Four Years of DSB

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dsb 4 bday irony

. . .being a Brit.

Roughly four years ago today I gave birth to DSB. In case you were wondering, yes, it was an immaculate conception. There was no one else who helped make it happen.

I don’t mean to toot my own horn here, but I’m proud of what this has become. I think I might have said this before, but I was surprised I ever returned to this page after I took a year-long hiatus from mid-2011 until March of 2012. I remember having just . . . such an embarrassingly emotional reaction to Todd Phillips’ bacchanalia Project X that I felt the need to go and write my thoughts down. That was a review that makes my recent Jurassic World rant tame by comparison. I’m going to try in the future to not let those emotions get the better of me. I’m sure I have annoyed a few readers in the process of doing that, and I kind of regret it. Sometimes I have this feeling that I do more harm than good by coming on so strongly. That’s why the blog has lost its original slogan: ‘Rants and Raves.’ I want to take the focus off of the negatives and focus more on the positives!

Regardless, I’ve appreciated having this space to vent. I thank WordPress for being such a tool . . . a good one, that is. 😉 You can bet I’ll be signing up for another year with you. Since consistently posting from around early 2013 and onwards, this has become quite the addiction. I love the feeling of getting to write something and then have like-minded people ‘Like’ and leave feedback on my stuff. It’s truly great and that energy is what is helping propel me into the future.

Speaking of which, my next moves are going to be a tad scarier and undoubtedly more expensive. The goal is to relocate to Salt Lake City. Not only is that town a killer place to be for those attracted to the outdoors (as I am) — as well as Mormon fundamentalism (as I am not) — but every January there’s a little film festival that takes place known to some as Sundance. I have loved covering mainstream releases — and there are a lot to be found here — but I would really like to start digging into the world of independent cinema more often. I’d love to have exposure to things that could prove to be harder to access outside of the film festival circuit. So, I’m setting that as a goal for me to achieve within the next two years. I think that’s reasonable. Right . . . ?

Alright I was promising myself I wouldn’t ramble on with this post and here I am doing just that. I shall use the rest of this space to list a few little tidbits and factoids in celebration of the blog’s fourth birthday/anniversary. And is it just me, or does time really fly when you’re having fun blogging. . . ?

cropped-knoxville-downtown-night-lights1

DSB’s original banner image

Four of my Favorite Films I Saw in 2011

  1. Drive – Ryan Gosling, meet Nicolas Winding Refn
  2. Win-Win – first of all, how many people saw this? And second, Paul Giamatti – awesome.
  3. Cedar Rapids – another under-seen and under-appreciated film, this time starring Ed Helms.
  4. Crazy, Stupid, Love – a crazy, not stupid and lovely date film

Four of my Favorite Films I Saw in 2012

  1. The Dark Knight Rises – a near-perfect end to a near-perfect trilogy. Tom Hardy gave me chills
  2. Marvel’s The Avengers – . . .do I really need to qualify this?
  3. Moonrise Kingdom – Wes Anderson’s made a lot of good ones, but this one’s hard to beat
  4. Skyfall – Sam Mendes’ apology for Marc Forster’s indiscretion with the convoluted Quantum of Solace

Four of my Favorite Films I Saw in 2013

  1. The Way, Way Back – so awkward it becomes adorable. I. Love. This. Movie.
  2. Rush – Ron Howard concocts a classic racing film, least in my eyes. And that casting — wow!
  3. Safety Not Guaranteed – an excellent and beyond-quirky little gem starring one of my biggest celebrity crushes, Aubrey Plaza
  4. The Place Beyond the Pines – too quickly forgotten, this sprawling epic proved an acting showcase

Four of my Favorite Films I Saw in 2014

  1. Her – Spike Jonze’ deeply personal and witty commentary on our relationship with technology is one of the most impressive films I’ve ever seen
  2. The Skeleton Twins – pairing Bill Hader with Kristen Wiig in this deeply touching and moving dramedy worked like a charm on me
  3. Godzilla – a refreshingly restrained monster movie in an age where we seem to demand we get all the good stuff up-front without question
  4. Winnebago Man – this docu is amazingly insightful and hilarious. Underrated is how I’d describe it.

