Japan's yen for bugs

V.A. Musetto

MOVIE REVIEW

Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo

You can't tell a book by its cover, nor can you judge a movie by its title. "Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo" sounds like a "Godzilla"-type thriller -- but definitely isn't.

Rather, it is a contemplative documentary about Japan's age-old fascination with bugs. The director-writer-producer is an American, Jessica Oreck, a lifelong insect lover and an animal keeper at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan.

The beautifully filmed, seductively narrated proceedings open with a boy talking his father into buying a pet beetle for the equivalent of $57 -- for a few more yen they could have gotten Ringo Starr -- then flashes back two centuries to the first cricket sellers.

This silver beetle is among Japan's beloved bugs .

We learn that there are 180 species of crying insects in Japan, that kids love to play with bugs and that creepy-crawlers can be purchased live in stores and vending machines.

That news will leave New Yorkers feeling lucky. They don't have to buy insects -- the little pests come free with their apartments.

In Japanese with English subtitles. Running time: 90 minutes. Not rated (bugs, bugs, bugs). At Film Forum, Houston Street, west of Sixth Avenue.