MOVIES
Even if “The Queen” wasn’t one of the best movies of the year, Helen Mirren’s magnificently subtle performance would make the film worth seeing. There are actors and actresses who generate a basic, sympathetic humanity no matter how prickly the part they happen to be playing, and Mirren radiates that mood like a warm stove in winter. She makes Queen Elizabeth II seem smart, imperious, clueless, caring and oblivious, all at once. She’s sure to get an Oscar nomination, and the movie as a whole may have a good chance given its glowing national reviews. | Michael Booth
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Making her Denver debut in May 2005 with the Colorado Symphony, Olga Kern gained instant fans with an electrifying, sit-up-and-take-notice performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3. This week, the fast-rising co-winner of the 2001 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition returns for a solo recital. The program, which includes works by Rachmaninoff, Frederic Chopin and Franz Liszt, is set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Newman Center for the Performing Arts, 2344 E. Iliff Ave. 303-871-7720. | Kyle MacMillan
STAGE
By virtue of its ethereal ambiguity, Henry James’ creepy novella, “The Turn of the Screw,” packs a far greater chill than your typical Halloween – or Hollywood – fare. The 1872 tale of the young governess who sees apparitions while caring for two orphan children on an isolated English estate makes for that rare intellectual spook. Jeffrey Hatcher’s adaptation tightens the tale to its vital characters and essential pulse, distilling it to 90 minutes that grab you, demand your total focus, then release you – without your knowing you’ve been held. That’s for some. Others might find it as dry as the dry ice that simulates a foggy English lake. Presented by Modern Muse at the Bug Theatre, 3654 Navajo St. Final performances 7 p.m. today, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 7 p.m. Oct. 29. $15-$20 (303-780-7836 or modern musetheatre.com). | John Moore
TELEVISION
Forget “Sunday Night Football,” there’s a hit taking shape. NBC pushes its ratings-rich apocalyptic drama “Heroes” with a triple pump: three back-to-back hours tonight beginning at 7 to bring newcomers up to date and let fans study the comic-book mythology. | Joanne Ostrow
VISUAL ARTS
It’s possible that more people in the United States see the work of Jill Hadley Hooper than any other Denver artist. The 2006 winner of a silver medal from the Society of Illustration in New York City regularly creates images for The New York Times and such magazines as Harper’s and Time. Examples of new graphic works remain on view through Oct. 28 at the Ironton Gallery, 3636 Chestnut Place. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays. 303-296-5583 or irontonstudios.com. | Kyle MacMillan
POPULAR MUSIC
“Dusk and Summer,” the most recent offering from Florida’s Dashboard Confessional, is a departure from the band’s previous work. What sets it apart from earlier options, such as “A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar” or “The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most”: The band isn’t making music for teenagers anymore. That’s right, the pop-emo torchbearers are growing up – but so is their fanbase, who will no doubt be out en (singalong) masse on Tuesday at Magness Arena, where the band headlines. (Tickets, $27.50, are available via Ticketmaster.) But with these slightly more mature songs – and a new style of songwriting, to boot – fans must decide whether Dashboard singer Chris Carrabba has lost some of what made him so captivating in the first place. | Ricardo Baca
NIGHT LIFE
Every club and bar worth its margarita salt will be holding a Halloween night this weekend, but a few rise above the rest. If you can afford it, JFly’s “Invisible Jet” party at Jet Hotel looks to be the epicenter of cool on Saturday, with high-class Superman and Batman-themed rooms. Call 303-319-9127 for advance reservations (required). The Church will also hold its “Naughty Tricks and Sexy Treats” party, one of the city’s largest, on Friday. The best costume gets a $500 prize, while beats from Twenty40 whip the crowd into a makeup-smearing frenzy. www.coclubs.com. | John Wenzel
