VIETNAMESE FILM SERIES. The Harvard Vietnamese Association, The Harvard Foundation and the Harvard International Relations Council present a screening of three documentaries by award-winning filmmaker Tran Van Thuy. The films are “The Story of Kindness” (1985), “The Sound of the Violin in My Lai” (1998) and “A Story From the Corner of a Park” (1996). Refreshments and discussion with the director to follow. Saturday, March 1 from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Fong Auditorium, Boylston Hall. (TIH)

CITIZEN KANE. Citizen Kane was an instant classic upon its 1941 release. The American Film Institute named it the best movie made—ever. Yet the film was an epic flop at the Academy Awards, converting just one of its nine nominations, taking the award for Best Original Screenplay. (WWII propaganda classic Mrs. Miniver swept the top prizes.) Citizen Kane, it seems, has gotten the last laugh. Secretary, take heart. Citizen Kane screens March 10 at 5, 7:30 and 10 p.m.

SECRETARY. The Brattle Theatre continues its ongoing series, “Not Nominated (By the Academy),”a selection of critically acclaimed movies that did not receive a nomination for next month’s Oscars. The Brattle’s next feature from the series, Secretary stars James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal and is a dark comedy about finding love through S & M. In considering possible reasons for Secretary’s Oscar snub, the Brattle asks the obvious: “Could it be the spanking?” Secretary screens March 12 at 5:30, 7:45 and 10 p.m. (NKB)

HARVARD SQUARE LOEWS

10 CHURCH ST., (617) 864-4580

ABOUT SCHMIDT. About Schmidt, in a bizarrely somber, comedic fashion, is possibly the most depressing film of Jack Nicholson’s long career. His performance as a retired insurance executive is a deeply complex and hilariously tragic portrayal of the most banal aspects of one man’s post-mid-life crisis. Director Alexander Payne, famous for his digressions on suburban angst in films such as Election and Citizen Ruth, keeps the tone light and the characters archetypally and delicously bizarre. About Schmidt screens at 12:15, 3:15, 7 and 10 p.m. (CJF)

ADAPTATION. At its core, Adaptation is an analysis of the intellectual diseases that plague every writer, from editorial pressure to sibling rivalry to unrequited love. But its narrative edges make it a unique experience. Nicolas Cage plays writer Charlie Kaufman (the real-life writer of the film), who becomes consumed by his assignment to adapt Susan Orlean’s meditative nonfiction novel The Orchid Thief and his own personal eccentricities. Like Kaufman and director Spike Jonze’s previous film Being John Malkovich, several plots overlap and intertwine with surprising at dramatic twists, creating a frustrating, complex film that is infinitely insightful and weirdly moving. Adaptation screens at 12:30, 3:30, 6:15 and 9:15 p.m. (CJF)

THE LIFE OF DAVID GALE. Kevin Spacey stars as Professor David Gale, an anti-death penalty crusader accused of murdering a fellow activist (Laura Linney) in this issue movie from Alan Parker (Angela’s Ashes). Once Gale reaches death row, he gives his side of the story to an ambitious reporter (Kate Winslet). The film’s trio of Oscar darlings and hot social topic should lend some class and relevance, respectively, to the reportedly twist-heavy story. The Life of David Gale screens at 12, 3, 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. (BJS)

CHICAGO. The potential revival of the Hollywood musical is upon us with Chicago—for better or worse. Ignoring its politicized ramifications as a genre revival, Chicago on its own is a pretty wild ride, showcasing once and for all that the new school of glitzy film stars can sing better than Jennifer Lopez. Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger, and especially John C. Reilly are surprisingly watchable in this furiously edited, expensive adaptation of the murderous Broadway classic. Die-hard Bob Fosse fans may leave screaming in disgust, but fortunately for the rest of us director Rob Marshall knows the difference between film and theater, and milks it with remarkable excess. Chicago screens at 1, 4, 7:30 and 10:10 p.m. (CJF)

THE HOURS. This adaptation of Michael Cunningham’s Pulitzer-winning novel is unapologetically Oscar bait, a solemn, century-spanning “what is life?” treatise backed by a triumvirate of A-list actresses (Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore) and directed by Billy Elliot vet Stephen Daldry. Yet for a film of its ostensible weight, The Hours certainly takes easy shots at its lead trio—three colossally boring straw women who rediscover their lost vitality in drearily obvious ways as the picture progresses. Perhaps The Hours’ greatest value rests in its side-by-side comparison of Moore, the greatest actress of her generation, and Streep, the most acclaimed actress of hers; when judged head-to-head, Moore ends up easily topping Streep, if for no other reason than that Streep persists in being an actress onscreen while Moore is content to be a person. The Hours screens at 12:45, 3:45, 6:45 and 9:45 p.m. (BJS)

KENDALL SQUARE CINEMA

ONE KENDALL SQ., (617) 494-9800

25TH HOUR. Spike Lee’s latest film isn’t much of a narrative departure from his previous efforts. Money and shattered dreams rule this story of drug dealer Monty Brogan’s (Edward Norton) last day of freedom before his seven-year jail sentence begins. The final act packs a phenomonal punch, but its dealer-with-a-heart-of-gold premise is predictable and derivative, typical of Lee’s long-time filmic obsession with the soft side of seemingly reprehensible humanity. 25th Hour screens at 4 and 9:10 p.m. (CJF)

ALL THE REAL GIRLS. In the age of Joe Millionaire and How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, being the recipient of the Sundance Film Festival’s Prize for Emotional Truth is at best a dubious honor. Audiences aren’t exactly storming multiplexes in search of the next great cinematic treatise on life and love. All the Real Girls isn’t going to alter the situation, a shame for both moviegoers and the film’s perpetually underappreciated stars. The mischievous Zooey Deschanel (Almost Famous, The Good Girl) finally gets a lead role, playing an 18-year-old poet whose cynical worldview is tempered as she discovers desire, love and sex, and Patricia Clarkson (Far from Heaven) once again finds unexpected depth in what could easily have been a one-dimensional role. All the Real Girls screens at 2:05, 4:45, 7:15 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 1:10 and 6:45 p.m. (CJF)