ACK 038; FORTH

BATMANIA
Batman8217;s back. So is his deadliest enemy. The second instalment innbsp;Christopher Nolan8217;s contemporary bat-series, The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale as the caped crusader and the late Heath Ledger as The Joker below, opens worldwide this week and promises great action, stomach-crunching suspense and superior performances. This is the sixth modern Batman film; here8217;s the action so far.

1989: After the original 1966 bat-comedy starring Adam West, the screen saga of the comic-inspired nocturnal alter ego of Bruce Wayne was revived with Warner Brothers8217; Batman, directed by Tim Burton, starring Michael Keaton, Kim Basinger and Jack Nicholson as the unforgettable psychotic Joker.
1992: Burton8217;s follow-up was the darker sequel, Batman Returns, with Keaton as the shadowy superhero who must once again deliver Gotham City from the clutches of evil8212;this time the Penguin, inspired by Werner Krauss8217;snbsp;Dr Caligari and played to perfection by Danny DeVito. Michelle Pfeiffer was Catwoman, the love-hate interest.
1995: Joel Schumacher directed the next movie, Batman Forever. Van Kilmer played the winged saviour, rescuing the world8212;and Doctor Chase Meridian Nicole Kidman8212;from fantastic new villains Two-Face Tommy Lee Jones and The Riddler Jim Carrey. Chris O8217;Donnell was sidekick boy wonder Robin in this flick peppered with setpieces and little puzzles.
1997:nbsp;Packed with baddies, Batman 038; Robin starrednbsp;new bat George Clooney, besides muscleman Arnold Schwarzenegger as the cheesy Mr Freeze, Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy the kiss-of-death specialist, and Jeep Swenson as Bane the hulk. O8217;Donnell shared a bittersweet chemistry with the daredevil knight and Alicia Silverstone was Batgirl.
2005: Christopher Nolan gave the franchise a new lease of life and told the backstory in Batman Begins, tracing Batman8217;s vigilante origins to the death of the Waynes. Christian Bale took over as the ninja-trained superhero with an uber-cool Batmobile, and Cillian Murphy played the freaky Scarecrow in this epic flick also starring Liam Neeson, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman.

GREEN HORNS
Just when world leaders were discussing emission targets at the G8 Summit in Japan, WALL-E, a robot cleaning up an abandoned Earth, took the Pixar route to great applause. But it8217;s not the first green animation to hit the spot.

Princess Mononoke 1997
Hayao Miyazaki8217;s anime classic pits man against nature. A prince travels to a forest teeming with angry gods and friendly forest spirits to find a cure for his disease. He ends up mediating between an exploitative town with a thriving iron-works business and a brave wolf-girl, with whom he falls in love.

Happy Feet 2006
After Mumble the penguin is blamed for the depleting stock of fish in Antarctica8212;his tap-dancing is thought to have brought on their god8217;s wrath8212;he sets out in search of the truth, which lies at the human end of the eco-tether.

Over the Hedge 2006
Based on a comic strip, starring RJ the racoon, Verne the wise tortoise and his family of assorted animals, the movie has them foraging for snacks in a suburban house, where cruel traps and pest-control equipment await.

Open Season 2006
Abandoned in the forest with a clingy one-horned mule, a pet grizzly becomes the motivated leader of one wild rampaging bunch of animals when a bevy of hunters threatens their lives.

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The Ant Bully 2006
Lucas a.k.a. Peanut is one frustrated kid. When he floods the anthill in his lawn with a water gun, it8217;s instant karma and poof, he becomes ant-sized. Julia Roberts, Nicholas Cage and Meryl Streep lend their voices to this adaptation of a children8217;s book big on life8217;s lessons.

Bee Movie 2007
Barry the bee ventures into a farm where he finds his species slaving to produce honey for the humans. Assisted by his flower-seller-friend Vanessa, he wins a lawsuit, returning the honeyto the hives. But what about cross-pollination? Aha.
8211; V. Shoba