Batman Begins
This movie was good, surprisingly so. I haven't read any other reviewers, but they all probably peed their pants in their hurry to lick the boots of this movie. So it's better, then, that I went in with no expectations, because wading through all that bootlicking would probably have prejudiced me against Batman Begins. Which would have been too bad, because it was, in fact, quite worth the price of admission.

Among the things I appreciated most about Batman Begins was that it ponies up to one very important fact: the Batman is a fairly crazy man. Does Bruce Wayne dress up as Batman, or does the Batman dress up as Bruce Wayne? At the end of the movie, this won't really have been explored in any serious way, but at least it seems like the filmmakers are aware that this question is out there. Bruce comes off as more human than he has in any of the other Batman movies, which is a plus.

The film is not without its flaws, however. To be totally honest, about two thirds of the way through, I ended up losing interest. And the villains were just okay. Jack Nicholson made Batman. Nobody on the side of evil came even close to doing the same thing for Batman Begins. Sill, the first ninety or so minutes were well worth it.

A question I was left with as the credits rolled:

Did Katie Holmes get specific instructions to show off a pair of discernably erect nipples in 50 to 60 percent of her scenes? I don't know why, but the nipping out kind of puzzled me. Was it unavoidable for some reason? Was there a drastic underwear shortage on the set? Was it, on the other hand, a conscious choice? If so, why? Frankly, I just don't get it.

To be fair, I may be (and perhaps ought to be) taken to task for (1) over-reacting and (2) even noticing. But please, be understanding. The ticket I bought came with a free promotional booklet, which I read while my (man)date ate a brief dinner. Page 11 of said promo contained an interview of Tom Cruise's newest conquest, placed opposite a full page still featuring an unconscious (and apparently chilly) female lead. Can I really, then, be blamed for noticing? Probably.