"Hmong in Transition," a photo-text show by Sheila Pinkel, is based on 12 years of interviewing Hmong families in Thailand, Laos and the United States. (Mon. thru Fri., 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sun., 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Hampshire College Photography Gallery. Runs Oct. 5 thru 31. Free. Call 559-5447.)

SELECT FLICKS

Academy of Music Theater

(584-8435)

In the fictional "Ghost World," best friends and fellow misfits Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson unite against post-graduation suburban stupidity. Director Terry Zwigoff evokes the same mix of alienation and heartbreak that made "Crumb" one of the best documentaries of the '90s. This sleeper gives indie films a good name.

Cinemark at Hampshire Mall

(587-4233)

Psychiatrist Michael Douglas must interrogate a catatonic patient in order to save his kidnapped daughter in "Don't Say a Word."

"Hearts in Atlantis," based on Stephen King's novel and directed by Scott Hicks ("Shine"), follows the friendship between mystery man Anthony Hopkins and a young orphan.

"Rock Star," the musical equivalent of "Rocky," features winning performances by Mark Wahlberg as the "wannabe who got to be" and Jennifer Aniston as his girlfriend, but what should have been a lighter-than-air comic souffle eventually settles into heavy-handed show-biz schmaltz.

"Zoolander" is reviewed in this issue.

Pleasant Street Theater

(586-0925)

"Bread and Tulips," which takes place in the breathtaking venue of Venice, Italy, follows the life of disaffected housewife Rosalba (Licia Maglietta). When Rosalba gets separated from her family during a vacation, she takes advantage of her newfound freedom.

"Hedwig and the Angry Inch" makes the transition from stage (it was an off-Broadway sensation) to screen with aplomb. Hedwig, a German transvestite rock and roll singer, engages in gender warfare of the most bizarre sort when a botched sex change operation leaves him/her with a remaining "angry inch."

In "The Luzhin Defense," love and chess duke it out in 1920s Italy. John Turturro and Emily Watson star.

Tower Theatres

(533-3456)

"The Closet" is a French comedy about a meek accountant who pretends he is gay in order to save his job.

STAGE

"Unexpected Journeys: Plays by Women from Egypt, Turkey and the United States" is part of an ongoing project to collect work by women living in Muslim countries world-wide. UMass MFA candidate Lucinda Kidder directs. (Thurs., 7:30 p.m., Earle Recital Hall, Sage Hall at Smith College. Free. Call 585-3222.)

Bunraku puppet masters from Japan's centuries-old Tonda Traditional Puppet Theater will perform "Out of the Mist ... a Dragon." The puppets are three to four feet tall, and each is manipulated by three operators moving arms and fingers, legs, body, head, eyes, mouth and even eyebrows. (Tues., 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Bowker Auditorium at UMass. $5. Call 545-1980.)

Cliff Matias will perform Native American hoop dancing. The dance symbolizes that life is a continuous circle, where all we do comes back to us. (Tues., 7 p.m., Augusta Savage Gallery at UMass. Free. Call 545-5177.)

TALKS

Ian Hacking, professor of philosophy at University of Toronto, will lecture on "'True,' Values and the Sciences." (Thurs., 4:30 p.m., Cole Assembly Room. Free.)

John Muccigrosso '87, Professor of Classics at Drew University, will give an illustrated lecture on "Paestum." (Thurs., 4:30 p.m., Stirn Auditorium. Free.)

Anthropologist Jennifer Patico of New York University deliver a lecture titled "Cultured: Consumption and Gender in Post-Soviet Transformations." (Thurs., 7:30 p.m., Five-College Women's Studies Research Center at Mount Holyoke College. Free. Call 538-2527.

Bill Ayers, educator, activist and formerly on the FBI's Most Wanted list, will discuss his memoir of the 1960s, "Fugitive Days." (Fri., 5 p.m., Food for Thought Books. Free. Call 253-5432.)

TUNES

Boston Musica Viva will present a diverse program including the world premiere of "Of Time and the Seasons," by Pulitzer Prize winner (and Professor of Music) Lewis Spratlan. (Today, 8 p.m., Buckley Recital Hall. Free.)

World-renowned fortepianist Malcolm Bilson will perform a program of Beethoven, Mozart and Schubert. (Thurs.; 8 p.m.; Sweeney Concert Hall, Sage Hall at Smith College. $3 with student I.D. For reservations, call 585-ARTS.)

Folk artist Dar Williams will play for her rabid local following. Jeffrey Gaines will open. (Fri., 8 p.m., Calvin Theatre in Northampton. $17.50, 27.50 and $32.50. For reservations, call 586-8686.)

Local bands, including Flying Lessons, Traveling Matt and Transglobal, will perform in the Amherst Town Common, with donations to benefit relief organizations for victims of Sept. 11 attacks. (Sat., 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free.)

MISCELLANEOUS

"Der bewegte Mann" ("Maybe ... Maybe Not," 1996) is a gender-bending German comedy about a macho hipster who seeks refuge in the apartment of a gay man. (Thurs., 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Merrill 4. Free.)

A mathematical games night, including chess and poker, will be held in 208 Seeley Mudd. Come to play or observe. Refreshments will be provided. (Sun., 7 p.m. Free.)