Actor Parry Shen of "Better Luck Tomorrow" will speak at Amherst College this Thursday at 8 p.m. "Better Luck Tomorrow" is the first and only Asian-American film to hit the big screens thus far. It controversially shattered the cliche of the high-achieving, model-minority Asian youth. Parry Shen will speak about the Cinderella story behind "Better Luck Tomorrow," the aftermath, reactions and effects the film had on the general public and on Hollywood. Black Sheep desserts will be served! (Thurs., Oct. 21 at 8 p.m., Fayerweather 113. No admission charge.)

The Amherst College Global Sound Project will kick off Hip-Hop Happening this weekend with a dance party on Thursday. The Original Jazzy Jay and GrandWizzard Theodore, pioneering hip-hop DJs and renowned hip-hop dance legend Jorge "Fabel" Pabon will provide the entertainment. On Friday, they will be joined by hip-hop publicist and agent Christie-Z-Pabon, co-founder of "Tools of War." (Thurs, Oct. 21 at 9:30 p.m., Front Room, Keefe Campus Center. No admission charge.)

The Academy of Music Theatre in Northampton is back in business and celebrating with Rocktober: a Rock and Roll movie extravaganza featuring five evenings of the best rock-and-roll films ever made. From Oct. 22-26, the Academy will screen two films per night including classics like "This is Spinal Tap" and "Tommy," as well as some rarely shown gems like DA Pennebaker's "Don't Look Back." Local bands will perform between films. (Fri., Oct. 22 to Tues., Oct. 26, Academy of Music Theatre, Northampton. Limitless pass available for $30, evening pass for $10 and individual films for $7.)

Performance artist and novelist lê thi diem thúy will present "Gangsters & Glamour" next Tuesday at Amherst Books with the help of memoirist May-lee Chai, the visiting writer in the Creative Writing Center at Amherst College. A 1994 graduate of Hampshire College, lê thi diem thúy is the author of "The Gangster We Are All Looking For" (2003), which The New York Times named a Notable Book and praised as "a tale of persecution, tragedy and gritty determination, told with a poetic sensibility and a sharp eye for the matter of everyday life." (Tues., Oct. 26 at 8 p.m., Amherst Books. No admission charge.)

Editors' Movie Rental of the Week

And another long-awaited Disney special edition is released! After years of sub-standard animations, Disney finally produced "Mulan," a Chinese fable about a young girl who disguises herself as a man to help her family and her country. The film is gorgeous to look at, with a superior blend of classic and computer-generated animation. "Mulan" is not a full-fledged musical, as it has only five songs, but these songs are on their way to becoming Disney hallmarks, especially "I'll Make a Man out of You."