Author: Nolen Kelly

Nolen’s Top 5 Articles Written by Nolen

Satire

Nolen Kelly, Editor

Yep that’s right I’m making a list of five of my favorite articles that I have written here during my time at the Collegian. What better way is there to stroke my own ego, toot my own horn, or pat myself on the back than to recount my own works? There is none. I’ve loved my time here at the Collegian and I feel with almost any one of my articles there is a clear progression for how far I’ve come as a writer. Each of these articles all hold something special for me and while I love all my children equally there can only be five of my favorites. Thank you to the Collegian for giving me a space to write and thank you, readers, for enabling me in my passion and my enjoyment to do what I hope to grow and continue with in my life beyond La Salle.

#5: ‘Former Interim President of La Salle Wrestles The Explorer’

Frank Reynolds named next president of La Salle University

In 2021 I wrote my first Foolegian article about ‘Always Sunny’ character Frank Reynolds being the new interim president of La Salle and it was alright quality wise. It was pretty popular getting a bunch of clicks after its release but it’s the followup that I am more proud of. While not as heavily viewed as many of my other pieces, I loved making this one for a few reasons. Firstly because it’s just funny. Secondly because of the lore already behind it and third because the article is literally just a copy and paste of the Wikipedia article summary for the buildup and match recap of Hulk Hogan versus Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania III. All of the terrible moves were all a part of one super terrible match that is only talked about because giant man picked up even gianter man.

#4 “Review: ‘Los Espookys’”

In Winter 2020 semester when the Collegian returned everything was online but before that I had the one of the last remaining honors getting my work published in print papers and it all started with my roommate, at the time editor for A&E and future editor-and-chief Jakob Eiseman, poking me to write a review of this show for the paper. I was hesitant but did and I loved it so much I’m still going today. I was able to find the article online so it is not a link and it was my first piece so it is definitely not the same style I have now but “Los Espookys” is a show that will have a spot in my heart for the way it brought my roommates and I together but also because it was my first publication of any kind and I still haven’t forgotten what that felt like 

#3: “Review: ‘The Batman’”

https://thelasallecollegian.com/2022/03/10/review-the-batman/

If there is anything to cement me as the “A&E editor who won’t shut up”(Eiseman, 2022) there is no article that is really just a fraction of my thoughts on the movie than my review of Matt Reeves’ go at the bat in “The Batman.” Some recency bias, yes, but I really love this movie and I really loved getting to talk about it. I don’t get many opportunities to make an article generating excitement for a movie I feel could be great but I did and then “The Batman” came out and it shattered my already sky high expectations. I put my energy and full brain into my reviews but none have been as fun to write or think about writing as much as this was.

The Batman: How Liverpool, Glasgow and London helped create Gotham City - BBC News
Robert Pattinson as batman in “The Batman”

#2: “5 Good and 5 Bad movies from Summer 2021”

5 Good and 5 Bad movies from Summer 2021

I had every intention to return in the Fall semester of 2021to be the co-editor of A&E and to be the movie guy. Over the summer of ‘21 I did my homework and tried to watch any new movie of the summer I could get my hands on. I love being outside in the summer, I don’t mind the heat too much even though it so totally sucks, however, whatever I have going on in the summer will always be less important than whatever movie I’ll be watching and this article was so much fun to put together. I like making lists like these, I like watching movies, and I like making lists of movies I’ve watched that I can recommend to others.

#1 “The Collegian Community’s Favorite Horror Movies”

The Collegian community’s favorite horror movies

All I want to do is talk about movies and getting to include my social media followers and friends’ quotes and opinions on their favorite horror movies was an absolute blast to put together. Horror is not really my genre but hearing people’s opinions and passions for movies that made them feel their own interpretations of scared or spook was so awesome. I milked it a bit with the other holiday editions, I admit, but it was fun and the main reason I got into writing movies and making scripts in the first place. Seeing the reasons people enjoy the things they enjoy are the reasons I do what I do and what I hope to keep doing long after I graduate. 


If I do become a writer after graduation I doubt I will be able to continue making crowd based content but I never want to stop talking movies with the people who read my work or follow me on social media so on that I’ll end there with another big thank you for reading my articles. Thank you Collegian for giving me a space to write. Thank you.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 ‘Night Owls’ Rant

Satire

Nolen Kelly, Editor

My favorite band of all time is The White Stripes. They are the best alternative rock band of the early 2000’s without any competition (except The Strokes, Interpol, Death From Above 1979, LCD Soundsystem and the Arctic Monkeys) by miles. I could listen and talk about the duo for years without end and I know I would always be able to talk about a different appearance of a Stripes song in some other media and each conversation would be positive. However, today I come with clenched fists, tears in my eyes and vinegar in my veins to talk about a commercial that drives me up the wall, off a cliff and insane everytime I see it- The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 commercial ‘Night Owls.’ 

You may not know too much of The White Stripes, or if you do then you probably know a good handful of their songs like “The Hardest Button to Button,” “Fell in Love with a Girl,” “Icky Thump, Ball and Biscuit,” “We’re Gonna be Friends” and “Hotel Yorba.” If you didn’t know them, now you do and life is now so much cooler for you because you do. However, with whatever prior knowledge you have on the Detroit band I don’t think it is possible to be a living entity and not be aware of THAT song with THAT riff- Seven Nation Army. It gets the blood pumping, the feet tapping, the heads nodding, the voices chanting, the energy soaring and the anticipation high all due to Jack’s tension-filled cords and Meg’s simple, yet pulsating, drum beats. The song is inescapable. Just talking or reading about it makes me want to listen to the song on repeat for minimum three hours at maximum volume, 11, because hell yeah the song rules. So with all of this hype for the song that hypes itself up, why am I enraged and boiling with vinegar? And what does all of this have to do with the new Samsung Galaxy Watch 4? The new commercial ‘Night Owls,’ which I will place below this, makes me livid.

My main gripe with the commercial is how it took me three watches during a single episode of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” to realize the lyrics of the commercial were that of Jack’s and Meg’s. The multiple rewatches listening to the lyrics made me realize there was no riff. HOW DO YOU PLAY SEVEN NATION ARMY WITHOUT THE RIFF? THAT’S THE MOST MEMORABLE THING ABOUT THE SONG! THAT’S WHY PEOPLE LISTEN TO IT IN THE FIRST PLACE! “It just makes no f***ing sense. I mean, it’s just bulls***”- Bill Nye the Science Guy. Maybe I’m just screaming into a blackhole with this, but am I crazy? Like, what the hell? The song is a real cover by Zella Day and while I have no desire to actually slander Zella for her cover, I just wish I had never discovered it and that Samsung shelled out however much was needed to get the actual song. I’m also mad that I have seen this commercial more than thrice. I already dislike the subcategory of commercials that have covers of big songs in a slower tempo, because they just annoy me, but for Samsung to make a commercial that directly attacks me- I can not forgive them for this.

