Renegade Rip, issue 4, March 16, 2022

BC celebrates Women’s
History Month
Campus Page #5
“Shadow and Bone” is a
good adaptation
Opinion, Page #7
Vol. 98 ∙ No. 4 Wednesday, March 16, 2022 Bakersfield College
The Renegade Rip
HUGO MALDONADO GARCIA/THE RIP
BC COMMUNITY GATHERS TO CREATE MURAL FOR
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
The Renegade Rip @bc_rip @bc_rip Follow us online at www.therip.com

Page 2
News
The Renegade Rip www.therip.com
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
Earth’s cultural significance in
art and mythology explored
By Raul Padilla
Features Editor
BC’s Levan Center hosted
an event on the topic regarding
the Earth and how
it has impacted us culturally
both in art as well as in the
mythology that has been a
creative spark in media for
centuries. The event hosted
several speakers that each
gave a different perspective
on the topic, via Zoom webinar
on March 9.
The first speaker was Rae
Ann Kumelos began with
talking about how people’s
changing image of Earth has
been one of the most culturally
defining things across
history.
The most recent image was
By Alyssia Flores
Reporter
Reggie Williams, professor
of philosophy, Josh Ottum,
professor of commercial
music, and Kris Tiner, professor
of jazz put on their
second installment of “Deep
Cuts and Conversations” on
March 9 via Zoom.
The professors initially got
together three years ago with
the idea of playing a few
tunes and discussing them.
The participants were able
to pick the song or theme.
The song that one participant
picked during this
installment was called “Amsterdam
After Dark” by
George Coleman. The song
was released in 1979 and
starts with a piano and then a
tenor saxophone. The song’s
tempo was fast, and the tone
seemed relaxing.
While the song was playing
it felt like a good piece
of background music to be
played while working on
homework from various
classes since there were no
lyrics to it. After the song was
done, they talked about time
signature changes.
For those who do not know
waht time signature changes
are, it is specified as to
how many beats (pulses) are
contained in each measure
(bar) and which note value is
equivalent to a beat.
After the song was done,
the professors then talked
about musicians. One musician
they spoke about was
when humanity first took a
picture of Earth from space
from the Apollo-8 mission,
“This moment of a tranquil
planet in space gave such a
feeling of transcendence...
it was an awareness of also
what humankind was doing
to the Earth,” Kumelos explained.
Appreciation and understanding
of the Earth has
existed since ancient times,
and mythologies around its
meaning were important
in many cultures, with one
prevalent archetype being
how we’re all connected
through it.
Krista Moreland spoke
next, regarding the subject
of how each part of the
world sees the planet differently.
The first example given
was how each country in the
world sees the globe, as she
revealed that depending on
what part of the world you
are in, maps of the globe will
always be centered on the
country that made them.
From there, she spoke of
how different countries then
associate Earth with different
meanings, whether those are
unity, life, peace, or death,
“When we think about
Earth, we assign human intentions
and emotions to it,”
she explained.
The final speaker was
Nan Gomez-Heitzberg, who
spoke on the artistic influence
that Earth has throughout
history.
Daniel Johnson. They discussed
how he is one musician
that does not sing on key.
This was a particularly interesting
factoid because most
would assume musicians are
supposed to sing in key. They
also said that art comes from
limitations and ideas.
The professors’ second
song was “Arpeggios From
Hell” by Yngwie Malmsteen.
The song was released in
2010 and starts with drums
and then a bass guitar. The
song’s tempo was fast, and
the tone was intense.
While the song played
there was no personal connection
to be made, as heavy
metal music is not everyone’s
personal favorite type of music
and is more so a acquired
genre.
She spoke of how artistically,
it has been used as far back
as ancient cave paintings and
adobe buildings, how those
have influence reaching as
far as modern-day art, with
the most prominent example
being ceramic pottery.
Described as the art of the
Earth, it was originally linked
with ideas of survival, shaping
the earth itself to live and
has since been adapted into
an art form, speaking of various
artists and how they’ve
carried the artistic ideas
from generations ago alive
through their works.
