Two student exhibits, AWAKENING and Synthetic Resonance, featuring sculpture pieces and works of oil and pastel by Eryhn Gillespie and Evan Nabrit '04, will be presented. (Fri. through May 10, Augusta Savage Gallery, UMass.)

SELECT FLICKS

Academy of Music Theater

(584-8435)

From director Mira Nair, who directed "Salaam Bombay!" comes "Monsoon Wedding," a hilarious romantic comedy set in New Delhi. As her extended family gathers for her wedding, the bride, Aditi, starts having doubts about her fiancée when she falls in love with her boss.

Cinemark at Hampshire Mall

(587-4233)

In "Jason X," the 10th installment of the "Friday the 13th" series set in the year 2455, a professor takes his students on a field trip to earth. There they encounter a cryogenically frozen Jason and transport him back to their planet. Unsurprisingly, this offering fails not only to scare, but also to entertain.

"Death to Smoochy, " directed by Danny DeVito, showcases the odd but effective combination of Edward Norton and Robin Williams in the form of a clever satire about a straightlaced children's performer's struggle to maintain his dignity in the face of conglomerate corruption.

Though directed by "Se7en" director David Fincher, the thriller "Panic Room" is predictable and flaccid. Starring Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart as a mother and daughter pursued by a trio of thieves in their home, it features too many contrivances to provide the thrills it ought.

Dennis Quaid stars in "The Rookie," the surprisingly earnest real-life tale of retired pitcher Jim Morris, who was inspired by 12 years of coaching a championship high school team to return to competitive play himself.

Pleasant Street Theater

(586-0935)

"Kissing Jessica Stein" is a rare diamond in the barren rough of the romantic comedy genre. Written by its starring actresses Jennifer Westfeldt and Heather Juergensen, its intelligent wit and distinctive characters are even better than the hot lesbian sex.

TALKS

The Charles Drew House presents a talk by author Jamaica Kincaid. The talk and subsequent reception are free to the public. (Wed., 8 p.m., Johnson Chapel.)

Philosophy professor Andrea Westlund of the University of Pittsburgh will speak on "Fusion and Reciprocity in Love: What is it to be a 'we'?" (Thurs., 4:30 p.m., 115 Fayerweather Hall.)

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel will deliver the annual UMass Department of Theater Rand Lecture. To be preceded by a Q & A session moderated by UMass alumna and Amherst College playwright-in-residence Constance Congdon. (Q & A Fri., 11 p.m., Curtain Theater in the UMass Fine Arts Center. Lecture Fri., 4 p.m., Rand Theater in the Fine Arts Center.)

STAGE

The Catherine Wheels Theatre Company presents its children's play "Martha," a story about a woman who detests peoples' company. (Tues., 7:30 p.m., Fine Arts Center Concert Hall at UMass.)

The Smith College Theatre Department presents its annual One-Act Play Festival. Six different pieces by Smith College students will be performed in a project supervised by Professor Paul Zimet. (Thurs.-Fri., 8 p.m., Hallie Flanagan Studio Theatre at Smith College.)

Bill Shannon: Crutchmaster, an underground hip-hop legend who integrates crutches in his breakdancing routines, will perform his mind-boggling choreography. (Fri., 8 p.m., Bowker Auditorium, UMass.)

TUNES

Two hundred UMass and 5-College students will perform Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms. The presentation is a colorful amalgam of various choral and instrumental performances and will feature, among others, the UMass Orchestra, Chamber Choir, Chorale and a guest male soprano. (Thurs., 8 p.m., Fine Arts Center Concert Hall at UMass.)

MISCELLANEOUS

The dean of faculty's office, the Lamont Fund and four different academic departments will sponsor a screening of the revealing Academy Award-nominated film "Promises," a documentary about the lives of children in Israel and Palestine. The screening will be followed by a discussion with one of the filmmakers, B.Z. Goldberg, and several of the children who performed in the film. (Wed., 1 p.m., 115 Fayerweather.)