I own Apple products exclusively so it’s not like I would be buying this watch anyway but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the commercial and there lies another problem: this is just a commercial. I will relax with this eventually since it’s just a commercial but, like, it’s Seven Nation Army, the best rock song of the 2000’s with no competition (except “Last Nite,” “Romantic Rights,” “In the End”, “No One Knows,” “Feel Good Inc.,” “Chop Suey” and “Rollin’” by Limp Bizkit) by miles. 

Is this a bad take? I can’t tell. I’ve been thinking about this commercial since April 7th, my birthday, and I can’t take it anymore. There are flames and heaving breaths on the side of my face every time without fail. I care about this song and this commercial so much because you know why already- it rules and it sucks respectively. I know I’m not crazy or alone here. That’s all I’ve got on this. Hopefully, I was able to sway a few people to join my uprising against this commercial and hopefully you are going to listen to Seven Nation Army again in the near future.

Review: “The French Dispatch”

Arts & Entertainment

Nolen Kelly, Editor

I’m a very big Wes Anderson fan. “Fantastic Mr. Fox” is the best animated movie I have ever seen immediately followed by Anderson’s other animated film “Isle of Dogs,” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel” is one of the best comedies of the 2010’s and I will stop there because I could talk about every other movie of his and how significant they are to me. As of writing this, I am three movies away from finishing Anderson’s eccentric catalog of movies with my most recent viewing being the focal point of this article: “The French Dispatch.” As a writer, movie enjoyer and watcher of fine stuff: Wes Anderson’s works have all always spoken to a different part of me but none have looked me in my eyes and said “Hey, man, this is for you” quite like “The French Dispatch” has.

The French Dispatch

“The French Dispatch” is about the death of the editor-in-chief of the Kansas Evening Sun newspaper in Liberty, Kansas and the release of the final issue of the paper, “The French Dispatch,” told through four stories of the paper’s different sections. Written from the perspectives of a cyclist in a crazed town, an imprisoned and tortured artist, the young leader of a rebellion and a food writer who gets entangled in a kidnapping, respectively, each of the four interview stories offers its own fun but emotional story that, in each of their unique ways, are love letters to journalists and writers.

Searchlight Entertainment

Writers and Stories

As I previously stated, this movie is the final edition of “The French Dispatch” told through four different stories and interviews that offer something unique to the journalists they pay tribute to. Although I’m just a silly writer, I still felt like this movie was made for me. I don’t really know how to explain it, but this movie was crafted with pure love. Despite stories of a seedy town, a war, the kidnapping of a child and a violent prisoner, this movie wants to give you a hug. Each of the stories is like a mini-Anderson movie in a bigger movie so they all have that special touch to them that he brings to all of his movies. They have sweet endings and some epilogues to each story that make you feel good or sad. Personally, I thought Timothee Chalamet’s (“Dune” “Lady Bird”) section went a tad too long but every time they played that entrancing Jarvis Cocker song “Aline” I felt good and sad simultaneously. 

Celebrity News

This movie is stacked with talent. Every scene is filled with at least three big names in combinations we probably never knew we would see. There comes a point where there are probably too many people in this movie. Excessive casts are cool to see with so many people appearing in a single movie but of course not everyone is given enough space to do their thing. 

However, the majority of the cast does a pretty solid job making themselves visible. Much of the primary cast has some great performances but I wouldn’t say one was more stand out than any other. Rattling off a few great performances include Jeffery Wright (“Westworld,” “Casino Royale”), Timothee Chalamet (“Dune,” “Lady Bird”), Benicio Del Toro (“Traffic,” “Sicario”), Lea Seydoux (“Spectre,” “Death Stranding”) and for those familiar with the Nolen lore, it should be no surprise I also loved Frances McDormand (“Fargo,” “Almost Famous”). Again, pretty much every performance was solid and consistent. 

Moses Rosenthaler (Benicio del Toro) is a criminally insane but gifted painter, and prison guard Simone (Léa Seydoux, right) is his muse in “The French Dispatch.” (Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures)

Arts Section

The movie is told through the past and present with the past shown in black and white and the present gushing with an almost intoxicating amount of Anderson’s usual bright yet simple color palettes. Even in black and white this is a crisp looking film. Although the look of the present was way more visually appealing and pretty, it was never annoying that half the movie was in black and white. An Anderson movie in all black and white sounds interesting and I would watch it, but he is so good with colors and his movies are dang pretty as heck and I would be sad if there were no colors in one of his flicks. If anything, the colors always enhance his shots and frames in each movie which nicely leads me to my next point: the production in “The French Dispatch” is unsurprisingly, really good. 

I’m a fan of the use of simplistic theater-like sets in some scenes. It makes the scenes that featured these sets feel like stories the characters are telling. Mitch Mitch’s story taking place on a stage was nice, the movable walls at the French cafe and the construction sites were satisfying, and the empty room that Del Toro paints Seydoux is isolated and empty yet intimate with a single snowy window in the back. I already assumed this movie would look good but the scenes with these little set designs are nice touches that I hope Anderson does more work with in future films and projects. 

Searchlight Entertainment

Obituaries

“The French Dispatch” is a wonderful movie. The music, performances, colors, stories and writing are all so much fun and so damn charming. I think I’ve only seen one Anderson movie so far that I’m not running like Scooby-Doo to rewatch (“Bottle Rocket”) but I know for a fact I will be rewatching this again soon. This movie was a big hug for me but that does not totally mean it will be for everyone else and I would say go into this, if you do, just expecting to watch a good movie like any other movie. I loved this and I hope you love it too if you so choose to watch it. “The French Dispatch” is now available on HBOMax.

I watched “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” and you’re going to hear about it

Satire

Nolen Kelly, Editor

In this week’s A&E, I reviewed “The French Dispatch” because it spoke to me greatly. While my media diet has mostly consisted of movies and rewatching sitcoms, a new challenger has emerged from an unsuspecting corner of the world of TV: reality TV from New Jersey. You read the title so you know where this is going. As of the past four weeks, I’ve been consuming lethal doses of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” via my girlfriend, and while I have never been much of a reality TV kind of gal, my eyes have been opened to a world that I will tread lightly into because from what I’ve seen: it’s a good time, mostly. I’ve been watching “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” and you’re going to hear about it.