“Deep Cuts and Conversations”
After the song was done,
the professors then talked
about how some music
doesn’t move certain kinds
of people. They also asked
of those who attended the
event, who didn’t feel moved
by the song and if it was because
of the speed or were
there other musicians that
are just as fast as “Arpeggios
From Hell” but that move
the attendants more.
One student asked if there
are certain songs that you
should be listening to. The
professors responded by saying
that there are two kinds
of music: the good kind,
and the bad kind, but this is
based on your preference of
what the good and bad kind
of music is.

Page 3
News
The Renegade Rip www.therip.com
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
A spotlight on Olivia Garcia
By Aubrianna Martinez
Senior Digital Editor
After being featured in local news for her work in the Kern
County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Bakersfield College
professor of history Olivia Garcia was approached to
speak at a bit more length about her work not only there, but
in the classroom.
Garcia explained her work in the local chapter’s Hispanic
Chamber of Commerce where she serves as a chairwoman
for its board of directors. She also noted the logistical problems
that she and her colleagues faced earlier during the pandemic,
“we did our best during this time to advocate and
support our business membership. We got heavily involved
in the Latino COVID-19 Task Force.”
Garcia continued to emphasize how they are continuing
to move forward as things appear to be returning more to
what was known as normal, “this year, we are finally moving
toward launching our events back up again—of course following
[…] social distancing rules, but we are excited about
it. Two of our big events are the Dia de Los Muertos cultural
event and the Latino Food Festival and Menudo Cook-Off
event,” she said.
The COVID-19 pandemic was an ordeal for everyone, and
students and staff alike at BC generally know the struggles
that their peers and colleagues faced. Yet even at its height
and now, Garcia maintained insistence on committing to her
work in the classroom, even when everyone was forced to
attend classes from home.
“I was determined to find ways to connect with my students
even in a virtual environment.” Garcia explained,
“thankfully, BC offers many online educational training
classes for faculty that proved helpful and I’m already such a
techie nerd that I just looked for
new ways to improve in a virtual
environment”
Garcia continued emphasizing
the impact BC has had on her
life. “I truly love my job and am
fortunate that I get to talk about
history with students every day.
It’s almost like a full circle for me
because I started my journey at
BC as a freshman many moons ago
PHOTO COURTESY OF
OLIVIA GARCIA
and met some amazing teachers and counselors, some who I
have kept in touch with today,” she said.
Garcia also expanded upon her earlier work, stating that
she formerly worked as a journalist. She stated that despite
deeply enjoying her work in journalism, that “being a history
professor is a greater gift because it allows me to educate and
inspire young minds who are creating their amazing journeys,”
she said.
When asked about what she hopes students—specifically
those who were enrolled in her class during the pandemic—take
from her classroom, Garcia answered, “I hope my
students take away a few things from my classes—for one,
an appreciation or love of history; two, critical thinking and
writing skills that they learn in my class; and three, that I truly
care about them and how they succeed in my class and beyond.
I have had a few inspiring teachers in my life, and my
goal has always been to be like them.”
Talk about benefits of college
By Anthony Vasquez
Reporter
Whether some claim that the point of
college is employment or an extension
of education, there are many factors to
consider when the point of going to college
is brought into question. The Renegade
Round Table, hosted by Reggie
Williams, along with other faculty, discussed
the subject through their webinar
event on March 2.
Through Zoom, Williams hosted
the event and brought in four other
faculty members, David Moton, Joe
Saldivar, Llamas F. Javier, and Savanna
Andreas-Jones. Williams mentioned
that his focus on bringing other faculty
members into the conversation is so
that there are different perspectives and
diverse opinions toward sociopolitical
issues that would be mentioned in the
conversation.
Moton began the conversation by
stating “I think the number one reason
everyone goes to college anymore is just
for employment.” He mentioned that
aside from employment, the other option
would be just for the idea of general
education, but he states that most
people generally dismiss that detail.
Jones pointed out that although
many believe that college is the path
to finding employment, she states that
not everyone has the opportunity to attend
college and because of that, “[he
thinks] that it creates a stigma towards
blue-collar jobs when they’re sometimes
more important in some cases
than white-collar jobs that colleges usually
cater to.”
