"The Myth and Madness of Ophelia" is a collection of over 60 representations of Shakespeare's Ophelia through various media, such as paintings, photographs, prints and movies. (Opens Fri. and runs until Dec. 16, Mead Art Museum. Opening lecture on Fri. at 4:30 p.m. in Stirn Auditorium. Free.)

SELECT FLICKS

Academy of Music Theater

(584-8435)

Mickey Rooney's appallingly racist portrayal of a Japanese man aside, "Breakfast at Tiffany's" is pure Audrey Hepburn magic. And yes, George Pepard is Hannibal from "The A-Team."

The classic "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" waxes sublime on killer bunnies and dismemberment.

Cinemark at Hampshire Mall

(587-4233)

"Corky Romano" (Chris Kattan) is a veterinarian who impersonates an FBI agent to save his mobster father.

"From Hell" is reviewed in this issue.

In "Joy Ride," Steve Zahn and Paul Walker flee a deranged trucker. Leave it to stylish auteur John Dahl ("The Last Seduction") to elevate this pulp premise to gripping cinema.

General-turned-convict Robert Redford and warden James Gandolfini vie for control of "The Last Castle" in this prison drama.

Drew Barrymore plays a teen whose future plans are derailed by pregnancy in "Riding Cars With Boys."

"Serendipity" tries for romance a la "When Harry Met Sally ..." but is undermined by script cliches and lackluster performances by leads John Cusack and Kate Beckinsdale.

Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke play good cop/bad cop in Antoine Fuqua's electrifying "Training Day." The two leads have never been better, and the streets of L.A. have never looked tougher.

Ben Stiller shines as writer-director-star of the silly yet undeniably hilarious "Zoolander," based on his vapid male model persona from the 1996 VH1 fashion awards. Christine Taylor (Mrs. Ben Stiller) co-stars.

Pleasant Street Theater

(586-0925)

"A Love Divided" charts the troubled marriage of a Protestant woman and Catholic man in 1950s Ireland.

"Mulholland Drive" is reviewed in this issue.

STAGE

The Mount Holyoke theater department presents "Night of the Iguana," written by Tennessee Williams and directed by Joyce Devlin. (Thurs. to Sat. at 8 p.m. and Sun. at 2 p.m., Rooke Theater at Mount Holyoke. $3. To order tickets, call 538-2406 between 3 and 6 p.m.)

The UMass department of theater and the Cold War Theater Project will present an open rehearsal of an adaptation of Gogol's "Diary of a Madman." The reading will involve audience discussion and feedback in order to shape the half-finished project. (Tues., 7:30 p.m., Mendenhall Center at Smith College. Free. Call 545-6808.)

TALKS

Janet Richards will give a talk titled "Deciphering the Dead: The Old Kingdom Cemetery at Abydos, Egypt." Richards is an Assistant Professor of Egyptology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. (Thurs., 4 p.m., Dwight 101 at Mount Holyoke. Free. Call 538-2455.)

William J. Mann will read from his book "Behind the Screen: How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood 1910-1969." He will also answer questions after the reading. (Thurs., 7 p.m., Food for Thought Books on N. Pleasant St. Free. Call 253-5432.)

Amherst faculty members, Professors David Blight, Eddie Glaude, Jr. and Dale Peterson, will participate in a two-day colloquium entitled "Race, Religion and Nationalism: Three Books." Guest professors from other universities will also speak. (Fri., 3:45 p.m. and Sat, 9:30 a.m., Cole Assembly Room in Converse Hall. Free.)

TUNES

The Amati Quartet, a Swiss string quartet, will play Schubert's "Quartettsatz," Janacek's "Intimate Letters" and a portion of Dvorak's "American Quartet." (Fri., 8 p.m., Buckley Recital Hall. $5. Call 542-2195 for reservations.)

"Voices of Africa," an internationally acclaimed African-American female ensemble, will sing accompanied by traditional West African instruments. (Sat., 8 p.m., Buckley Recital Hall. Free.)

Colorado-based quintet String Cheese Incident mixes roots music, mountain bluegrass and Afro-pop rhythms. The replacement fix for former Phish-heads. (Fri., 7 p.m., Mullins Center at UMass. $27.50. Call 545-0505 for tickets.)

MISCELLANEOUS

The Ann Arbor Film Festival, a six-hour program presented in two parts, will feature a selection of new short films and videos by both returning and new artists. (Thurs. and Fri. at 7:30 p.m., Stirn Auditorium. Free.)

The 2nd Annual Five-College Chess Championships is open to students and faculty; bring sets and clocks if available. (Sat., 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Dining Commons at Hampshire College. Free.)

Mount Holyoke's Film Studies Program presents Muslim Worlds through Film. "The Cyclist" is part of the series and documents the life of an Afghan refugee named Nassim. (Sun., 7:30 p.m., Dwight 101, Mount Holyoke. Free. Call 538-2293.)

The London Theatre Company and the New York-based Emerson String Quartet present "The Noise of Time," a visual music theater piece about the life and work of Dmitri Shostakovich. (Fri., 8 p.m., Sat., 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., Academy of Music Theater in Northampton. For ticket info, call 1-800-224-MIFA.)