The Housewives

I’m currently absorbing season three of the show and so far each season has the same cast of folks with either an addition or a subtraction of a housewife. The main housewives we spend time with are Dina Cantin, Caroline Manzo, Teresa Giudice, Danielle Staub and Jacqueline Laurita. “RHoNJ” feels like an interpretive experience despite these being real people so to be honest I have no idea what any of them do outside of the show for a living besides Manzo, who frequently mentions The Brownstone, a catering company she owns.

From left to right: Teresa, Danielle, America’s Sweetheart and Bravo host Andy Cohen, Dina, Jacqueline, and Caroline in the season one reunion special (Courtesy of Bravo)

The Journey So Far

Like I said, I am absorbing season three at the moment and so far the journey has been wild. At first my interest in the show was pretty much not there since it is not something I typically watch and I wasn’t sure how to properly invest into it since reality TV and the entire state of New Jersey have always been punchlines for me. Every parody I have ever seen of reality TV is always the same and pretty good but none of them truly capture the spirit of a heartbroken Italian confessional, the mania of domestic civil war, or the standstill intensity of when someone disrespects Caroline Manzo or her family. While none of these are new things to reality TV, they are new to me and on a show like “RHoNJ” they’re totally there and so much fun especially since everyone has an awesome Jersey accent and are all varying shades of orange. It is a romp of a time all the time. 

My favorite “character” is easily Caroline Manzo who I believe has ties with the mob. Not in an intense and cool way like Tony Soprano but like in an average New Jersey resident kind of way that makes you see them and be like “hey, cool.” I’ve said this several times to numerous real New Jersey residents and they agree. Caroline tends to stay away from the shenanigans which is respectable but once there is a situation that she needs to step in on — s**t goes down HORD. If Manzo has to intervene then it’s over and there’s no two ways about it. Two housewives left the show after being entangled in situations with Manzo. That rules. Every episode I’m interested to see what she will be doing instead of what the others do because she’s pretty interesting. She’s got a radio show, she owns a catering business, she has date nights with her husband instead of choosing her political side in The Great Teresa/ Danielle War of 2010. She is always cool, calm, collected and Caroline, in nearly every interaction she has. Manzo is the best and her inclusion but separation from the group always allows the show to breathe for a bit which is refreshing. 

Caroline Manzo and family take a picture after solving everyones issues (Courtesy of Bravo)

Manzo was the main “character” I wanted to write about but I really need to talk about Teresa Giudice’s husband Joe Giudice. The rest of the husbands are fine and not terribly interesting to me except for Joe who consistently makes me laugh for just existing. He is physically akin to Tony Soprano but he dresses like a true baller — decked out with leather jackets and button down “TAPOUT” style shirts for formal events. In one episode, Joe does a sick roundhouse kick to a punching bag as a means to convey what will happen if someone disrespects Teresa at her sister-in-law’s Christmas party. This guy rules. Not without his flaws as a man or a father, Joe is the ultimate dude I hope to befriend at some point in my life because who wouldn’t want to hang out with a guy who just vibes in the corner, drinks and hates his own family?

Joe Giudice just being a guy next to ‘Housewives’ protagonist and wife Teresa Giudice (Courtesy of Bravo)

In Summation

There’s a lot I didn’t touch on because I think you really have to sit and let this show absorb you. I could honestly watch these real housewives (of New Jersey) bicker for a while. Will I watch it for the rest of my life? No. Will I watch other “Real Housewife” shows? Fat chance. Will I go back and rewatch the first three seasons once they officially move on to new housewives? Probably, yes. Will I do it alone? Negative. Do I recommend you watch it? Yes, I do, seriously. Maybe you’re like me and need a little more kino in your diet. You can sit and make fun of how many unnecessary spin offs there are all day, you jerk, but if you start with those housewives from the “New” version of Jersey, then I think you may have a new reason to avoid the people you already dislike. Give it a shot. Try and make it through the first season and tell me you don’t want more. I could have said ‘No more. Please, free me from this mortal coil’ at any point. But I didn’t because this show is fun. Turn your brain off, focus on the show, get sucked in, have fun, enjoy yourself and let me know what your favorite Caroline Manzo or least favorite Joe Giuduce moment is.

Review roundup: April 14, 2022

Arts & Entertainment

A lightning round of reviews for “Fresh,” “The Adam Project,” “Deep Water” and “Sonic the Hedgehog 2”

Nolen Kelly, Editor

Posters: Netflix, Hulu and Paramount | Edit: Jakob Eiseman

It’s been a while since my last review and since then I’ve watched quite a few movies that I’ve been bursting at the seams to talk about. Today I have two good and two bad movies to quickly review and I’m going to do my best to keep it simple enough so as to not drive either of us insane. Today we’re talking about “Fresh,” “The Adam Project,” “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” and “Deep Water” and I have a lot of thoughts on all four so without wasting any more time let’s hop in first with something good: “Fresh.”

  1. Fresh — Good

“Fresh” is a Hulu original movie that did not initially grab my attention. It looked like a less interesting version of “Get Out” with added cannibalism, but that disinterest changed really quickly. Sebastian Stan has never been an actor I would run at breakneck speeds to check out, even in his Marvel projects, so I couldn’t even force myself to try and be interested but seeing him branch out lately has been nice to see so that was some incentive to give it a go. To my delightful surprise, this movie was a lot of fun. While I still believe there was some influence from “Get Out,” they take it in their own direction and make it interesting. Stan (“I, Tonya” “Avengers; Endgame”) is a great balance of uncomfortably weird, darkly funny and strangely hypnotizing as Steve, the movies central antagonist to Daisy Edgar-Jones’ (“Normal People”) sweet and equally funny protagonist, Noa. 

“Fresh” is funny, grotesque, charming and a good time of a movie. The film and trailers were both perfectly punctuated by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs classic club banger “Heads Will Roll” and I’m glad it was used because it fit shockingly well into the vibe and tone of the movie. “Fresh” was a surprise to me and I really can’t recommend it enough. I laughed at times, and it felt wrong. But, the characters were played well enough that when horrible things happened it felt horrible, and I want more movies like this. Are psychological gore horror/romance/comedies for everyone? Not at all. But, hey, I had a lot of fun and I’ll be revisiting this either for Halloween or Valentine’s Day… maybe both. “Fresh” is available on Hulu now and I give it an 8/10.