Moton brought up that he had
found that there is a myth towards the
belief of people being able to end up
with a high paying job after graduating
college. He added into what Jones
claimed about people who do not go to
college, and stated that there are always
going to be opportunities for employment
and by 18 and 19 years old, you’re
“set up.”
Through the end of the conversation,
everyone mentioned that college
is a great way to obtain education and
find employment. There are several
complications to consider with how
people are able to attend college such
as financial issues.
The Renegade Round Table is set
to have another conversation online
around the month of April, just before
students go on Spring Break. It will include
the same panelists, but the topic
of the conversation will be different.

Page 4
Sportss
The Renegade Rip www.therip.com
BC loses intense game
Pitcher Tim Ruiz came in relief of LHP
Brock Barron during loss to LA Mission
by Justin White
Sports Editor
The Renegades lost their
March 12 game against LA Mission
20-14, as tensions were high
in a game that saw the umpires
issue a warning to both dugouts.
The Gades were teed off on
early in this one, giving up 6
runs in just the first inning. The
injury was met with equal insult
as the LA Mission bench made
some noise with every hit given
up, with jeers and taunts towards
BC pitcher Daniel Felix and the
Gades bench.
In the bottom of the first, when
BC second baseman Andrew
Townson sent an easily-catchable
ball over the centerfielder’s
head to score BC’s first run, the
BC bench exploded back with
an expletive-filled jeer of their
own directed towards the LA
Mission bench. With every run
they scored in the first, BC would
match LA Mission’s earlier verbal
assault with their own, and
made the score 6-4 heading into
the second inning.
The top of the 4th was disastrous
for BC in more ways than
one. After pitcher Brock Barron
allowed the bases to be loaded,
BC brought in right-handed
pitcher Tim Ruiz to try to prevent
some serious damage from
being done. He would give up a
sacrifice fly to make it 8-5, and
JUSTIN WHITE/THE RIP
then allowed a single which led
to a throwing error to make the
score 10-5.
A deep fly ball to centerfield
banged off the face of centerfielder
Jacob Baker, allowing a
runner to score and prompting
first base umpire Kevin Farr to
go out and check on Baker. An
LA Mission player on the bench
yelled “sniper!”, presumably in
jest of Baker, prompting home
plate umpire Dan Handy to have
a talk with the LA Mission head
coach.
After numerous errors and 11
runs allowed, BC was finally put
out of their misery with a popout
to shortstop, heading into the
bottom of the 4th down 18-5.
In the final three innings, BC
scored 7 runs in a valiant final
effort to comeback, but it came
up short, and the Renegades lost
the game with a football score of
20-14.
This was the last time that BC
had the chance to face LA Mission
this season. They were swept
in their 3-game series against
them. At home on March 15
the Renegades will begin a new
3-game series against Glendale,
which ends at Gerry Collis Field
on March 19.
For the full story, inlcuding
comments from head coach
Tim Painton, please visit
TheRip.com
National Sports
by Jacub Bill
Reporter
UPDATE: MLB and
MLBPA agreed to terms
on a new collective bargaining
agreement on
March 10. The following
article was written
before the deal was
reached. Details of the
new CBA include:
• Minimum salaries
beginning at
$700,000 in 2022.
• Luxury tax set at
$230M for 2022.
• $50M player pool
to award excelling
pre-arbitration
players.
• 12-team postseason.
• Universal desginated
hitter.
• Six team draft lottery
with hopes of
preventing “tanking”.
• Advertising with
patches on jerseys
and decals on helmets.
• International draft
could be implemented
as early as
2024.
The month of March
means one thing to
baseball fans all over the
country. It means that
spring training is here,
the month-long session
where today’s stars and
tomorrow’s greats practice
together, and gear
up for a grueling 162
game season.
The Lockout was
placed upon the league
due to the MLB Players
Association, and Team
Owners disagreeing on
multiple ideas like the
way the game is played
and financial issues. The
lockout has lasted well
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
MLB Lockout
Jacub Bill
over 100 days now. Two
weeks ago MLB commissioner
Rob Manfred
decided to cancel the
first week of the MLB
season which was scheduled
to start at the beginning
of April, and with
negotiations not being
very productive according
to multiple MLB
insiders the potential for
more games being canceled
grows more and
more every day.
