Over the weekend I watched two movies, which I probably should have seen for various reasons years ago but had not. They were Breaking the Waves (1996), directed by Lars von Trier, and Star Trek (2009), directed by J. J. Abrams. As films, they could not have been more diametrically opposed, but both have stood the test of time well enough to have led their respective directors to bigger opportunities.

While both films engaged my attention, at their ends I had to wonder just what it was that so captured the minds of their respective fan-bases. As a reboot, Star Trek was heavy on action, but thin on everything else. Breaking the Waves had interesting visuals, but its treatment of a woman finding martyrdom through her sexuality left me wondering just what critics loved so much about it after its 2+ hour runtime.

I could go and watch all the iterations of Star Trek and write out just where Abrams got blinded in the lens flare, or I could go get a book on Lars and try to better understand where he is coming from – but honestly, I’m probably just going to watch all the Danger 5s, and I really have a lot of other things I’m reading. Instead I decided I’d ask people here what they thought. If you’ve seen either film and have opinions, let me know what I am or am not missing.

Ultimately, what I’m really glad about is that Spring is finally here. So, feel free to comment on Spring too. On the other hand, my dog just thinks Cthulhu is real.