  1. The Adam Project — Bad

If I never watched a movie by “The Adam Project” director Shawn Levy ever again, my life will be almost exactly the same but I would still have the two hours that I invested into every one back. This isn’t to say his movies are bad, or even unwatchable, but they all meet the bare minimum requirements to make a movie just enough. “The Adam Project” is another example of this phenomenon that Levy regularly produces. My main problem with this movie is that everything in it feels like a watered down version of a cooler version of this movie. Time travel, family, Mark Ruffalo, spaceship battles and wacky science fiction jumbo are all super cool stuff and are present, but it’s all just there and hollow. Nothing is very interesting about any of it, unfortunately. In one scene they used “Good Times Bad Times” by Led Zeppelin for a shooter fight scene and I did not enjoy any of it despite how cool that sentence sounds. While this movie had some decent effects and visuals, I couldn’t tell you anything particularly interesting about the effects but just that there was enough of them to keep the movie going. 

There really is not much that I think I can add to this other than it was just really bland and predictable. There were moments I had fun, yeah, but this movie had the same formula as the previous Shawn Levy movies I watched before: “Real Steel,” “Free Guy” and any of the “Night at the Museum” movies. I feel bad that I don’t like this movie because maybe I am being too harsh on a kids’ movie but there just wasn’t a lot of fun here. The emotional scenes were minimal and made me begin to realize I have emotion right as they began to move on which got annoying and hurt my viewing of this movie. I don’t know, man, maybe I just need to rewatch with someone who likes this and I’ll change but I don’t think that’s likely. In summation: “The Adam Project” was not very fun, was very predictable and kind of cringe at times and I wish this was actually something better. “The Adam Project” is available on Netflix and I give this a 5/10.

  1. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 — Good

I’ve never been the biggest fan of the “Sonic the Hedgehog” franchise mostly because I never played any of the games or watched the shows, but I always appreciated how others appreciated the character and his media. When the first “Sonic” movie was released in 2020, I had no thoughts about seeing it since it was not my thing and video game movies are never good, but after pirating it with Korean subtitles I thought it was pretty good for what it was. Recently, I went along with my roommates and paid 17 U.S. dollars to see “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” and as someone who cruised through the first one and knows nothing of the lore, I had a good time. Is it a good movie? I really don’t know. I think I laughed harder watching this than anything I have in months. Was it actually funny? Not totally, but it wasn’t boring. At a two hour runtime, “Sonic 2” never for a second bored me and I think that’s the highest praise I can give it. There was a fair balance of bad, good enough and pretty good in this movie but it was never so terrible that I wanted to cry. This may be the least cinematic movie I ever talk about, but when I have a good time with a movie I want to talk about it and “Sonic 2” was a good time for me.

There is a possibility this will be Jim Carrey’s last movie ever, which I highly doubt, but if it is I think he went out in the most ballistically Jim Carrey way possible as Dr. Robotnik a.k.a Dr. Eggman. If Carrey was not in these movies, they definitely would not be as fun as they are. He is wild and relentless and just the right amount of whacky needed to make a silly speedball like Sonic feel more watchable. Would I recommend this to everyone? I don’t know, maybe. It all depends on your tolerance for super, silly, speedy, chili dog eating hedgehogs. “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” is in theaters now and is a 6/10.

  1. Deep Water — Bad

I don’t think Ben Affleck is the worst actor ever. Far from the best by any means, but when he is good he is really good. “The Town” gets better for me on every watch and “Good Will Hunting” is still a masterpiece today for every reason under the sun. Ana De Armas is a very talented actress that I am gravitating more towards after her great performance as Marta in “Knives Out” and her slick time in Bond’s final outing, “No Time to Die.” I was interested in giving this a watch mostly because it seemed like it would be good but boy was I wrong. No clue what happens in this movie even though it’s pretty clear what was happening. There was no plot in this and despite the tense thriller feel to it, it always felt like it was ramping up to the story but then just never got to it. Things happen, but incoherently because it’s never clear why anyone does anything. 

My initial critique that I will stick with for now is to trim a third of this movie out completely, reframe it like a dark comedy, and have more movie actually happen. Despite the dark framing and scenes, I didn’t think this looked too bad cinematography wise but if they leaned into making this funny or capitalizing on the ideas present, this could have been great and it’s a shame we got this mess of a movie. It sucks but I guess I shouldn’t have expected much from a Hulu original starring Ben Affleck called “Deep Water” that has about three scenes of anything deep or water-related. What are you going to do though? “Deep Water” is now available on Hulu and is a 4/10.

That’s about it. Have you seen any of these movies yet? If you have what did you think and if you haven’t which ones will you be checking out? There are plenty of movies that I still have not seen yet from 2022 but I hope to be checking them out and reviewing them soon. Thank you for reading and checking out this article. I’m Nolen Kelly and you’re watching Disney Channel.

Every movie ever ranked | Foolegian

Foolegian, Satire

Nolen Kelly, Editor

Here in A&E, we’ve talked and reviewed our favorite and least movies over the years. Admittedly there was a bit of an idea drought for this week, but then the idea flew through our window and spread around like a Molotov Cocktail consuming a flammable environment. It’s simple: what if we ranked every movie ever? That’s right, today we are ranking every movie that has ever been made. This is it, this is the list. Please do not reach out or contact anyone about this list because it is final and every movie in existence is included here. This list has been in development for an amount of time and adequate effort has been put into this so please, if you see anyone who writes for The Collegian in public, leave us alone. Kick back, grab a snack, knick knack paddy whack, let me know if you see a Radioshack and relax as we rank EVERY MOVIE EVER MADE.

119172019
2“Never Gonna Give You Up” Music Video1987
3“Thriller” Music Video1982
4A Fish Called Wanda1988
Are we done yet?2005
5Are we there yet?2007
6Back to the Future1985
7Back to the Future Part II1989
8Back to the Future Part III1989
9Blades of Glory2007
10Boogie Nights1997
11Booksmart2019
12Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie2017
13Close Encounters of the Third Kind1995
14Cloverfield2008
15Ice Age 5: Collision Course2016
16Daddy Day Care2007
17Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo1999
18Django Unchained2012
19Fargo1994
20Foodfight!2012
21Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star2011
22Fred Claus2007
23Fun with Dick and Jane2005
24Ghostbusters2016
25Ice Age 4: Continental Drift2012
26Godzilla2014
27Goonies1985
28Hateful Eight, The2015
29I now Pronounce you Chuck and Larry2007
30Idiocracy2006
31Incredibles, The2004
32Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom1984
33Jaws1975
34John Wick2014
35John Wick: Chapter 22017
36John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum2019
37Journey 22012
38Journey to the Center of the Earth2008
39Kevin Hart: Laugh at my Pain2011
40Kingsman: The Secret Service2015
41Knives Out2019
42Lady Bird2017
43Dinosaur2000
44Little Women2019
45Love, Simon2018
46Mission: Impossible III2006
47Night at the Museum2006
48Night at the Museum: Night at the Smithsonian2009
49Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb2014
50O Brother Where Art Thou2000
51Office Space1999
52Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood2019
53Over the Hedge2006
54Paddington2014
55Paddington 22017
56Peacemaker Season 12021
57Piranha 3D2010
58Princess Mononoke1997
59Rango2012
60Ratatouille2007
61Real Steel2011
62Reservoir Dogs1992
63Room2015
64Shrek 2004
65Shrek 22001
66Singin’ in the Rain1952
67Slumdog Millionaire2008
68Space Jam1996
69Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse2018
70Spookley the Square Pumpkin2005
71Star Trek2009
72Star Wars: The Force Awakens2015
73Super 82011
74Super Size Me 2007
75Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken2000
76Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby2006
77Teen Witch1989
78Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles2014
79Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows2016
80“Feel Good Inc” Music Video2005
81The Batman2022
82The Departed2006
83The Dirties2014
84The Disaster Artist2017
85The Eternals2021
86The Godfather1972
87The Godfather Pt. 21974
88The Last of Us2013
89The Room2003
90The Santa Claus1994
91The Santa Clause 32006
92The Shape of Water2017
93The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants2005
94The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 22008
95UHF1989
96Uncut Gems2019
97Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were- Rabbit2005
98Who Framed Roger Rabbit?1988

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Former interim president of La Salle wrestles the Explorer | Foolegian

Foolegian, Satire

Nolen Kelly, Staff

Like the previous Club Quad events, Club Quad III was promoted for several months in advance. The main feud stemmed from The La Salle mascot, the Explorer’s, heel turn and betrayal of his friend, the former interim president of La Salle University, Francis ‘Frank’ Reynolds which began on an episode of “Just Next Door” when La Salle TV station manager Ellis presented Reynolds with a trophy for being the former interim president of La Salle University for less than a year, and the Explorer, his good friend, came out to congratulate him but cryptically remarked: “Less than a year to be a former interim president of La Salle, it’s a long time.” A week later on another episode of “Just Next Door,” Tonya presented the Explorer with a visibly smaller trophy for being “a chill dude with a decent vibe” and Reynolds came out to congratulate. The Explorer, but before the Explorer could speak, Reynolds ended up being the focal point of the interview. Annoyed by this, the Explorer walked out during Reynolds’ congratulation speech.

A week later on yet another “Just Next Door” segment, sophomore Aidan Tyksinski hinted he knew something about the Explorer but wasn’t telling. This infuriated Ellis and the two nearly came to blows before Tyksinski challenged that he could bring the Explorer in next week, asking Ellis “can you bring Frank in?” Ellis agreed and nervously asked Reynolds later on who agreed. The following week Reynolds was on “Just Next Door” first when the Explorer walked out with Ashley Howard, a long-time adversary of the entire student body. He announced himself to be the Explorer’s new manager. The Explorer then challenged Reynolds to a title match at Club Quad III and attacked him, ripping off his t-shirt and glasses.

In what was billed as the “biggest title event in La Salle’s history” the final match pitted former interim president and wealthy businessman Reynolds, defending the title of “Former Interim President of La Salle University” against the Lasallian mascot, the Explorer. The fans booed the Explorer heavily and pelted him and his manager Howard with trash as the two rode the cart to the quad where the match took place. In contrast, Reynolds, who walked to the quad, came out to a lukewarm ovation. Approximately two minutes into the match, Reynolds attempted to body slam the Explorer, but he was unable to lift the Explorer and nearly lost the match when the Explorer fell on him and almost pinned him. After the match had battled back and forth, the Explorer gave Reynolds an Irish whip to the far side of the ring and attempted a big boot on Reynolds, but Reynolds ducked it and came off the ropes to give the Explorer a clothesline to take him off his feet for the first time in the match. Reynolds then “Franked up” and scoop slammed the 143 lb (65 kg) Explorer before hitting the ropes and executing his patented trash can throw into a pin to get the win and retain the title of “Former Interim President of La Salle.”
The event received positive reviews. In the years after Club Quad III, the main event between Reynolds and the Explorer is regarded as one of the pivotal matches in the history of La Salle University, with Reynolds’ final bodyslam on the Explorer having become an iconic moment of both people’s careers as well as the 2020’s La Salle Wrestling on the Quad boom overall. Despite its historic importance, the match was also criticized for its quality. At the time, it received a negative four star rating from Enrique Carasco and the Collegian named it the “Worst Worked Match of the Year.” Commentary Editor Alina Snopkowski gave the match one star, stating “The match is not good in any way shape or form; but is one I completely appreciate for its historical importance.” Jakob Eiseman, also a writer for the Collegian, gave the match two stars in 2019, stating “Technically, this isn’t any good. However, I don’t think it’s nearly as bad as some people do.”

Review: “The Batman”

Arts & Entertainment

Some minor spoilers ahead

Nolen Kelly, Editor

Who could’ve predicted that a Batman movie would include Nirvana in the soundtrack twice, draw inspiration from David Fincher movies and real serial killers, slip in some surprise jokes and it would all be good? Life could not be better for annoying people, film bros and The Official Robert Pattinson Fan Club. I am all three. 

“The Batman” is a dark and sinister crime drama with a lively depiction of a struggling city choked by a crime-ridden underbelly and an insane new killer in the streets of Gotham, all fended off by one man, Batman, played by Robert Pattinson (“The Lighthouse,” “Twilight”). “The Batman” is everything that I have ever wanted a movie about the caped crusader to be and is very much nothing we have ever seen before. 

The Battinson Begins

Normally this is the part of a review where I talk about whichever side I have less of an opinion on, but with total honesty I have nothing negative about “The Batman” to say. Every complaint or minor issue that people have with this movie, I totally acknowledge and understand. But, I think most criticisms are easily defendable. The most common complaint that people have with the movie is the runtime, which clocks in at 2 hours and 56 minutes. If there is anything actually wrong with this movie, it’s that sometimes you can feel that it is three hours, but personally I love that feeling of a movie being long like this.

The story takes place in Batman’s second year as the vigilante in Gotham City and there are a lot of nice and specific details that show that he is still learning but already knows some stuff. A section of the movie is dedicated to one clue Batman is given that he figures out, but is also misled by the wording. In every movie Batman just gets it all right, which is great most of the time, since he’s a detective, but the fact that he couldn’t solve this one problem or understand the clue left my jaw on the floor five rows down from my seat. “The Batman” is mostly about the unraveling of the mystery of the story and it works wonders. This is a long movie with an antagonist who kills politicians and leaves riddles and clues all over the place; this was never going to be a straightforward narrative, so all the twists and turns in here are well worth the buildup and payoffs.  

Warner Bros. Studios

Characters 

Pattinson is the best Batman, bar none. He’s a real detective, he doesn’t kill, has insane bat technology like his grappling hook and he is terrifying. The movie introduces him with shots of dark alleys and shadows, building Bats up in the most appropriately and bad*ss way possible. A lot of the tone of this movie is carried by Pattinson and his naturally brooding energy. His ability to play off or work with anyone he is sharing the screen with felt super organic, like he was friends or enemies with everyone. I believed he hated his villains The Riddler, The Penguin and Carmine Falcone. I believed he loved or could love Selina Kyle aka Catwoman. I believed he was still traumatized by his parents’ death and was taking some of it out on Alfred. I believed he was real friends with Gotham Police Officer Jim Gordon. This is a dark world, so both Batman and Bruce Wayne needed to fit this mold, and who better to do that than Pattinson? He makes sense in this role and fills it out completely. I have a feeling both Pattinson and Wayne’s music rotations are Nirvana, Nine Inch Nails, Trent Reznor’s movie scores and Death Grips.

Paul Dano (“Little Miss Sunshine” “There Will Be Blood”) was someone I was always excited for in this movie and he more than lived up to the expectations. Delusional, maniacal, intelligent, evil, lost and broken are all words that come to mind from Dano’s performance. I loved his overall rise to control and how he didn’t reveal his master plan until it was already in motion and too late to prevent, but even then he still didn’t even fully reveal it. The plan just happened and it was all so crazy. The final twenty minutes of the movie are some of the finest moments of writing in any comic movie and of any noir film in my opinion all because of the complexity of Riddler’s plan and how it unraveled very quickly. Aside from his big plan and his disturbing performance, I loved a lot of the small details he included in his character, like when he attacks someone he lets out a small scream because he’s not athletic or a fighter. Whenever he wears his mask he breathes really heavily, but not like panting, more like soaking in what he just accomplished, and it is freaky as hell. Dano is a talented actor, but he is sort of like a more confident Michael Cera, so seeing him in the antagonist’s chair for once was invigorating.

Warner Bros. Studios

Zoë Kravitz (“X-Men,” “Mad Max: Fury Road”) as Catwoman is easily my favorite interpretation of the character. She felt closer to an actual spy than a thief in this film and her scenes in the Iceberg Lounge were some of my favorites of the movie. She had several moments where she perfectly balanced being a one-woman wolfpack and a vulnerable victim of circumstances. In my eyes, Kravitz is the only person who could play Catwoman currently. She makes sense in this world, in this character and in this movie. She’s quiet, yet ostentatious when she decides to be. She blends into the background but always stands out in every scene. On an unrelated note, I am currently in love with Kravitz and I will be shooting my shot in the near future. Wish me luck, readers.

Jeffery Wright (“Westworld,” “Casino Royale”) is also the best Commissioner Gordon in any interpretation. Gordon and Battinson have a very good working relationship and bounce off each other really nicely. They crack some light jokes at times, organically, and are really funny together. Gordon feels like a good cop. He’s someone you can trust and want to work with. There’s a scene that was aired on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” that shows Gordon and Batman talking in the GCPD and it encapsulates every scene the two are in together.

I’ve talked a lot about the characters, but there’s one more character that is absolutely worth going out of your way to see and that is the unrecognizable Colin Farrell as The Penguin. He’s a nasty crime boss. He’s hilarious in almost every scene. He is an important character who spends a lot of time passing along information but still acts as a key figure in the story.

Colin Farrell as Oswald ‘Oz’ Cobblepot AKA The Penguin

Colors, Cameras and Cobain

“The Batman” is a good-looking movie. Despite being a dark thriller, there is a pretty unique color palette to this film. While the majority of the movie is in darker shades of black, green and brown, there is a surprising amount of yellows, reds and oranges. The Iceberg Lounge has tons of flashing red lights, there are numerous scenes with a gorgeous yellow/orange sky in the background and there is a notable shot from the trailer with Batman holding a flare that just looks incredible with the red light contrasting the blackness of the scene. Cinematographer Greig Fraser may have topped his previous best-looking movie “Dune” with “The Batman,” because I could stare at this grimy, filthy, rainy, sloggy, pretty cinematic experience for a while. Michael Giacchino more than delivered on his score for the movie, making every scene feel grand and intense with his almost orchestral score. The main theme of the movie, “The Batman,” is such an epic piece of music that I wouldn’t mind if it was my theme music since I am vengeance. Speaking of music, I referenced Nirvana earlier because they are featured in this movie twice. “Something in the Way” is the closing song off of the band’s seminal 1991 grunge rock album “Nevermind.” The song appears in the first trailer and at the beginning and the end of the film. It’s a perfect fit for the tone and is a great song, too. At some point I got lost in the character of Bruce “Kurt Cobain” Wayne and believed that Pattinson was singing “Something in the Way” at one point. 

Warner Bros. Studios

In Summation

“The Batman” is a movie I have been looking forward to for a long time and, as a lifelong Batman fan of the comics, video game series and previous films, it more than lived up to what I wanted. It’s long and exciting and an immersive experience worth sitting through. It’s been a long time since a movie has given me a refreshing experience like this. What else is there This should not be a surprise to anyone but I think this movie is a perfect 10 out of 10.  “The Batman” is in theaters now.

