Atragon 1963  N/R, 96 min.
Genre: Foreign / Sci-Fi
Director: Ishiro Honda
Cast: Tadao Takashima, Yoko Fujiyama, Yu Fujiki, Kenji Sahara, Ken Uehara, Jun Tazaki, Hiroshi Koizumi, Yoshifumi Tajima, Akihiko Hirata, Eisei Amamoto, Hisaya Ito, Susumu Fujita
Ex-submarine Captain Hachiro Jinguji (Jun Tazaki) ignores pleas for help in tracking down the undersea society, Mu, which has been sucking energy out of Earths's core and causing giant earthquakes. But, now the Mu have kidnapped his daughter (Yoko Fujiyama), and Jinguji sails his air, land, and sea supership into the maze in an attempt to rescue her.
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Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster 1964  N/R, 85 min.
Genre: Foreign / Action / Sci-Fi
aka: Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster
Director: Ishiro Honda
Cast: Yosuke Natsuki, Yuriko Hoshi, Hiroshi Koizumi, Takashi Shimura, Emi Ito, Yumi Ito, Akiko Wakabayashi, Hisaya Ito, Susumu Kurobe, Akihiko Hirata, Minoru Takada, Somesho Matsumoto, Ikio Sawamura, Kenji Sahara
Popular director Ishiro Honda brings a real monster-fest to the screen in this film. A large meteorite crashes to Earth in the Japanese mountains, and scientists rush to examine it. But this is no regular rock–it holds a three-headed monster, Ghidrah, that gets loose and begins to wreak havoc throughout the land, breathing lightning bolts in all directions. Meanwhile, monsters Godzilla and Rodan are having a tumultuous fight, but they turn into good guys and join monster Mothra to rid the Earth of Ghidrah. Wow!
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Godzilla vs. Bionic Monster 1974 G, 84 min.
Genre: Foreign / Sci-Fi / Action / Fantasy / Horror
aka: Godzilla vs. Cosmic Monster
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
Director: Jun Fukuda
Cast: Masaaki Daimon, Kazuya Aoyama, Akihiko Hirata, Hiroshi Koizumi, Reiko Tajima, Hiromi Matsushita, Masao Imafuku, Beru-Bera Lin, Isao Zushi, Ise Mori, Goro Mutsumi, Shin Kishida, Daigo Kusano, Takayasu Torii, Kenji Sahara
Godzilla's 20th anniversary in the movies is busy as aliens again set out to conquer the Earth. This time a robot, looking like Godzilla, is the foe, and the real Godzilla, helped by an ancient monster, must deal with the situation.
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Godzilla vs. Destroyer 1995 N/R, 110 min.
Genre: Foreign / Sci-Fi / Action / Horror
Director: Takao Okawara
Cast: Takuro Tatsumi, Yoko Ishino, Yasufumi Hayashi, Megumi Odaka, Sayaka Osawa, Saburo Shinoda, Akira Nakao, Masahiro Takashima, Momoko Kochi, "Hurricane Ryu" Hariken, Takehiro Murata, Kenpachiro Satsuma, Shigeru Koyama, Ronald Hoerr, Akihiko Hirata
Godzilla's nuclear power appears to be reaching a critical point, which may result in a meltdown that would threaten the planet. Meanwhile, another creature, the Oxygen Destroyer, is on the loose and takes on Godzilla. How can mere mortals possibly save Earth from this potential meltdown?
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Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster 1966  PG, 87 min.
Genre: Foreign / Sci-Fi
aka: Big Duel in the North
Director: Jun Fukuda
Cast: Akira Takarada, Toru Watanabe, Hideo Sunazuka, Kumi Mizuno, Jun Tazaki, Akihiko Hirata, Chotaro Togin, Toru Ibuki, Ikio Sawamura, Pair Bambi, Eisei amamoto, Hisaya Ito, Tadashi Okabe, Kazuo Suzuki, Shoichi Hirose
Teenagers searching for a brother are caught in a storm and arrive at Infant Island where the terrorist organization Red Bamboo has been kidnapping villagers from Mothra Island and holding them captive. The Red Bamboo are in control of a giant monster shrimp, Ebirah, that protects them. After finding Godzilla lying dormant in a cave, the teenagers revive him, and, once again, Godzilla comes to the rescue. Godzilla kills the giant shrimp, and Mothra arrives in time to rescue the islanders.
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Godzilla, King of the Monsters 1956  N/R, 81 min.
Genre: Action / Horror / Sci-Fi
aka: Gojira
Director: Ishiro Honda, Terry O. Morse
Cast: Raymond Burr, Takashi Shimura, Akira Takarada, Akihiko Hirata, Momoko Kochi, Sachio Sakai, Fuyuki Murakami, Frank Iwanaga, Toyoaki Suzuki, Toranosuke Ogawa, Takeo Oikawa, Kokuten Kodo, Mikel Conrad, Ren Yamamoto, Sammee Tong
This "Godzilla" movie pits the 400-foot monster against the citizens of Tokyo. American reporter Steve Martin (Raymond Burr) is investigating shipping disasters off the coast of Japan when the monster Godzilla, brought back to life by underwater nuclear testing, goes on a rampage through Tokyo leaving death and destruction in its wake.
