The COARD: Suicide Squad

Have no fear, unlike the movie we are about to review... We are the good guys. We are not going to spoil this movie for you without warning you. Feel free to dive into this review wondering if we are going to trash this movie like every other critic alive, or if we actually liked it.

Avengers who? 

Roy: Suicide Squad is DC Comics' latest attempt to be relevant in a cinematic world that seems to be dominated by Marvel. This is their third attempt, and one could easily wonder why they continue to bother. There were a few who liked some of the things that Man of Steel did, but the over the top destruction was laughable. And nothing captured the world's response to Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice better than this fantastic peek into the soul of Ben Affleck. But Suicide Squad was going to be different. Or so we were all led to believe. It had an enormous amount of buzz attached it. And then the critics of the world got a hold of it. Cheese and crackers did they rip it apart. So where does that leave us? I won't presume to speak for my esteemed partner, but allow me to say, they are all so full of crap that I'm buying stock in laxatives. Suicide Squad was good people. In fact, it was better than anything Marvel has done recently not named Deadpool. Yes I know I gushed over Civil War not three months ago. This was better. So where is the disconnect? Why does everyone seem to hate it? The answer is, they don't. Real people liked all of these movies. How do I know? Man of Steel made 291 million dollars, Dawn of Justice made 330 million dollars. Suicide Squad has made 161 million in five days. And those are domestic totals, people. Critics don't like the DC universe. But why? One word. Disney. Disney owns everything. That laptop or phone you are using to read this article? Disney owns it. That Starbucks you're sipping on right now? Disney owns that too. What's my proof?! I don't need proof. Open your eyes! Disney needs to see DC fail in order to enjoy the continued success of Marvel. This is happening people. Disney has an active campaign to attack everything DC does regardless of how good it is. They understand Marvel is an inferior product so they are doing everything they can. But you know what?! They can't censor us! YOU HEAR ME DISNEY?! COME AT ME BRO. WE WILL NOT BE INTIMIDATED BY YOUR GESTAPO TACTICS. We're just a couple of guys with a blog, two laptops, and the truth. And we will shout it from the rooftops! SUICIDE SQUAD IS GOOD. What say you Cody?! Will you join me brother in the coming revolution?

Cody: If you're asking me if my pen is for sale, then I think William Wallace has a choice word for you. I am but a mere human. I have bias. I'm not above admitting that I have bias. However, it is my job as a highly legitimate, borderline professional movie critic to strive to remain objective. A principle I can't say is valued as highly by those that get paid for this. I have no dog in the Marvel vs DC fight. I love Spider-Man. Batman is that dude. I have allegiances on both sides of the aisle. Marvel is ahead in terms of quantity of decent content, but to act like DC is garbage by comparison is erroneous. I would put the quality of DC so far as just below the overall quality of Marvel, but that's basically blasphemous among movie reviewers. You know what, Roy, I'm glad we turned down that Rolling Stone contract. Once you accept their money, they can control your content. That's what Disney wants, man. They fear people like us. The mighty bloggers with our dozens of dedicated fans. The resistance begins here, but it doesn't end until the world knows that Disney is wiping our internet like a real life Gavin Belson. What? Comparing negative critic review to literally controlling what we see online is a bit dramatic, you say? Well then maybe you aren't cut out for this revolution, imaginary reader!! Anyway, Suicide Squad was solid. David Ayer did a good job of making it "not a superhero movie." It succeeded in being something different just like Deadpool and Guardians of The Galaxy did for Marvel. Comparing this movie to Captain America or other main universe Marvel films isn't a fair match. It's meant to be off to the side; a fun peripheral story set in the same universe as the Justice League family of movies. And that's what it is, simple as that.

