Review: The Dark Knight is extraordinary, an amazing piece of filmmaking that rockets the Batman legacy to heights never imagined, fueled by Heath Ledger’s amazing re-invention of The Joker.

Story: After re-invigorating the Batman movie franchise by taking him back to his beginnings three years ago, director Christopher Nolan again tweaks the superhero movie genre and turns it on its ear with this riveting and brilliantly executed sequel. You could safely say this is The Godfather II of comic-book movies because at its dark heart it really plays like a crime movie, more L.A. Confidential than Iron Man. Joining a triumvirate to eviscerate crime in Gotham City, Batman (Christian Bale) teams with Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and crusading D.A. Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) to triumph over evil. But as a true anarchist, The Joker (Ledger) is unleashed by the mob and determined to cause holy bat terror for no apparent reason other than his own enjoyment. Right from the beginning, Batman and his colleagues realize they are not dealing with any rational criminal and must use all their ingenuity to combat him. The film explores the extreme damage one determined person can have on an entire society, an apt analogy to the real world where local terrorists can create havoc beyond human belief. Things also get complicated when a love triangle develops between Batman’s alter-ego Bruce Wayne, Harvey Dent (who truly has a dark side) and Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal).

Acting: Bale is back in a role that fits him like a glove – the perfect Batman and suave Bruce Wayne. Fans can also take comfort that Morgan Freeman, as scientist Lucius, and Michael Caine, as loyal butler Alfred, are both back along with Oldman whose role as Lt. Gordon has been considerably beefed up for the better. Eckhart’s complex turn as Dent is the most intriguing of all, as his eventual predicament sums up the film’s most salient point: There is a fine line between justice and revenge. Gyllenhaal does what she can to ratchet up Rachel (a role played originally by Katie Holmes) – Bruce Wayne’s true love, now romantically involved with Dent. But as good as this cast is – and it doesn’t get much better in the genre – The Dark Knight is Ledger’s film, a fitting finale for an all-too-short but enormously impressive career. The late actor took on the daunting task of filling Jack Nicholson’s shoes but makes his Joker one of the most memorable of all previous Batman baddies (and that includes Jack’s). It’s a fearless performance, bitingly alive and ironic – a clown on crack, as it were. This a movie villain that might even scare Hannibal Lecter. Ledger’s posthumous performance may be headed toward the bittersweet moment of a certain supporting Oscar nomination, if not the award itself.

Direction: Perhaps it’s the fact that Christopher Nolan got his feet wet directing small gems like Memento that The Dark Knight feels so intimate in its theme – even though the film itself is played on such a large scale. Nolan has created a dark, creepy Gotham City where anarchy reigns, justice is confused and the criminals and the crime fighters are seemingly interchangeable at times. Nolan’s boldest move has been to film six major action sequences in the IMAX format, giving this sequel a scope that few other movies out there have. He has also jettisoned the tired overuse of CGI trickery for good old-fashioned stunts – including a spectacular sequence in which a giant Big Rig is flipped, as well as numerous high-flying chases from Gotham to Hong Kong. There is also the addition of a new mode of transportation for Batman – the Batpod, a heavily armored two-wheeled all-purpose driving machine that makes the Batmobile look like a Honda. Ultimately though, Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with brother Jonathan Nolan, has more on his mind than mere gadgets and movie mayhem. The Dark Knight’s true power comes in the way this darkest of knights puts a mirror up to society and shows us we are all potentially on the eve of destruction – unless we summon the elusive will to stop it.

Bottom Line: Hollywood.com rated this film 4 stars.

Review: Mamma Mia!, what a movie! This winner takes it all – an absolutely hilarious, rousing and joyous celebration that ought to have you dancing in the aisles.

Story: Against all odds, a lightweight Broadway musical made up of ABBA songs and an innocuous storyline has become a worldwide phenomenon still running and selling out wherever it plays. Now it has been given the big-screen treatment, filmed on location in the Greek Isles. The story basically remains the same (and oddly similar to the 1969 Gina Lollobrigida comedy Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell) about a young girl, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), on the eve of her wedding. She has decided to find out who her real father is and so she invites all three of her mother Donna’s (Meryl Streep) ex-loves to the wedding. With the arrival of Sam (Pierce Brosnan), Bill (Stellan Skarsgard) and Harry (Colin Firth), all hell breaks loose as Donna must not only deal with the impending nuptials but also the re-emergence into her life of three very different – and now older former flames. Helping her through the ordeal are her two best friends, Rosie (Julie Walters) and the seductive Tanya (Christine Baranski). All this, of course, is just an excuse to break out into song every five minutes, with all of the major ABBA hits used to move the story along – or just stop it dead in its tracks. Either way, it’s a toe-tapping experience apart from every other film we’ve seen this summer.

Acting: With a cast not exactly known for their musical skills, this version of Mamma Mia! is indeed a roll of the dice which has paid great dividends, for the most part. With few exceptions (we’ll get to Pierce’s warbling in a moment), the entire cast shines and delivers – beginning with Streep, who is simply a force of nature. She’s sensational and can she ever sing! Her big 11-o’clock-number, “The Winner Takes It All,” which she belts out against the stunning scenery of Scopelos (where much of the movie was filmed) will remind you of Barbra Streisand’s triumphant anthem, “Don’t Rain On My Parade” from Funny Girl. Streep is the real deal – Hollywood’s real hidden singing and dancing queen. You just have to wonder why she hasn’t gotten more musical opportunities in film. Baranski and Walters are delightful sidekicks and each belt out their own numbers in style. Seyfried (HBO’s “Big Love”) is a great discovery, a charmer who keeps the film grounded and unveils a natural singing voice. As for the guys, both Skarsgard and Firth get through their limited vocals with seeming ease and have a great camaraderie, as does Brosnan – acting-wise at least. His musical numbers, while on key, exhibit a voice that probably isn’t going to top the charts anytime soon but you have to give him credit for swinging, er, singing for the fences. Despite his iffy pipes, he and Streep display such great chemistry, it would be nice to see them re-team somewhere down the line.

Direction: It’s not often Hollywood offers a Broadway show’s creative team the chance to repeat its stage success, but give credit to Universal for bringing in the original director Phyllida Lloyd, writer Catherine Johnson and producer Judy Craymer. Consider the fact they are all over 50 – just like three of their key female stars – and you have a situation in which youth-obsessed Hollywood has reversed course – all for the good. Although Mamma Mia! is not shot with the kind of razzamatazz style Rob Marshall (Chicago) might have brought, Lloyd’s feature film debut hits the mark with zeal, enthusiasm and the gift of fun. It’s a good-time movie with a refreshing lack of pretense, which makes it one of the most purely entertaining musical events ever to hit a motion picture screen. Lloyd has re-captured on film the unabashed joy of the theatrical experience and staged it in one of the most beautiful places on earth. If it’s a little disconcerting to see all these older stars belting out a Swedish pop group’s greatest hits, it’s also probably just what audiences living in these troubled times need. Our guess is you’ll want to line up and see it again the minute it ends.

Bottom Line: Hollywood.com rated this film 4 stars.