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Please read everything here or you won't understand me. It's long... It's hard to accurately sum up how I feel about this movie. It starts off feeling out of touch and far from what I would call a movie. The story seems dull. The jokes are tired. But then something gets better little by little. It takes time to get its point across, but when it does, it delivers it with an oversized fist. There is something relevant to be said about movies today. There are too many remakes and reboots. There are too many franchises. The entire concept of an original film with something to say has been mostly lost. There will always be good films being made, but the competition for them to succeed has been largely taken away by a monumental stack of third-rate garbage. So when Kevin Smith decided to make his film look hard at the modern film industry as a whole, I applaud him for it. He successfully points out the flaws inherent in modern movies while staying humorous and positive. It's a fine line to walk where you can speak out about everything that is negative without giving a lecture. I can't say this is his most entertaining work. I laughed out loud only two times. I will say it's the first work he's made that says something important and says it clearly. It isn't the kind of work that everyone will love either. That's nearly impossible to pull off. But this is a film that will stand the test of time as what I'd consider important. It is what it laughs at. This is why I consider this a difficult film to explain. It is like ouroboros. It eats it's own tail and completes a circle. It made me look at myself and see how I've aged as well as the world around me. My grandmother said you never go back to where you're from because it's always a disappointment. It's very true. I believe moving forward is the only way to write and to live. And yet to best explain why something is broken, using a bit of nostalgia and humor works. Kevin Smith truly found the perfect vehicle to deliver this point. I had a unique opportunity to meet him as well as sit on set a few hours while this was being made. I was not an employee, just a guest. He was really very upbeat and hugged me. He treated me like I was the celebrity in the room. After looking forward to meeting him for many years, it made me feel very positive and enthusiastic about this film. And yet I'm not sure what I wanted when I watched it. I think I wanted to laugh more, but he delivered an impactful drama in the guise of a lighthearted comedic romp. I am proud of what he achieved. In many ways it shows how much he's grown (and slimmed) since Mallrats. I don't want him to be the same director/writer he was then. If he were frozen in his own carbonite I'd begin to hate myself for liking his films. All in all I'd say this was his '1000 Clowns'.

The reasons any Star Trek show was ever good: 1. It had a balance between technology, space, action, and most importantly comedy. 2. Every season had 26 episodes, not 10, not 6, not 4, not 2. It wasn't lazy. You could expect a 7 season run, or hope for it, and watch about 180 episodes. 3. There was always more than one well written character. The show had it's share of narcs and backstabbers, but there were plenty of interesting and leading characters to enjoy, even the ones who ratted on each other were fun. 4. You never knew where the show would go next. Continuous storylines were really what slowly ruined any series. New material and ideas, new adventures and disasters were the bread and butter of the best episodes. Character development was the better continuity, not long multi-episode battles. 5. Forward thinking ideals mattered. Sure there were dog-people and the like. Worf's howling and how his name seems like a combination of woof and arf weren't amazing choices, but his character grew beyond these limitations to become the longest running in the show's history. It was never about how everything is wrong. It was about how it can and was being done better. Whatever CBS thinks they're doing to recreate these new Star Trek shows is as flawed as JJ Abrams foolish movie trilogy which featured a terrible Rage Against the Machine soundtrack, Muppets, and enough spinning to make me puke. Thanks for the solar flares too buddy. The show is supposed to be smart, fun, and wild. I know why I like Star Trek. Feel welcome to disagree with my opinion. I do not like Star Trek Picard. I do not like Star Trek Discovery. There are plenty of writers who can do better if the opportunity to write without an agenda were there.

I really liked this movie. I didn't give it 5 stars because it ripped off Michael Kamen. The music in this is essentially the same as in Die Hard. It elevates this film and makes it really entertaining. Remove the musical score and what you're left with is light action, an obvious plot, no suspense, and cheap thrills. There's no quotable dialogue. The intro is weak. The characters are hollow. The justification is stupid. There are no character arcs. There is no point. But I really liked it because the score pumps you up. It feels like Die Hard on the streets of Manhattan. It pisses me off that I feel this way. Emotions are complex. I would recommend this title. I hate hacks who steal other artist's material. So I give it 3 stars. It's a 5 if you don't care about how the score was stolen. It's a 1 if you hit mute and watch it with subtitles. If you want to enjoy a great cops and robbers film, crank the volume and turn down the lights. If you analyze movies and are detail oriented, pick something else to watch.