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.

Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in the mediocre action flick "Collateral Damage." This film hits on events disturbingly close to home-its protagonist is a man who plans to avenge his wife and daughter's death at the hands of global terrorism.

The latest in a series of teen movies starring pop singers, "A Walk to Remember" features Mandy Moore as a high school misfit who catches the eye of a classmate (Shane West) recently jaded by the near fatal accident of a friend.

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.

"Rollerball" is a high-octane thriller featuring a new hybrid-sport: a treacherous combination of basketball, roller derby and deception. The action-packed blockbuster stars Chris Klein, Rebecca Romjin-Stamos and LL Cool J; possibly mere implements in a clever ploy by casting directors in an attempt to cover up plot holes with star power.

TALKS

Author Erica Harth discusses her book "Last Witnesses: Reflections on the Wartime Internment of Japanese Americans," which deals with Japanese American internment camps during WWII. (Wed., 7 p.m., The Odyssey Bookshop.)

STAGE

The Department of Theater and Dance presents "Too Many People in This House," the new comedy written by Jeremy Basescu '02 and directed by Asst. Professor of Theater and Dance, Manu Mukasa. (Thur.-Sat., 8 p.m., Kirby Theater. Free.)

The Peer Advocates of Sexual Respect and the Amherst Feminist Alliance present "The Vagina Monologues." In addition to interpretations of Eve Ensler's text of the same name, there will be a silent auction and raffle, benefitting the New England Learning Center for Women in Transition. (Thur.-Sat., 8 p.m., Red Room. Free.)

MISCELLANEOUS

As part of their "Four Sundays in February" series, the Northampton Arts Council will present the Academy Award nominated film "Promises." The film is an examination of the disparate lives of seven Arab and Israeli children who live just oustide of Jerusalem. Accompanying the film showing will be a concert featuring the Sultana Ensemble, musicians from Israel and Palestine. (Sun., 2 p.m, Academy of Music Theater in Northampton. Tickets are $7 in advance; $10 at the door. For more information, call 584-9032.)