Fall Arts Preview

There’s a crispness in the air—all right, it’s been a little humid lately but stay with us—and that means a return to business. Arts business. The summer residencies are over, the blockbusters are disappearing from the movie theaters and it’s time for whole new seasons of art and theater and classical music and cinema and . . . you get the idea. Whatever you want to see, it’s in here. All right, everything isn’t in here, but you get the drift. Here’s a veritable cornucopia of arts options.

Pop Music

Caffe Lena

47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, 583-0022.

Oct. 1: Ember Swift, Betty Dylan. Oct. 2: Bob Malone. Oct. 6: the Bobs. Oct. 7: Rob Ritchie, Terry Young. Oct. 8: Lucy Kaplansky. Oct. 9: Jacqui McDonald. Oct. 14: Mary Gauthier, Corley Roberts. Oct. 15: Carolyn Hester. Oct. 16: Bill Morrissey, Graham Isaacson. Oct. 18: Cris Williamson. Oct. 21: Seamus Kennedy. Oct. 22: Work O’ the Weavers. Oct. 23: the Strawbs. Oct. 26: Rosalie Sorrels. Oct. 28: George Ward. Oct. 29: Mark Tolstrup. Oct.30: Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams. Nov. 4: the Wiyos. Nov. 5: Bob Warren. Nov. 6: David Lindley. Nov. 11: Mary McCaslin. Nov. 12: Chris Smither, Jon Shain. Nov: 13: Peter Mulvey. Nov. 18: Roy Book Binder. Nov. 19: Tribute to Ray Charles. Nov. 20: Widget and the Widgettes. Nov. 25: Dakota Dave Hull. Nov. 26: Annie and the Hedonists. Dec. 18: Sara Milonovich, Greg Anderson.

Calvin Theatre

19 King St., Northampton, Mass., (800) THE-TICK.

Sep. 29: Nanci Griffith and the Blue Moon Orchestra. Sep. 30: 1964 the Tribute. Oct. 20: Gordon Lightfoot. Oct. 21: Sound Tribe Sector 9. Oct. 22: Joan Baez. Oct. 25: Susan Tedeschi, Jackie Greene. Nov. 4: Rufus Wainwright. Nov. 18: Dar Williams, Girlyman. Dec. 31: Martin Sexton, Erin McKeown.

Chapel + Cultural Center

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Burdett Avenue, Troy, 274-7793.

Oct. 7: Bruce Eisenbeil. Nov. 5: Spider Saloff. Nov. 9: Ben Chadabe, Tyrone Henderson. Dec. 4: Martha Gallagher.

Club Helsinki

284 Main St., Great Barrington, Mass., (413) 528-3394.

Sep. 30: Tom Rush. Oct. 7: Hamiett Bluiett. Oct. 8: the Howard Fishman Quartet. Oct. 14: Blueberry. Oct. 15: Seth’s Sauerkraut Review. Oct. 16: Sloan Wainwright; Jimmie Dale Gilmore. Oct. 29: the Kennedys. Oct. 30: Meg Hutchinson.

The Egg

Empire State Plaza, Albany, 473-1845.

Oct. 1: Tierney Sutton. Oct. 2: Dave Douglas and Keystone. Oct. 11: Steve Winwood. Oct. 15: Clan Na Gael. Oct. 16: Hal Ketchum. Oct. 18: Henry Rollins. Oct. 19: Nanci Griffith and the Blue Moon Orchestra. Oct. 21: Richard Thompson, Danny Thompson, Eliza Gilkyson. Oct. 23: Four Bitchin’ Babes. Oct. 26: Susan Tedeschi, Jackie Greene. Oct. 27: Laurie Anderson. Oct. 30: Joan Baez. Nov. 11: The Robert Cray Band. Nov. 13: Trout Fishing in America; Derek Trucks Band. Nov. 19: Mary Black, Maura O’Connell, Sharon Shannon, Cara Dillon. Nov. 20: Riders in the Sky. Dec. 4: the Zucchini Brothers; Hot Tuna.

Franklin’s Tower

414 Broadway, Albany, 431-1920.

Oct. 6: Rock Pile. Oct. 7: Arc. Oct. 14: Valerie. Oct. 21: Rumdummies. Nov. 11: Reverberators. Nov. 12: Sean Rowe. Nov. 18: Arc.

Hudson Duster

40 Third St., Troy.

Oct. 1: Street Sweeper, Organ Harvest, Everything’s Ruined, Children of Tragedy. Oct. 7: 25 Ta’ Life, the Red Death, Through the Eyes of the Dead, Overthrown, Embrace the End. Oct. 8: Wasteform, Balls Deep, In Traction, Icarus. Oct. 15: Murderer’s Row, Danny Diablo, Dez, the Chris’s. Oct. 22: Black Jack Blades, the Other 2. Oct. 28: DosNounB, Armarrkklad. Oct. 29: Dying Ta Live, Last Call Brawl, Loved and Hated, Driven Further. Nov. 4: Kinetic Punch. Nov. 5: Irate, If Hope Dies, Through the Discipline, Overthrown, the World We Knew, Nathaniel White. Nov. 8: Inspectah Dock, U God, Copyright. Nov. 11: Society High, Hijinx, Random Victim, Still Reaching. Nov. 12: Trendkill, Horror Business. Nov. 19: Neglect, Brick by Brick, Wasteform, Only Revenge. Nov. 25: Last Call, Unbalanced, Killing Floor, Hell on Sunday.

iEAR presents!

West Hall Auditorium unless otherwise specified, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 276-4829.

Oct. 13: Hübsch’s Longrun Development of the Universe. Oct. 19: Miya Masaoka.

