Well, for one thing he's the first SW director to actually plan in exploring something that is unconnected to the OT/PT. I also just thought it was directed very well (not surprising, this is the same man who made a little episode called "Ozymandius" for a little show called Breaking Bad, which was arguably the best episode of an incredible show) and there's a lot of visually great shots to admire (Luke observing Rey using her lightsaber, Leia staring ahead on Crait before the door is shut, Holdo's ship ramming at lightspeed, Luke standing defiantly before all the AT-ATs, etc.) Also, I don't see it as much of a "f you" as just trying something new. Rey just being her own person and not yet another "no, your father and/or mother were super important" character is a breath of fresh air. Luke just being a cynical grouch was an interesting take (kinda reminded me of Jolee from KOTR) and no I don't think it's ridiculous that he considers FOR A SECOND about killing Ben if it might prevent another massive war that will claims millions, if not billions, of lives. Like, how many more Alderaans do we need? I don't think Kylo killing Snoke was that shocking, I actually predicted it before the movie came out because Kylo wants to be like Vader and where did Vader's story end? Killing Palpatine. However, I knew they wouldn't just repeat the same redemption angle and it would just lead Kylo further into the dark side. I mean, I just love the movie, and even its lower points, like the casino parts (which really don't take up that much screentime) I consider decent not terrible.
I don't think he's necessarily one of the best modern directors, but I think canning his trilogy would be a massive waste.
The problem with this whole unconnected notion is that this is EPISODE 8, not some spin-off. People expect the story to continue. A great place for RJ to branch off would have been on his OWN trilogy. Fucking up our continuation mid-story just plain sucks.
I would have to agree with you that there are a lot of great shots in TLJ (all the ones you mentioned for instance), unfortunately they are tied to a very uninteresting story. There are many great shots in Batman vs Superman, but I still think that movie is horrible.
I don't have a problem with someone trying something "new", the problem is that most of TLJ isn't really new or innovative. Mixing up elements from ESB and RotJ isn't any worse than TFA and ANH. The difference is that RJ replaced the expected with the uninteresting. So Rey is no one, that is fine, end of story. So Rey and Kylo kill Snoke, that is also fine, end of story. So Luke is a hermit, that is fine, he force projects and dies at the end, we are done.
Most of what you said is fine, and I can see where you are coming from. I don't think those elements "ruin" the movie. HOWEVER, the way Luke is treated in TLJ is nothing short of character assassination. We have an entire trilogy of Luke and his development, the 180 he pulls in TLJ is completely unjustified, unsupported and downright ridiculous. I have written about this extensively so I won't repeat myself. The character itself is not a problem, the problem is they made Luke Skywalker that character, which disregards EVERYTHING we know about Luke so far.
Killing Ben because of perceived darkness is an INSANE leap for anyone, much more so for Luke Skywalker. So Luke's reasoning is that there is darkness in Ben so he thinks about killing him in his sleep, however upon failing he decides to run away and disappear and let the so-called darkness go unchecked? That is some fascinating logic right there.
I don't think Kylo killing Snoke is shocking or even necessarily bad, it is just that it really goes nowhere. Kylo is basically the new Snoke, minus an apprentice. We aren't really given a new interesting direction here. Snoke was at least mysterious, we wanted to know more about him and his powers. I can accept that he gets killed, but what we are left with is just plain dull.
The casino part and everything having to do with Finn and Rose is horrible in my eyes. A tangential plot that goes nowhere, makes no sense and on top of everything is littered with bullshit propaganda. If they deleted it, the film would have been better off. Everyone I know who has watched the movie more than once always calls Canto Bight the perfect time for a bathroom break.
I don't want you to think that I am dismissing your opinion or telling you that you should not like the movie. I am glad that you were able to enjoy it. I can also understand that you are looking forward to the new RJ SW trilogy. At the same time, I feel like those of us who did not enjoy the movie need to voice our opinions. If we do not, we will get more of the same. I don't wan't to take the RJ SW trilogy from you or people who enjoyed TLJ. But if Disney moves forward with the RJ trilogy, then there won't be a separate trilogy for those of us who do not like TLJ. If Disney funds RJ, than means something else will not get funded. I personally have ZERO interest in anything Star Wars by RJ, I think they need new direction over there, but that is just me.