The Augusta Savage Gallery presents "Dreaming, Prophesies, Speculations and Good Guesses," featuring artwork from people of various ages and backgrounds. Each piece of art reflects a prediction of society's future. (New Africa House at UMass; Mon., Feb. 12 to March 9. Hours are Mon. and Tues. 1 to 7 p.m., Wed. to Fri. 1 to 5 p.m. Call 545-5177.)

FLICKS

AMC Mountain Farms 4

(584-9153)

"The Emperor's New Groove," Disney's latest animated film, is a refreshing change of pace with edgy jokes and almost no songs.

Director Gus Van Sant lamely re-makes his own "Good Will Hunting" in "Finding Forrester."

Art restorer Monica Potter is "Head over Heels" for neighbor Freddie Prinze, Jr.-even after she discovers that he may be a murderer.

Jack Nicholson plays a retired cop obsessed with an old case in Sean Penn's "The Pledge."

"State and Main" describes the chaos wreaked on a small town by a Hollywood crew led by Philip Seymour Hoffman.

"Sugar and Spice" is a lighthearted comedy about bankrobbing cheerleaders starring Mena Suvari ("American Beauty").

Cinemark at Hampshire Mall

(587-4233)

Tom Hanks gets down and dirty with a volleyball in "Cast Away."

'Chocolat' is a by-the-numbers feel-good pseudo-art film from Miramax, but what the heck-the chocolates look delicious, as does luminous leading lady Juliette Binoche.

Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun-Fat kick major ass as wushu warriors-in-love in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," but the central plot involving spoiled protege Zhang Ziyi lacks urgency. In Chinese with English subtitles.

"The Gift" stars Cate Blanchett as a clairvoyant. Keanu Reeves, as an abusive husband, plays his second psycho of the year (see "The Watcher"-or don't; it sucks). Katie Holmes gets kidnapped.

Petty thief George Clooney flees from the law with two other inmates in the period comedy (and loose Odyssey re-telling) "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"

Sandra "Never Made a Decent Movie Except for 'Speed'" Bullock is "Miss Congeniality," an FBI agent going undercover at a beauty pageant. Benjamin Bratt ("Law & Order") co-stars as a fellow agent and love interest.

Ballerina Julia Stiles ("10 Things I Hate About You") asks hip-hopper Sean Patrick Thomas to "Save the Last Dance." Call it "Dirty Dancing" for Generation Y.

In "Shadow of the Vampire," a fantasy based on the making of "Nosferatu," director John Malkovich gets more than he bargained for when he hires a real bloodsucker (Willem Dafoe, in heavy makeup) for his new production.

"Snatch," Guy "Mr. Madonna" Ritchie's more-of-the-same follow-up to the guns-and-accents comedy "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels," features flashy camera work and a hilarious Brad Pitt as a gypsy boxer.

"Thirteen Days," a dramatization of the Cuban missile crisis featuring Bruce Greenwood as JFK, is a real nail-biter, despite a probable distortion of the role played by Kennedy aide Kenny O'Donnell (Kevin Costner).

Director Steven Soderbergh masterfully documents the "Traffic" of drugs in America in this powerfully bleak ensemble film starring Michael Douglas and Benicio Del Toro.

In Jamie Blanks' "Valentine," a former nerd has his murderous revenge on the college co-eds who dissed him. What do you expect from the guy who directed "Urban Legend?"

"The Wedding Planner" is reviewed in this issue.

Pleasant Street Theatre

(586-0935)

The remarkable Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo star as sister and brother in Ken Lonergan's funny and wrenching drama "You Can Count On Me."

STAGE

The Smith College Dance Department presents "The Next Stage," a compilation of four different performances with a variety of dance techniques. (Theater 14 at the Mendenhall Center at UMass; Thurs. to Sat. at 8 p.m. $5 for students, call 585-ARTS.)

The Amherst College Theater and Dance Department's production of Moliere's "The Doctor in Spite of Himself" is previewed in this issue. (Experimental Theater; Feb. 13 thru 18, 8 p.m. Free.)

TALKS

Peter Tolan, a producer, writer and actor, will discuss his career and life experiences. A former UMass student, Tolan has won numerous awards for his work on "The Larry Sanders Show." He is now working on an upcoming ABC show, "The Job." (Curtain Theater, Fine Arts Center at UMass; Fri. at 10:30 a.m. Call 545-3671.)

Nina Jaffe and Amherst College Dean Onawumi Jean Moss will tell stories in celebration of Black History Month. (National Yiddish Book Center; 1021 West Street, Amherst. Sun. at 2 p.m. Call 256-4900 ext. 116.)

Ann Jones will discuss and sign her book, "Looking for Lovedu: Days and Nights in Africa," a recording of her trip through Africa in search of a legendary tribe called Lovedu. (The Odyssey Bookshop, 9 College Street, South Hadley; Fri. at 7 p.m. Call 534-7307 for more info.)

TUNES

The London City Opera will perform Bizet's opera, "Carmen," a story about a man and his tumultuous relationship with a gypsy named Carmen, who betrays him. (UMass Fine Arts Center Concert Hall; Sun., Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for students. Call 545-2511 for more info.)

The 3rd annual Graduate Composers Concert will feature new compositions by graduate jazz majors and undergraduate composers performed by the UMass Jazz Collective Orchestra. (Benzanson Recital Hall at UMass; Tues., Feb. 13 at 8 p.m. $4 for students. Call 545-2227 for more info.)

Violinist Susan Conger will perform at the Pioneer Valley Folklore Society's Song and Story Swap, which encourages audience participation through singing and storytelling. (The Black Sheep Cafe, 79 Main Street, Amherst. Fri. at 7:30 p.m.. Call 253-9484 for more info).

The Smith College Music Department and the Kahn Liberal Arts Institute present "Music from the Ashes of the Holocaust," featuring Smith's Lori Wallfisch and the London Chamber Players' Adrian Sunshine on piano. (Sweeney Concert Hall at Smith; Fri. at 4:30 p.m. Call 585-ARTS for more info.)