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King Kong vs. Godzilla 1962 N/R, 91 min.
Genre: Sci-Fi / Action / Horror / Comedy
Director: Ishiro Honda
Cast: Michael Keith, James Yagi, Tadao Takashima, Mie Hama, Kenji Sahara, Harry Holcombe, Akihiko Hirata, Yu Fujiki, Ichiro Arishima, Jun Tazaki, Akiko Wakabayashi, Akemi Negishi, Sensho Matsumoto, Senkichi Omura, Sachio Sakai
After a submarine collides with an iceberg, and Godzilla is released after being trapped for seven years, the great ape, King Kong, is captured and brought to Japan to fight Godzilla. A battle between the two ensues on Mount Fuji; but, when an earthquake sends Godzilla and Kong plunging into the ocean, only one will survive.
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Latitude Zero 1969 N/R, 99 min.
Genre: Action / Adventure / Fantasy / Sci-Fi
aka: Atragon II
Director: Ishiro Honda
Cast: Joseph Cotten, Cesar Romero, Richard Jaeckel, Patricia Medina, Akira Takarada, Masumi Okada, Tetsu Nakamura, Mari Nakayama, Linda Haynes, Hikaru Kuroki, Akihiko Hirata, Wataru Omae, Susumu Kurobe, Haruo Nakajima
Following a volcanic eruption, the men aboard a bathysphere are rescued by Captain Craig McKenzie (Joseph Cotten) who commands a nuclear submarine. McKenzie takes them to Latitude Zero–a secret underwater city dedicated to world peace. But, peace is not to be when mad scientist Malic (Cesar Romero) plots to kidnap another scientist and use him in his animal-human hybrid experiments. Now, it becomes McKenzie's mission to save the scientist from the hands of evil Malic.
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Miyamoto Musashi 1954  N/R, 92 min.
Genre: Foreign / Action
aka: Samurai
The Legend of Musashi
Director: Hiroshi Inagaki
Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Kaoru Yachigusa, Rentaro Mikuni, Mariko Okada, Kuroemon Onoe, Mitsuko Mito, Eiko Miyoshi, Daisuke Kato, Akihiko Hirata, Kusuo Abe
Set in early-17th-century Japan, this film tells the story of legendary Miyamoto Musashi (Toshiro Mifune) from his orphan childhood to becoming a powerful samurai–overcoming many setbacks along the way. This is Part One of a trilogy that also includes "Duel at Ichijoji Temple" and "Duel on Ganyru Island." The film won an Honorary Oscar for Best Foreign Film.
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Mothra 1961 N/R, 91 min.
Genre: Family / Sci-Fi / Action / Adventure / Fantasy
aka: Mosura
Director: Ishiro Honda
Cast: Frankie Sakai, Hiroshi Koizumi, Kyoko Kagawa, Emi Ito, Yumi Ito, Jerry Ito, Akihiro Tayama, Takashi Shimura, Akihiko Hirata, Kenji Sahara, Tetsu Nakamura, Obel Wyatt, Seizaburo Kawazu, Yoshifumi Tajima, Ken Uehara
Tiny (one-foot tall) twins (Emi Ito and Yumi Ito), who have supernatural powers, are abducted from their island by Clark Nelson (Jerry Ito) and taken to Tokyo where they are exploited in a vaudeville show. But, their singing reaches far away to a giant caterpillar, Mothra, that comes to their rescue–destroying Tokyo in the process.
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The Mysterians 1957 N/R, 85 min.
Genre: Foreign / Sci-Fi
aka: Earth Defense Force
Director: Ishiro Honda
Cast: Kenji Sahara, Yumi Shirakawa, Momoko Kochi, Akihiko Hirata, Takashi Shimura, Susumu Fujita, Hisaya Ito, Fuyuki Murakami, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Tetsu Nakamura, Yutaka Sada, Takeo Oikawa
After the nuclear destruction of their planet, aliens arrive to take over the Earth and its women in order to start a new civilization. And the nonstop special effects battles begin.
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Samurai 1965 N/R, 123 min.
Genre: Foreign / Action
aka: Samurai Assassin
Director: Kihachi Okamoto
Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Keiju Kobayashi, Michiyo Aratama, Yunosuke Ito, Eijiro Tono, Tadao Nakamaru, Koshiro Matsumoto, Nami Tamura, Kaoru Yachigusa, Susumu Fujita, Yoshio Inaba, Akihiko Hirata
In 1860, swordsman Tsuruchiyo (Toshiro Mifune) seeks his father but is denied entry into the powerful Lord's castle because he does not know who his father is. Unable to become a great warrior, he joins a gang of assassins who want to kill the Lord. After his ruse is discovered he escapes, fights his way into the castle, and kills the Lord–only to find that it was his father. Plenty of action.