MLB has already lost
the traditional opening
day, and the 75th anniversary
of Jackie Robinson
breaking baseball’s
color barrier celebration
could be next. The
Lockout began on Dec.
2 of last year, and the
week before saw a flurry
of free agents sign contracts
knowing that they
may not have the chance
anytime soon to sign a
major deal.
If the lockout ends
there are still major key
players on the market
like Clayton Kershaw,
Freddie Freeman, and
Carlos Correa who still
need to find a home
but have not been able
to just yet. Many other
questions still need to be
answered.

Page 5
Campus
The Renegade Rip www.therip.com
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
BCSGA creates mural to celebrate
International Women’s Day
By Nathaniel Simpson
Reporter
To commemorate International Women’s Day, the Bakersfield
College Student Government Association (BCS-
GA) has created a mural to be displayed on campus. The
mural, which depicts a silhouette of a woman with colorful
flowers on her head and the words “Let Equality Bloom”
written towards the bottom, will be portable so it can be displayed
on campus for many events, as well as the opportunity
for any BC department to borrow it for their own events.
When speaking to the BCSGA, the mural’s creation involved
the talents of local BC artist Shanara Cruz Wilson,
art professor Joseph Tipay, BC student Cameron Garcia,
and anyone else who came to support. The mural took five
days to complete, from start to finish.
On March 8, there was an event to celebrate International
Women’s Day, as well as the unveiling of this new mural.
Everyone who had a helping hand in creating the mural will
get the chance to sign the back of the piece, showing their
contribution. If you were unable to attend this event, the
mural will also be on display and incorporated into the 4th
annual Jess Nieto Conference on March 29, from 3 – 4 pm.
When asked what their favorite thing about the mural is,
the BCSGA president, Edith Mata, responded, saying that
her “favorite part (of) this mural will be produced with the
help and support of our bakersfield college community. It’s
very rewarding to organize and put up an event that everyone
feels welcome and called to participate, engage and feel
proud of.”
The BCSGA also said that “The mural is meant to
unite,uplift, inspire, engage, heal, unwind, and educate our
community. Through the pandemic, and the hard circumstances
we have been forced to face there has been much division,
separation and distance among our BC community.
However painting this mural as a community will be a step
in overcoming the aftermath of the pandemic. As we create
this mural we will ensure to follow the
Covid protocols set forth by KCCD.” For those who are
interested in seeing this mural, keep an eye out for it on
campus, as well as thinking about attending the event on
Mar. 29 to show support for our local BC artists.
“Linda & the Mockingbirds”
By Alyssia Flores
Reporter
Women’s History and More (W.H.A.M) put on a documentary
called “Linda & the Mockingbirds” on Thursday,
March 3 via Zoom. The documentary discussed the impact
of Mexican music and culture on Mexican-American culture.
The purpose of this event is to explore the different
ways women have overcome and ally themselves across intersectional
identities to achieve power for change. According
to dictionary.com, intersectional identities means “the
theory that the overlap of various social identities, as race,
gender, sexuality, and class, contributes to the specific type
of systemic oppression and discrimination experienced by
an individual.”
The documentary was 40 minutes long and talked about
Linda Ronstadt and learning about her family’s heritage
through music and dance. Ronstadt is a Mexican-American
singer who was very popular in the ’70s and ’80s and
also popular in the United States as well as in the Mexican-American
community. Ronstadt was born and raised
in Tucson, Arizona. In the documentary she talked about
what a special connection she had always felt with Mexico.
She continued about how she watched a group of kids
called Los Cenzontles dancing in San Francisco in 1993
down in the palace of Fine Arts.
Ronstadt went up to Eugene Rodriguez, who was in
charge of Los Cenzontles, and said they were good. Rodriguez
said that they were trying to raise money to take a
trip to Mexico so that the kids could learn what it is to be
Mexican. It was interesting to learn that the cowboys in the
old films were based on Mexican tradition.
The way this documentary tied into Women’s History
month is that they said that every Mexican-American girl
wanted to sing just like her and that her songs brought them
a lot of hope. Young Mexican-American girls had a role
model like her. Something that was interesting was the music.