Four of my Favorite Films I’ve Seen so far in 2015 

  1. Love & Mercy – achingly nostalgic and filled with spectacular performances, the biopic of Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys is a definite winner
  2. What We Do in the Shadows – painfully funny stuff brought to you by one-half of the musicomedy duo Flight of the Conchords
  3. Almost Famous – a classic from the turn of the millennium which I have no excuse for putting off for so long. This is a fantastic film from Cameron Crowe
  4. The Guest – suspenseful, artistic and bloody in equal measure, this is a crazy awesome film that snuck under a lot of people’s radars

Four Films I’m Most Anticipating in 2015

  1. Spectre – I’m excited to see where Sam Mendes can take the gritty James Bond next. Trailers so far hint at the darkest chapter yet.
  2. In the Heart of the Sea – set to the tune of the epic tale of Moby Dick, this film will reunite director Ron Howard with star Chris Hemsworth
  3. The Revenant – with a mind-glowingly awesome cast under the direction of last year’s Oscar Best Picture, I’m really curious to see what this will be like
  4. The Green Inferno – I wouldn’t call myself the biggest Eli Roth fan, but no joke . . . his latest film looks bloody and bloody brilliant. Sign me up.

What are four of your most anticipated this year? What are four of your favorites so far? 

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Four new things about the blog

  1. Expanded menus – I finally figured out how to customize menus in the editing page and now you can access all that DSB has to offer through a variety of drop down menus located above the banner. That only took me four years to figure out lol
  2. The introduction of character studies in the form of 2014’s The Franco Files and 2015’s John C. Reilly Factor. If you’re a fan of these folks, check these pages out!
  3. The DSB Spotlight – this new ‘feature’ represents the first paid contribution to this site and it makes me very proud to be able to feature a fellow movie fan’s writing on here. This is validation that others beyond the blogging community have been reading and accessing what I have to say about movies and it is humbling to say the least. You can check out this article here.
  4. With the help of esteemed blogger and friend Mark Fletcher of the fantastic Three Rows Back, I co-hosted my very first blogathon — The Decades Blogathon — which turned out to be a great experience and led to even more exposure to both film titles and film fans/bloggers alike. This was a great experience, and hopefully not the last for me.

Thank you as always for reading my stuff. It’s an honor and a privilege to still be doing this. Onwards!

78 thoughts on “Four Years of DSB”

  2. Congrats Tom! Love it, love the site! Keep it up! Also… I love the rants and raves!!!!

    Your Salt Lake City goal is totally doable if you set your mind to it.

    My four most anticipated? SPECTRE (that trailer is not taming my excitement levels whatsoever), The Revenant (because DICAPRIO first and foremost, but I do love Tom Hardy, too), Victor Frankenstein (James McAvoy you know… yes), The Hateful Eight (because Tarantino). Plus the new Star Wars… because JJ Abrams 😛

    Favourites so far? Mad Max: Fury Road (balls to the wall crazy), Ex Machina (wow), John Wick (because Keanu Reeves), What We Do In The Shadows (one of the best comedies in years).

    Liked by 1 person

    • Your support is much appreciated Zoe, I couldn’t have gone on so long without dedicated people like you coming here and leaving comments and liking my stuff, giving me motivation to continue on.

      My plans going forward are ambitious, but you’re totally right. And when I do set my mind to something usually it works out. It’d be nice to get paid to talk about the movies, and that’s definitely a goal of mine.

      Your Four Anticipated are solid picks, but I haven’t even heard of Victor Frankenstein so thank you for putting that on my radar. The Four Favorites — also a good set. I think I may have been one of the only in the world who wasn’t sold on John Wick, though. I might have to watch that again soon. Cheers!

      Liked by 1 person

      • 🙂 You know it!

