Linus Roache

As Great Britain's forces were stretched thin during World War II, Winston Churchill's Special Operations Executive began to enlist women as spies. Their daunting mission: conduct sabotage and build a resistance. Spymistress Vera Atkins, later the inspiration for Ian Fleming's Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond franchise, was the chief recruiter for this secret army. Atkins selected two unusual candidates: Virginia Hall, an American journalist from Baltimore with a wooden leg, and Noor Inayat Khan, a wireless officer of Indian descent and an avowed pacifist.

A pampered life in London collides with the stark realities of poverty and hunger in the world's most dangerous hot spots in Beyond Borders, a sweeping romantic adventure starring Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie (Lara Croft Tomb Raider). While attending a fundraising gala, Sarah Jordan (Jolie), a naive, married American socialite living in England, witnesses a fiery plea delivered by an intruder-a renegade humanitarian, Dr. Nick Callahan (Clive Owen, The Bourne Identity). His plea, made on behalf of impoverished African children under his care, turns Sarah's life upside down.

Batman Begins discards the previous four films in the series and recasts the Caped Crusader as a fearsome avenging angel. That's good news, because the series, which had gotten off to a rousing start under Tim Burton, had gradually dissolved into self-parody by 1997's Batman & Robin. As the title implies, Batman Begins tells the story anew, when Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) flees Western civilization following the murder of his parents.