Roy: Everyone was great in this movie, I have a hard time deciding who did the best job because all of them took their characters and did everything with them they possibly could. Before I get to Jared Leto and Margot Robbie, I am going to address one Will Smith. He needed to do this sooner. Not play a superhero, he's' done that to mediocre effect before. For the first time in his career he played a character with some moral ambiguity. He was supposed to play the title character in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained but turned it down. The scuttlebutt was that he wasn't comfortable playing a character who could be perceived as a "bad guy," even though Django was the hero. To be fair to Smith, he would have been the hero in a Tarantino film, with all of the implications and baggage that brings with it. So I was surprised he was going to play a villain in Suicide Squad. It was the best of both worlds for Smith however, because even though he was a villain, he was a sympathetic character who was the heart and soul of this movie. Margot Robbie and Jared Leto got to have all of the fun playing straight up crazy/evil. Smith kept this movie's feet on the ground and kept dolling out the feels along the way. It was delightful. I will let Cody drool over his lady love, and I will focus on Jared Leto's Joker. The Clown Prince of Crime is back and he might be better than ever. Cody and I began an argument yesterday over the merits of Leto vs. Ledger. I think it is hard to weigh this argument correctly because the untimely and tragic death of Ledger adds weight to his performance given the direct result it played in his passing. That being said, I think Leto was better. His Joker was more intentional. I know Ledger had a plan in The Dark Knight from beginning to end and played it out beautifully. But there is something about what Leto was doing here. From the bright green hair, to the purple shoulder holsters, to the tattoos, to the laughs he elicited from me. I loved every second he was on screen, and was clamoring for more.

Cody:  I just knew Smith and Robbie were going to crush it in this movie together! SEE! Will Smith absolutely turned in a classic Will Smith performance. The credit he deserves for leaving his comfort zone is minor, because he was by far the least bad baddie in this movie. I'll allow it, nonetheless, because it is by far the best role he's chosen in recent memory. He and Margot literally and figuratively carried the team. I think they are building a nice on screen chemistry. I mentioned earlier that I am not free of bias, and while I claim to be impartial in the apparent you-must-pick-sides DC/Marvel war, I cannot claim impartiality with this movie's actors. My man-crush on Will Smith may only be outclassed by my much more literal crush on Margot Robbie. Let me tell you, this girl can do anything. She and Smith both have scene stealing personalities, and it is impressive that Robbie can fit into any role while also being such a force on screen. Obviously Harley Quinn fits that mold perfectly, as she could be as over the top as she wanted and it fit her character perfectly. You're right that Leto and Robbie together were stellar. I'm on record as still being in favor of Ledger's performance, but the mere fact that it is worth debating is a big complement to Leto. I can't wait until they use Leto in a more prominent role in a Batman/Justice League movie. One can only hope that we get another dose of Robbie when that comes around. Or at least, that's what I'm hoping for. The other actors in this movie were solid. I certainly have no complaints on anybody's performance, but the three I've discussed here are the only ones that merit special attention. Yes, I realize they happen to be the biggest stars. and that I'm basically a star power slut. You're not wrong, but I stand by every word. But just to circle back to what really matters, #TeamLedgerForever

Roy: I know I'm definitely in the minority here. I broached this same subject with a couple of my sibling in-laws and I could just see the modicum of respect they once had for me escape their shocked faces. This was followed by a few poignant and hurtful memes, but I'll let that slide. Why? Because people love their Ledger Joker, and I can't fault them for that. I think what pushed me over the edge for #TeamLeto is that Ledger's Joker seemed to love only one thing. Chaos. Nothing else mattered. And as brilliant as that was, Leto's Joker definitely loves Harley, and her only slightly less than he loves himself. I think the Joker works better with that arrogant edge to him. Could Cody and I turn this whole review into a 3,000 word debate on the merits of the Joker? Sure, we're cinephiles duh. But we won't. So let me transition to the music in this movie. I don't have any appropriate superlatives to explain how great the music was. Every song they chose to introduce a new character fit perfectly. It wasn't just the famous songs they attached to this movie however, every mood that needed to be struck in this film was perfectly aided by the music played underneath it. It stood out but not in a, "over the top, in your face" kind of way. Suicide Squad passed what I now call the Star Trek Beyond test. I found myself smiling, a lot. That is the sign of a really good movie. It's just fun. And no amount of underhanded schemes that the world's largest corporation with the face of a friendly rodent concocts will sway my opinion.

