Movies
Can a career spent in words make up for one devastating utterance? Can art atone for disaster? Such are the quandaries in “Atonement,” Joe Wright’s elegant, elegiac film based on a novel by Ian McEwan. Thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis tells a lie that keeps her sister Cecilia and love Robbie Turner apart. While Briony’s ugly testimony sets their separation in motion, World War II makes it endless. Keira Knightley and James McAvoy are the thwarted beloveds. Impressive Saoirse Ronan is 13-year-old Briony. Romola Garai and Vanessa Redgrave play her as well. “Atonement” is being compared with “The English Patient.” And Anthony Minghella, the director of that Oscar- hoarding Brit love story also set during WWII, even has a cameo. Yet, for all its similar swoon, sweep and eros, “Atonement” is more subtle and achingly substantial. Lisa Kennedy
Stage
The tough-minded but good-hearted “Tiny Tim is Dead” is the best-performed play by Theatre Group in two years. Barbara LeBow’s play, developed in cooperation with Atlanta Day Shelter for Women, takes us under a bridge where five adults tell a mute boy their own tinged interpretation of “A Christmas Carol.” This isn’t typical holiday fare. It’s sad and inspiring and cautionary at once. There’s no attempt to idealize these characters or sanitize the factors that have brought them here. But it’s just as much about spiritual resurrection as Dickens. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays through Jan. 5 at Theatre Off Broadway, 1124 Santa Fe Drive. $12-$22 (2-for-1 Thursdays); 303-777-3292, . John Moore
Television
You can’t dispute the acting chops of Emmy winner Michael Imperioli (“The Sopranos”) and Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn, no matter how melodramatic the material. In “Mitch Albom’s For One More Day,” at 8 p.m. tonight on KMGH-Channel 7, an alcoholic, suicidal ballplayer has a life-altering encounter with his late mother. Chock full of life lessons and produced by Oprah Winfrey. Joanne Ostrow
Visual arts
Chase DeForest, is making her Denver debut with a must-see exhibition running through Saturday at the Ironton Gallery, 3636 Chestnut Place. The 30-something, who arrived three years ago, blurs the boundaries of sculpture and design, creating one- of-a-kind furniture that is superbly witty, clever and original. She is an all-too-rare commodity: a genuine talent and truly fresh voice. For this show, she created 12 pieces of furniture, all based in some way on a sport or recreational pursuit. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. Free. 303-297-8626 or . Kyle MacMillan
Classical music
Every year, the Boulder-based Ars Nova Singers take listeners far away from the typical, endlessly repeated Christmas music heard in malls and elsewhere. This season is no exception. The ensemble will present an unusual program that ranges from medieval English carols to joyous music by Renaissance masters Robert Parsons and William Byrd to a group of contemporary works. Concerts are set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday and 2:30 p.m. Dec. 16 in St. John’s Episcopal Church, 1419 Pine St., Boulder, and 7:30 p.m. Friday in St. Elizabeth’s Church on the Auraria campus. Tickets are $20, $16 seniors and $12 students. 303-499-3165 or . Advance purchase is recommended because these concerts tend to sell out. Kyle MacMillan
Popular music
Friday is one of those spectacular nights of music where the possibilities are almost endless. You can catch the longtime rocker pushing his new, well-recieved record (Marc Cohn), the British buzz band that is just starting to break on these shores (the Kooks). Other options include the local band with a freshly inked major label deal (Meese), and the indie powerhouse with a reputation as large as its noisy sound (Dinosaur Jr.). Cohn will play a sold-out Gothic; the Kooks will rock the Fox in Boulder; Meese headlines the Bluebird; And Dinosaur Jr. plays the Ogden. More info, depending on the show: ., ., . Ricardo Baca
Nightlife
You don’t have to be Jewish to appreciate a break from all the Christmas culture, but it doesn’t hurt when seeing a band called Good for the Jews. They’re not a comedy-rock act per se, but Rob Tannenbaum and David Fagen’s musical project takes pride in poking fun at Jewish life with clever harshness. The “Putting the Ha! In Hannukah” tour is sponsored by Heeb magazine, the irreverent tome for young Jewish hipsters (yes, that’s a real subset). If you like your music and culture with a heavy dose of irony, hit the Soiled Dove Underground on Saturday at 9 p.m. for the show. 7401 E. First Ave. $15-$22.50. 303-366-0007 or .
John Wenzel
