The Future of Dallin: The Film Fanatic (+ Podcast Record & Mini Review!)
For the last five and a half years, I have written about films old and new. In that time it has been a great opportunity for me to develop my English skills, deepen my vocabulary, and expand on my love for film most of all. I will never forget that day, May 9, 2016, when I published my first review, which was on Marvel Studios' "Captain America: Civil War." If you revisit that review and compare it to what I have done most recently, it is impressive to me to notice a great difference in their structure and thought communication. Additionally, it is hard to go back to my earlier posts and not think, "What was I trying to say here?" Deep down I recognize that I'll always be adapting my work, using the skills that I continue to learn to make something personal and that's as accurate as possible to my identity, my passions, and my integrity. Because I feel so strongly about film and about writing, I've continued writing my reviews, however infrequent they've come, but now's the time to reveal some changes that will be implemented very soon.
My Two-Year Mission
For those of you readers who are unaware, I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. You may know this organization as the LDS church or the Mormon church. Starting October 4th, I will be departing on a two-year missionary service to the English-speaking Kansas Wichita Mission. During those two years, I will be living in a bubble of sorts. I will not be writing or publishing anything on this site in that period of time nor will I be watching any films or keeping up on pop culture. This mission requires that I dedicate all my time and efforts during these two years to being a representative of God and His Church, and I fully intend on living up to that. Even back when I started Dallin: The Film Fanatic, I did so with the knowledge that this day would come, that I would be taking a two-year hiatus from this site and now it's here. So, there's the first order of business done. Between October 2021-2023, expect no new content from this site.
After The Mission
Despite being entirely open to changing my mind when I return from Kansas in two years, there are plans I have as far as the future of this site beyond my mission that I have already started to implement. You might have already noticed some of this by now. Output on this site has been inconsistent in recent times. This is largely due to my pursuing an education at university. I am a student of Brigham Young University (BYU) in Utah and, after attending my first full year, I was successfully admitted into the school's Media Arts Major program. I intend to study filmmaking so that I may become a filmmaker. This was not always the plan. Initially, I thought about pursuing film criticism and being a full-time film critic. That goal shifted to filmmaking largely because I would much rather make my own films, tell my own stories than write what others have done and continue to do.
This is not to ridicule or otherwise badmouth those who not only critically review film but who have chosen that as their career path. I am only speaking for myself here. And this is how I honestly feel. Without hesitation, I standby everything that I have written on this site over the last five and a half years. I may not argue the quality or assembly of some of my posts, but I 100% stand by the point that I would not be the same without the experience this site has given me. I am better for it and would not have had many of the opportunities I have had/have because of this site. With that said, I have felt for some time that this was not the endgame for me, that being a film critic was not going to be what I do for a future career. That, following the mission, I would expand to having my own domain, store all my original posts there and also then begin writing new posts.
My plan as of now is to attend BYU, progress through the program, and become a screenwriter. I already have a journal full of screenplay ideas I plan to develop post-mission. It's going to require a huge amount of effort on my part, but I am determined to follow this path no matter the challenges I will surely face.
As for Dallin: The Film Fanatic, I will continue writing on this site, develop it further, but expect less straightforward reviews from here on out. I wish to evolve my review format beyond its current condition. I'd like to focus on both old and new releases as I try to diversify my tastes in film. Despite having the name "Film Fanatic," I do not pretend to have seen all that there is to see. I require much more education in the styles of many filmmakers, some well-known, others more obscure. What I see will be my choice and based on my personal ethical and religious standards. I will not go about wantonly consuming every single piece of media there is. It will be done with care, consideration, and, hopefully, you might enjoy what becomes of this.
Adventures in Podcasting
Within the last five years, I have been fortunate enough to guest on other creators' podcasts, YouTube shows, and write for other media sites. The following is a list of shows that I've made appearances on as well as shows that you should be tuning into in general.
Superhero MovieCast
Thomas Olsen, the host of this podcast, and I go way back. We're members of the same church and we met when he was a missionary in Brisbane, Australia, which was around the same time I was living there with my family. When I launched Dallin: The Film Fanatic in 2016, a year after I did, Thomas had been following my work and he reached out to me. We caught up and he told me that he was going to start a podcast about superhero films and invited me to be a guest on it. So, when I was fifteen-years-old, I first guested on a podcast and I have been a semi-regular on the show since then. Over time, not only have I gotten to know Thomas more, but I have met more people through the show, a few of whom have also become regulars and who I have also gotten to know well like regulars Tim Champlin and Jeffery Moss.
This show is primarily centered on superhero films. At times, however, Thomas will often have a fun idea that isn't explicitly related to superhero films and will have that be the subject of its own episode. For example, he has done one-off episodes for franchises like "Mission: Impossible," "Indiana Jones," and "Rocky." With me exclusively, we have talked about musical scores on the show and who our favorite composers are. "Star Wars" is a major discussion point on the show, and that's the only recurring exception to the rule. The following is a list of episodes I guested on the show, even though I recommend listening to all their episodes.