        Ah, to be paid to do what you love! Plus, you studied writing (journalism), so that counts in your favour. You are relevantly qualified. You are one of the writers I appreciate the most because you are endlessly entertaining. Love it!

        Oooooh, you should go check it out. I think it could be fun, I really hope they work it nicely! Plus, you know Daniel Radcliffe in anything outside of Potter is well worth a watch.

        🙂 Ah, John Wick. I loved it. Beautiful, action filled, stylish, THOSE SUITS, KEANU REEVES ❤ So much to love (for me).

        Liked by 1 person

        • Well thank you, that means a freaking ton coming from a great writer as well.

          Yes, I will most certainly keep that Daniel Radcliffe picture in mind. I love learning of new roles these actors who’ve been known for crazy big roles in the past are taking on. He’s done a good job moving past the HP franchise I think. So has Emma Watson.

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          • I thank you kindly for that!

            I thought he was dreadful in HP, but I LOVE him outside of it. Yes, I am about to become really popular, but I don’t really like Watson at all. Ever.

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    • Why thank you very kindly Ruth, it feels like a milestone for sure. 🙂 I am lucky to be here doing it still when I know so many committed bloggers have come and gone. Can’t take any of it for granted.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks very much Ck, great to still be here doing this. It’s easy to when I’ve met so many good people, I guess. 😀

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    • Yessir, I believe I am going to try and get something in. I will be on by here in a little while my friend, I can’t wait to see what yo wrote. I already read Eric’s on Birdman. That made me want to cry. He’s such a meanie. 😉

      Liked by 1 person

    • Yay for four years!!! 🙂 I’m thrilled to still be here, I have found a lot of blogs in general have a somewhat short lifespan. And yes, I was really pleasantly surprised with ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love.’ That thing was great.

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  7. Pingback: Attention Readers – Take 9 | Back to the Viewer

  8. Four more years! Four more years! Happy Anniversary brother; your blog is one of my absolute faves – always love your work and had a blast working on the blogathon together. Four more years!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Four more!!!! I honestly don’t see an end in sight. There’s too much to talk about and get excited for. I’ve been fortunate to have such a grreat community behind me. Thank you so much for sticking with DSB all this time. Its been a real treat man. Cheers

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    • Cheers Anna, I can’t believe how time has gone by. Four more years indeed! As always, thanks for following along and reading what i have to say. It’s been a lot of fun so far.

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    • You are much appreciated Jonathan! Thanks for being a frequent reader and I owe you my fair share of page visits soon

      Liked by 1 person

    • The first year I always find is the hardest Jordan. it takes some balls to commit to this. It’s always a treat reading your stuff and here’s to many more years for E.M. as well! Thanks for your loyal readership man.

      Also, keep an eye out for that piece on PSH soon. I’ve got it coming up. The deadline is now July 23, right?

      Liked by 1 person

      • yup, I’ll be putting up the post at around 5pm your time on the 23rd, which will be some time Tuesday morning for me. I’ll keep an eye out for your post 🙂

        And yeah, at times I did feel kinda like ‘ahh fuck it’, hell if you look at my archives there is literally zero posts in January. But I bounced back, it has mainly been the community surrounding the blogs that has kept me going. It is really cool to kinda sorta be a part of this group of movie blogs. Its cool! Especially for a loner like me! 😛

        And thank you for your loyal readership mate 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

    • You are far too kind, Mesh! Haha thank you very much for reading what I have to say about the movies. I appreciate you.

      Liked by 1 person

  15. Happy Blogiversary, Tom! I hope you stick around – you know I love your blog. AND your rants! Rant away! If people get upset over a movie opinion, they aren’t worth your time anyway. I liked some of the music in Project X but, yeah… The film wasn’t great (remind me to read your review later – I’ll have to go outside the app to read it, which is a nightmare on a phone). Um.. You a Ryan Gosling fan or something?? Lol. You seem to love his films! My top films this year are Fury Road, Ex Machina, and It Follows. And…. I guess Big Hero 6 if I have to add a 4th. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Those are some nice selections Cutey Mutey. 😀 😀

      You’ve been here since the beginning as well, and it’s a real pleasure knowing you’ve stuck by this. I’m a pretty obscure little corner of this humble slice of the internet we call movie blogging! 😉 It’s a real joy to know I’ve built friendships through this pursuit of writing. It’s something special.

