In theaters

THE 2002 ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATED SHORTS.

If for some reason you never found time to jet to the recent film festivals at Cannes and Tribeca, not to worry. Waterville’s Railroad Square Cinema is having something of a mini film festival of its own, one that features 10 films, lasts a mere 140 minutes – and is not to be missed.

Starting tonight, “The 2002 Academy Award Nominated Shorts” will be shown at the Square, which isn’t just a great idea but also one of the best shows going.

According to Ken Eisen, co-director of the Square, the series is “a rare opportunity to see the best of the range of amazing work being done in the short film format, both animated and live action, that’s so frequently unjustly ignored in the hype over big-budget films. These films can be more entertaining minute-for-minute than any other films.”

He’s right. Running as brief as three minutes for the computer-animated stunner “50 Percent Grey,” in which a futuristic soldier plunges himself into heaven, purgatory and then hell, to 38 minutes for the Academy Award-winning “The Accountant,” in which a farmer and his brother receive some questionable advice from a questionable accountant, the series is for those seeking something outside the mainstream – which, in this case, turns out to be a fine place indeed.

In addition to “50 Percent Grey,” the four other films in the animated category are Ralph Eggleston’s Academy Award-winning “For the Birds,” which accompanied last year’s “Monsters, Inc.”; Cathal Gaffney’s and Darragh O’Connell’s clever Irish film, “Give Up Yer Aul Sins”; Joseph E. Meredith’s “Stubble Trouble”; and Cordell Barker’s hilarious “Strange Invaders,” in which a married couple unwittingly adopts an alien baby boy only to see their lives nearly destroyed by it.

Along with “The Accountant,” the five live-action films include Slawomir Fabicki’s and Bogumil Godfrejow’s haunting Polish film, “A Man Thing”; Kalman Apple’s and Shameela Bakhsh’s “Speed for Thespians,” in which three actors perform Chekov’s “The Bear” on a Manhattan bus; Virgil Widrich’s Austrian film “Copy Shop”; and Johannes Kiefer’s 11-minute German film, “Gregor’s Greatest Invention.”

All of the films are special, but a few are remarkable, particularly “Give Up Yer Aul Sins,” in which a rambling Dublin schoolgirl recounts her own funny, stuttering version of the story of John the Baptist, and “A Man Thing,” in which an abused 13-year-old Polish schoolboy bonds with a stray dog who will be put to death if it doesn’t eat.

The standout is “Gregor’s Greatest Invention,” which puts a lump in your throat before forcing it out with a laugh. The film follows one young man’s quest to find some way to help his ailing grandmother walk again. It’s one of the most touching, poetic and beautiful movies I’ve seen all year.

Grade: A

On video and DVD

LANTANA, directed by Ray Lawrence, written by Andrew Bovell, 120 minutes, rated R.

Mirroring last year’s best film, “In the Bedroom,” Ray Lawrence’s “Lantana” offers audiences a gripping, spot-on look at Hollywood’s most-overlooked demographic – middle-aged adults.

Based on screenwriter Andrew Bovell’s stage play, “Speaking in Tongues,” the film is a brooding domestic drama fueled with the engine of a thriller. With its lingering opening shot of an unidentifiable woman lying dead within the prickly branches of a lantana bush, one would think its focus would be solely on solving her death, but its real interest is in exploring the lives that collide because of it.

Set in Sydney, Australia, the film, told in flashback, stars Anthony LaPaglia as Leon Zat, a gruff, cranky police detective whose unfulfilling marriage to Sonja (Kerry Armstrong) has led him into the arms of Jane (Rachael Blake), a needy woman whose troubled marriage to Pete (Glenn Robbins) has ended in a bitter separation.

Sensing her own marriage is falling apart, Sonja makes an appointment to see Valerie (Barbara Hershey), a psychologist whose sexless marriage to John (Geoffrey Rush) hasn’t been the same since their 11-year-old daughter was murdered two years before.. Convinced John is having a homosexual affair with one of her clients, Valerie lives, like so many here, in a state of denial underscored by the fear of the truth – and the paralyzing idea that she’ll find herself alone in mid-life.

Deception and rage are companions here, but so are grief and guilt. There’s the chilling sense that despair has settled into everyone’s lives, with no one strong enough to pull themselves out.

As a mystery, “Lantana” is memorable. But as a study in human relationships and the human condition, it’s unforgettable.

Grade: A

Christopher Smith’s reviews appear Mondays and Fridays in Style, occasionally on E! Entertainment’s “E! News Weekend,” Tuesdays on “NEWS CENTER at 5” and Thursdays on “NEWS CENTER at 5:30” on WLBZ-2 and WCSH-6.

The Video/DVD Corner

Renting a video or a DVD? NEWS film critic Christopher Smith can help. Below are his grades of recent releases in video stores.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer?s

Stone ? B 3/4

Sidewalks of New York ? B-

Lantana ? A

Vanilla Sky ? B+

Corky Romano ? D-

From Hell ? C

The Others ? B+

Snow Dogs ? B-

Ocean?s Eleven ? B

Waking Life ? A

Ali ? B+

Not Another Teen Movie ? C-

Behind Enemy Lines ? C-

No Man?s Land ? A

Black Knight ? F

The Deep End ? A