Cody: At least someone else is willing to stand up to you and your errant opinions. Keep meme'ing, friends of sanity. The music was stellar. Did they straight up copy the premise of the soundtrack for Guardians of the Galaxy? Yes, yes they did, but I. Do. Not. Care. When it is a great idea, and you can provide a slight twist to make it your own, then by all means, run with it. The soundtrack made me smile on more than one occasion, to further confirm the movie passed Roy's test. It really comes down to the simple fact that this is not a superhero movie. The look, feel, and overall tone of the film needed to be different, and everyone involved succeeded in creating that. Guardians of the Galaxy remains supreme in my mind as the best recent (post-Nolan batman series) "hero flick." However, Suicide Squad was good enough for me to at least say, "hey, that came close." Which is a lot better recommendation than you're going to hear from anyone else on the internet, as we've so thoroughly discussed. Go see it, you won't regret it. After you've seen it, come back to this exact spot, because Roy and I are both about to answer the enticing question, "what was your favorite Suicide Squad moment?

Our spoiler section today will consist of one thing and one thing only. The two of us naming our favorite scene from the movie, and why we chose it. Do you agree with us? If not, I'm sorry that you're wrong.

Roy: One? I have to pick just one? I reject your arbitrary rule! How can I choose just one? You know  what? No. YOU DON'T GET TO TELL ME HOW TO LIVE MY LIFE CODY! Truthfully, I think the strength of this movie is in the overall story, performances, and the dialogue. That action was good but not anything to lose one's mind over. I keep coming back to one scene that was powerful within the story. Much of this movie is told through flashback. We get back stories for each character that help us understand why they are. The Joker is asking Harley how committed she is to him. To prove her love and devotion she willingly falls hundreds of feet into a vat of acid to transform herself to be like the Joker. He watchers her fall and dives in after her. The music of the moment highlights the tension and actions of the characters perfectly. We see the Joker and Harley embrace and kiss. This is one of those moments that helped to solidify my controversial opinion. It was intensely cool to see this type of emotion from an arch villain who usually only shows his drive to destroy Batman.

Cody: There were a lot of great moments and one liners in the movie. Mostly trailer fodder, but I enjoyed most of it nonetheless. One particular moment was when Deadshot (Will Smith) was asked to shoot and kill Harley. Dude has literally never missed in his life, but he "misses" Harley. Those fun acts of defiance and the quips that followed were an entertaining part of the movie. However, they are not my favorite moment. (See Roy, that's how you get away with more than one moment). I'm going to go with the progression of Deadshot, and the ultimate respect between he and Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman). Each villain was truly bad, but also had legitimate motives behind their actions. Flag had his own selfish motives propelling him as well. Remember back to when we reviewed The Nice Guys and we talked about the joy of watching two initial enemies become friends through common interest? This may not have been a buddy cop movie, but the arc was still the same. That final scene in the movie where Flag respects Deadshot's time with his daughter was the culmination of my favorite story line throughout the movie. Deadshot and Flag, bros for life.

The COARD: Jason Bourne

Jason Bourne. David Webb. CIA. "Assets." Fighting and chase scenes and action! Welcome to the non-spoiler section, where we discuss Bourne in small detail, before we dive into how awesome he continues to be.

