GODZILLA [2014]

Inspired by the '50's kaiju films, Hollywood decides to give the Godzilla franchise another go, after the dismal shit-heap that was birthed by Roland Emmerich in 1998.
Director Gareth Edwards knows a thing or two about giant beasties based on the success of his first feature, Monsters.  Naturally he's one of the better choices to take the helm for such a film and he really doesn't disappoint with this loud, flashy romp of a good time.
It's a slow-burning start to establish mood and setting, which left some movie-goers impatient but I found that to be part of the excitement when the entire theater finally did rumble and shake from the title character's mighty roar.  It's pretty thin on characters and hardly subtle with it's "nuclear power bad" message but when things start blowing up nothing else matters.

3 cases of nasty breath out of 5

BLUE JASMINE [2013]

Woody Allen's comedic drama Blue Jasmine echoes that of A Streetcar Named Desire with a modern flair and without as much dramatic tension.
Cate Blanchett leads the cast with one of the best performances of her career however it's Sally Hawkins who steals every scene she's in with the perfect balance of comedy and dramatic realism.  The rest of the cast are just as great and in a surprising turn, Andrew Dice Clay deserves some attention.  Allen's script is wickedly funny and well-structured but without the talented cast and comedic timing it might not be as great as it's end results.  It's tragedy and comedy all rolled into one crazy cast of characters making for one of Allen's better films in several years.

3½ Blue Moons out of 5

SUBMARINE [2010]

Submarine is a cynical coming-of-age British dramedy from first time feature length director Richard Ayoade based on the novel of the same name by Joe Dunthorne.
Ayoade's filmmaking is ripe with confidence and strong storytelling that never tries too hard to be smarter than it really is, which too many films in it's genre tend to do these days.  The performances from each actor involved help hold everything together when things get a bit dry and drawn-out.  All in all, it's a delightful little film that promises we'll be seeing more of Ayoade's work in the future.

3 awkward mixtapes from your dad out of 5