Jun Fukuda Movies

One of the cheapest entries in Toho's Godzilla franchise, this alternately noisy and talky entry finds yet another batch of goofy-looking insectoid aliens plotting to conquer humanity -- from their headquarters deep within a Godzilla theme park! -- using the double-team monster threat of Gigan (a metallic bird-creature with a handy table saw in his belly) and the three-headed Ghidorah. It is somehow apropos to the movie's comic-book premise that the nominal human "hero" is a washed-up cartoonist, who teams up with his equally-ineffectual pals (not counting his butt-kicking girlfriend). Eventually it is left to the Big G to square off against the extraterrestrial foes, with the occasional (but mainly inadequate) aid of Angilus for some tag-team wrestling action (which ranks among the silliest in Toho history). The paltry budget is also quite apparent this time out, as indicated by frequent use of recycled footage from previous monster films, particularly Destroy All Monsters. The film's only real highlight comes in the form of a plot twist which grants Godzilla his first speaking role. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

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

The Japanese gargantuan reptile fathers a son who is a chip off the old eggshell. The men of the family take on oversized mantises and arachnids in this exotic sci-fi adventure. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi

The Japanese Secret of the Telegian features Koji Tsurata as a reporter and Akihiko Hirata as a detective, both investigating a series of interrelated murders. All the victims had been in on a wartime scheme to steal a fortune in gold. The killer (Tadao Nakamaru) also one of the thieves, has stumbled upon a scientific discovery that enables him to reduce himself to mere particles, thereby enabling him to escape without detection. The murderer utilizes a transmission machine to ship himself from one place to another--so long as the machine is kept in a state of "4.2 degrees below zero." The villain's complex scheme to eliminate his old comrades in crime and claim the gold for himself comes to grief when his marvelous machine malfunctions. Our question: if Nakamaru is in possession of a revolutionary machine that could potentially net him billions in marketing, why does he bother with such mundane matters as murder and theft? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this Japanese sci-fi adventure Earthly space explorers engage in a deadly battle with an alien ship just outside the atmosphere of Venus. The fate of our planet hangs in the balance. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this Japanese drama, recent university graduate Young Guy makes a bad impression when he is late on his very first day at his new company because he had to help an old man and his daughter find a cab. Fortunately, his employers accept his excuse. Later, the Young Guy meets a girl and a friend who works with a rival company. Both men want this girl. Later, a highly valued customer suddenly cancels his contract and the new man must look into a complaint about defective motors. He and his friend from the rival company investigate together and go to the home of the unhappy customer. They meet the customer's daughter and realize that each can use her to get at the customer. When the girl learns of their conspiracy, she gets jealous. In the end she meets with both rivals, but chooses Young Guy as her man. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi