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.

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. 

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.”

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.

Nolen Kelly, Editor

Header Image: Glamour

Greetings, lovers and movie lovers. It’s Movie Season and Valentine’s Season. In previous editions of this column I used the convenience of the holiday to gauge your favorite movies of a specific genre or specific holiday-theme but this time I want to look at a specific emotion. I’m talking about love, and just in time for Valentine’s Day. To clarify, this is not specifically your favorite romance movie, this is movies about love. Whether that be the hilariously chaotic romances of “Crazy, Stupid, Love” and “Palm Springs,” the heartbreak and turmoils of “Blue Valentine” and “Marriage Story,” or the alluring sensual encounters like those of “Closer” and “Vicky Christine Barcelone.” Here are some picks that you gave, from my social media, of your favorite movies about love, but first:

Nolen’s Favorite: “Punch-Drunk Love” (2002)

In Sept. 2021 La Salle University hosted Adam Sandler (“Uncut Gems,” “Big Daddy”) for a week so he could shoot a new movie here on campus. To celebrate the Sandman’s birthday I watched “Punch-Drunk Love” for the first time and the world was a different place after that. Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (“There Will Be Blood,” “Boogie Nights”), the movie follows Sandler as a blue-suit wearing, toilet plunger business owner named Barry Eagen, who is crippled by his social anxieties surrounding love, himself and his family of seven sisters. Barry falls in love, but then also has to juggle dealing with a group of scammers trying to hurt him and his new girlfriend, Lena. Adamantium Sandworm brings a sad but lovable performance, Emily Watson (“Chernobyl,” “Corpse Bride”) is the perfect pick to ground Sandler and make us fall in love too, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman (“The Master,” “Magnolia”) gives another testament as to why he was one of the greatest of all time as the lead scammer. The performances are some of the strongest of anyone in this movie’s career. Despite the romance, this movie is tense as hell but funny as well, and the lighting is so bright if you watched at night you could lose your sight. Jon Brion’s score helps keep the tension and adds some personality to the movie especially with the inclusion of Shelley Duvall’s “He Needs Me” from the “Popeye” movie. Used in both a heartbreaking and a heartwarming context, the song is so perfectly used that anytime I hear it I bawl and crawl into a ball. The song’s inclusion works swimmingly alongside the chaos that ensues but backs up how Lena and Barry need each other in this hectic story of finding oneself through someone else. “Punch-Drunk Love” is on HBO Max and I can’t recommend it enough. A few of my other favorites include “Moonlight,” “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” “Blue Valentine,” “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and “Moonrise Kingdom.”

That’s enough about me. Let’s talk about you. You have good taste in movies and we should talk about it. Here are some of your favorites.

Sanera Powell, ‘22: “Hitch” (2005)

“One of my favorite movies about falling in love is ‘Hitch’ which stars Will Smith and Kevin James. I remember watching it as a kid and laughing so much and awwing at the romantic moments because it is such a cute movie with a great message. To me, it’s one of the best rom-coms because of how funny each character is. The movie shows how love can be funny, messy and complex. You don’t have to change yourself for someone to fall for you, you just need a push from a friend or love counselor to show them what they’re missing. Overall such a light-hearted and cute movie and a must-watch for anyone who loves rom-coms.”

Aidan Brandt, ‘25: “Frozen” (2013)

“‘Frozen’ is a great movie about love because it puts a twist on the classic ‘Prince Charming’ movie trope. The charming, handsome Prince Hans, who we are convinced will be the savior of our heroine, Anna, betrays her and leaves her to die. In the end, sisterly love saves the day when Anna’s love for her sister saves the kingdom and helps Elsa control her powers.”

Izzy Hill, ‘22: “Flipped” (2010)

“I don’t think ‘Flipped’ is as known as it should be. Directed by Rob Reiner, ‘Flipped’ is a perfect blend of budding romance and coming-of-age philosophies that I use in my own life. It follows and flips (no pun intended) back and forth between the two protagonists throughout their young life, maturing into their own and maturing in and out of infatuation with each other. It leaves you with an optimistic bliss and leaves you very content with an open-ended ending. From start to finish, Reiner really showcases the lives of these two kids, not only with their romance, but their own problems and struggles outside the relationship.” 

Gregory Shannon, ‘22: “Shark Tale” (2004)

“While normally people don’t look at ‘Shark Tales’ as a romance movie, the themes of it are very much there. The movie focuses heavily on the relationship between Oscar and Angie. No matter how many times Oscar messes up or how much money he gets, Angie still supports him through all of it. The movie teaches us that while money and fame can get you anything it doesn’t compare to having someone who loves you while you’re at your lowest. Moral of the story: find your day one.”

Other People’s Favorites:

With all of those to consider for your Valentine’s Day viewings here are a few favorites of the Collegian community. Fellow Joseph Gordon-Levitt enjoyer Aidan Degnan was broken after “(500) Days of Summer.” On opposite ends of the romantic timeline, Tori Sciarra stared at Ryan Gosling just like I did in “La La Land,” while Eric Valenti stared at Barbra Streisand just like I did in “The Way We Were.” The Collegian’s Managing Editor David O’Brien is not like the other dudes in the club since he chose David Lynch’s “Wild at Heart.” The other unique and different dude is the Collegian’s Sports Editor, Enrique Carrasco’s choice of “The Dark Knight Rises.” 

Big thank you to everyone who submitted a response and to those who shared their thoughts on their favorite movies about love. Have a happy Valentine’s Day if you celebrate it but if you don’t, happy Monday, Feb. 14.