Crazy to think this is my 500th blog post... It's almost been five years since I started this blog and feels like just yesterday that I published my first film review for The LEGO Movie. I figured 500 posts was a significant enough milestone to warrant a celebratory post, but initially had no idea how to commemorate the occasion, so I reached out to my friends and followers on social media for feedback and received a wealth of wonderful ideas. I decided to implement as many of these as I possibly could while incorporating some of my own. The "500" above is actually a photo mosaic of all 499 previous thumbnails to represent every single one of my posts. It's a mixture of film posters and other images that I've used over the years, so chances are that you may see a poster or thumbnail for a post you've read before... Maybe you even recognize all of them if you're a dedicated reader/supporter of mine! Though you may need a magnifying glass, and I'll forewarn you that this image isn't HD because I chose to screenshot rather than pay for a download. Anyways, huge thanks to my friend Nathan for the idea that lead to this time-consuming endeavor.
Some Statistics
At 500 posts, I felt like it would be fitting to reflect on the growth of my blog with some statistics. I first started in February 2014 at 156 views for the month, but as you can see, my readership has grown significantly. Even though we're only nine days into August, I already have 509 total page views for August 2018. My record month is December 2017 at 3,775 views likely due to the number of posts I shared when my internship ended and the record-breaking success of my Last Jedi review. July 2018 came close with 3,447 views, and my Ant-Man and the Wasp review was largely responsible since its views made up almost half of that total. Anyways, I'm hopeful that my readership will continue to expand as time goes on and I'll inform my audience of any substantial record-breaking updates.
For those wondering, my five highest viewed posts currently are:
1) 'Ant-Man and the Wasp' Review - 1,166 views
2) 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Review - 735 views
3) 'Wonder Woman' Review - 473 views
4) 'Beauty and the Beast' (2017) Review - 419 views
5) Star Wars Speculation: Clarifying the Kenobi Clickbait - 334 views
What I've Learned
So I've been doing this for almost five years now, but have I gotten anything out of it? Actually, yes. My writing ability has improved significantly, and I think my reviews are much more insightful than they were in February of 2014. Back then, I don't feel like I was able to articulate why I thought something was well-handled, mediocre, or terrible. I just kinda said things like "[...] did a good/bad job... or [so and so] was good/bad" with various synonyms to express my distaste or approval of something. Looking back, my reviews were very formulaic. Now, I try to vary my reviews by discussing different things about every film because naturally, each film differs from one another. Beyond that, I truly believe that I've gained a better understanding and deeper appreciation for the filmmaking process. Additionally, I've expanded my horizons to watch more than just mainstream films and enjoy other film genres.
Open Q&A (34 Questions)
Q: How do you pronounce your name? Is it Day-fed or DAH-veed?
A: The first one, but I really don't care if people pronounce it the other way.
Q: What is the first movie you remember going to see?
A: Either Dinosaur or Tarzan (1999).
Q: What sparked your interest in film?
A: The first one, but I really don't care if people pronounce it the other way.
Q: What is the first movie you remember going to see?
A: Either Dinosaur or Tarzan (1999).
Q: What sparked your interest in film?
A: Spielberg, Disney, and Star Wars as a kid.
Q: How did you get into being such a big fan of cinema?
A: I've always enjoyed the medium of film, but I think I got REALLY into it when I was a sophomore/junior in high school. Around that time, I began to actively follow online film news sites for info about films in development in addition to reading the site's reviews and interviews. I watched more and more films, and my passion for it just grew from there.
Q: What made you want to do this?
A: As I became more and more interested in film, I began posting brief reviews on Instagram. I then began to consider journalism as a career path because I thought about becoming a film critic. I started the blog to try it out and see if it were something I'd actually be interested in or not. In the time since it's become much more of a hobby.
Q: What drives you to do this blog?
A: It probably sounds cliché, but the support and encouragement I receive from my readers. You'd actually be surprised just how much feedback I get regarding my reviews, and it always feels rewarding when someone brings it up in conversation because I can tell they take the time to read my reviews.
Q: Do you wish it were bigger and more well known?
A: Of course I'd love to have a larger audience, but that's not necessarily why I do it.
Q: Is it only a hobby or do you want to evolve into something more serious?
A: Mostly a hobby that I'm very dedicated to.
Q: Are you considering a more commercial site (with ads)?
A: I've considered it.
Q: Are you considering a more commercial site (with ads)?
A: I've considered it.
Q: What's the most difficult thing about it?
A: Writing. Writer's block is the worst...
A: I have a Youtube channel and tried to actively upload videos in 2016, but I just felt like I was putting too much time into editing and not getting enough views out of it.
Q: How long does it take you to edit your videos?
A: I'm assuming that you're referring to my Youtube channel. In which case, it depends on the video. It took me several hours to edit a podcast and maybe ten minutes to edit a trailer reaction or discussion. In regards to my blog, it takes anywhere from a couple hours to an entire day for me to write a post.
Q: Will you ever do YouTube videos, where you do abridged versions of your reviews?
A: Maybe. I don't expect this to happen in the foreseeable future though.
Q: Will you ever do YouTube videos, where you do abridged versions of your reviews?
A: Maybe. I don't expect this to happen in the foreseeable future though.
Q: Do you see yourself making more video reviews in the future?
A: Perhaps. Not for the foreseeable future though.
Q: Have you ever made any short films?
A: I've made some stop-motion shorts on an old Youtube channel and a pretty cool band-aid commercial for a High School class project.
Q: Do you see yourself making films in the future?
A: Maybe. Not really the career trajectory I'm on, but I wouldn't be opposed to the idea.
Q: Would you ever want to direct?
