SELECT FLICKS

Academy of Music Theatre

(584-8435)

Be sure not to miss the chance to see the Fritz Lang classic "Metropolis" on the big screen. In addition to masterful cinematography, Lang's vision presents an eerie look into the ramifications of industrialization.

Cinemark at Hampshire Mall

(587-4233)

"Abandon" is the latest shark from Hollywood's teen thriller pool. This time around, "Dawson's Creek" darling Katie Holmes stars as Catherine Burke, the co-ed trying to wrap up a stressful year consisting of the completion of her thesis, exams and interviews for grad school. As if this weren't enough to make a girl scream, a dreamy detective (Benjamin Bratt) starts snooping

around, trying to dig up more dirt on the disappearance of her boyfriend Embry (though it happened two years ago, the event has haunted and obsessed her ever since, understandably). Plot twists, romance and creepy boyfriends abound.

"Knockaround Guys" is reviewed in this issue.

Just when you thought mainstream cinema couldn't sink any lower, MTV Productions leaves us to ponder "jackass: the movie." Based on the television show of the same name, everyone's favorite jackasses engage in their typical hijinks, only we're left to suffer through a full-length product this time.

Brett Ratner's "Red Dragon," the story of detective Will Graham (Edward Norton) and his pursuit of a serial killer (Ralph Fiennes) with the help of Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), is told sturdily and competently, but without any flair or vigor and without a hint of the gripping subtlety that enriched "The Silence of the Lambs." While it's nowhere near as putrid as the 2000 sequel, "Hannibal," the film fails to affect one on anything more than a superficial level. Rent Michael Mann's far superior version "Manhunter" instead.

Though it appears at first to be yet another cheap Michelle Pfeiffer tearjerker in the tradition of such films as "The Deep End of the Ocean" and "The Story of Us," Peter Kosminsky's "White Oleander," the story of a young girl's (Alison Lohmann) struggle to escape the overpowering influence of her mother (Pfeiffer), is actually a creatively crafted film. Though it ultimately falls short of realistic telling, its failure comes not from the director's use of easy manipulative techniques, but from the fact that the story he chooses to tell encompasses far too many themes for a two-and-a half hour version.

Pleasant Street Theater

(586-0935)

"Mostly Martha" is the uplifting tale of a chef in an upscale restaurant in present day Germany. Martha (Martina Gedeck) is absolutely absorbed in her work until one day a fatal car accident leaves her to care for Lina, her eight-year-old niece. Forced to deal with the abrupt re-organization of her life and priorities, Martha's existence becomes further complicated when the owner of the restaurant brings in a stubborn sous chef (Sergio Castellitto) that she must deal with as well.

TALKS

Veniamin Smekhov, a leading Russian actor at the legendary Taganka Theater, will give a poetry reading titled "Voices of Russian Poets in the 20th Century: From Vladimir (Mayakovsky) to Vladimir (Vysotsky)." (Wed, 7:30 p.m., Center for Russian Culture, Webster Hall.)

Historian Mary Beth Norton of Cornell University, whose recently published book "In the Devil's Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692" illustrates a new account of the Salem witch trials, will deliver "The Devil in the Shape of a Tawuy Man: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis and the Maine Indian Wars."

Co-founder of the Antioch community Chris Rice will be bringing his touching life story to Amherst this week. Rice, the author of the new book "Grace Matters: A True Story of Race, Friendship, and Faith in the Heart of the South," will lecture this Friday in Johnson Chapel at 7 p.m. The Bluestockings and the Gospel Choir will also be performing at the event. Free.

TUNES

Sweet Honey in the Rock, a Grammy Award-winning female a cappella group, will perform a concert as part of the college's annual Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration. The six-person group, renowned for its complex harmonies and informative lyrics, was founded in 1973. (Sun., 8 p.m., Buckley Recital Hall, free.)

For some sophisticated Halloween fare, try the Calvin Theater in Northampton. Minimalist composer Philip Glass and his ensemble will perform a live rendition of the score of Bella Lugosi's "Dracula." (Thur., 8 p.m., Calvin Theater, $35.)

The Flywheel in Northampton presents its Haunted House, a "tour of weirdness, wackiness, and good old fashioned spookiness." The house will feature what we're told are "30 well-disguised neighbors" in addition to tunes by several local artists. Kid-friendly, with a "super-scary" room for those who dare. (Thur., 6:30-9:30, Free.)