Cody: The fourth Jason Bourne movie was exactly the same as the other three Jason Bourne movies. That is to say it was constant wonderful action and suspense. And yet. Three films may have been our sweet spot. Of course Jason was amazing. Of course the action sequences were as unique and thrilling as they've always been. But how unique can something be the fourth time we're seeing it? Paul Greengrass (writer and director) gave an absolutely valiant effort, and I commend him with a ribbon for trying (this is America after all). I wasn't at all disappointed leaving the theater, but I wasn't stoked either. My first thought was this, "I really just want to go back and watch The Bourne Identity again..." Which, isn't a bad reaction for fans to have if you're the people behind the Bourne franchise. However, I probably shouldn't feel like a better version of the movie I just saw already exists. Do you see where I'm coming from here, Roy?

To be fair, who wouldn't fudge their pants a little?
I need to do a quick shorts check just staring at this picture

Roy: I do. This movie was fantastic, Every second was great. In typical Bourne fashion it does not take long for the action to start. We are immersed quickly into this world of intrigue and betrayal at a break-neck pace. This is exactly why we go see Jason Bourne. To get anything less would be massively disappointing. That being said, as this is the fourth Bourne installment, this is the third movie with roughly the same story arc. I say story arc and not plot because each movie has done great at presenting a different plot. But the story arc is exactly the same. Bourne is off the grid hiding from the CIA. Something drags him into the light. The CIA fudges their pants a little when they realize who they are up against... I will avoid saying more because it belongs in the spoiler section, but I think you can all see where I am going from here. Could Greengrass make another successful chapter in this franchise? I have zero doubts. But I'm not sure he should. Cody I don't want to misrepresent this movie to our COARD peeps. You guys should definitely go see this movie. Just don't expect to get anything different than you have gotten three times before.

Cody: The philosophical debate of money/success vs. art has already been decided in Hollywood. And to be honest, most of us are okay with it. As evidenced by the fact that movies like Jason Bourne come out and rush to what is $122 million so far. Because of money, Greengrass will likely head up Jason Bourne: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Wait, Pirates already has that title for their latest movie that doesn't need to exist? Fine. Jason Bourne: Rogue Nation. Seriously?? Goodness. At least they haven't made five Die Hards. OH COME ON! Well jeez. The real debate is which action franchise is going to have their sixth installment first? Mission Impossible seems to be pumping them out lately, so I'm putting my money there. I'm generally okay with franchises that keep ticking along, but Bourne really irked me. The movies and the character are simply more sacred to me. Roy is usually the one claiming to be older and more cultured around here, but allow me to fill his shoes. I liked the Bourne stories from my childhood. I didn't need more than the trilogy. Ultimately, though, it's freaking Jason Bourne. Here's my money. Chalk another one up for money over art. I am part of the problem, and for Jason Bourne, I'm okay with that.

Roy: I too am part of the problem, I was happy to give them my money. Not only that... I have some friends who haven't seen this yet and the odds are good I will pay to see this twice, and I won't consider it a waste. Where does that leave us? It leaves us deep in the clutches of the studio heads of Hollywood, and there is nothing we can do about it.

Cut to a dark room filled with computers and hi-tech screens lining the walls. There are CIA hackers behind all of the computers feverishly searching for Roy and Cody. Someone has something... They enhance the picture. Cue the leader saying, "Oh my God... It's the spoiler section."

Roy: Where do I even start? I guess I should start at the beginning. Of course Jason Bourne becomes an underground international boxing champion while living off the grid. What else is he going to do? He tries hard to not kill anyone, but to quote Liam Neeson, "Jason Bourne has a very particular set of skills." Makes sense this is where he would end up. Poor Nicky finds him and doesn't listen to him when he tells her that trying to expose the new iterations of Treadstone will get her killed. So of course she catches a bullet with her skull.. Good night sweet Nicky, we appreciate everything you've done for our boy. We always knew you had to go this way, it doesn't make it any easier to watch when it happens though.