A: Never really considered it. Sure.
Q: Favorite movie?
Q: What is your absolute fave movie up to this point in your life and why?
A: Kind of answered this, but The Last Jedi because Rian Johnson was able to embody everything I loved about Star Wars while daring to take the franchise in a bold new direction. I love absolutely everything about it, and my appreciation only grows with each and every viewing. I could ramble on further, but I won't for the sake of length.
Q: What movie do you downright #1 hate with a passion? (None isn't an answer)
A: The Emoji Movie.
Q: Favorite director?
A: Steven Spielberg.
Q: Most overrated movie?
A: Titanic.
Q: Most underrated movie?
A: I'm gonna go ahead and name a few because I'm not sure if they all qualify as underrated or not. Sing Street, The Nice Guys, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith, Swiss Army Man, and Wind River.
Q: Favorite genre?
A: Sci-fi.
Q: Least favorite genre?
A: If I had to pick one, documentary. If that doesn't count, romantic? Although I have no disdain towards either.
Q: Any particular film you love that is outside the blockbuster, major studio movie realm?
A: Sing Street.
Q: What ten films should be in everyone's library?
A: Back To The Future, The Dark Knight, Jurassic Park, The Lion King, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Toy Story, The Wizard of Oz, and the Original Star Wars Trilogy (a mix of my favorites and mainstream classics).
Q: Top 5 coming of age films?
A: No particular order, but The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Sandlot, Sing Street, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban if that counts? If not, then replace it with Big.
Q: What got you into Star Wars, Marvel, DC, and other franchises you enjoy?
A: My dad introduced me to a lot of it (especially Star Wars), but I became interested in Marvel and DC on my own. Those stemmed from an interest in Raimi's Spider-Man and the LEGO Batman video games respectively.
Q: When are we doing that Star Wars podcast?
A: Good question. We need to get on that I suppose.
Q: What is your favorite moment from all of the Avengers movies?
A: Hard to pick just one, so either the circle shot or the long tracking shot from The Avengers, Thor's entrance into Wakanda, or Thanos' walk to retrieve the Mind Stone from Vision at the end of Infinity War.
Q: What is your favorite fan theory from the Star Wars universe?
A: Darth Jar Jar... Just kidding. I liked the idea that Snoke could have been Plageus, but I ultimately prefer what Rian Johnson chose to do with the character. I guess my favorite one would be that Boba Fett killed Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru and that's why Vader tells him "no disintegrations" in The Empire Strikes Back.
Q: What are your thoughts on the backlash against The Last Jedi and the resulting attempt at a remake by amateurs?
A: Oh, boy... I think the backlash is silly for the most part, but not because people dislike the film... Even though I disagree with that, I'm more annoyed by how most of them carry themselves on the Internet. It's only a vocal minority, but they just act very immaturely, and the online harassment of the cast and crew is appalling. As for the remake... hahahahahahaha I have a feeling it would be hilariously awful, so I'd love to see it even though it will never get made.
Q: What are your thoughts on the backlash against The Last Jedi and the resulting attempt at a remake by amateurs?
A: Oh, boy... I think the backlash is silly for the most part, but not because people dislike the film... Even though I disagree with that, I'm more annoyed by how most of them carry themselves on the Internet. It's only a vocal minority, but they just act very immaturely, and the online harassment of the cast and crew is appalling. As for the remake... hahahahahahaha I have a feeling it would be hilariously awful, so I'd love to see it even though it will never get made.
Q: Why was Last Jedi so bad and what can Disney do to fix it? I realize you liked it, but Rotten Tomatoes shows others agree with me. I didn't see Solo, and I'm not sure I will see Episode 9. Weird because I really liked Episode 7.
A: **sigh** I'm sorry you and others feel that way, but I love it, and the "A" Cinemascore, critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, and IMDB, box office results, and Blu-Ray sales show others agree with me as well. It's a divisive film that people either love or hate, so it's a two-way streak.
I also don't really think Disney needs to "fix" anything. They're focusing on IX right now and haven't currently announced release dates for any other films. Solo: A Star Wars Story may not have performed well at the box office, but that's due to a myriad of factors (change to May release from December, late marketing, close proximity to another Star Wars film, etc), not just the fact some didn't like The Last Jedi. They'll probably readjust their strategy for marketing and releasing their upcoming projects based on Solo's disappointing box office.
And J.J. Abrams will be returning to direct Episode IX, so maybe that will be more your speed since he also directed The Force Awakens. However, I hope you see Solo at some point and maybe give The Last Jedi another chance now that it's available on Netflix (I know quite a few people that liked it on a second viewing).
To wrap things up, thanks to everyone who's read any of my blog posts for supporting me along the way in whatever way you saw fit! I hope you enjoyed this post as a celebration of this noteworthy milestone and would love to hear feedback from you afterward! There will certainly be reviews coming later this week, and I hope you return to read those along with other future blog posts. Lastly, here's hoping I eventually make it to 1,000 posts!
I also don't really think Disney needs to "fix" anything. They're focusing on IX right now and haven't currently announced release dates for any other films. Solo: A Star Wars Story may not have performed well at the box office, but that's due to a myriad of factors (change to May release from December, late marketing, close proximity to another Star Wars film, etc), not just the fact some didn't like The Last Jedi. They'll probably readjust their strategy for marketing and releasing their upcoming projects based on Solo's disappointing box office.
And J.J. Abrams will be returning to direct Episode IX, so maybe that will be more your speed since he also directed The Force Awakens. However, I hope you see Solo at some point and maybe give The Last Jedi another chance now that it's available on Netflix (I know quite a few people that liked it on a second viewing).
Conclusion
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