the oppressed. He is hired to guard a beautiful lady in waiting and the young crowned prince. The group is attacked by marauders who wish to depose of the princess and start a revolt against her father. Akashi never brings out his sword until the very end, content to dispose of his enemies with the least amount of weapons possible. He battles fierce samurai warriors and foreign insurgents who introduce the gun to Japan in their added arsenal of destruction. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Five Japanese soldiers wait for the immanent attack from Soviet forces on the Manchurian border in 1945 in this war drama. The soldiers are asked to surrender, but they choose to fight to the death, and the five all suffer gruesome deaths, illustrating the horrors of war. One victim becomes a crispy critter by virtue of an enemy flame-thrower. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

In this martial arts film, a Japanese Samurai warrior returns to his home village after being gone for two years. He is appalled to discover that it has been taken over by an uncaring government. His sister is attacked by one of the officials. She is deeply ashamed and kills herself. The samurai keeps his emotions under control, choosing instead to patiently wait for the perfect moment to exact his revenge. Instead he begins stealing rice from a government warehouse and smuggling it to the hungry farmers. He does this for three years before he can get his revenge. The samurai then leaves the village with the promise that he will return. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

The original Japanese title of Tiger Flight was Kyomo Ware Ozorani Re. The plot is essentially a made-in-Japan knockoff of the British classic Breaking the Sound Barrier. The heroes are a group of pilots who want to go faster than anyone has gone before. But no so fast as to miss out on romance while they're on solid ground. Tatsuya Mihashi stars as the squadron's no-nonsense commander. So as you see, not every Japanese film can be Rashomon or Seven Samurai. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this war drama, set during the Sino-Japanese war, a Japanese battalion must fight guerrilla attacks in China's northern mountains to protect a sympathetic warehouse owner. The Japanese troops face great danger, but help the owner transport his goods away from the jungle marauders. The trouble really begins when a lieutenant discovers that the guerrilla leader is the warehouse owner, and that the Japanese have been graciously transporting an arms shipment for him. Unfortunately, before he can warn his troops, the officer is captured by the Chinese who attempt to force him into leading the battalion into an ambush. Fortunately, the lieutenant escapes and destroys the guerrilla arms. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

A simple country doctor faithfully takes care of residents in his small village. He feels his lifetime of devotion to his patients has been negated in wake of modern medical advancements. When typhoid fever spreads through the farm community, he sadly observes the superstition and ignorance that accompanies the thoughts of the afflicted. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

This Japanese drama chronicles the trials and joys of five young women struggling to live and love in a modern Tokyo suburb. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

A new younger assistant questions the traditional methods of a doctor in Japan in the late 1800s and a typhus epidemic opens the doctor's eyes. ~ Rovi

Toshiro Mifune portrays a Samurai who finds himself in the middle of a feud-torn Japanese village. Neither side is particularly honorable, but Mifune is hungry and impoverished, so he agrees to work as bodyguard (or Yojimbo) for a silk merchant (Kamatari Fujiwara) against a sake merchant (Takashi Shimura). He then pretends to go to work for the other, the better to let the enemies tear each other apart. Imprisoned for his "treachery," he escapes just in time to watch the two warring sides wipe each other out. This was his plan all along, and now that peace has been restored, he leaves the village for further exploits. Yes, Yojimbo was the prototype for the Clint Eastwood "Man with No Name" picture A Fistful of Dollars (1964). The difference is that Fistful relies on Eastwood for its success, whereas Yojimbo scores on every creative level, from director Akira Kurosawa to cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa to Mifune's classic lead performance. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this Japanese drama, a ten-year-old boy lives in the country with his sister and his widowed father, a Buddhist priest. When the father decides to remarry, the boy is devastated. The father, wanting to avoid trouble, then sends the boy to live with a parishioner in a neighboring village. The old woman the boy lives with hates children and constantly nags at him. The poor lad tires of her and the work she assigns him. One day, he picks up a small idol and goes for a walk with it. He tells the idol all his troubles. He soon finds himself in more trouble when he is arrested for stealing the idol, which had come from a local shrine. The authorities return him to his father, who is having problems with his new wife. She then throws away the boy's beloved amulet. When he calls her on this, the woman leaves. The boy and his sister go looking for her. In the end, the boy is placed up for adoption. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi