visuals

ON THE SURFACE. A solo exhibition of paintings and drawings by artist Sue Williams, who joins the Department of Visual and Environmental Studies as a visiting faculty member during Spring 2003. Through April 13. Hours are Mondays through Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., and Sundays noon to 11:30 p.m. Free admission. Call (617) 495-3251 for more information. Lobby, Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St. (TIH)

STEVEN HOLL: LIGHT, MATERIAL AND DETAIL. The highly celebrated American architect enjoys a double exhibition across MIT’s campus. Works examined include the Helsinki Museum of Contemporary Art, Holl’s expansion to the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City and MIT’s very own Simmons Hall dormitory. Through April 16. Free. Hours: Mondays through Fridays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wolk Gallery, MIT School of Architecture and Planning. Mondays to Fridays 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m, Compton Gallery, MIT Museum. (RJK)

WEINBERG. The Adams Art Space features an exhibition of Matt Weinberg’s new work. Open viewing Friday, March 14. Includes a reception from 6-8 p.m., and also open to the public on Saturday, March 15 from 6-8 p.m. and Sunday, March 16 from 2-8 p.m. For more information, or for an appointment, contact weinberg@fas.harvard.edu.

THE COLOR YELLOW: BEAUFORD DELANEY. The exhibit, which is the first retrospective of an African-American artist at a Harvard University museum, is also Delaney’s first retrospective since he passed away in 1979. It features 26 highly textured, vibrant paintings by the underappreciated 20th-century African-American expatriate artist, most of which are dominated by warm, vivid shades of yellow See full story in the Feb. 28 Arts section. Through May 4. Hours: Mondays through Saturdays, 10 to 5 p.m.; Sundays 1 to 5 p.m. Free. Sert Gallery, Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St., (617) 495-9400. (CWP)

IMAGE AND EMPIRE: PICTURING INDIA DURING THE COLONIAL ERA. The exhibit features about 50 different works of art that capture different views of colonial India. The paintings, decorative objects, figurines, photographs and sketches not only document the colonial era (17th-20th centuries) in India, but also demonstrate the cross-pollination between British and Indian artistic traditions. See full story in the Feb. 7 Arts section. Through May 25. Hours: Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. $6.50, $5 students/seniors, free for Harvard ID holders, Cambridge Public Library card holders and to people under 18. Group rates available. Sackler Museum, 485 Broadway, (617) 495-9400 (CWP)

BUDDHIST ART: THE LATER TRADITION. This comprehensive exhibit at the Sackler of Buddhist art from China, Korea, Japan, Tibet and India spans more than a thousand years. Surveying the transmission of Buddhism throughout East Asia from the 10th through the 18th centuries, the exhibit feature 72 pieces, including scroll paintings, Buddhist “sutras” or sacred texts, Chinese censers and Tibetan bell handles. See full story in the Feb. 14 Arts section. Through Sept. 7. Hours: Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. $6.50, $5 students/seniors, free for Harvard ID holders, Cambridge Public Library card holders and to people under 18. Group rates available. Sackler Museum, 485 Broadway, (617) 495-9400. (CWP)

film

ALIAS BETTY. This psychological thriller directed by Claude Miller follows Betty Fisher (Sandrine Kiberlain) as she deals with the loss of a son and the strange adventures that ensue from her unbalanced mother’s (Mathilde Seigner) attempt to replace him with a kidnapped boy. Critics —Freudian and otherwise—have hailed the film, and Miller, Kiberlaine and Seigner have all earned awards for their work. Alias Betty screens Friday, March 14 through Sunday, March 16 at 5:15, 7:30 and 9:45 at the Brattle Theater. (LAA)

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 deliciously 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)

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. 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, backed by a triumvirate of A-list actresses (Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore). 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)