Iron Horse Music Hall

20 Center St., Northampton, Mass., (800) THE-TICK.

Oct. 1: the Lonesome Brothers; Heartless Bastards, the Kamikaze Hearts. Oct. 2: Ferron, Pamela Means. Oct. 4: Amy Rigby, Storybox. Oct. 6: Alejandro Escovedo Orchestra; Lotus, the 5th Pocket. Oct. 7: Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem; the Wood Brothers. Oct. 9: Jeffrey Gaines. Oct. 10: Rhett Miller. Oct. 11: an evening with Sean Mullins. Oct. 12: the Tannahill Weavers; Lou Barlow, Jose Ayerve. Oct. 13: Mary Gauthier. Oct. 14: John Coster and the Medicine Band, Jeff Martell, Mawwal. Oct. 15: Mark Erelli, the Resophonics; Ryan Montbleau Band, Julian Velard. Oct. 16: Graham Parker, Erik Alan. Oct. 17: Ike Willis and Napoleon Murphy Brock, the Insidious Rays. Oct. 18: the Strawbs. Oct. 19: the Greencards; Stars. Oct. 22: Catie Curtis, Tom Brosseau; State Radio. Oct. 23: Lucy Kaplansky, Ashleigh Flynn. Oct. 24: James McMurty, Joel Plaskett Emergency. Oct. 25: Los Straitjackets. Oct. 26: the Mountain Goats, the Prayers & Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers. Oct. 27: Chronic Pleasure; the Clientele, Annie Hayden. Oct. 28: the Stone Coyotes. Oct. 29: Richard Shindell; the New Amsterdams, Fancy Trash. Oct. 30: Crooked Still. Nov. 2: David Lindley. Nov. 3: La Guitara featuring Patty Larkin, Kaki King, Muriel Anderson, Mimi Fox; Red Door Exchange. Nov. 4: Utah Phillips; Roots of Creation. Nov. 5: Nerissa and Katryna Nields. Nov. 6: Tim O’Brien, Old School Freight Train. Nov. 9: Eric Bogle. Nov. 10: Jonathan Edwards; the SPAM All-Stars, Pencilgrass. Nov. 11: Rane. Nov. 12: Enter the Haggis. Nov. 13: Steve Forbert, Ray Mason. Nov. 14: Andrew Bird, Head of Femur. Nov. 17: Melissa Ferrick, Natalia Zuckerman. Nov. 18: Eddie from Ohio; Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. Nov. 19: Seth Giler, John Hanifin. Nov. 22: Eric McKeown. Nov. 25-26: Roomful of Blues. Nov. 27: Tom Rush. Nov. 29: Redbird, Kris Delmhorst, Peter Mulvey, Jeffrey Foucault. Dec. 1: Girlyman, Andrea Gibson. Dec. 3: Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Krion. Dec. 4: John Gorka, Justin Roth. Dec. 10: Chris Smither. Dec. 11: Kelly Joe Phelps. Dec. 16: Jane Siberry. Dec. 17: Aztec Two-Step. Dec. 18: David Mallett. Dec. 23: the Commander Cody Band. Dec. 26: Rory Block. Dec. 30: John Eddie.

Justin’s

301 Lark St., Albany, 436-7008.

Sep. 30: Trio Pamplemousse.

King’s Tavern

241 Union Ave., Saratoga Springs, 581-7090.

Oct. 7: the Empire State Troopers. Oct. 22: Albumen, the Mitchells. Oct. 29: the Wasted.

Lark Tavern

453 Madison Ave., Albany, 463-9779.

Sep. 30: the Conspicuous Study Hall Boners. Oct. 1: Scotty Mac. Oct. 7: Origin. Oct. 8: Mike Iwanos with Super 400. Oct. 15: AFRAZ Music Tour. Oct. 21: Phillips Head. Oct. 22: Super 400, Melodrome. Oct. 28: Deluxe. Oct. 29: Lustre Kings. Nov. 5: Hector on Stilts, John Brodeur. Nov. 17: Josh Cole and the Household. Dec. 10: Five Alpha Beatdown Reunion Show. Dec. 16: Lustre Kings.

MASS MoCA

1040 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, Mass., (413) 664-4481.

Oct. 8: Shivaree. Oct. 15: Lambchop.

Ween at Northern Lights

Northern Lights

North Country Commons, corner of Routes 146 and 146-A, Clifton Park, 371-0012.

Sep. 29: Rebuilding Yesterday. Sep. 30: Our Lady Peace, Danko Jones, Pedestrian. Oct. 1: John Valby. Oct. 4: Anthrax. Oct. 6: Anna Malick, Blue Merle. Oct. 7: Chris Cagle. Oct. 21: Iron Maidenz. Oct. 22: Trapt, Blindside, Aphrasia. Oct. 25: Ween. Nov. 12: Coheed and Cambria, Blood Brothers, Dredg, Me Without You.

Old Songs

37 S. Main St., Voorheesville, 765-2815.

Sep. 29: Quicksilver. Oct. 15: the Johnson Girls. Oct. 28: Dave Webber & Anni Fentiman. Nov. 5: Cooper, Nelson & Early. Nov. 26: Herdman Hills Mangsen. Dec. 10: Nowell Sing We Clear.

Palace Theatre

19 Clinton Ave., Albany, 465-4663.

Oct 5: Rob Thomas. Oct. 13: Olivia Newton-John. Oct. 18: Bonnie Raitt. Oct. 22: Great Moments from Grand Opera. Nov. 4: Celtic Woman. Dec. 11: Cowboy Dave’s Holiday Reindeer Round-Up.

Pearl Street

10 Pearl Street, Northampton, Mass., (800) THE-TICK.

Sep. 28: Kings of Leon, the Like. Sep. 29: MC Chris, Snmnmnm, Urg. Sep. 30: Gang of Four, Morningwood, Men Women & Children; Rasputina, Tarantula A.D.. Oct. 1: Doves, VHS or Beta; Limited Sight, Constant Conspiracy, Easy Machine, Lost Hours, Distance to Hear. Oct. 2: Gogol Bordello, Throw Rag, the Scotch Greens. Oct. 4: Tegan and Sara, Northern State, Marjorie Fair. Oct. 6: Ghostface, Swollen Members. Oct. 7: 10 Years, Fivespeed, Classic Case; Anna Nalick. Oct. 8: White Boy Reggae, Shark Spaceship, Auragami, 3ve, Rupert and Weston. Oct. 9: the Decemberists, Cass McCombs. Oct. 10: Nada Surf, Say Hi To Your Mom. Oct. 15: the Pietasters, Big D and the Kids Table, No Intention. Oct. 18: Devendra Banhart & Hairy Fairy, Bunny Brains. Oct. 20: Son Volt. Oct. 22: Jello Biafra, the Melvins. Oct. 23: Broken Social Scence, Feist. Oct. 24: Acid Mothers Temple, the Occasion. Oct. 28: the Slip, Tarantula A.D.. Oct. 29: Lez Zeppelin. Oct. 30: Michale Graves, Better Left Unsaid, Unus Mcflynn, Nervous Surgeons, Black Belt Club, Feeny. Nov. 3: Soulive. Nov. 4: Spoon, Mary Timony. Nov. 5: Medeski Martin and Wood. Nov. 11: the Skeptics. Nov. 12: Zilla. Nov. 13: North Mississippi Allstars. Nov. 18: Dark Star Orchestra; Cold Duck Complex, Audible Mainframe. Nov. 22: Dropkick Murphys, Big D and the Kids Table, Righteous Jams, Far From Finished.

Proctor’s Theatre

432 State St., Schenectady, 382-3884 ext. 68.

Dec. 12: the Jim Brickman Holiday Show.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Mother’s, Student Union, Troy, 276-8585.

