NADJA

NELL. Jodie Foster transforms into Foster Gump for this ridiculous tale of a backwoods "wild child" who must face the inevitability of dealing with civilization. The movie is a showcase of Everything You Ever Wanted to See Foster Do But Couldn't Imagine She'd Ever Lower Herself To Do: run giggling through the forest, screech in spasmodic fear, cuddle up and coo next to Liam Neeson, dance jubilantly in circles with her shirt pulled up, and look in the mirror while voguing and talking like E.T. Luckily, when Foster isn't stretching credulity, she and costar Neeson actually manage to draw a few moving moments out of the self-important script.

Nick Of Time. Yes, it's 90 minutes of screen action shoe-horned into one 90-minute movie. The only other film I know of set in real time is the first half of Ingmar Bergman's 1962 Winter Light. Winter Light is the existential tale of a priest confronting his lack of faith. Nick Of Time is the thrill-packed story of a man forced to attempt a political assassination to ransom his kidnapped daughter. Winter Light observes subtle nuances between frustrated characters. Nick Of Time has Johnny Depp in it. Both movies have a lot of clocks. Which is the better film? You decide.

Nixon. Oliver Stone is obviously obsessed with the Vietnam era, and like most obsessed artists, his work is both fascinating and disgustingly self-absorbed--much like Richard Nixon himself. This dense, information-packed epic will be most rewarding to those already familiar with the facts; otherwise, the barrage of exposition can snow you under. It doesn't matter much if you miss some plot points though, since Nixon is more of a character study than a narrative. Luckily, Anthony Hopkins is just perfect--alternately charismatic and repulsive as our self-pitying, sweaty, 37th President. There are tons of nice little touches, like the glances the cabinet members give each other behind the President's back as he rants, the crisp period sets, and references to that great film about the corrosive effects of power, Citizen Kane. Also, there are tons of stupid touches, like gratuitous MTV-style effects and the sentimental revelation that even the Prince of Darkness was once a poor little boy. What's next Mr. Stone? A film called Ford?

NOBODY'S FOOL. Paul Newman plays a limping loser who comes to appreciate that his life as a misfit in a snow-caked northern town has not been in vain. Though the picture appears at first to be little more than a star vehicle for Newman's aging persona, the assortment of distinct, well-written supporting characters gives the story a low-key grace. Jessica Tandy shows us exactly why she will be missed, Bruce Willis and Melanie Griffith turn out uncharacteristically good performances, and the other players--who include an alcoholic lawyer with a detachable leg--ensure that the small town remains an interesting place to visit with or without Newman's charisma.

The Net. Once again, Sandra Bullock gives a top-notch performance as the accidental victim in a fast action thriller. This time she's on her own, as the introverted, computer program analyst who stumbles into the twisted world of cyberterrorism. Sci-fi fans and computer phobics alike will appreciate the implications of an Orwellian future in which our entire identities are stored on the Internet, where the war of the Information Age is waiting to break out. If you can willingly suspend your disbelief, this one will keep you frozen over your popcorn throughout.

Now and Then. This coming-of-age comedy about a tight-knit circle of friends in small-town America is hardly a female-version of Stand By Me, but it does succeed on its own cinema-lite level, thanks to fresh performances by young guns Gaby Hoffman, Thora Birch (My Girl), Ashleigh Aston Moore and Christina Ricci (Casper). Now and Then follows the nostalgic flashback formula, with a chain-smoking Demi Moore narrating as she hurtles down the highway toward a dreaded reunion in the master-planned suburban setting of her childhood. Thankfully, most of the film winds through the delightful and melodramatic summer of '69, sparing us the agony of watching too many scenes with Demi Moore and Melanie Griffith side by side. While at times Now and Then promisingly touches upon the social upheaval that lurks behind all those perfect suburban lawns and single-family homes, these themes are never developed. Rest assured, this sentimental journey comes with the requisite happy ending, tying up all loose ends with a big, pink bow.