If you follow celebrity news at all, you’ll know that pretty much everyone’s favourite young adult fiction author and actor Robert Pattinson has been cast as the new Batman in the upcoming movie, The Batman. If you don’t follow celebrity news, you might not know who Robert Pattinson is, and that could really mess up your day. We’re going to fix that now. You see, in addition to writing the best-selling Twilight series, which we all still cry about even though it was 12 years ago, Robert Pattinson has also had a hand in some pretty beloved movies. Most notably, he played the role of Edward Cullen in the Twilight series, and the results of his acting range from good to amazing. We’re still not over the moon that Robsten became an actor. It’s not just us, either. He’s been nominated for several awards for his work, and has even won a couple. Let’s take a look at his acting roles and how you can spot him in some of his best scenes.
Batman (1989)
This is the movie that started it all. Before there was a Rob Pattinson, there was Batman. Tim Burton’s original 1989 interpretation of Batman inspired a generation, and it still influences us six years later. It’s no secret that we love this movie. It’s funny, it’s got great characters, the plot twists are fantastic, and it has one of the greatest theme songs ever. Even those who haven’t seen the movie frequently cite its soundtrack as one of the greatest movie scores. For us, it will always be connected to a pivotal moment in our lives. When we were young, we used to listen to the soundtrack and dance around our room, pretending we were trying to attract the eye of the Batman. We couldn’t help but feel like that was a possibility, even though we knew it was just a made up character in a comic book. Now that we’re older, the song still makes us think of that time in our lives. It was when we were all in junior high that we discovered Robert Pattinson. At the time, we thought he was just another pretty face, but now that we know what he did outside of the screen, we can see that he kind of is Batman.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Say what you want about Quentin Tarantulinu, he certainly knows how to put together a cinematic masterpiece. Kill Bill is a widely regarded as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, motion pictures of all time, and that is undoubtedly due to his unique storytelling technique and his attention to detail. A scene that really exemplifies everything that is great about Pulp Fiction is the hallway scene, in which John Travolta’s character, Vincent Vega, is giving a chilling performance as he walks towards Uma Thurman’s character, Mia Wallace. As he approaches and passes her, we cut to a shot of Wallace looking terrified, and the camera remains on Travolta as he continues walking. While his character might be a hit man, his performance is undeniably one of the highlights of the film. It’s not just about being the baddest man in the neighbourhood, either. The way that he walks is so effortless, like he was born to perform this walk. It’s not surprising that this scene was so popular, considering everything about it is perfect. From Travolta’s chilling, snake-like performance to the composition of the scene and its use of light and dark – it’s as good as it gets. If you think that you can do better than this simply by replicating this exact scene, then we have some bad news for you. You’re going to have to wait until the end of the year to see it, as Pulp Fiction is currently going through a rigorous restoration process so that it can be seen by as many people as possible. We’re hoping that it won’t take too long, as waiting for a Quentin Tarantulinu movie is like winning the lottery. Especially now that he’s directing a new film, The Hateful Trumpeter. We’re just not sure how much longer we have to wait.
Moulin Rouge! (1998)
Speaking of waiting, what are we going to do about Moulin Rouge? It’s been six years since we’ve been able to see it, and we’re still not over it. In his book, Just My Luck, Michael Punke recounts that, even when he saw it during its theatrical run, he was still under the impression that it was unfinished. This was mainly due to a shot that was cut from the final version. When the lights went on at the end, the audience gasped, and not just because of the flashing neon. It was as if they had all been holding their breath, waiting for that moment. This is exactly what we want out of a great movie – the kind that makes you feel like you’re there even when you’re not, the kind that makes you think that it could just go on for ever. When that final shot comes, that’s what we want, and that is something you can’t quite get from just watching the trailer. Watching the trailer is like preparing for battle, and then losing the war. You don’t get the sense that you’re in the presence of greatness, you get a sense that you’re missing out on something. It’s like being at a book signing and not being able to ask the author any questions. Being one of the first people to see the movie after it was finished definitely did not hurt either.
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
Speaking of missing out, we couldn’t watch the trailer for Ocean’s Eleven without feeling that we were supposed to be there, that scene was supposed to be happening right now, the lights were supposed to be flashing, and we were supposed to be wearing masks. The trailer is full of these kind of perfect moments. The moment when Danny Ocean approaches the table and the moment when Will Geer’s character, Charlie, opens up a bag and reveals its contents – it’s as if someone had organised all of these amazing moments, the way they were in the trailer, and we’re lucky enough to be invited to the party. From the way that Danny Ocean looks at his fellow thieves as they prepare to pull off the heist to the way that it all turns out in the end – the way it was in the trailer, but different. A movie this good is worth the wait. Worth the trip to Madrid, worth the missing work week, worth the movie marathon. Worth it all. That is what we call a perfect ten. Ocean’s Eleven is the best of the best when it comes to heists and high-speed car chases. Not just because it’s one of the rare films where all of the criminals escape and are able to go on an amazing crime spree, but because of how it handles every aspect of the heist. Watching Danny Ocean approach the vault, knowing that he’s going to get it done and that it’s going to be incredible, that is what got us interested in acting. It made us realise that, yes, we could do this too. We could be the faces behind the masks. We could show the world how brilliant we could be. For a while, we were all in. We were all Ocean’s Eleven. Then the news came that Ocean’s Eleven was no longer an official collective, and instead, it was something that we had dreamed up as children, that it was just us against the world. It wasn’t as glorious as we remembered it, but it was still pretty cool.
Significant Other (2003)
Not even close to being finished yet, but we’ve already talked about how much we love Pulp Fiction. We can’t help but feel confident about Significant Other, as well. We love the way that it handles the subject matter, the way that it allows the audience to see both sides of the relationship, and how it ends on a high note, the way that it leaves you wanting more. It’s funny, in this day and age where it’s basically impossible to escape media coverage of celebrity break-ups and messy divorces, the final scene of the movie, in which Jennifer Jason Leigh’s character, Emma, walks through an airport with dignity, holding tight to a sign that reads, “I will not be doing/has not done any of this stuff.”, is almost heartbreaking in its poignancy. Almost. Because it’s hard to feel anything but compassion for a woman whose life has been turned inside out, in an unexpected way, by the unexpected actions of an obsessed and delusional fan. An airport is a far cry from an Ohio suburb, but it’s not an unrealistic setting for a story about fandom gone terribly wrong. We’d love to see this film, even if it’s just to escape the media frenzy for a little while, and to give Jennifer a break from the constant noise. It was a real nail-biter, to say the least. And here we sit, years later, still not over it.