The music that was in the documentary was upbeat and
meaningful. The music played throughout the documentary
was called “The Dreamer.” This one song touched upon
how a girl was in America for the first time and how she had
dreams, and she tried the best she could in a foreign place.
This can resonate with a lot of people because many people
immigrate to new places to get a better life.
A lot of people could get something out of the film as
they could see another perspective of what life is like for an
immigrant.

Page 6
Campus
The Renegade Rip www.therip.com
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
“Loss and Longing” essays
By Aubrianna Martinez
Senior Digital Editor
Author and professor Angela
Morales, writer of the
book made up of creative
nonfiction essays “The Girls
in my Town” spoke at the
webinar “Loss & Longing:
The Truth & Beauty of Latina
Lives” hosted by Bakersfield
College on March 10.
Morales read excerpts
from various chapters
of her book which she
refers to as “a collection
of personal essays,” as
well as touched on various
types of advice that
she gives to aspiring writers,
specifically for writing
personal nonfiction
essays that is the format
she uses for the writing
for her books.
Morales stated at the
start of the webinar that
she wrote on personal
topics such as exploring
the relationships she has
with individual members
of her family, re-evaluating
and working through
memories of her childhood,
and stories from
her home in San Gabriel.
One particularly haunting
and true story that Morales
referenced as having become
part of the local mythology
of the San Joaquin Valley
that she read excerpts from
was her essay recounting
the story of a teenage girl by
the name of Benita Ramos
who faked the kidnapping of
her young child and was revealed
to have committed infanticide.
Morales described
the initial reaction to the ruse
of the child’s kidnapping as
such, “the girl’s story sounds
plausible because terrible
things happen to children in
our town. Imagine a place of
planetary misalignment, a
celestial criss-cross of weird
energy. Imagine the Bermuda
Triangle on dry land. Our
town—home to the Pitchfork
Killer and the Yosemite
Killer—makes us believe
that anything is possible.”
The story of Ramos attempting
to kill her child in
the water fountain of Applegate
Park before leaving him
in the nearby creek where he
was later found dead referenced
Morales’ other topics
of interest, such as the frequency
of teenage pregnancy
and “culture of teenage
motherhood” that she noticed
in her hometown.
On the topic of teenage
motherhood in another essay
she read from, she continued,
“perhaps for some
humans, the young mother-model
works just fine. But
without the tribe, without the
rules, who will watch over
the girls in my town? The
girls who often need mothering
themselves? These girls
with their babies in their lowrent
apartments and their
boyfriends who sometimes
marry them—most do not.”
HUGO MALDONADO
GARCIA/THE RIP
After reading excerpts
from her creative nonfiction
essays, professor
and author Angela
Morales reviewed photos
from her childhood
that helped shed light
on the topics and relationships
she explored
throughout her writing.
This photograph
is from her parents’
appliance store in San
Gabriel which she
expanded upon during
her recolleciton of
various memories and
their appearance in
her essays.
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The Renegade Rip is produced by Bakersfield College
journalism classes and is circulated on Thursdays
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Colleges Media Association.
The Renegade Rip
EDITORIAL BOARD
Editor-in-Chief....Hugo Maldonado Garcia
Senior Digital Editor....Aubrianna Martinez
News Editor...........................Collin Acevedo
Features Editor.........................Raul Padilla
Sports Editor............................Justin White
Adviser.........................................Erin Auerbach
STAFF
Reporters/photographers:
Jacub Bill
Alyssia Flores
Nathaniel Simpson
Anthony Vasquez
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Page 7
By Justin White
Sports Editor
The newest intellectual property
by Japanese developer
FromSoftware, “Elden Ring” is
a brand new open-world fantasy
epic from the creators of the
ultra-challenging “Dark Souls”
trilogy.
I’d like to make something
clear; I have yet to complete the
game, and have played about
25 hours. This is a first impression,
not a complete review, and
these early opinions are subject
to change. The game was played
on a PlayStation 5 console.