Review: “Euphoria” season two

Arts & Entertainment

HBO’s hit drama series continues its strive with a successful second season full of just as much anxiety and character work as the first. (Some spoilers)

Nolen Kelly, Editor

If I went to the High School from “Euphoria,” I would be the guy in the background who always wears a Red Hot Chili Peppers t-shirt, I think. Never has there been a show that has been so recommended yet immediately regretted quite like “Euphoria” has. While other current or past shows may deal with uneasy content or are just hard to recommend, it’s been a while since a series has been so relentlessly jarring and shocking with its subject matter while also maintaining a consistent level of unnerving-ness each week. “Euphoria” just wrapped its second season on Sunday Feb. 27 and while the show has matured a bit since its first season, this has not changed the fact that it seeks different ways to make you feel terrible and was worth the wait for the weekly watch or a single sit and binge. With that bit of positivity out of the way, I think season two was a bit of a mess and sort of disjointed despite how great it was.

The season continues with Rue (Zendaya Coleman) and her misadventures of substance abuse and addiction, picking up right after the finale of the first season which saw Rue being left at a train station by her at-the-time girlfriend Jules (Hunter Schafer). Despite being clean at that time, Rue relapsed back to drugs to help her get over Jules. In this season we meet Dominic Fike as Elliot, Rue’s new classmate who has a very show appropriate introduction to the show by saving Rue from a near overdose in the first episode. That begins the downward spiral of Rue’s addictions and problems. Her unquenchable need for pills leads to putting up a facade as a sober business savvy student who buys a literal suitcase of drugs to “Sell to other high school students” but just ends up consuming them herself. After another near overdose, Rue severs nearly all ties with her friends, family and loved ones in an attempt to score anything. She finishes the season on a healthier note with some sobriety and relationships mended but there are still no good feelings to be had.

HBO

There’s a lot of good and some bad stuff, so I’ll just get the bad out of the way first because while there was so much stuff and so many things to praise, this season was far from perfect with glaring structural problems as well as an imbalance of character screen times. In a show that originally gave each character nearly an entire episode to go through their story, resolve it there, then carry on through the grander story, this season had a lot of choppy segments and strange pacing of certain stories. Similarly, many characters seem like they are going to be given a major chunk of screen time or importance but then have their stories cut short or don’t even exist. For example the season opened with a backstory for one of Rue’s drug dealer’s grandmother who has been bed ridden since the start of the show. While the story was great, I honestly thought that would have tied into the season in some way but was really just another introduction story. I understand it was really just a front to set up Ashtray (Javon Walton), Fezco’s (Angus Cloud) adopted younger brother, but the framing of the story made it seem like she would be more important later on. Maybe that’s a bit of a strange nitpick but the expectation was set up and was there but never came to fruition and kind of disappointed me. 

I would have liked more Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi) and more of Kat’s (Barbie Ferreira) storyline with Ethan (Austin Abrams). Kat and Ethan are great together and their story got really interesting when Kat had her own issues and Ethan figured out what their diner date was. After that it just stopped and this was disappointing, because despite Kat being an unnecessary grinch, the storyline’s conclusion would have been great. Nate is actually one of my favorite characters on the show and I hope I don’t get glares for that. Nate is an evil person. Nothing about him is good. They did a tremendous job building him up in season one as an actual threat to everyone around him whether they realize it or not but this season he was stuck with Maddy (Alexa Demie) and Cassie (Sydney Sweenie), his dad and a little bit of himself. There was so much great stuff about Nate I wish was expanded on or taken to darker lengths like his teased closeted sexuality from season one or his violent and unstable tendencies. Nate had some harsh stuff happen to him this season so this is more of a personal preference but I can’t help but feel like they missed some marks not taking Nate to defcon one and an actual physical threat. Here’s to hoping season three fully capitalizes on Nate’s potential, more complete storylines and a balance of character screen times.

HBO

Although the negative section was pretty hefty, I promise I liked more of this season then disliked it. One moment that is a basic summation of how I felt watching this season was the intercut scene between Cassie and Cal Jacobs (Eric Danes) as they both deal with the losses of loves in their respective lives. One is drunk, one is concussed and drunk, but both are sad and cry-singing “Drink Before the War” by Sinead O’Connor. Although I disliked it at first due to the disjointed and sort of weird editing of the scene, it has grown like crazy on me. The scene is gorgeously shot and haunting considering how different yet similar the two characters are. I don’t think I will get the image of a makeup smeared and drunken Cassie, surrounded by ribbons, wearing a swimsuit for attention and practically screaming out to O’Conner as her best friend and the man she desires watch on with pity, out of my head. The scene reflects a lot of how I think the season went: full of haunting and semi-beautiful moments that show these vile people at a point we never realized they could sink to or achieve while everything feels slightly anxiety inducing. 

Visually, this season was really ugly, but I liked it. This was mostly due to Rue’s sobriety and the harshness of nearly every situation forcing the pretty fireworks and colors away and I think it worked really well. Although I touched in the negatives of how there were a lot of missed opportunities in the season, I think there was an equal amount of great opportunities this season created for the future. The ambiguity of some stories and relationships are intriguing enough to see what happens next. The score was extra tense and sometimes hilariously excessive thanks to the great works of Labrinth. The acting was very good this season especially from Danes (Cal), Zendaya (Rue), Sweenie (Cassie), Demie (Maddy), Abrams (Ethan) and Elordi (Nate). Each of these characters had a particularly rough season and although only Abrams is mentioned for the good and light heartedness he brought to the season, each of these actors stood out the most for how great they portrayed their characters this season. Despite the finale being separated into two parts and a few stories forgotten, they did a good job balancing the character stories and cleaning up some of the plotlines they focused on. Rue has a lot more to fix in the next season but what she fixed in the finale was good. Nate and Cal’s story wrap-up was great and probably my favorite story of the season. Maddy and Cassie’s plot was pretty good and although it is definitely not finished, it was left in a good place. Fezco and Ashtray’s saga was brutal, fun and satisfying for me and Lexi’s play went a lot longer than I wished but was nevertheless still very entertaining. 

HBO

“Euphoria” season two had a lot of stuff happen, almost too much stuff. I know I am forgetting so many important points from this season but whatever I have here is what we will call “good enough.” The major style changes of the colors and the less enthusiastic music choices made this season really dark and not very fun but in a fun way. I enjoyed this season and I like this show. It’s not an easy show to binge or watch for everyone, and the very obvious problem of these high school teenagers doing these obscene things is very clear but not one of these people look like teenagers or high school students so for me it’s pretty easy to suspend the disbelief. “Euphoria” is a rough time every time but it’s a show that is leaving its mark on modern TV and most likely will not be going away any time soon. “Euphoria” season two is fully available on HBO Max.