Sep. 30: Scott Alarik. Oct. 7: Friction Farm. Oct. 21: Gideon Freudmann. Nov. 4: Mustard’s Retreat. Nov. 5: Dougie MacLean. Nov. 18: Scott Sylvester. Dec. 2-3: Mark Rust. Dec. 9: Jake Amerding.

Revolution Hall

421-425 River St., Troy, 273-2337.

Sep. 30: the Dave Matthews Tribute Band. Oct. 4: Robert Fripp Solo Soundscape. Oct. 5: Kings of Leon, the Like. Oct. 7: Scarecrow Collection, Wreckloose. Oct. 8: Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers. Oct. 12: Chuch. Oct. 14: Project/Object, Insidious Rays. Oct. 16: Matisyahu. Oct. 18: U-Melt. Oct. 19: Los Straitjackets. Oct. 20: Townhall. Oct. 21: Albert Cummings. Oct. 26: Steve Kimock Band. Oct. 27: Brothers Past. Oct. 28: RAQ. Nov. 4-5: Perpetual Grove. Nov. 10: the North Mississippi All-Stars. Nov. 11: Addison Grove Project. Dec. 13: Reverend Horton Heat, Supersuckers, Split Lip Rayfield.

Saratoga Winners

Route 9, Cohoes, 783-1010.

Sep. 30: Alliance, Intraction, Disregard. Oct. 1: Pennywise, H20, Death By Stereo, A Wilhelm Scream. Oct. 2: Save You, Subject to Change. Oct. 6: Unearth, Dillinger Escape Plan, Zao, A Life Once Lost. Oct. 7: Circle Nine, Bum Fight. Oct. 8: Paynes Hollow, Evolution. Oct. 9: Sadistic Union. Oct. 15: Black Stallion, I the Lyconthrope. Oct. 20: Emery, Gym Class Heroes, Gatsby’s American Dream, As Cities Burn. Oct. 26: Gwar, Devil Driver, A Dozen Furies, Mensrea. Oct. 27: the Clay People, Last Call, Matador, Brick by Brick. Oct. 28: Fear Before the March of Flames, Bear vs. Shark, Since by Man, Fall of Troy. Nov. 2: Opeth, Nevermore. Nov. 4: Converge, Darkest Hour, Red Chord Ringworm, Thousands. Nov. 18: Bury Your Dead, Terror, Scars of Tomorrow August Burns Red, Recon. Dec. 7: Hawthorne Heights, Silverstein, Bayside, Aiden. Dec. 9: Crimson Mask, Unbalanced Gunther Weezul, Intraction.

Troy Savings Bank Music Hall

State and Second streets, Troy, 273-0038.

Oct. 7: Melissa Manchester. Oct. 8: Michael Amante. Oct. 10: the Steve Hackett Trio. Oct. 26: Anoushka Shankar. Nov. 2: Wynton Marsalis. Nov. 4: Doyle Lawson, Quicksilver. Nov. 18: Chris Botti. Nov. 19: Peter Yarrow. Dec. 10: George Winston. Dec. 15: Judy Collins.

Turning Stone Casino Resort

Verona, (315) 361-6530.

Sep. 30: Travis Tritt. Oct. 1: Engelbert Humperdinck. Oct. 8: Gene Pitney. Oct. 14: Olivia Newton-John. Oct. 16: Bonnie Raitt. Oct. 18: Def Leppard, Bryan Adams. Oct. 22: Temptations. Oct. 29: Collin Raye. Oct. 30: Bret Michaels. Nov. 4: Diamond Rio. Nov. 10: Styx. Nov. 11: Kenny Rogers. Nov. 19: Gretchen Wilson, Big & Rich. Nov. 22: Cosmo. Nov. 23: New York Flyers & Jukin’ Bone. Nov. 26: Neal McCoy. Dec. 6: Tony Pace. Dec. 10: the Beach Boys. Dec. 15: Jim Brickman’s Christmas Show. Dec. 16: Linda Eder’s Christmas Show. Dec. 17: Benny Mardones.

Valentine’s

17 New Scotland Ave., Albany, 432-6572.

Sep. 28: the Deadbeats. Sep. 29: Distant By Design, Kushtaka. Sep. 30: the Upwelling, 5 Till Midnight, Ben Tyler Band, Fixer; the Red Hopes; Star Code, Mighty Purple.

Van Dyck

237 Union St., Schenectady, 381-1111.

Sep. 30: Jeremy Pelt Trio. Oct. 1: Blake and the Family Dog. Oct. 7: Zen Tricksters. Oct. 8: Organissimo; Aztec Twostep. Oct. 11: Bethany & Rufus. Oct. 19: Alex Sweeton, AndyRae Healey. Oct. 27: Unfulfilled Dreams. Oct. 28: Mooncat. Nov. 5: David Bond. Nov. 10: Mike McCarthy Jazz Trio. Nov. 11: Judy Wyle & Hidden River. Nov. 18-19: Melanie.

WAMC Performing Arts Center

339 Central Ave., Albany, 465-5233 ext. 4

Sep. 30: Sara Gazarek. Oct. 1: Christine Lavin. Oct. 15: Alex Torres. Oct. 22: Wanda Jackson and the Lustre Kings. Oct. 29: Livingston Taylor. Nov. 11: David Mallett. Nov. 13: John and Bucky Pizzarelli. Nov. 18: the Nields. Nov. 19: Eric Andersen. Dec. 16: Leslie Ritter and Scott Petito.

Fall Cinema Preview

After an unprofitable summer of woe, theater owners and studio executives are praying for you, the moviegoing public, to forgive them their sins: sequels, remakes, dumb action flicks and overheated star vehicles. It is up to you whether or not you wish to find any forgiveness in your souls, cinephiles; this brief round-up of fall movies is intended to help you “look into your heart.”

What the Auteurs Have Been Up To

A History of Violence Critics have been presenting this one as a culture clash: iconoclastic Canadian filmmaker (David Cronenberg) vs. all-American violence. We sure hope so. With Viggo Mortensen as a regular guy who commits a self-defense killing, and more-or-less ruins his life forever.

Oliver Twist Roman Polanski revisits his awful childhood, sort of, through Dickens’ famous orphan. If the restraint and intelligence of The Piano is in evidence, this could be an award-winner.

Munich Steven Spielberg’s film about the Israeli agent (Eric Bana) who hunted down the Palestinian terrorists who killed the Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics. If Spielberg still has the steel ones on display in War of the Worlds’ obvious 9/11 scenes, this might actually be good.

Good Night, and Good Luck George Clooney takes on the story of how TV journalist Edward R. Murrow helped bring down witch-hunting Sen. Joseph McCarthy. If Clooney had to do the incomprehensible Ocean’s Twelve in order to make this flick, fine—but if there’s an Ocean’s Thirteen, his next one better be The Canterbury Tales in authentic Middle English. Or something.