“Elden Ring” shares many
characteristics with FromSoftware’s
previous creations, with
the biggest shared characteristic
being its difficulty. Like From-
Soft’s previous games, “Elden
Ring” is made for stubborn players
like myself who have a bad
habit of turning “just one more
try” into 100 more tries. And it is
incredibly addicting.
It’s hard but fair, with enemy
attacks being well designed, being
fast with hard-to-read telegraphs
that require the player’s
full attention, forcing the player
to study the way the enemy
moves to find the best opportunities
to punish mistakes, and this
makes every encounter incredibly
engaging and rewarding.
Boss encounters, like in previous
FromSoft games, are the
highlight, with incredible orchestral
music playing in the
background as the player fights a
foe that poses a great challenge,
with attacks that deal massive
damage, are difficult to avoid,
and look just as incredible and
cinematic as they are devastating,
truly making the boss fights
a spectacle to behold.
Straying away from the typical
pattern of previous games,
Opinion
The Renegade Rip www.therip.com
“Elden Ring” is a
masterpiece... so far
“Elden Ring” takes the openworld
route. The entire world is
open right at the beginning of
the game, free for the player to
explore at their own discretion.
This world is fierce however. It is
possible for the player to travel to
areas of the game that they will
be severely underprepared for.
However, the game makes this
obvious by somewhat guiding
the player in a direction they
“should” be going, with checkpoints
known as “Lost Graces”
serving as this game’s version of
the bonfire from “Dark Souls”.
Some of these Lost Graces emit
a trail of light which serve to lead
the player in the proper direction,
aiming to help them avoid
areas that they would otherwise
be unready for, though without
also halting the curious mind
from wandering off the path if
they so wish to do so.
This freedom also gives the
player a great sense of discovery,
as wandering about can allow
the player to discover ruins of
buildings, cities, and caves, some
of which also house more challenging
bosses.​
The world of “Elden Ring” is
massive, and also beautiful, with
incredibly detailed landscapes
and nature overtaking what were
once great kingdoms and powerful
cities. Massive vines and trees
grow over destroyed infrastructure
and animals roam freely,
making a world with dying civilizations
still seem alive and vibrant.
“Elden Ring’s” world is
one that will certainly hold the
player’s attention for months to
come.
With addicting and challenging
gameplay and a gorgeous
world to explore, “Elden Ring”
is looking to be an early favorite
for Game of the Year, as well as
perhaps the PlayStation 5’s best
game.
Adaptations
By Aubriana Martinez
Senior Digital Editor
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
“Shadow and Bone”
Netflix’s adaptation of
Leigh Bardugo’s young
adult series “Shadow
and Bone” proved to be
another successful adaptation
for the streaming
service pioneer, and the
announcement of the
second season should
surprise no one after the
series landed on Netflix’s
top ten streams and maintained
its popularity for its
first 12 days of being on
the platform, according to
Forbes.
The content and themes
of the Netflix adaptation
of “Shadow and Bone”
proved to be a fairly accurate
portrayal of the
events of the book, which
was surprising since the
first season was an amalgamation
of two different
novels, as mentioned
before. Besides the fairly
in-line adaptation, there is
one specific element that
was not included in the finale
of the first season of
“Shadow and Bone,” that
being the main character
Alina Starkov’s ruthlessness.
The end of the first
book ends with Alina using
the abilities she has
spent the second act of the
novel learning and honing,
demonstrating that
she is quite powerful in
her own way and will be a
formidable enemy for the
antagonist for the second
novel in the series. This
ruthlessness made for an
interesting character trait
as it was an aspect of her
character’s foil and antagonist
that drew many fans
to the books and show
alike.
Aubriana Martinez
While the show’s season
one finale does go to
great lengths to demonstrate
what she is capable
of, it pulls its punch by
changing the ending–even
as slightly as it did. It will
naturally alter the Alina
that appears in the show’s
second season, as well as
likely her character arc–
though this could be for
the better, as many fans
of the books still debate
whether her ending is a
fitting one for her character
Ṫhe phenomena of Alina’s
arc could be likened
to what Marvel fans speculate
is also taking place
in the Marvel Cinematic
Universe with Wanda
Maximoff, as these women
struggle with their relationship
to the unique
power that only they can
wield. While more media
projects are choosing to
write complex, morally
gray women characters,
while their adaptations
are not willing to commit
to showing these truly
complicated characters,
audiences are prompted
to question the point of
shying away from choosing
to show these intriguing
stories.

