Robert Dunham Movies

Japan's Toho Studios were clearly slumming for this crudely fashioned installment in the Godzilla franchise -- a clear indication that the series was running out of creative steam and lapsing into self-mockery. The threadbare plot involves the advanced subterranean nation of Seatopia, whose leaders plan to take over the surface world with the aid of their monster Megalon, a springy cockroach-monster with a power drill mounted on his head. To this end, they steal the robot Jet Jaguar, an Ultraman look-alike invented by the amiable Goro (Katsuhiko Sasaki), to help guide Megalon's assault. Goro manages to regain control of the robot, who is capable of enlarging himself to Godzilla-like proportions, but remains ineffectual against the big bug, particularly after the Seatopians enlist the off-world aid of Gigan, the buzzsaw-sporting bird-beast. Goro sends Jet Jaguar to fetch Godzilla, who soon puts things right... more or less. Silly effects and recycled footage abound, coupled with some seriously nutty monster battles -- the highlight of which comes when the Green One executes a massive drop-kick on Megalon. The film got its U.S. premiere in 1977 in a drastically-cut version on prime-time television, which included a bumper segment featuring John Belushi in a Godzilla suit! ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Bearing traces of both Frankenstein and the 1959 Georges Franju horror classic Eyes without a Face, the Japanese The Face of Another is a disturbing Japanese drama featuring Tatsuya Nakadai. His face horribly disfigured in an accident, Nakadai, a wealthy industrialist, commissions a special mask from a renowned plastic surgeon. Nakadai's wife fails to recognize her husband and makes advances to him, which effectively destroys their relationship. Driven insane, Nakadai turns to murder to compensate for the loss of his identity. The melodramatic elements of the film are neatly blended with moments of erotica and generous doses of existential philosophy. The Face of Another is another thought-provoking "documentary fantasy" from the director of the cult classic Woman in the Dunes. ~ Hal Erickson, 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