A documentary co-directed by Professor of International Studies James Der Derian, David Udris ’90 and Michael Udris ’91 opens at 4:15 Saturday at Avon Cinema, with proceeds going to a fund named for a fourth collaborator, Michael Bhatia ’99, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2008. It’s the Providence premiere for Human Terrain, which takes its name from the “Human Terrain System” in which the military has employed social scientists like Bhatia.

Bhatia, a former Watson Institute fellow, was a member of an Army Human Terrain Team at the time of his death. Since then, his family donated a collection of his books to the Brown library. Of course, the Human Terrain System, and the broader role of scholars in war is not uncontroversial at Brown and elsewhere. Trailer for Human Terrain below.

SPACE Gala

BABIES

Trust me on this one, the kids in the wind symphony know how to put on a good show. There probably won’t be any Lady Gaga medleys, but surely you can survive without them for one night.

Believe it or not, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is STILL playing.  Thankfully, our friends at the Avon have also added the German mystery/thriller The White Ribbon into the mix.  As a series of bizarre incidents (including some unfortunate cases of torture and a fire or two) rock a Northern Germany town in the years preceding WWI,  the local schoolteacher finds himself looking in the oddest of places for the culprit.  If you’re still recouping from Spring Weekend, this might just be a good alternative to a good ol’ Thirsty Thursday.

The White Ribbon plays each night at 6:15.

Chris Bennett / Herald

If you haven’t heard of Stieg Larsson’s best-selling trilogy, I’m afraid to say you’re slightly behind on your novel know-how.  Thankfully, the Avon is offering you a quick fix – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is playing this weekend. Based on the first installment in Larsson’s series, the movie follows the story of Henrik Vanger’s search for his niece who disappeared 40 years ago.  Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander are called into investigate. A couple of grizzly murders and some dark family secrets later and…you’re going to have to go to the movies to find out the rest. Or read the book. And remember, the book’s almost always better.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is playing at 6 and 9 P.M. on Fri. and Sat., with a 2 P.M. matinee on Sat. and Sun.

(((OPEN)))
8:00-11:00 p.m, Hillel Gallery Space
The word “open” is neither an explanation nor an afterthought because it explains nothing — and there was no before-thought, so the parentheses seem a little unnecessary to me. However, this event is going to feature “experiments in your zen garden” and “human q-tips” so I don’t exactly feel comfortable telling them that they’re misusing punctuation.

The Cook
8:00 p.m., Leeds Theater (77 Waterman)
$7, $5 with the coupon that was in your mailbox
Director Kym Moore also directed “The Other Shore” last year, and it was a seriously cool piece of theater, so I’m excited to see what she does with “The Cook.” The show, written by Eduardo Machado (any relation to Antonio?) is set in Cuba in 1958.

Greenberg
6:30 and 8:45, Avon Cinema
If you want to see Ben Stiller rocking his serious face, you better get a move on: this is Greenberg’s last night at the Avon.

Okay, is it just me, or has it been the LONGEST week? All this beautiful weather was lovely during the weekend, but when Monday rolled around, it made it incredibly difficult for me to drag my sorry self to class. All I’m saying is, thank everything that is good in this world that it is (almost. almost almost!) time for the weekend, which means another crop of exciting things to do TONIGHT. And I’m not just saying “exciting” so you’ll be excited. This weekend is packed with truly excellent things for you and me and everyone we know to do. To start us off, Thursday’s picks:

Three Sisters
Production Workshop (7 Young Orchard), 8:00
FREE FREE FREE
I don’t know if you went to see Lulu last weekend (or have plans to see it this week!), but that show left me reeling. And a little sick to my stomach (because of the content, not the production!). And longing for a show that was a little less… aesthetically minded is the phrase I’m sticking with, but absolutely out of its freaking mind is another valid option. “Three Sisters” is the most buzzed-about student production in a long time, but it also promises to be some darn good theater. And it’s a Chekhov play, which means you get that lovely classy & cultured feeling for the price of your (FREE) ticket.

The Last Station
Avon Cinema, 6:30 & 8:50
If tonight’s “What to Do” had a theme, it would be Russian writers form the late 19th century. Thank goodness it doesn’t! I don’t know if you remember me telling you to go see “Crazy Heart” because of my girl crush on Maggie Gyllenhaal, but that’s absolutely nothing compared to my deep, long-abiding love for James McAvoy. Yep, I’m mostly interested in this multiple-Oscar-nominated film because one of the actors is a hot hot hottie with soulful eyes. What of it?

Fusion Dance Show
Alumnae Hall Auditorium, 8:00, $5
Fusion Dance Company has a well-earned rep for putting on electric, high-energy dance shows and it looks like this one will be no exception. It also has the benefit of having nothing to do with Russian writers from the 19th century, so if you’re not into that (although really, how could you not be?), this one’s for you.

Party for Haiti

Blue (523 Water St) 10:00 pm – 1:00 am, $5

Absolutely no chance DJ Pauly D will be there, but nothing takes the sting off of remembering what you did last night like knowing you did it for a good cause! Proceeds go to the Israeli Humanitarian Relief Effort in Haiti, so drink up in the name of philanthropy!

“Crazy Heart”

Avon Theater, 6:30 and 8:50

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been dying to see this ever since the Oscar nominations were announced (plus, I’ve got a big ole girl crush on Maggie Gyllenhaal and she’s supposed to be excellent).

The Wooster Group

Metcalf Auditorium at the Chase Center (N. Main and College), 7:30

The Wooster Group is a visiting “multimedia theater troupe,” and I’m willing to trek part-way down The Hill simply to find out what that means. Knowledge is power, people.

— Anne Speyer