Duma Carroll Ballard’s critically praised film about a boy and his pet cheetah, somewhere in Africa. Before recoiling in horror at the prospect of something Disneyfied, remember that Ballard made Never Cry Wolf, one of the best man-meets-nature films, like, ever.

Where the Truth Lies What if a Martin and Lewis-like comedy team accidentally killed a starlet in the middle of a threesome? Atom Egoyan answers this curious “what if” here. Starring Kevin Bacon; insert “six degrees of . . . ” joke here.

Elizabethtown Cameron Crowe is a pretty good dramatist with an ear for snappy-but-sincere dialogue (Almost Famous, Jerry McGuire). He also happens to be a sentimentalizing hack with real knack for pandering to both his actors and audiences (Almost Famous, Jerry McGuire). So this autobiographical thing about a guy going home for his father’s funeral will be what it will be. With Kirsten Dunst and the underwhelming Orlando Bloom.

Jarhead Jake Gyllenhaal stars as U.S. grunt in Gulf War I in Sam Mendes’ adaptation of the bestselling memoir. Nothing against Gyllenhaal, but it was easier for us critics when studios changed ungainly actor names to “Crawford” or “Douglas.”

Tristam Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story With a gasser of a reality-bending period comedy (24 Hour Party People) and a hardcore romance with real actors (9 Songs) on his resume, director Michael Winterbottom is emerging as England’s answer to Charlie Kaufman—minus, of course, the neurosis. Jeremy Northam is “Michael Winterbottom” directing Steve Coogan as the titular antihero in an “adaptation” of Sterne’s Tristam Shandy.

Rent If Cameron Crowe is a soulful hack, then Chris Columbus is his soulless equivalent. The director of Home Alone, Nine Months and the first two Harry Potter films directs the long-running Broadway musical. Ugh. Spike (Lee) was robbed.

Match Point Woody Allen’s latest has a tennis setting, an English background and Scarlett Johansson. Unless the comedy fairy has recently touched her wand to Allen’s comedy jones, there probably isn’t much hope for this. At least Johansson is pretty—though maybe that’s part of the problem.

Whither, Thespians?

Philip Seymour Hoffman in Capote

Capote Philip Seymour Hoffman is Truman Capote in this backstory about the writing of In Cold Blood. Don’t want to make predictions, but the buzz on this has been so good that Capote is the most anticipated film of the fall.

Transamerica Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives, Sports Night) is a transsexual in this festival fave. A female playing a male who wants to become a female? Now that’s Oscar bait.

Brokeback Mountain Middle America doesn’t seem ready for gay marriage, but the makers of this western romance hope they’re ready for a couple of Hollywood pretty boys (Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal) as gay cowboys.

Memoirs of a Geisha High-class literary adaptation, with an all-star cast including Ziyi Zhang, Michelle Yeoh and Ken Watanabe. With this cast, maybe it won’t totally suck.

Two For the Money Matthew McConaughey is a genius bettor. Al Pacino is mega-bookie. They work together; they clash big-time. Don’t know about what happens in the plot, but when it comes to scenery-chewing, Pacino’s gonna eat that poor bastard alive.

North Country A true-life drama based on one of the first sexual harassment lawsuits. Sounds promising, but, unfortunately, it stars Charlize Theron. Wake up, Hollywood! She can’t act!

It’s All About the Music

Get Rich or Die Tryin’ Fitty is Fitty in this attempt to repeat the 8 Mile formula. Directed by Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot, In America), who’s clearly ready for his big Hollywood moment, too.

Walk the Line Joaquin Phoenix is Johnny Cash and Reese Witherspoon is June Carter in this highly anticipated biopic. They do their own singing, and David Letterman says they’re pretty good. So there.

In the Mix Usher’s flexing what the girls like on the big screen, now. You don’t want to know the plot, which involves a mob boss (Chazz Palmenteri) and his hot daughter (Emmanuelle Chriqui).

Here We Go Again

King Kong Set aside the fact that the original remains atmospheric, technically impressive and oddly compelling—and soon to be available as a deluxe DVD set. Set aside the tangle of racial issues. Let’s give Peter Jackson the benefit of the doubt, OK? The film is well-cast, the set design appears impressive and, whatever his faults, Jackson can tell a story.

The Producers: The Movie Musical The great cash-in on a perfectly decent property continues. Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Uma Thurman, Will Ferrell yada yada yada. You know if you want to see it already.

All The King’s Men Seems odd to cast smaller-than-life method actors like Sean Penn and Jude Law in the larger-than-life Robert Penn Warren fictionalization of the life of Huey Long. In fact, it sounds like a total mistake.

Rumor Has It Jennifer Aniston is a woman who begins to wonder if her family was the model for the Mike Nichols film The Graduate. Hopefully there’s no Paul Simon soundtrack.

Fun With Dick and Jane The late-’70s black comedy—about a newly broke corporate couple (George Segal and Jane Fonda) who turn to crime to maintain their lifestyle—gets the Jim Carrey treatment. Maybe a smidgeon of social commentary will survive.

Serenity Joss Whedon’s short-lived series Firefly is the basis for this sci-fi actioner with, if the trailer is any indication, some fun dialogue and violence.

Into the Blue This one’s a remake of Peter Benchley’s The Deep. The point seems to have been to get Jessica Alba in a bikini.

The Fog Another head-scratcher, as John Carpenter’s original film was neither very good nor a hit. Oh well, the leper makeup will probably be more impressively disgusting.

The Legend of Zorro Why oh why does Hollywood keep employing such marginally interesting actors as Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones?

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Four down, three to go. We’re over the hump, people, and the end is in sight.

Pride & Prejudice Jane Austen is so 1990s. It’s a new, meaner millennium—how about some Balzac or Dreiser instead?

Aeon Flux A live-action version of the old Liquid Television anime. Gee, that was a good show. MTV was good then. Why, in the old days. . . . Sorry. With Charlize Theron.

Big Momma’s House 2 Someone went to see the first one? Really?

Anything For a Laugh

Waiting . . . This semi-gross-out comedy will take you behind the scenes at a chain restaurant. Gotta love that moment in the trailer when the cook drops the steak and the supervisor yells, “five second rule!,” and the crew counts out the seconds. The cook picks up the steak just in time, and says: “Almost had to go to the ten second rule!” C’mon, that’s funny.

After School Special “Hey kids, let’s put on a porno!” This seems promising, except that it’s somehow associated with National Lampoon. Whatever that means anymore.

Comedy + Romance = ?

