BATMAN BEGINS Batman Begins is a gothic nightmare. With a view of Gotham that is every bit as bleak and dazzling as the urban panoramas presented in Tim Burton’s Batman and Blade Runner, this film makes it clear from the outset that wherever its flaws may lie, they will not be in the realm of visual presentation. Indeed, not only is Batman Begins a feast for the eyes, but it collides violently with another sense, utilizing a high decibel soundtrack to keep the energy level up. The only complaint I do have with this film is that some of the action sequences are hard to make out, however, director Christopher Nolan more than makes up for it by the time the credits roll. A new restart of the Batman franchise under the helm of Memento Director Chris Nolan and more in tone with the early Batman: Year One style comics... MORE HAUTE TENSION It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how this film is going to go down in the first five minutes. Two college girls at a secluded farmhouse to study for exams are stalked by a slasher! How original. Two worlds collide disastrously -- a rusted delivery van barrels through cornfields; meanwhile, Alex has brought her friend Marie to spend the weekend at her parents' country farmhouse to escape the hectic pace of Paris. Behind the van's wheel, the driver caresses ripped photos of young women; at the same time the girls get ready for bed dishing girly gossip. At the end of the road lies an isolated house, caught in the van's headlights; as the girls close their eyes, an intruder is about to turn their innocent dreams into a relentless and bloody nightmare. Sound familiar? MORE STAR WARS III - REVENGE OF THE SITH The most vexing aspect of George Lucas' task at creating a prequel trilogy to the beloved Star Wars films is that he's essentially telling a tale to which most of the target audience knows the ending. The trick, then, is to populate it with enough new characters (plus younger incarnations of known ones), worlds and storytelling bells and whistles to make it a worthwhile journey nonetheless. 1999's The Phantom Menace and 2002's Attack Of The Clones, the first two installments, each achieve these goals to a degree, though both (particularly the former) garnered wide criticism for pacing problems and unconvincing performances. Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith may not garner any Oscar nods in the acting department--well, except maybe for Ian McDiarmid, but more on that later--but Lucas has honed his storytelling lightsabre to the sublime... MORE PREVIOUS FEATURES - CURRENT FEATURES