Is The Batman the most grounded Batman movie ever made? And what does it say about a hero when his biggest enemy is inspired by him?

For this crossover episode of Film Nuts, I made the trip up to New York City to sit down in person with Angel Michelli, Jelani T. Kelly, and Evan Wessman of the INT. Analysis Podcast to talk about Matt Reeves’ The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson. I’ve known these guys for years through Discord and their podcast, but I was meeting two of them face to face for the first time, which made this one feel less like an interview and more like a bunch of film nerds finally hanging out.

I wanted to know what makes this version of Gotham feel so lived in, why the film plays Batman like a horror movie monster, and how it borrows from detective thrillers like Se7en and Zodiac. We talk about the Batmobile reveal, the bulletproof suit, and the Riddler scene that I think is the heart of the whole movie. Paul Dano is incredible in it, and the conversation about vengeance, trauma, and growing beyond your darkest period turned out to be my favorite part of the episode.

One of my guests also openly admits he doesn’t like Batman as a character, but loves the villains, the world, and this movie. I had to know why, and his answer made me rethink a few things.

Stay tuned for something I call "Name That Batman," where I read quotes and my guests try to guess which actor said them. It does not go perfectly, and I loved every second of it.

If you’ve ever argued about the best Batman, loved a hero in spite of yourself, or just wanted to hang out with a few film lovers for an hour, this one is for you.

References:

• John Wick | Respect the Henchmen
• The Batman: Multiply, Divide & Conquer/Strength in Numbers Leapster Playthrough
• THE BATMAN 2004 SERIES SEASON 1 INTRO HD
• Loonatics Unleashed - S01E01 - Loonatics On Ice Part 1/5
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003 intro 4k
• Batman Beyond Bruce forgives Terry
• Batman: The Complete Television Series | Trailer | Warner Bros. Entertainment
• Pennyworth – Official Trailer
• Best of Justice League S1 | Part 1 | DC
• Batman: The Animated Series | Remastered Opening Titles | Warner Bros. Entertainment
• Invincible - Omni-man destroys an ENTIRE planet (4K) - S1E02
• Superman vs. The Elite | End Fight Scene | ClipZone: Heroes & Villains
• Why Mulan Mattered
• Why Mass Effect Should Be the Next Game of Thrones Community Abed Batman Predictable but Appetizing
• The Green Knight | Official Trailer HD | A24
• The Penguin | Official Trailer | Max

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A six-hour Western sounds like a hard sell until you meet characters that feel more real than people you know. I sit down with filmmaker and author Rain Bennett to talk about Lonesome Dove, the classic 1989 miniseries based on Larry McMurtry’s novel, and why it keeps pulling him back every four or five years. The hook is not the cattle drive or the frontier spectacle. It’s the friendship, the humor, the ache of loyalty, and the way Augustus McCrae and Woodrow Call embody two clashing approaches to living.

Rain also shares what it meant to watch Lonesome Dove as “event viewing” with his family, then revisit it across different seasons of life. That leads us straight into the modern shift from communal watching to streaming alone and why the theatrical experience still matters. We dig into the idea that stories don’t just entertain us, they sync us up emotionally: laughter, tension, heartbreak, all felt together. If you miss talking about a show the next day at school or work, this conversation will hit home.

Along the way, we zoom out to the ongoing appeal of Westerns and westward expansion stories, including the uncomfortable realities behind Manifest Destiny and the myth of the cowboy as an American superhero. Rain connects all of this to his new book, The Chief Storytelling Officer, and explains why “storytelling” stops being a buzzword when it becomes a real commitment and a system across every touchpoint, especially for brands and small businesses trying to connect in a noisy world. If you care about character-driven storytelling, authenticity, and what great narratives can teach us about belonging, press play.

If you enjoy the show, subscribe, share it with a friend who loves great characters, and leave a review so more film lovers can find us.

Rain's Book: https://www.rainbennett.com/product-page/the-chief-storytelling-officer

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A lot of people call Supernatural a monster show. We don’t. For us, it’s a family story that just happens to involve demons, ghost hunts, and the occasional shotgun shell full of salt. Filmmaker Blake Kinsey joins us to unpack why Sam and Dean Winchester feel so real, and how a long-running series can turn into a shared language between siblings who are growing up and growing apart.

We talk about the early seasons, the comfort of a Monster of the Week structure, and the weird magic of early 2000s network TV on The CW: big character swings, occasional cornball dialogue, and enough time with the cast that you’ll follow them anywhere, even when the plot gets wacky. Blake also breaks down what Supernatural does incredibly well: beginnings, endings, and character introductions that still hit hard on a rewatch.

Then we shift from fandom to craft. Blake shares what inspired his YouTube web series 2020s, why micro-budget filmmaking works best as collaboration, and how not waiting for permission can be the difference between dreaming and finishing. If you care about Supernatural, horror as metaphor, family bonds in storytelling, or independent filmmaking, there’s a lot here to take with you.

Listen, share this with a fellow hunter, and leave us a review if you want more conversations about why we love what we watch.

Watch "Twenty Twenties": https://youtu.be/cOVdweqvGto?si=NgxZcsbajd91Ocb_

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