Shopgirl Steve Martin stars in this adaptation of his autobiographical novella, with Claire Danes as the artist-shopgirl he falls for, and Jason Schwartzman as his romantic rival.

Hard and Fast Action

Syriana George Clooney is a CIA agent putting out fires in this Middle East-set spy thriller. Good to see Clooney making a popcorn movie that didn’t double as a European vacation for all his casino pals.

Domino The story of the late, real-life bounty hunter Domino Harvey (Keira Knightley), daughter of the late, icy British actor Laurence Harvey. Since the director is Ridley’s clown brother Tony Scott, the autobiographical stuff is pretty much whitewashed. Also with Mickey Rourke and Lucy Liu.

Doom A video game. The Rock. CGI effects. You know you want it. (Or not.)

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang A buddy action comedy with Val Kilmer as a cop and Morton Downey Jr.—sorry, Robert Downey Jr.—as an actor.

The Ice Harvest Co-written by Robert Benton (Bonnie and Clyde), directed by Harold Ramis, and starring Billy Bob Thornton and John Cusack, this just might be a smart comedy about a pair of dumb criminals.

Family Affairs

In Her Shoes Party-girl sister (Cameron Diaz) plus batty grandma (Shirley MacLaine) plus sensible sister (the great and wonderful Toni Collette) equals . . . tears through the laughter, presumably.

The Weather Man A career-obsessed TV weatherguy (Nicolas Cage) learns the meaning of life and begins to appreciate his wife and kids. That’s sweet.

Bee Season Based on the critically lauded novel about the disintegration of a middle-class Jewish family, and how the daughter puts all her energy into competing in spelling bees. With Richard Gere and Flora Cross.

Sports Weepies

The Greatest Game Ever Played Disney pabulum about the purity and grandeur of golf.

Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story A little girl (Dakota Fanning) and her racehorse. A high cuteness factor can be expected.

Breeders

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio Julianne Moore is a woman with about a dozen brats who enters a jingle-writing contest to make money. She likely wins some. Not even the reanimated corpse of Frank Capra could do anything with this kind of hokum.

Yours, Mine and Ours In the late 1960s, when birth control was new and the sexual revolution was born, a fearful Hollywood cranked out movies about middle-class couples with 20 kids. This is a remake of the one with Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda, which was particularly odious. Guess the fear is back.

For The Children

The Curse of the Were-Rabbit The lovable claymation duo are back, this time hunting down a monstrously beastly hare.

Chicken Little Despite the fact that, here in the “real world,” the sky really does seem to be falling, it shouldn’t stop you from enjoying this version of the kids’ classic. At least Disney hopes it shouldn’t, it’s their first non-Pixar computer-animated feature.

Goose! The heartwarming story of a boy and his goose, and the evil school principal (Chevy Chase) who wants the goose for Christmas dinner. Should be fun to see Chase get his ass kicked by a goose.

Zathura The sequel to Jumanji. As if anyone was waiting for such a thing.

Very Scary

Saw II What’s a good term for something that’s a sequel to something lame and derivative? How’s this: bullshit.

—Shawn Stone

Film Series & Festivals

Crandall Public Library Film Series

251 Glen St., Glens Falls, 792-6508. Call for showtimes.

Oct. 4: The Sea Inside. A quadriplegic (Javier Bardem, in a brilliant performance) makes the case for assisted suicide in this troubling film based on a true story. Oct. 11: House of Flying Daggers. It’s time for beautiful people to kick ass again in Zhang Yimou’s martial-arts thriller of love and betrayal. With Ziyi Zhang. Oct. 18: Nobody Knows. A Japanese drama based on the true story of four young children abandoned by their mother. It’s about how they fended for themselves. Oct. 25: Turtles Can Fly. Kurds face the 2003 Iraq war with more than a little trepidation in this Iran-Iraq coproduction. Nov. 1: Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. Set during Mao’s Cultural Revolution, this touching, autobiographical film is a tribute to the power of literature. Nov. 8: March of the Penguins. Some evangelical Christians are offering this documentary about the mating practices of penguins as evidence of intelligent design. Conservative columnist George Will wrote that the penguins’ breeding habits are a fine example of adaptive evolution. Somebody’s wrong. Nov. 15: Grizzly Man. Werner Herzog’s brilliant documentary about the late Timothy Treadwell, who tried to transcend the line between man and nature and make friends with bears. Nov. 22: The Chorus. Stirring French film about a music teacher in a school for troubled boys. Nov. 29: Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. Or, the corporate evil that men do. It will make you very, very angry. Dec. 6: Bride and Prejudice. Jane Austen goes Bollywood.

The Egg

Empire State Plaza, Albany, 473-1845.

Oct. 2: A festival of films featuring comedian-filmmaker Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle. With music by Dave Douglas and Keystone.

FilmColumbia Festival

Crandell Theatre, Main Street, Chatham, 392-1162, www.filmcolumbia.com. Call for registration and showtimes.

Oct. 20: Zeppelin!, Mind the Gap, Winter Passing, Sneak Preview. Oct. 21: The Loss of Nameless Things, Fateless, Paradise Now, Sneak Preview, Stryker. Oct. 22: Children’s Program, Bee Season, Le Couperet, The Ice Harvest, Sneak Preview. Oct. 23: High School Film Project, Bearing Witness, Animation Festival (for mature audiences), Go For Zucker, Four Lane Highway, Sneak Preview.

MASS MoCA

1040 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, Mass., (413) 662-2111.

Oct. 6 (Club B-10 Cinema Lounge): Cane Toads: An Unnatural History. This documentary about the introduction of Hawaiian sugar-cane toads to Australia is a veritable “how-to” guide for wrecking an ecosystem. It would funnier if it wasn’t such a disaster. Oct. 29 (Hunter Center): The Phantom of the Opera. The Alloy Orchestra, celebrated silent-film accompanists, perform their new score for the 1929 reissue of the 1925 Universal classic. Featuring Lon Chaney in one of his most famous roles.

New York Writers Institute Fall 2000 Classic Film Series

Page Hall, 135 Western Ave., University at Albany’s downtown campus, Albany. Call for showtimes. 442-5620.