Opinion: Why you should be excited for “The Batman”

Arts & Entertainment

Warner Bros. Studios

Nolen Kelly, Editor

On a recent rewatch of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” I fell into a deep depression and found myself screaming in a hotel room, because while Ben Affleck was fine as the Batman, the writing for the rest of his movie is some real bad stank. With the upcoming release of Matt Reeves’ newest entry in the Bat Pantheon, “The Batman,” starring Robert Pattinson (“Twilight,” “The Lighthouse”) and Zoë Kravitz (“X-Men,” “Divergent”), it looks like something we have not seen before in a Batman movie. In terms of a character focus on the Dark Knight and a villain that feels eerily like Paul Dano (“There Will be Blood,” “Little Miss Sunshine”) as a real serial killer, “The Batman” is new and exciting and you should be excited that it’s here.

The last time there was an air-tight Batman movie was 2008’s “The Dark Knight,” which was a frantic story of chaos and pushing heroism to its limits. “The Dark Knight Rises” in 2012 was good, but had some unfortunate weak writing at points and a so-so ending. It has been 14 years since Batman was treated like a necessary protector of Gotham while also being shown as a fatally flawed human. Zack Snyder (“Watchmen,” “Justice League”) is not a very good character writer, in my opinion. He may have a good character or two in the majority of his movies, but none of them have good writing to back them up. The biggest intrigue of Batman is how he is still just a man — money and gadgets aside. Snyder kept all of those things in the background of his interpretation and it all felt lost, like this was not even really Batman. Batman has existed in movies since “Batman: The Movie” in 1966, and was first depicted as a serious character in “Batman” (1989), but a true representation of the flawed billionaire Bruce Wayne as the Batman has been missing for over a decade.

Director Matt Reeves has a small resume, but it consists of some notable movies. He directed the found monster footage classic “Cloverfield,” as well as “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” and “War for the Planet of the Apes” with a writing credit on the latter. If you haven’t seen those two then you should know that Matt Reeves is really good at making a movie with an abstractly quirky concept seem kind of like a nightmare. The two “Apes” movies are very good and when it was announced Reeves would be taking on the Bat in his next project, it made a lot of sense to me. I know not many know his name yet, but it is a name worth investing in. One of the first pieces of info released about the movie was the casting of Pattinson, and if you’ve been on the Robert revival train like I have, then this is a baller move.

Warner Bros. Studios

There’s not much need to dwell on “The Twilight Saga” Pattinson started his career with, because those jokes have already been made about the hilarious vampire parody series and now it’s time to finally begin to recognize Robby as the actual dark, brooding, Death-Grips-listening, fan-trolling, Adidas-track-suit-wearing acting chameleon he really is. “The Devil All the Time” showed he can pull off a predatorial southern preacher, “Tenet” proved Pattinson can more than handle himself in the up-its-own-a**-ness of a Christopher Nolan movie, “High Life” showed a soft and caring father of an infant facing impending doom in the form of a black hole and “Good Time” was a tense day in the life of Pattinson as a bank robber and it ruled. Ever since his big push, the B-tier Edward Cullen actor has been on a killer hot streak. Now is the time to invest in Pattinson as an actor. With “The Batman,” there could not have been a better actor working today that can bring each of their previous roles into a new role that also fits that personality better than Pattinson. But Pattinson isn’t even the only perfect fit in this movie. 

Dano, Kravitz and Jeffrey Wright (“Westworld,” “No Time to Die”) as The Riddler, Catwoman and Commissioner Gordon respectively are all flawless casting decisions. Dano is another wickedly talented chameleon who always delivers a top quality performance, especially in “Little Miss Sunshine” and “Prisoners.” Kravitz is another up and up talented actress that seems to be getting better in every role she takes on. See “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “X-Men: First Class.” Wright is Commissioner Gordon and, while his backlog may not all completely support this choice, it still makes sense. Wright is a soft spoken yet super dramatic actor who knows how to put himself in each role he is in, especially in “Casino Royale” and “Westworld.” From all of the trailers and character posters released so far, it looks like Dano’s iteration of Riddler is heavily inspired by The Zodiac Killer, David Fincher movies and the Riddler character from the “Arkham” video games. Talking in rhymes, threats against Batman but with actual weight to it, mysterious symbols and disturbing methods of torture all increase Paul Riddler’s chances of becoming one of the best comic villains portrayed in a live action movie. I didn’t even get to mention Colin Farrell (“In Bruges,” “The Lobster”) as The Penguin yet, that’s how incredible this cast is. 

Warner Bros. Studios

Somewhere someone who likes movies or comics might read all of this and still not be excited for this movie and that is kind of baffling. Are you still not convinced? Fine. Here are some actually awesome facts about “The Batman” that will hopefully make you a convert to the cause for the cowl. 

  • Reeves has stated the inspiration for this Batman is “1970s movies, 1980s comics and Kurt Cobain” of Nirvana. The first trailer released in 2020 featured Nirvana’s “Something in the Way” as the backing track. 
  • The movie follows Batman in his second year as a crime fighter, so this hopefully means we will be skipping an origin story. 
  • And, speaking of origin story, the bat symbol in his chest is made of the gun that Joe Chill used to shoot his parents, cut in half and shaped like a bat. 
  • In many scenes it is said they used the same technology “The Mandalorian” uses, a giant computerized screen with the backdrop rather than always using a green screen or digitized effects.
  • ”The Eternals” actor Barry Keoghan is rumored to have a spot in this movie as another villain. 
  • Alfred is played by Serkis, best known for playing Gollum in the “Lord of the Rings” movies and Emperor Snoke in “Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi,” which is a big freaking deal because Serkis is still really cool. 
  • The batmobile will be a muscle car with a big a** turbo engine on the back instead of a comically large tank and it is equally as cool as previous batmobiles. 
  • Farrell’s Penguin is inspired by Fredo Corleone from “The Godfather.” 
  • Composer Michael Giacchino has previously done scores for Jon Watts’ “Spider-Man” trilogy, “Up” and “Lost.”
Warner Bros. Studios

I am excited for this movie, and it seems there is a lot of excitement for it, but, in my humble eyes, it feels like it could be way bigger. I have Nirvana’s “In Utero” angel tattooed on my leg and I played and loved all of the “Arkham” games, yes, all of them. “The Dark Knight” is my favorite movie of all time and I wrote this article as a magnum donker of a love letter to a movie that has not been released yet. You clearly see my passion for this movie and I hope you find some excitement in you too. If this changed a few minds on how great this movie will be then I’m glad I did my job. If the movie bombs and is actually a mess (it won’t be) then you should never listen to me again. “The Batman” will be in theaters March 4.