Spicy Girl-Finding Home and the Dilemma of Belonging, a mixed media performance by Siona Benjamin, a Jewish artist from Bombay, India, will be performed. (Wed., 7:30 p.m., Room 115 of Fayerweather Hall.)

SELECT FLICKS

Academy of Music Theater

(584-8435)

A sparkling comedy about a beautiful Parisian waitress with a magical smile, "Amelie" is sure to appeal to your funny bone and your sense of the fantastic.

Cinemark at Hampshire Mall

(587-4233)

Director Ron Howard's skillfully directed but slightly contrived film, "A Beautiful Mind," Golden Globe winner for Best Picture (Drama), features Russell Crowe as the schizophrenic mathematician John Forbes Nash, Jr. and Jennifer Connelly as his wife, Alicia.

Nicole Kidman stars in "The Birthday Girl," a bizarre (to say the least) thriller about a Russian mail order bride-a gift who can't exactly be judged by her wrapping paper.

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" is a delight for any reader of the bestselling series by J.K. Rowling. Talented child actors Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint shine in a plot that stays true to the magical novel.

Sean Penn delivers a painfully over-the-top performance in Jessie Nelson's "I Am Sam," a drama about a handicapped man attempting to retain custody of his young daughter. Michelle Pfeiffer, however, is effectively touching in her role as Sam's tough but troubled attorney.

In a heartfelt and hysterical follow-up to the brilliant comedy "Rushmore," director Wes Anderson presents "The Royal Tenenbaums," the story of a family of oddballs led by Gene Hackman's tactless but sincere patriarch Royal Tenenbaum.

The first installment of J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved trilogy, "The Lord of the Rings," is brought to life in New Zealand director Peter Jackson's lush "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellan and Bill Boyd.

Based on the story of never-explained deaths apparently caused by an extraterrestrial being in a small West Virginia town, "The Mothman Prophecies" stars Richard Gere as the journalist who attempts to discover the being behind the murders. Laura Linney costars as the police detective who helps him.

TALKS

Edward James Olmos, prominent Latino film and television actor, producer, director and activist, will present "We're All in the Same Gang." (Thurs., 7:30 p.m, Johnson Chapel.)

Kum-Kum Bhavani will give a talk entitled "Feminism in the Third World? Some Reflections," which discusses contemporary arguments of feminism in the third world. (Mon., Feb. 11, 4:30 p.m., Five College Women's Studies Research Center, 83 College St., Mount Holyoke College.)

TUNES

Pauline Oliveros, an accordion player who has influenced American music through her studies of improvisation, meditation and electronic music, will play her world-renowned works. (Thurs., 8 p.m., Sweeney Concert Hall, Smith College.)

The Holyoke Civic Symphony featuring pianist Gary Steigerwalt will perform pieces by Kidwell and Rachmaninoff. (Sun., 3 p.m., Holyoke Community College Forum.)

Compositions by graduate students majoring in jazz composition at UMass will be introduced by the UMass Jazz Collective Orchestra. (Tues., 8 p.m., Room 44 of Fine Arts Center, UMass.)

STAGE

Smith College Master of Fine Arts students Carol Huncik, Donna Russon and Cheri Soule will present "Running on Ice," an extensive and ecclectic program of modern dances. (Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m., Theatre 14, Smith College.)

Alberto "Beto" Araiza will perform his play "On the Difficulty of Sustaining Compassion for

Chrome Magnum Man," a heartwrenching, one-man drama set in the neighborhoods of Compton, Los Angeles. (Fri. and Sat., 8 p.m., East Street Studio, Hadley.)

The Northampton Arts Council presents "Martha @ the Academy," featuring dancer, choreographer and actor Richard Move, who pays homage to contemporary dance guru Martha Graham in drag. (Sun., 2 p.m., Academy of Music, Northampton.)

MISCELLANEOUS

The interdepartmental Program in Film Studies in conjunction with UMass presents "The Mad Songs of Fernanda Hussein" as the first installment in its Multicultural Film Festival. (Wed., 7:30 p.m., Herter 227 at UMass.)

The Hampshire Bird Club sponsors a program on Bird Rehabiliation by Bill Danielson, a professional naturalist and nature writer. (Mon., 7:30 p.m., Immanuel Lutheran Church, Amherst.)

Acclaimed poets Greg Williamson and Philip Stephens will read from their renowned works. (Mon., 8 p.m., Porter Lounge, Converse Hall.)

The Mead Art Museum kicks off its Mexican-American film series with Stephen Soderbergh's "Traffic."

(Mon., 7 p.m., Stirn Auditorium.)