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Samurai 2 1955 N/R, 102 min.
Genre: Foreign / Action
aka: Duel at Ichijoji Temple
Director: Hiroshi Inagaki
Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Koji Tsuruta, Sachio Sakai, Akihiko Hirata, Yu Fujiki, Daisuke Kato, Eijiro Tono, Mitsuko Mito, Kuroemon Onoe, Kaoru Yachigusa
Part two of the "Miyamoto Musashi"/"Samurai" trilogy does not have quite the power of Part one–but is still exciting adventure. Musashi (Toshiro Mifune) has spent years on the road building his skills as the greatest samurai warrior. He returns home where his two loves await him, as does the leader of a school who trains warriors. He must again prove himself.
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Samurai 3 1956 N/R, 102 min.
Genre: Foreign / Action
aka: Duel on Ganryu Island
Director: Hiroshi Inagaki
Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Koji Tsuruta, Kaoru Yachigusa, Mariko Okada, Michiko Saga, Takashi Shimura, Eijiro Tono, Akihiko Hirata, Daisuke Kato, Kuroemon Onoe
This final episode in the "Samurai" trilogy is yet another fine adventure as our hero Musashi (Toshiro Mifune) decides to live the simple life in a village. The villagers must deal with bandits, and Musashi teaches them to defend themselves. Meanwhile, his nemesis has challenged him to a duel, and his two girlfriends show up. He finally commits to one woman, and the other is killed by the bandits; now he must leave for his final battle.
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Sanjuro 1962 N/R, 96 min.
Genre: Foreign / Action
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Takashi Shimura, Keiju Kobayashi, Yuzo Kayama, Reiko Dan, Akihiko Hirata, Kamatari Fujiwara, Takako Irie, Yunosuke Ito
This follow-on to 1961's "Yojimbo" is more lighthearted than that film but still has plenty of action. Sanjuro (Toshiro Mifune), the clever samurai drifter, takes on the task of educating a group of naive young men in the ways of the samurai while fending off attacks. Another good film from Akira Kurosawa.
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Son of Godzilla 1967  N/R, 82 min.
Genre: Foreign / Sci-Fi
Director: Jun Fukuda
Cast: Tadao Takashima, Akira Kubo, Bibari Maeda, Akihiko Hirata, Kenji Sahara, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Kenichiro Maruyama, Seishiro Kuno, Yasuhiko Saijo, Susumu Kurobe, Seiji Onaka, Haruo Nakajima, Kazuo Suzuki, Chotaro Togin, Wataru Omae
The son of Godzilla and gigantic insects involve themselves in a fight to the death for the exclusive rights of a Pacific island.
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Terror of Mechagodzilla 1975 N/R, 83 min.
Genre: Foreign / Sci-Fi
aka: Escape of Mechagodzilla
Mechagodzilla vs. Godzilla
Monsters from an Unknown Planet
Director: Ishiro Honda
Cast: Katsuhiko Sasaki, Tomoko Ai, Akihiko Hirata, Katsumasa Uchida, Goro Mutsumi, Kenji Sahara, Tomoe Mari, Shin Roppongi, Tadao Nakamaru, Kotaro Tomita, Toru Ibuki, Ikio Sawamura, Masaaki Daimon, Toshio Kirishima, Kazuo Suzuki
In this sequel to "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla," the aliens still want Tokyo, so they hire a mad scientist to rebuild Mechagodzilla AND tame the even fiercer sea serpent Titanosaurus to do their will. Can Godzilla possibly deal with this double dose of trouble? Last in the "Godzilla" series for the next 10 years.
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| 1. Atragon (1963)
2. Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
aka: Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster
3. Godzilla vs. Bionic Monster (1974)
aka: Godzilla vs. Cosmic Monster
aka: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
4. Godzilla vs. Destroyer (1995)
5. Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster (1966)
aka: Big Duel in the North
6. Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1956)
aka: Gojira
7. King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
8. Latitude Zero (1969)
aka: Atragon II
9. Miyamoto Musashi (1954)
aka: Samurai
aka: The Legend of Musashi
10. Mothra (1961)
aka: Mosura
11. The Mysterians (1957)
aka: Earth Defense Force
12. Samurai (1965)
aka: Samurai Assassin
13. Samurai 2 (1955)
aka: Duel at Ichijoji Temple
14. Samurai 3 (1956)
aka: Duel on Ganryu Island
15. Sanjuro (1962)
16. Son of Godzilla (1967)
17. Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)
aka: Escape of Mechagodzilla
aka: Mechagodzilla vs. Godzilla
aka: Monsters from an Unknown Planet
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