Page 8
Opinions
The Renegade Rip www.therip.com
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
“The Batman” is
beautifully dark
and mysterious
By Collin Acevedo
New Editor
2022’s “The Batman” gives a
new representation of Batman;
with its multi-star cast and astonishing
camera work, it presents the
world’s greatest detective in immaculate
form. Co-written and directed
by Matt Reeves, he offers a
new interpretation of Batman in a
slick, dark noir reboot of the character
released March 4.
With Robert Pattinson standing
as the new caped crusader, he takes
the position in stride, being a more
distinct character instead of the
usual playboy that Bruce Wayne
is. In Reeves’ film, he holds a quiet
and strange persona, committed to
Batman’s life, as his alter ego Bruce
Wayne isn’t seen in public; as he
lurks in the shadows under Alfred’s
(Andy Serkis) guidance, playing a
father-son duo.
The all-star cast, which helps illuminate
the movie throughout,
brings subtle ripples into the film,
with Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz)
playing a great supporting character
and love interest. At the same
time, Penguin (Colin Farell) is a foul
enough opponent to go toe to toe
with Batman, but Farell still doesn’t
stand close to the main villain Paul
Dano’s the Riddler. Taking inspiration
from the zodiac killings while
also presenting haunting psychological
themes, he is horrifying,
sadistic, and intricate. Giving each
scene just the right amount of care
shows how this ensemble’s cultivation
has created one of the best
films of 2022.
Taking a year two Batman and
diving into the heart of Gotham,
“The Batman” is beautifully dark
and mysterious, bringing the
world’s greatest detective theme to
the heart. Reeves’ direction and the
cinematography of Greig Fraser
give a beautiful and damning Batman
with its dark palette and connections
with the characters setting
up more to come but leaves you
equally satisfied with what you got.
Going by too quick and not fast
enough, with subtle hints which tie
the story along as it goes, “The Batman”
gives the viewer what they
want.
It’s all layered out to be enjoyable
from fighting gangs, car chases, detective
work, and the long moments
of silence as Batman works to solve
the Riddler has put into action.
With action and energy that cultivates
you from the beginning with
Pattinson giving an overdubbed
monologue, showing how he’s
the fear surrounding Gotham. It’s
beautifully crafted and presented as
a stand-alone film not interacting
with the DC Extended Universe
(DCEU).
PHOTOCREDIT: GOOGLE IMAGES
Renegade Events
Campus Events
March 17: Alliance & Power in a Time of
Adversity, a Panel Discussion via Zoom from
6:30 pm to 8:00 pm
March 22: Latinas in Business Leadership,
a panel discussion via Zoom from 6:00 pm to
7:30 pm
March 24: Opening Reception for the BC
Art Student Show (Runs through May 5)
March 24: Distinguished speaker Etika
Sanchez via Zoom from 10:00 am to 11:00 am
March 27: Bakersfield Youth Symphony
Orchestra at the Edward Simonsen Outdoor
theatre at 4 p.m.
March 29-31: 4th annual Jes Nieto Memorial
Conference (see BC website for event times)
April 7: KMCEA Jazz Day at the Edwards
Simonsen Performing Arts Center from 8 a.m.
to 4 p.m.
April 7: Should we educate for liberty or liberation?
Renegade Institute of Liberty at BC
(Zoom Webinar) 6 p.m.
April 22: Spring Choral Concert at the Edwards
Simonsen Indorr Theatre at 7:30 pm.
April 25: Jazz Ensemble Spring Concert at
the Edward Simonsen Indoor Theatre at 7:30
p.m.
April 28: Concert Band Spring Concert at
the Edward Simonsen Indoor Theatre at 6:30
p.m.
April 28- May 1: Spring Play #2 (Title
TBA).
May 4: Performing Arts Combined Concert
at Edward Simonsen Outdoor Theatre at 7:00
p.m.
May 11: BC/CSUB Orchestra Concert at
CSUB Dore Thatre at 7:30 p.m.