Spike Lee at UAlbany

Sept. 29: Do the Right Thing. Spike Lee’s day in the life of Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy neighborhood, circa 1989. Alive like no other film Lee has made since. Sept. 30: He Got Game. Denzel Washington is a state prison inmate leaned on by the Man to pressure his basketball-star son into attending a state university. From Spike Lee, as if you couldn’t guess. Oct. 6: Five Easy Pieces. The iconoclastic film in which Jack Nicholson tells a waitress exactly how he wants his toast. Oct. 7: Mountains of the Moon. Bob Rafelson’s entertaining near-epic about 19th-century British explorers in Africa. Oct. 14: The Leopard. The can’t-miss film of the series, in a restored 35 mm print. Luchino Visconti’s epic of the end of the Italian aristocracy, with Burt Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale and Alain Delon. Oct. 21: On the Waterfront. The landmark film in which Marlon Brando sealed the fate of American acting for decades, for good and ill. Oct. 28: Faust. F.W. Murnau’s special-effects laden version of Goethe’s tale, with Emil Jannings keeping things lively as a wily, eye-rolling Mephistopheles. Nov. 4: The Handmaid’s Tale. Independent women (and lesbians) are turned into breeders for evangelical Christian fascists in Margaret Atwood’s dystopian fantasy. Nov. 11: Yellow Earth. Chen Kaige’s moving story of a soldier and a young girl was the first film in the 1980s rebirth of Chinese cinema. Nov. 18: Design for Living. Director Ernst Lubitsch and writer Ben Hecht happily tossed out 99 percent of Noël Coward’s dialogue in this comedy about three artists in love—well, lust anyway. With Gary Cooper, Miriam Hopkins and Fredric March. Dec. 2: The Battle of Algiers. Would that George W. Bush had seen this overwhelming, you-are-there style 1965 war drama about the fight for Algerian independence.

Saratoga Film Forum Fall Series

The Arts Center, 320 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, 584-FILM. Call for showtimes and ticket prices.

Sept. 29-30, Oct. 2: Sin City. An all-star cast including Clive Owen, Mickey Rourke and Jessica Alba bring Frank Miller’s comic creations to life in this pulpy crime drama. Oct. 6-7, 9: March of the Penguins. The exhausting breeding habits of the cutest animals on earth. Narrated by Morgan Freeman. Oct. 13-14, 16: A Tout de Suite. Benoît Jacquot’s thriller about a college girl who gets involved with a sexy bank robber. Oct. 15: Tying the Knot. Powerful documentary on the subject of marriage rights, set right here in the land of the free. A “meet the filmmaker” event with director Jim de Séve. Oct. 20-21, 23: The Aristocrats. A filthy joke well-told, over and over. With a million or so comics, including Sarah Silverman, Bob Saget, Phyllis Diller, Drew Carey, Kevin Pollack, Larry Storch and Gilbert Gottfried. Oct. 19, 22: Moolaadé. A compelling drama about female genital mutilation from the great Ousmane Sembene. Oct. 27-28, 30: Save the Green Planet. A Korean sci-fi horror laughfest. No, really, it’s whacked in a good way. Nov. 3-4, 6: Layer Cake. Daniel Craig is a drug dealer who just wants to retire in this popular Brit thriller. Nov. 10-11, 13: Gunner Palace. Sobering documentary about G.I. Joes—the real ones—in Iraq. Nov. 17-18, 20: The Merchant of Venice. With Al Pacino as Shylock. For all Al Pacino fans. Nov. 25-27: Broken Flowers. Bill Murray is an aging Don Juan facing his past and future in this comedy-drama. With Sharon Stone, Jessica Lange and more. Dec. 1-2, 4: Millions. Danny Boyle’s sweet comedy about a fine, upstanding, religious young boy who stumbles upon a pile of cash. Dec. 8-9, 11: Ladies in Lavender. On the eve of World War II, Brit grand dames Maggie Smith and Judi Dench fish a handsome German youth out of the ocean. Trouble ensues. Dec. 15-16, 18: Howl’s Moving Castle. Hayao Miyazaki’s latest mind-boggling anime feature tells the story of a very resourceful girl in a world haunted by spirits and wrecked by war.

Time & Space Limited

434 Columbia St., Hudson, 822-8448. Call for showtimes.

Oct. 1: Abortion Diaries, Speak Out: I Had an Abortion. This CinemaLux event features two candid, insightful documentaries about women and their experiences of abortion. Oct. 2, 7: M. Fritz Lang’s classic psychological thriller about a child murderer, with a harrowing performance by Peter Lorre. Oct. 9: The Education of Shelby Knox. PBS documentary about a Texas teen who pledges sexual abstinence but becomes an advocate for sex ed. Oct. 21, 23, 28: Caterina in the Big City. A teenage girl from the Italian countryside learns some lessons about contemporary social climbing and class conflict in a Roman middle school in this acclaimed comedy. Oct. 22, 29-30: The Talent Given Us. A retired NYC couple drives cross-country with their adult daughters in this Sundance-praised dramedy.

WAMC Performing Arts Studio

339 Central Ave., Albany, 465-5233 ext. 4.

See listings under Film Specials in Metroland’s weekly movie clock.

Williamstown Film Festival

Various locations in and around Williamstown, Mass., (413) 458-9700, www.williamstownfilmfest.com

Oct. 28-Nov. 6. See Web site for details.

Dance

Tango Flamenco at the Egg

The Egg

Empire State Plaza, Albany, 473-1845.

Sept. 30: Pilobolus Too. Oct. 14: Tango Flamenco. Oct. 16: Rhythm in Shoes. Oct. 28: Rhythm of The Dance. Nov.4: Pascal Rioult Dance Company presents The Ravel Project. Nov. 6: Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company presents Telling Tales. Nov. 11: Brian Brooks Moving Company presents Piñata.

Palace Theatre

19 Clinton Ave., Albany, 465-4663 for tickets.

Dec. 10: Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker.

Skidmore College

815 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs.

Oct. 8: Skidmore Dancers family weekend dance concert. Nov. 4-5: Terpsichore Presents and Stompin’ Soles.

Art and Exhibits

A.D.D. Gallery

22 Park Place, Hudson, 822-9763.

Through Oct. 16: Photographs by David Brickman.

Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts

Route 28, Blue Mountain Lake, 352-7715.

Through Oct. 28: A Brush With Nature by Vincent Bihn. Oct. 3-Nov. 18: All in a Day’s Work: Scenes and Stories from an Adirondack Medical Practice, photographs by Dr. Daniel Way. Oct. 15-Dec. 21: Drawings from Landscapes, works by Robert Sardell. Nov. 22-Dec. 21: Photographs by Judy Olson and John Griebsch.

Adirondack Mountain Club

Route 9N, Luzerne Road, Lake George, 668-4447.

Through Oct. 29: Works by Neil Rizos.

Aimie’s Lobby Gallery

190-194 Glen St., Glens Falls, 792-8181.

Through Oct. 20: Sculpture Trio, works by Audrie Sturman, Lorraine Hall, and Tom Schottman.

Albany Center Galleries

Albany Public Library, 161 Washington Ave., Albany, 462-4775.

Through Oct. 8: Affordable Works and Music, art by Sherry Steiner. Oct. 25-Dec. 3: Juried members’ show.