"If you tell me what to do, I may murder you. Actually...
I'll probably just murder you and take your job anyway"
-Heather Lee

Cody: Enter Heather Lee, played by Alicia Vikander, this movie's version of the internal CIA woman who thinks there are more to Bourne's motive than meet the eye. Nicky created that role, and now Heather coolly eliminates her via field asset to assert herself. That's not the only place Heather was asserting herself. We also have our token old white guy who kills with ease and has extreme tunnel vision on Bourne's case, played this time around by Tommy Lee Jones and named Who Cares. What's important is that Heather is not taking any of his crap! Unlike previous females in the series, her ambition and intelligence allowed her to overrule Jones' decisions. She had her own agenda, and she played it extremely well. Although, as the movie was closing, after her entire road map had been played out, she still was no match for the wits of Jason Bourne. It was nice to have a female who truly got crap done, but at the end of the day, there's no beating Jason Bourne. These are the laws of the universe.

Roy: The thing was I am still unsure of her motives. Does she really care about our boy? When she told her new boss that she was perfectly willing to have Bourne killed if he didn't play ball, was that just so her boss would let her complete her agenda? Or is she yet one more person in a long line of CIA scumbags who think they are smarter than David Webb? The only thing we know for sure is the look on her face was priceless when she was immediately shown that she was in fact, way, way dumber. Here is the thing. No one can ever outsmart Jason Bourne. The reason for this is he trusts no one. It doesn't matter how much that person just spent the last two hours helping him. He trusted two people, Marie and Nicky. And both of them were killed by lesser versions of Jason Bourne. I do want to bring up one small complaint though. I wanted more hand to hand combat. The car chases were superb. The shooting scenes were fantastic. I only got one great fight scene and it ended in one of the most anti-climactic ways it could. Strangulation.

Cody: The movie arced from Heather starting as the friendly female CIA officer, to ultimately her usurping the old white guy directors who hate Bourne. This was all #GirlPower. We've done four movies of old white guys trying to kill Jason. It's time we let a woman be arrogant and get embarrassed by Jason. It's an amazingly ironic side effect of the feminism trend. Sometimes that lead dude role is not one you want, ladies. Now, she could just as easily be anti death programs and pro Jason Bourne next movie, and at which point I will gladly eat crow. Although, let me ask you this audience, if she truly is Team Bourne, how can the fifth movie be an actual Jason Bourne movie? Exactly. Mull that one over. Before we wrap this up, can I just point out how dark Jason got at the end there? I get he was going for vengeance for his dad, but that last fight scene with the asset was brutal. Almost Game of Thrones level hard to watch. Jason has always been
a cold blooded killer. But MAN is he a cold blooded killer. This is not Captain America we're dealing with here, people. Dude is hardcore. And I'll be there in a couple years when a nearly 50 year old Matt Damon is back to kick butt and make money.

The COARD: Star Trek Beyond

We promise not to spoil this amazing movie for you, but not without fair warning that we are about to gush over it like a couple of school girls giggling over the brand new boy in our class. The cute one, with the mysterious past and the sad eyes. 

Kobayashi Maru, Kahn, Altamid...
All just words to James T. Kirk

Roy: Holeee. Crap. You people do not even understand. This movie was great. For the first time all summer I have zero complaints about the movie we are reviewing. It wasn't just the superb acting, or the action sequences, or the story, or even the cinematography. It was all of those things together. Allow me to explain to everyone how beautiful this movie is. In moments it reminded me of Christopher Nolan's gorgeous Interstellar. Director Justin Lin gave us shots of the Enterprise as a small object on the screen which allowed us to understand the enormity of what the intrepid crew was facing, or what the ship looks like traveling at warp speed. Lin was able to pull this off without it feeling like he was stealing from Nolan. It wasn't just space though, everything in this movie was aesthetically pleasing, right down to the cast. Speaking of the cast, I have a confession to make. I heart captain James Tiberius Kirk. Let's be clear, this is not a Chris Pine man-crush. Pine is a fine actor and an attractive man, but James Kirk might be one of the coolest characters ever created. He's a man who doesn't believe in no win scenarios, who will risk everything to save those whom he is responsible for. All the while maintaining a roguish air that Han Solo would be proud of. And Pine has captured the soul of this character and absolutely shines in this role.

