Just as Kirk meets Spock under trying circumstances in the new Star Trek movie, so, too, did I meet my Popdose colleague, Lance Berry. “This is Lance. He’ll be joining you for film coverage,” said the boss.

Well, OK, fine. Far be it from me, the film editor, to question a Prime Directive from HQ. But who the heck was Lance Berry?

This was Lance Berry. True, he rubbed me the wrong way on the whole Daniel-Craig-as-007 thing. (Give it up, Lance. Craig rules.) But I immediately sensed a kindred spirit, one who could go to town on pop culture phenoms (or non-events) like Watchmen and Wolverine while I covered films so niche or obscure the directors’ mothers don’t know they made them. I of course exaggerate: We’re cross-trained in movies across the cinematic spectrum. (And I’m not forgetting our comrade Arend Anton, who works his own turf, or the other Popdosers who hang out in our expanding celluloid sandbox.)

Star Trek was a natural for Lance, who pegged it as a movie to look out for in his summer preview. I liked the look of it, too, based on very promising trailers (which grabbed me in a way trailers usually don’t) and thought I might say a few words about it. Leaping out of the Popdose space/time continuum, Lance posted a thorough review on his own site, but I snatched him back for a little Q&A, a modest start which we hope will spill over into the comments section, as everyone in the known galaxy saw it last weekend. (I expect to hear from Lance, anyway—I saw his A’s, but he hasn’t seen mine. That’s the editor’s prerogative. But he Q’ed me too, so we’re even.)

If it goes well, we’ll be back for a smackdown on Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, which Lance has seen four times. (Kidding! It was me who’s seen it multiple times. Matthew McConaughey repenting, and growing, and learning to open his heart and share tugs at me powerfully in every film he makes.)

Digression over. Stardate 51509. Captain’s log (I’ll stop with the corny references now, I promise). (more…)