Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah 1991 N/R, 100 min. Genre: Foreign / Sci-Fi / Action / Drama / Horror aka: Gojira vs. Kingu Gidora
Director: Kazuki Omori Cast: Kosuke Toyohara, Anna Nakagawa, Megumi Odaka, Chuck Wilson, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Katsuhiko Sasaki, Akiji Kobayashi, Tokuma Nishioka, Kenji Sahara, Koichi Ueda, Kenpachiro Satsuma, "Hurricane Ryu" Hariken, So Yamamura, Yasunori Yuge, Kiwako Harada
Time travelers from the 23rd century return to the present, warn Japan that Godzilla will soon cause a catastrophic nuclear incident, and suggest how to rid the world of the monster. The plan is to go back to the 1940s and kill the one living dinosaur that was turned into the monster during the Bikini atomic weapons testing. But–the visitors have a motive: get rid of Godzilla and have their own monster, King Ghidorah, wreak havoc on Japan because Japan has become the economic power on Earth in the 23 century. But Godzilla is still out there, and the battle begins.
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Gung Ho 1986 PG-13, 112 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Ron Howard Cast: Michael Keaton, Gedde Watanabe, George Wendt, Mimi Rogers, John Turturro, Clint Howard, Rance Howard, Sab Shimono, Rick Overton, So Yamamura
This likable comedy highlights the differences in Japanese and American cultures. Hunt Stevenson (Michael Keaton) attempts to save his hometown by pleading with the Japanese to open an automobile plant. The Japanese finally do, and the plant workers must now adapt to the Japanese style of management.
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Japan's Longest Day 1967 N/R, 157 min. Genre: Foreign / Drama aka: The Emperor and a General
Director: Kihachi Okamoto Cast: Toshiro Mifune, So Yamamura, Chishu Ryu, Seiji Miyaguchi, Takashi Shimura, Toshio Kurosawa, Shogo Shimada, Susumu Fujita, Yunosuke Ito, Daisuke Kato, Etsushi Takahashi, Jun Tazaki, Nobuo Nakamura, Koshiro Matsumoto
This is the true story of failed efforts by the Japanese War Minister Anami (Toshiro Mifune) to continue the war and includes plots for a coup to overthrow the Emperor. But, the problem was resolved when Emperor Hirohito (Koshiro Matsumoto) broadcast to his nation on August 15, 1945, that Japan would agree to the Allies' demand for unconditional surrender.
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Tokyo Story 1953 N/R, 139 min. Genre: Foreign / Drama
Director: Yasujiro Ozu Cast: Chishu Ryu, Chieko Higashiyama, So Yamamura, Haruko Sugimura, Kuniko Miyake, Nobuo Nakamura, Setsuko Hara, Kyoko Kagawa, Eijiro Tono, Shiro Osaka, Hisao Toake, Teruko Nagaoka
Aging couple Shukichi (Chishu Ryu) and Tomi Hirayama (Chieko Higashiyama) travel to Tokyo with their daughter Kyoko (Kyoko Kagawa) to visit their son Same Per (So Yamamura) and daughter Shige Kaneko (Haruko Sugimura). After they arrive in Tokyo, they learn that their children are too busy to visit with them when they send them to Alami Hot Springs resort instead. The parents soon return to Tokyo where their children still ignore them. They leave for home, but tragedy strikes on the trip, and–after the funeral–the children return to their self-centered lives in this story that illustrates how modern society does not hold the elderly in high regard.
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Tora! Tora! Tora! 1970 G, 142 min. Genre: Action / Adventure / Drama
Director: Richard Fleischer Cast: Martin Balsam, So Yamamura, Joseph Cotten, Tatsuya Mihashi, Jason Robards, E.G. Marshall, James Whitmore, Wesley Addy, Leon Ames, Eijiro Tono, Takahio Tamura, Shogo Shimada, Frank Aletter, Koreya Senda, Junya Usami
The story of the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, is well-told as the events leading to the attack are revealed–documentary style–from both the U.S. and Japanese viewpoints. The film begins with scenes from the perspectives of both countries as the diplomacy between Japan and the United States collapses. The second part of the film switches to the deadly mission and a spectacular re-creation of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The film won and Oscar for Best Special Visual Effects.
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| 1. The Barbarian and the Geisha (1958)
2. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) aka: Gojira vs. Kingu Gidora
3. Gung Ho (1986)
4. Japan's Longest Day (1967) aka: The Emperor and a General
5. Tokyo Story (1953)
6. Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
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