Cody: You make an excellent point. Kirk is simply the coolest. He is everything you could ask for in a hero, and the Pine casting was, and remains, fantastic. The crew made up of stellar actors yet again put in another great performance. The writing was superb, as it always is (shout out to Simon Pegg for the writing credit!). You may notice a trend forming among my comments. I think everything about this movie was great. But not just this film, everything has been great every film. We're at the third installment of the Star Trek reboot. This is a point where you normally expect a franchise to take a big step back. That is, if they even made it past movie two without serious slippage. Think about reviews we've done just this summer. Captain America, X-Men, and oh I don't know, Finding Dory? All movies that are part of a franchise. All were lesser versions of their predecessors, some more than others (looking at you, Dory). These are just a few examples from this summer, but stack Star Trek against any franchise since around its inception in 2009. Hunger Games and Hobbit, two mega franchises, both lost steam as they went along. Yet with Star Trek, I walked into the third movie in a franchise with zero fear. I had complete confidence that I would leave the theater satisfied. That experience is unheard of. That's Star Trek.

Roy: I'm going to boldly go where no writer has gone before (admit it, you're impressed by that) and take it a step further. Perfectly good franchises have been forever tarnished because a poorly made third movie takes down the whole thing by pooping the bed. Does anyone remember a movie called The Matrix? Completely fantastic movie that was ruined by a sub-par sequel and a third movie that was as ridiculous as it was stupid. Let's go even further, yeah... I'm saying it. Godfather. Arguably two of the best movies ever made, and with one fail swoop, Sofia Coppola showed up and made us all feel like we were caught in the worst tollbooth in the history of anything ever. So even though you weren't scared walking in, I had a small nagging fear. Not because I didn't believe in J.J. Abrams or the cast, but because history has taught us that too often movies cannot survive the dreaded third installment. Star Trek Beyond didn't just survive, it enhanced the whole franchise. This film showed everyone that they are able to stand entirely alone. If one wanted to find something to criticize Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness about, it could be that it stood almost completely on the shoulders of its own history. Featuring Leonard Nemoy heavily in the first movie, and flat out remaking The Wrath of Khan. Which are ridiculous arguments because regardless of the small merits of those points, both of those movies were great on their own. Star Trek Beyond is a completely original story, and it was executed as well as any movie could hope for.

Cody: Beyond did fully stand on its own, and that is impressive not just as a reboot, but also as a third movie in a franchise. J.J. Abrams is clearly a man after our own hearts, but we need to recognize Justin Lin as well. The Fast and the Furious franchise has been so successful that they've been able to produce 42 (read: seven) movies. Justin Lin directed four of those. Clearly the dude knows a thing or two about keeping a franchise fresh as it continues to grow. Now time for your Fun Fact of the Week. Justin Lin directed the first two episodes in season two of True Detective. I clarify first two so that you know he directed episodes before the season completely went down the toilet. Guy has range! Ultimately, we must come full circle to Roy's opening statements. Star Trek is about being in space. The vast final frontier. Where the possibilities are limitless. To capture this and make you feel like you are a part of the journey, it takes incredible cinematography. Stephen F. Windon. A guy we've all probably never heard of. Bravo sir. I know the action/adventure genre doesn't often get Oscar nods, but it isn't too far-fetched that Windon could get a nomination. The movie was that beautiful.

We are totally about to pee our pants over the details of this movie. You should stay and read. It's Star Trek for goodness sake. It's not like we don't know what happens in this movie, everyone almost dies, then Kirk saves them. So stay and read. It was SO good.