Albany Institute of History & Art

125 Washington Ave., Albany, 463-4478.

Through Dec. 31: Alice Morgan Wright: Sculptor and Activist. Oct. 15-Jan. 1, 2006: Rodin: A Magnificent Obsession—Sculpture from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation.

Arts 220 Gallery & Studio

Route 22, Salem, 854-3406.

Through Sept. 30: New works by Leslie Parke.

The Arts Center Gallery at the Saratoga County Arts Council

Saratoga County Arts Council, 320 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, 584-4132.

Through Sept. 30: Works by Barbara Garro. Through Oct. 22: Unrelated. Through Nov. 30: Reel Shorts.

The Arts Center of the Capital Region

265 River St., Troy, 273-0552.

Through Oct. 30: Tricked Out, work by regional auto-body artists. Through Nov. 20: Modified. Through Nov. 20: Flying Monsters: The World of Monster Trucks. Oct. 1-9: Chinese brush painting by Zhong-Hua Lu.

Bennington Museum

West Main Street, Bennington, Vt., (802) 447-1571.

Through Dec. 31: Exploration, Vision & Influence: The Art World of Brattleboro’s Hunt Family.

Carrie Haddad Gallery

622 Warren St., Hudson, 828-1915.

Sept. 29-Nov. 6: Works by Tony Thompson, Richard Kagan, Russell DeYoung, and Shaina Marron.

Center for Photography at Woodstock

59 Tinker St., Woodstock, (914) 679-9957.

Through Oct. 23: Ambiguous Icons. Through Oct. 23: Inaugural Regional Triennial of Photographic Arts.

Chapman Historical Museum

348 Glen St., Glens Falls, 793-2826.

Through Oct. 30: Photos of Ausable Chasm by S.R. Stoddard. Oct. 6-Feb. 26, 2006: Bridging 40 Years: Highlights from the Collection. Nov. 25-Dec. 31: The Holidays on the Civil War Home Front.

Clark Art Institute

225 South St., Williamstown, Mass., (413) 458-9545.

Through Oct. 15: Little Women, Little Men: Folk Art Portraits of Children from the Fenimore Art Museum. Through May 17, 2006: The Clark: Celebrating 50 Years of Art in Nature. Through May 17, 2006: 50 Favorites. Through summer 2006: Hail to the Chiefs. Oct. 9-Jan. 16, 2006: Winslow Homer: Making Art, Making History.

The College of St. Rose Art Gallery

Picotte Hall, 324 State St., Albany, 485-3900.

Through Oct. 13: Art and Design Faculty Show. Oct. 21-Dec. 4: Katarina Wong—As I Lay Dreaming.

Deborah Davis Fine Art

345 Warren St., Hudson, 822-1890.

Through Sept. 25: A Sense of Place, featuring works by F.E. Green, Pat Hogan, Susan Harding Merancy, and Walter J. Pasko.

Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

125 W. Bay Road, Amherst, Mass., (413) 658-1100.

Through Nov. 6: Painter and Poet: The Wonderful World of Ashley Bryan. Through Dec. 4: Beatrix Potter in America. Nov 19-Mar. 12, 2006: The Art of Alice Provensen.

Farmers’ Museum

Lake Road, Route 80, Cooperstown, (888) 547-1499.

Through Oct. 31: Mysteries of the Lake: Otsego Lake . . . Past and Present.

Fenimore Art Museum

Lake Road, Route 80, Cooperstown, (607) 547-1400.

Through Dec. 31: A Deaf Artist in Early America: The Works of John Brewster, Jr. Through Dec. 31: The Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection of North American Indian Art 10th Anniversary.

Firlefanz Gallery

292 Lark St., Albany, 465-5035.

Through Oct. 8: works by Harry Orlyk and Kathie Robinson-Frank. Oct. 5-29: Works by Allen Grindle. Nov. 9-Dec. 23: Ceramic and visual art group show.

Fulton Street Gallery

408 Fulton St., Troy, 274-8464.

Through Oct. 15: Cross Current, works by Dorothy Englander and Dana Rudolph. Oct. 16-30: Blink, new work by regional artists. Nov. 2-Dec. 10: East of the Border, works by Berkshire artists.

Gallery 100

445 Broadway, Saratoga Springs. 580-0818.

Through Oct. 16: Prints and sculpture by Sunghee Park and Chris Duncan. Oct. 20-Nov. 27: works by Bruno LaVerdiere and David Brickman. Dec. 1-Feb. 12, 2006: Significantly Small, artwork of diminuitive proportions.

Haddad Lascano Gallery

297 Main St., Great Barrington, Mass., (413) 528-0471.

Sept. 22-Oct. 23: works by Elizabeth Dovydenas, Chris Page, John Pepper, Wesley Wheeler, and Joe Wheaton. Oct. 27-Dec. 4: works by Kathy Burge and John Cross.

Hudson Opera House

327 Warren St., Hudson, 822-1438.

Through Oct. 1: Life Lines, works by Marilyn Reynolds. Oct. 7-Nov. 26: Innerscapes: In Here and Out There, works by Thomas Froese.

Hudson Valley Community College

Marvin Teaching Gallery, 80 Vandenburgh Ave., Troy, 629-8063.

Sept. 22-Nov. 5: Photographs by Meredith Allen. Nov. 17-September, 2006: Paintings by Christian Carson.

The Hyde Collection

161 Warren St., Glens Falls, 792-1761.

Sept. 25-Dec. 11: Adolph Gottlieb: 1956.

Lake George Arts Project

Courthouse Gallery, Canada and Lower Amherst streets, Lake George Village, 668-2616.

Through Oct. 21: Drawings and paintings by Elizabeth Terhune.

LARAC

Lapham Gallery, 7 Lapham Place, Glens Falls. 798-1144.

Sept. 22-Nov. 4: Fall Exhibition.

Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art

1040 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, Mass., (413) 664-4481.

Sept. 24-Dec. 31: Regarding The Rural. Through Oct. 31: Inopportune, installation works by Cai Quo-Qiang. Through Dec. 31: Trade Show. Through Feb. 28, 2006: Becoming Animal: Art in the Animal Kingdom. Through Feb. 28, 2006: Life After Death: New Leipzig Paintings from the Rubell Family Collection. Oct. 6-Jan. 22, 2006: Reading Sculpture: Long Bin-Chen.

Modo Gallery

506 Warren St., Hudson, 828-5090.

Sept. 24-Oct. 30: Decidedly Diva: Part II, works by Anita Fields and Cheyenne Harris. Nov. 5-Dec. 31: Then and Now, works by Ken Polinskie.

National Museum of Dance

99 S. Broadway, Saratoga Springs, 584-2225.

Through May 2006: Dancing Rebels, an exhibit highlighting the work of the New Dance Group.

