roylatham

As a former member of the US Navy I must admit that I started this movie with a tiny bit of lowered expectations... It turns out that I was pleasantly surprised. It certainly sheds a light on the USCG that many people fail to recognize as one of their primary responsibilities and presents them in a very positive manner.

My only complaint about the movie was the overly dramatic scenes involving the CG Swimmers going into a "squid" bar. As a former Chief Petty Officer I was a bit offended by the fact that the two largest trouble makers were represented (by uniform insignia) as being US Navy Chief Petty Officers. This representation of senior enlisted personnel as being so shallow and eagerly willing to cause trouble reflects negatively upon the US Navy and personally offended me. It is one of the few scenes in the entire film that I wish had been approached differently.

Other than that one issue I truly felt that this was an entertaining movie and would recommend it to anyone.

I feel obligated to start by saying that I am a HUGE Kevin Smith fan, and will happily admit that I really enjoyed, and own, all of his previous movies. I think the original Clerks was one of the most creative, intelligent, and tradition-breaking movies of all time. I watched it when it was first released and my love for the film is the primary reason for ever watching any of the other movies. I truly enjoy them all, which causes me significant heartache to make this posting...

I feel that Clerks II was sadly off mark from the traditional Kevin Smith movie. I like to think that this is not an opinion that is based on my getting older (now 40) because I still routinely watch many of the older movies and still enjoy them.

My most significant complaints are that much of the acting seemed forced, the jokes (for the most part) were poorly presented and often unoriginal, and there was not the typical "unspoken commentary" often seen in many of Mr. Smith's works.

I may be a bit tainted, sentimentally, because I think the original Clerks was one of the best films in the last 20 years, and I may have gone into this with a bit too high of expectations, but I'm sad to say that I was disappointed with the movie.

I look forward to future works, but I must give this one a "thumbs down" as I expected much more.

I had the honor/privilege of knowing Stephanie Keel from 6th grade until we graduated. Her story, along with the story of Coach Baker are truly inspiring. These type of true-life stories are an inspiration for everyone. It shows us that courage, commitment and determination can supercede any challenges that we face as a common person. It is rare that we find people with this type of determination who are willing to stand up and fight for their beliefs. I recommend that everyone see this movie as it is a true inspiration. I would also like to add that Albuquerque is an incredibly beautiful city and I am happy that I was afforded the opportunity to grow up there. If you haven't had the opportunity to visit, I highly recommend it.

PS. Stephanie, if you ever happen to read this, it would be great to hear from you again. Thanks for the inspiration.