Roy: I don't even know where to begin. I love how this movie opened. A wore out Captain Kirk, emotionally and mentally exhausted not sure if he can continue being in deep space for such a long time. I haven't really given much thought to this issue, but I can completely understand it. It would be a grind, so I didn't blame Kirk at all for seeking out an Admiral's position on what can only be described as the coolest star base ever thought up by anyone ever in the history of all time. I was seriously impressed by that. A dome in space that simulates gravity and atmosphere. I wasn't just that though. It was the use of space within the dome. If one looked up to the sky, they were as likely as not to see a different section of road or buildings above them. In a world where gravity can be simulated there is no reason why this wouldn't happen. I find it interesting that we have not seen more of this. The other thing I found charming about this movie is that for a Star Trek film, it was mostly not in space. There were space things at the beginning, and more space things at the end, but in the middle it was all outside of a star ship. But that didn't change the feel of the movie. Every second you knew where you were. With the crew of NCC-1701-A.

I'm good at three things: fighting, comedic relief,
and fixing spaceships. I've already fixed
a spaceship, so what's it gonna be?

Cody: It was absolutely the right direction to take the movie in spending most of the time on the ground. We already saw the Enterprise take on two highly advanced ships in the previous two films. It was glorious, but it was time to switch things up. It gave us characters in a different setting, and that allowed for more robust interactions. The most underrated thing about this movie is the dialogue between characters we haven't seen a lot of together in the previous two iterations. Spock and Bones wandering the wilderness together? Brilliant. Uhura and Sulu leading a prison break? Fantastic. Scottie, Kirk, and Chekov hatching plans with new found bad girl buddy Jaylah? Sign. Me. Up. There was light humor, there was back tapping, and there was general camaraderie. Because the actors have been working together for years, it legitimately felt like the characters had been too. After all, they were supposed to be on a five year mission in space together. Having paired off characters this way kept things fresh. Having fine actors working together on their third project made things great.

Roy: Let's not forget one of Jaylah's most redeeming qualities, an affinity for old-school rap. It's interesting, I was sitting there and the movie was headed towards its climax. I was thinking, "This movie can't possibly get any better." I was wrong. Because then. Sabotage. The crew of the Enterprise had to find a way to disrupt a hive mind of thousands of tiny ships from carving their current ship up like a roast. There was really only one solution. The Beastie Boys: Saving lives since 1980. It was such a great move in this film. Kirk got a sly smile on his face once he heard the opening guitar licks, and suddenly we all knew what we were in for. Rarely do I just sit in a movie and smile. That happened with this film. It was one of those unforgettable moments in an already stellar movie. I could easily write another 500 words on this movie, but I won't. Everyone needs to go see this, especially if you just love movies. I don't mean to be a buzzkill, Cody, but I want to mention one last thing before I throw it back to you. Towards the end of the movie, Kirk raised a toast to departed friends, and the camera lingered on Anton Yelchin's Chekov. Could have been clever editing after the tragedy occurred, could have been fate, or it could have been my imagination. But it was a small nod to the loss that this cast and crew suffered in real life.

Cody: We couldn't possibly be more on the same page. I too sat smiling in the theater while Sabotage played and ruined those annoying bee ships. It was pure, bottled enjoyment. I choose to believe that the camera linger was intentional. It was the perfect gesture in the perfect moment. The symbol of a tight knit crew that lost one of their one. There was another moment in the movie that really hit home for me though. As you mentioned, Kirk was beaten down and considering an admiral position. Giving up the Enterprise. Simultaneously, Spock is considering leaving the Enterprise to become Ambassador Spock. Neither one tells the other. By the end of the movie, they separately decide to run it back together one more time. The connection these two once in a lifetime friends share kept them together when other avenues threatened to pull them apart. All of us have best friends in our lives. There's always that opportunity to let things slide. You can drift. But true friendship pulls us together. Relationships are what drive the human race. Kirk and Spock have one of the best cinematic friendships of all time. And they chose each other and the Enterprise over all other options. There's hope in that for all of us. That's what movies are all about.