      Speaking of special — yes, I basically have a hard-on for Ryan Gosling and most of the things he does. (Excluded from that is of course, Only God Forgives and The Notebook. Barf.)

      Liked by 1 person

  16. I’ve enjoyed reading your stuff since I started blogging last year and it is a real inspiration to see such commitment and enjoyment after four hard working years, great job Tom.

    I’m most looking forward to Spectre, Hateful Eight and Star Wars. I’d have to agree that Her is an amazing insight and cautionary tale, Place Beyond the Pines is way better than people give it credit and like you say, way too quickly forgotten by too many, I thought it was fantastic.

    Liked by 1 person

    • James its truly uplifting to read so much positivity here. I have found that the first one or two years of movie blogging could be the hardest; it’s difficult committing to things like this especially when basing a site around something relatively obscure like film criticism/discussion. So it’s a huge privilege that I sit here at the 4 year mark. 🙂 Thanks as always for stopping in and leaving your thoughts. I always appreciate them.

      Good selections — I can’t believe i left off The Hateful Eight. That’s a big one for me as well.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Indeed Mark, thanks for always being an inspiration for this site! It’s been great and I look forward to what the future brings. Thanks kindly for being a devoted reader 🙂

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  18. Hi – congrats on passing the 4 year mark. While it will never become easier to write regularly, as the milestones are passed – years, months, comments, and the number of posts – there is the personal satisfaction you get each and every time you click that publish button, which is a grand reward in itself.

    Only about a half year plus to the next Sundance,

    Liked by 1 person

    • Indeed Mike, thank you very much for leaving your thoughts here! A real inspiration to hear from so many good people. I think you have some very good points — it doesn’t become any easier to keep writing but I think the motivation, for me at least, keeps building. The reason I write has been solidified over 4 years of blogging. I haven’t actually stopped to think about that, but indeed it is a privilege knowing that it’s far too easy to give up on this pursuit.

      Thanks for your motivating words.

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  19. Congratulations, Tom. Good luck with the move to Utah. You will only be a state away from me! Enjoy the big sky and I think it’s great you are going to explore Indie films. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • I am definitely excited about new opportunities in the future, not just for this page but to expand my movie watching experience and my career in writing. I’ve loved living where I have lived for awhile but there comes a time where you have to move on. Utah just seems like it would be a great fit for me. Remind me again, which state do you live in?

      Cheers Cindy! Thanks for being a loyal DSB follower.

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    • I salute you good sir! it’s been a great pleasure getting to read you as well Adam. Your writing is something I certainly aspire to someday. It’s been a lot of fun over the years, and I don’t see an end in sight really. 😀

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  21. Congratulations! Four years is quite the achievement. I love what you do here which keeps bringing me back to dsb time and time again. 🙂 Keep up the great work. *Raises glass* Here’s to four more years.

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    • *Glass clink* Cheers to that Drew! I’m being absolutely stunned with the feedback I’m getting. It’s really inspiring that people have paid attention to this page. Haha. It’s wonderful. Onwards we go!

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    • Thank you very much Michael. I appreciate the comments and for reading what I have to say as always. My readership keeps me highly motivated to keep going on.

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  27. Congrats man! You were one of the first people I came across when I started a year and a half ago. Love your approach, prose, and views. You just write what you think, and that is awesome.

    Here’s to four more (at minimum) years!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Your words are really great to read MMJ, I appreciate that and am glad you were able to find me. It’s a pleasure having any kind of audience and I feel like i have one of the best. 😀 Cheers to that. Four more, here we come!

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