New York State Museum

Empire State Plaza, Albany, 474-5877.

Through Dec. 31: Mammals Revealed: Discovery and Documentation of Secretive Creatures. Through Feb. 26, 2006: Ann Zane Shanks: Behind the Lens. Oct 15, 2005-Jan. 8, 2006: Sports: Breaking Records, Breaking Barriers. Oct. 15-March 26, 2006: Miracles: New York’s Greatest Sports Moments.

Norman Rockwell Museum

Route 183, Stockbridge, Mass., (413) 298-4100.

Through Oct. 30: Windblown: Contemporary American Weathervanes. Through Oct. 31: The Art of The New Yorker: Eighty Years in the Vanguard. Through Nov. 13: Norman Rockwell’s 323 Saturday Evening Post covers. Nov. 12-May 31, 2006: National Geographic: The Art of Exploration. Nov. 25-Feb. 5, 2006: Tasha Tudor’s Spirit of the Holidays.

Oakroom Artists Gallery

First Unitarian Society, 1221 Wendell Ave., Schenectady, 374-4446.

Through Oct. 31: works by Karen K. Rosasco. Nov. 6-Dec. 13: Works by Tom Schottman and Doretta Miller.

Opalka Gallery

Sage Colleges, 140 New Scotland Ave., Albany. 292-7742.

Through Oct. 16: Betty Parsons and the Women.

Richard Sena Gallery

238 Warren St., Hudson, 828-1996.

Through Oct. 6: works by Patricia Nolan and Stevan Jennis. Oct. 7-Nov. 13: From Here On In, works by Ana Cinquemani. Oct. 7-Nov. 13: Objects in Mirror are Closer than They Appear, works by Isolde Kille.

Schenectady Museum

Nott Terrace Heights, Schenectady, 382-7890.

Through Dec. 18: Metamorphosis: Then and Now, works by Stanwyck Cromwell. Through Jan. 8, 2006: Visions of China, photographs by Dr. Clinton Millett.

SKH Gallery of Textiles and Fine Craft

Railroad Station, Great Barrington, Mass., (413) 528-3300.

Through Oct. 23: works by Daniel Kohn and Robert Kipniss.

Skidmore College

Schick Art Gallery, 815 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs, 580-5049.

Sept. 30-Nov. 3: Selected Art Faculty Exhibition. Nov. 11-Dec. 18: Contemporary Drawings.

Spencertown Academy

Route 203, Spencertown, 392-3693.

Oct. 1-Nov. 13: Remembering: 1929-1946 The Austerlitz Oral History Project.

Tang Teaching Museum and Gallery

Skidmore College, 815 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, 580-8080.

Through Oct. 30: Weapons of Mass Dissemination: The Propaganda of War. Through Dec. 30: America Starts Here: Kate Ericson and Mel Ziegler. Oct. 1-Dec. 30: Opener 10: Kathy Butterly. Nov. 19-Feb. 12, 2006: Richard Pettibone: A Retrospective.

Thomas Cole National Historic Site

Catskill, 943-7465.

Through Oct. 30: George Inness: Paintings.

Time and Space Limited

434 Columbia St., Hudson, 822-8448

Through Sept. 30: Women’s Work.

Union College

Mandeville Gallery, Nott Memorial, Schenectady. 388-6131.

Through Sept. 25: Inside/Outside, paintings and drawings by Bruce McColl and Don Resnick.

University Art Museum

University at Albany, 1400 Washington Ave., Albany, 442-4035.

Sept. 29-Nov. 13: The New Emerging From The Old, Lu Shengzhong: Works 1980-2005.

Valley Artisans Market

25 E. Main St., Cambridge, 677-2765.

Through Sept. 28: Bones of the River, mixed media by Barbara Price.

Visions Gallery

Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany Pastoral Center, 40 N. Main Ave., Albany, 453-6600.

Through Oct. 28: Litany, works by Rosemary Scott Fishburn.

Williams College Museum of Art

Williamstown, Mass., (413) 597-2429.

Through Dec. 4: Masterworks of Chinese Painting: In Pursuit of Mists and Clouds. Through Dec. 11: Moving Pictures: American Art and Early Film 1880-1910.

Classical Music

Albany Pro Musica

Performances are at various locations, www.albanypromusica.org.

Dec. 3 (Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Troy): Handel’s Messiah. Dec. 4 (Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Albany): Handel’s Messiah.

Albany Symphony Orchestra

Concerts take place at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Troy 273-0038; the Palace Theatre, Albany, 465-3334; Canfield Casino, Congress Park, Saratoga Springs, 584-6920, and the First United Methodist Church, Pittsfield, Mass., unless otherwise noted.

Oct. 1 (Saratoga National Historic Park): David Alan Miller, likely in period garb, will conduct the ASO on the Battlefields of Saratoga. Oct. 22 (Palace Theatre): Great Moments from Grand Opera, with works by Puccini, Verdi, Wagner, Bizet, Bernstein and more. Featuring Albany Pro Musica and soloists. Nov. 11 (Palace Theatre): Rachmaninov in America, with guest conductor Stefan Sanderling. Featured works include Dankner’s Evenings with My Grandfather, Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2—featuring Yura Lee, violin—and Rachmaninov’s Symphony No. 3. Dec 8 (Canfield Casino), Dec. 9 (Troy Savings Bank Music Hall), Dec. 10 (First United Methodist Church): Spirituals at the Holidays, with Woods’ Places of Light, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and the Spirituals Project: Part II. Featuring Nathan Myers, baritone.

Aston Magna

All performances are held at the Daniel Arts Center at Simon’s Rock College in Great Barrington, Mass. and begin at 6 PM. (413) 528-3595.

Nov. 19: An all-Mozart program, featuring violinist Daniel Stepner.

Chapel + Cultural Center

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Burdett and Peoples avenues, Troy, 274-7793.

Sept. 30: An evening with pianist-composer-sociologist Michael Century.

Close Encounters With Music

All performaces will be held at Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington, Mass., and will start at 6 PM. (800) 843-0778.

Oct. 29: Visionaries and Mystics, a performance of Messiaen’s Quartet For the End of Time featuring Vadim Gluzman (violin), Alexander Fiterstein (clarinet), Michael Boriskin (piano) and Yehuda Hanani (cello). Nov. 26: Classical Hollywood, with works by Weill, Korngold, Rosza, Bolling and more performed by Michael Chertock (piano), Blythe Walker (soprano), Yehonatan Berick (violin) and Yehuda Hanani (cello).

deBlasiis Chamber Music Series

8 PM performances at the Hyde Collection, Helen Froehlich Auditorium, 161 Warren St., Glens Fall