(October 9, 2017)
(March 4, 2018)
(July 1, 2018)
(October 1, 2018)
(October 7, 2018)
(February 4, 2019)
(February 10, 2019)
(February 18, 2019)
(August 26, 2019)
(September 2, 2019)
(July 3, 2020)
*This episode as it is available now ends at the 44-minute mark. Darn technology errors! But, in case you wanted to hear us talk about the first 44 minutes of the film, go right ahead.
(January 18, 2021)
(January 25, 2021)
(April 8, 2021)
(May 5, 2021)
(May 13 & 18, 2021)
(June 21, 2021)
(August 9, 2021)
(August 17, 2021)
(September 9, 2021)
(September 21, 2021)
Movie Review Mom
Author and coach Trina Boice runs her own YouTube channel/website called Movie Review Mom. Back in 2018, she reached out to me personally to be a guest on her show. We ended up doing a review of "Bumblebee," the spin-off of the Transformers film series. I am grateful to have it out there not only because we had a good discussion, but also because it's been surreal to come back to as time has gone by and see how much my way of discussing film has changed over the years.
I Love That Movie!
The I Love That Movie! podcast features a new weekly guest of the show selecting a film they love to talk about with the host. I found this show through the Superhero MovieCast and have been a listener since then. Earlier this year, Lisa, the show's host, invited me on and we talked about "War for the Planet of the Apes." If you want to listen to that episode, you can find it here. I highly recommend following the show as it features many passionate film lovers sharing their viewpoints on their favorites.
NostalgiaCast
Darin Lundberg welcomed me onto his NostalgiaCast podcast and we talked about Tim McCanlies' "Secondhand Lions," the 2003 film starring Robert Duvall, Michael Caine, and Haley Joel Osment. We focused on the fantasy vs. reality aspect of the film, what it has to say about growing older, and how the truth may change depending on the age we're at. Highly recommend watching or listening to our discussion.
Mini Review - "Venom: Let There Be Carnage"
You may recall that I was on-the-fence about the original "Venom" from 2018. Tom Hardy was wonderful, but the film around him was a jumbled mess. This sequel, "Let There Be Carnage," might entertain those who both liked and didn't like that first film. It has more of an identity, going all-in on the zaniness and centering on the Eddie Brock/Venom dynamic. Once again, Hardy impresses and maybe more-so than in the original. His physicality as Brock and his vocal performance as Venom really sell their dynamic. It helps that the special effects are more convincing, which can be attributed to director Andy Serkis, who has made an entire career out of playing CG characters like Gollum, Caesar, and King Kong. That experience, I gather, might have helped Serkis direct Hardy on how to convince the audience of the dual relationship and the look of the character.
Serkis owns the silliness of Ruben Fleischer's OG film and expands upon it tenfold. The comedy can be too pronounced. The banter between Brock and Venom is great, but Venom's solo outing at a Halloween-themed night club went on a tad too long. Which might not have seemed so had the film been longer, but running at 97 minutes including credits, the film almost goes too fast. Certain developments in the story are montaged over or dropped entirely because it is so short. It's refreshing for a comic book film to be so short, but perhaps the time could have been better spent in other areas. From the trailers, there didn't seem to be much of a difference between the two films directing-wise, but you feel Serkis' influence in the final film. In the effects, Hardy's performance, and in the presentation of the plot. Certain scene transitions and character actions are interesting and feel like Serkis' style.
Woody Harrelson as Cletus Kassidy was an improvement over Riz Ahmed from the previous film as far as threat and general writing goes, but the climax is once more symbiote against symbiote. If it didn't feel new back in the OG film, it doesn't feel so new here. Carnage has more action in the film than Venom, but his abilities don't feel so new, only in how they are presented. I would have liked more elaboration on the strengths and weaknesses of the symbiotes. When it did that, the action was refreshing. Otherwise, they simply smash and stab each other in a church. Lower stakes is a plus, but more refreshing choreography might have helped.
Overall, "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" is an improvement over its predecessor. If you watched and liked the first, you might enjoy this more. If you didn’t watch or didn't like the first, you also might enjoy this. It's a solid recommendation, if not necessarily a must-see. If you do, stay for the mid-credits scene, which promises more from Brock/Venom and something else that will surely delight viewers.
Conclusion
Well, this is it. You cannot fathom how grateful I am for you regulars who were either here from the beginning or started along the way. Your feedback has been truly valuable to me these last five-plus years. To the podcast/YouTube show hosts who have welcomed me as their guest, my deepest thanks for the experience to chat about film! Thank you so much for reading. I'm Dallin, your resident film fanatic, and I'll return in two years.
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