EXHIBITIONS

Private Eyes: Image and Identity features the work of five artists who consider experiential and psychological aspects of self in convergence with external circumstances in the formation of personality. The exhibition features photography, computer-generated sculpture and video. (Through Dec. 13, University Gallery at UMass.)

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.

"Punch-Drunk Love" 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

The Amherst College Creative Writing Center presents a reading by poet Phillis Levin as part of its fall reading series. Levin, the author of three volumes of poetry, including "Temples and Fields," has won numerous awards for her work and has been published in The New Yorker, The Nation and The New Republic. (Thurs., 8 p.m., Babbott Room.)

TUNES

The heavy metal band Four Daze will give a concert as part of the Keefe Campus Center's "Unknown" series. The band performs compositions that combine hard rock rhythms, guitar leads, percussion, dynamic vocals and soulful lyrics. (Thurs., 10 p.m., Frontroom. Free.)

The Amherst College Orchestra presents its annual Homecoming Concert. The show, directed by Music Director Mark Lane Swanson, will feature renditions of Giuseppe Verdi's Overture to La Forza del Destino, Antonin Dvorak's Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in B minor and more. (Fri., 8:30 p.m., Buckley Recital Hall. $5 general admission.)

The Amherst College Choral Society presents its annual Homecoming Concert, with performances by the Concert Choir, Women's Chorus and Men's Glee Club, directed by Mallorie Chernin and assistant director Bradford Tilden '02, and the Madrigal Singers, directed by Whitney Cox '03 and Alison Kaufmann '03. (Sat., 8:30 p.m., Buckley Recital Hall. $6 general admission.)