ANTWONE FISHER. Denzel Washington’s directorial debut recounts the life of its screenwriter and title character. Abused verbally by his foster mother and sexually by his foster father, Fisher later avoids dismissal from the military by agreeing to psychiatric counseling with Dr. Jerome Davenport (Washington), who helps him overcome his difficult past. If a side-plot involving a patient potential love interest (Joy Bryant) makes Antwone Fisher Good sound like Good Will Hunting, Washington’s film similarly benefits from strong acting and its hopeful depiction of a tormented youth on the verge of adulthood. Antwone Fisher screens at 1:40, 2:35, 4:20, 6:30, 7:05, 9:10 and 9:45 p.m. (NKB)

BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE. Michael Moore’s quintessential documentary on red-neck Americana and its political basis has turned more heads in curiosity than a gun show in Harvard Square would. Criticized for its self-indulgence and questionable objectivity, Bowling for Columbine is nonetheless a dazzling example of the power of politically charged cinema. Probably the most talked-about film of the year, Columbine effectively condenses nearly a decade of American history into a digestible, moving meditation on the sources of American gun violence. That’s no small feat. Bowling for Columbine screens at 1:20, 4:05, 7:10 and 9:50 p.m. (CJF)

FAR FROM HEAVEN. The most versatile actress currently making movies, Julianne Moore’s performance in Far from Heaven ranks among her very best. Her poised, compassionate 50s housewife, Cathy Whitaker, makes Donna Reed look like Medea—until she finds her husband making out with another man and herself falling in love with the African American gardener. As her reputation and family life shatter, Moore’s prim mother strains admirably and pathetically to keep herself going. Her character’s pristine married life behind her, the concluding expression on Moore’s face is as poignant and devastating as that of Meryl Streep’s suicide victim in Sophie’s Choice. Far from Heaven screens at 1:50, 4:15, 6:45 and 9:35 p.m. (NKB)

GANGS OF NEW YORK. In Gangs of New York, Leonardo Dicaprio solidifies his reputation as the savior of super-long historical epics that go tens of millions of dollars over-budget. In his first decent film since Titanic, Dicaprio plays Amsterdam Vallon, another troubled but determined young man struggling against deep social divisions. Last time he was trying to give Kate Winslet a reason to live; this time he wants to kill a guy nicknamed Bill the Butcher. Gangs of New York is as loaded with scenes of bloodshed as Titanic’s had cliches. Like his last memorable effort, and more than with most movies, Dicaprio’s new film is one whose extreme style is subject to personal taste. Gangs of New York screens at 1, 4:30 and 8 p.m. (NKB)

NICHOLAS NICKLEBY. Adapted from the Dickens novel, Nicholas Nickleby features a diverse cast that includes The Birdcage’s Nathan Lane and The Princess Diaries’ Anne Hathaway. In transferring to the screen the story of a fatherless young man seeking to reunite with his remaining family members, director Douglas McGrath trims subplots and peripheral characters. The result is a briskly paced film with a contagious enthusiasm for its subject. Nicholas Nickleby screens at 1:10, 4, 6:55 and 9:10 p.m. (NKB)

THE PIANIST. Adrien Brody’s magnetic, largely silent performance in Roman Polanski’s Holocaust drama almost compensates for The Pianist’s inconsistent tone and distasteful political sensibilities. Brody’s Wladek Szpilman, who could hardly have picked a worse time and place to be Jewish, transforms from cocky concert pianist to starving phantom hunted by Nazis after escaping death in the bombed-out ghetto. The film soars briefly as it reflects on the redemptive power of music and the Szpilman’s commitment to survival; it stumbles badly in its misleading depiction of universally heroic Poles and in its sympathy for an officer of Hitler’s vicious army to the east. The Pianist screens at 2:45, 6:10 and 9:20 p.m. (NKB)

RABBIT-PROOF FENCE. Those expecting an idyllic romp through the countryside had best look elswehere. This heart-jerker is based on the true story of three Australian aboriginal girls abducted from their homes in 1931 due to a government policy aiming to educate native children in white Australian culture. Portraying their escape from the training camp, the film follows the girls as they avoid professional trackers and attempt to find their way home using the country’s long rabbit fence. Director Phillip Noyce avoids painting the bureaucrat in charge of the program (Kenneth Branagh) as a one-dimensional villain, opting for a more sophisticated view of the racial superiority that is still found in Australia. Rabbit-Proof Fence screens at 2:05, 4:35, 6:50 and 9:05 p.m. (RJK)

TALK TO HER. With Golden Globes and the Oscars just around the corner, the only recognition that Pedro Almodovar’s pretentious Talk to Her deserves is as the year’s most overrated film. Though beautifully shot and populated with a set of unusually complicated characters, Talk to Her shamelessly and outrageously asks its audience to sympathize with a rapist. The film manages, paradoxically, to be both sloppily edited and deadeningly self-conscious. As it progresses, the audience is slowly but surely ushered into a stupor very closely resembling that of the coma victim at the story’s inane center. Talk to Her screens at 2:15, 4:45, 7:20 and 9:55 p.m. (NKB)

—Compiled by Nathan K. Burstein ’04, Clint J. Froehlich ’05, Tiffany I. Hsieh ’04, Ryan J. Kuo ’04, and Benjamin J. Soskin ’04.

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