West Newton Cinema

When a single, unattributed missile is launched at the United States, a race begins to determine who is responsible and how to respond.

Join us for a special Halloween screening of the 1944 classic, Arsenic and Old Lace! Wear your Halloween costume and get a free small popcorn! Sponsored by Newton at Home Mortimer Brewster, a newspaper drama critic, playwright and author known for his diatribes against marriage, suddenly falls in love and gets married; but when he makes a quick trip home to tell his two maiden aunts, he finds out his aunts' hobby - killing lonely old men and burying them in the cellar!

ABOUT THE FILM NOUVELLE VAGUE is Richard Linklater’s love letter to the magic of French New Wave cinema, as he reimagines the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless (1960), the film that established Godard’s signature place in the history of cinema. The film is about a young and impulsive criminal in Paris and his American girlfriend. In Nouvelle Vague we are transported back to the streets of 1959 Paris for a delightful and vibrant recreation of one of cinema's most groundbreaking productions. It is an ode to the transformative power of cinema. POST SCREENING PANEL DISCUSSION Our distinguished panel will delve into how this film pays tribute to one of the world’s most beloved and influential example of French New Wave cinema. We will go deeper into why this film brought international attention to new ways of French film-making and the impact of French New Wave on how movies are made. PANELISTS: TY BURR Ty Burr is a nationally renowned film critic, who reviews films for The Washington Post and writes the film and popular culture newsletter, "Ty Burr's Watchlist". Burr worked as a film critic at The Boston Globe from 2002 until 2021. He is a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics and the National Society of Film Critics. He has appeared on NECN, MSNBC, WGBH's Greater Boston, NPR's Here and Now, Bloomberg Radio. Every month, Ty Burr hosts Ty Burr's Movie Night Club at the West Newton Cinema. JULIE LEVINSON, Ph.D. William R. Dill Governance Professor, Film Studies, Babson College. Levinson’s scholarship has focused on a wide range of topics including genre and gender, documentary film, narrative theory, and metafiction. She is the author of several books, including The American Success Myth on Film, The Auteur Renaissance: 1968-1980: Acting: Behind the Silver Screen; editor of Alexander Payne: Interviews. Professor Robinson curates and leads a series on The American Dream at the West Newton Cinema. MALCOLM TURVEY, Ph.D. Sol Gittleman Professor, Film and Media Studies, Tufts University. Turvey’s research is in the areas of film theory, the philosophy and aesthetics of film, avant-garde film, and film and modernism. His published books include The Filming of Modern Life: European Avant-Garde Film of the 1920s and Meanwhile, Play Time: Jacques Tati and Comedic Modernism. His most recent monograph, Film, Art, and the Limits of Science: In Defense of Humanistic Explanation is trenchant defense of the purpose and value of humanistic explanation. MODERATOR:   ERICA KNUDSON, Ph.D. Visiting Professor, French Chinese, Northeastern University. Knudson is the author of Nouvelles Femmes, which focuses on women in French New Wave cinema and will be published in May 2025. She has taught courses on film, media communications at Harvard University, Stanford Continuing Studies, Northeastern, and at the University of Paris.

Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon tells the story of legendary lyricist Lorenz Hart bravely facing the future as his professional and private life unravel at the opening night party for his former partner’s hit show Oklahoma! By the time this night is over, Hart will have confronted both a world that no longer values his talent and the seeming impossibility of love. “Oklahoma!”.

JACK LEMMON: A CENTENNIAL TRIBUTE TO NEWTON'S OWN HOLLYWOOD LEGEND October 24-26, 2025 Jack Lemmon considered his role as Joe Clay in Blake Edwards’ DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES (1962) one of his most important. His searing portrait of alcoholism showed his mastery of drama as well as comedy, and marked a turning point in his career. ABOUT THE FILM Joe Clay (Lemmon) is a rising young public relations executive when he meets Kirsten Arnesen (Lee Remick), a pretty secretary, at a business party. Joe and Kirsten are both ambitious, and they are on the road to success when they fall in love and marry. Soon after, however, Joe coaxes Kirsten to begin drinking with him on a regular basis. Eventually, they are both dependent on alcohol. Their marriage deteriorates, and their lives spiral into disaster, as a result.

DEATH & TAXES Presented by Authors & Innovators The most successful entrepreneurs are resilient—but none succeed alone. They rely on networks of mentors, peers, family, and partners to navigate challenges and scale their ventures. In Greater Boston, founders benefit from a powerful ecosystem—accelerators, incubators, world-class universities, targeted policies, grants, volunteers, and well-connected organizations that provide capital, mentorship, and technical expertise. Yet even with these advantages, true risk-taking requires economic security. Access to healthcare, education, and stable housing empowers people to launch businesses, fueling innovation and job creation. Without this safety net, too many ideas never leave the drawing board. Massachusetts is seeing fewer new business starts, and fewer companies on the Inc. 5000. With half of Americans lacking a living income and millions with no savings, it’s time to ask: should we rethink tax and spending policy to create a more inclusive entrepreneurial future? Join us for a screening of DEATH & TAXES—a documentary on wealth, inequality, and the American Dream viewed through the lens of tax policy and the very personal story of a father and son at odds over what kind of inheritance we want to leave our kids and our country —followed by a panel discussion on what it will take to expand opportunity and entrepreneurship in Boston and beyond. Moderator: LARRY GENNARI is a founding Partner at the business law firm of Gennari Aronson, LLP. He curates the annual Authors & Innovators Business Book Festival, writes a regular book column for the Boston Business Journal, and is an adjunct professor at Boston College School of Law, where he leads Project Entrepreneur, a clinic focused on assisting entrepreneurs with criminal records launch new business ventures. Guest Speakers: PATRICIA MCCOY is a nationally recognized expert on financial regulation and a member of the faculty at Boston College Law School. Her most recent book, Sharing Risk: The Path to Economic Well-Being for All, examines the financial precarity of American families and what we all can do to make positive and collective change. She served at the U.S. Department of the Treasury in 2010 and 2011. DOUG BANKS is Executive Editor of the Boston Business Journal, overseeing editorial content across its daily website, newsletters, weekly print edition, and business events. Under his leadership, the newsroom has earned several regional and national awards for excellence in investigative, breaking news, government journalism, design, and general reporting.  
 Authors & Innovators is a free, community-based business and ideas event in the Greater Boston area for students, CEOs, entrepreneurs, venture and angel investors, and innovators, now in its ninth year (authorsinnovators.org). Curated by Gennari Aronson, LLP (galawpartners.com)

DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE, the cinematic return of the global phenomenon, follows the Crawley family and their staff as they enter the 1930s. As the beloved cast of characters navigates how to lead Downton Abbey into the future, they must embrace change and welcome a new chapter.

In Eleanor The Great, June Squibb brings to vivid life the witty and proudly troublesome 94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein, who after a devastating loss, tells a tale that takes on a dangerous life of its own. Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut is a comically poignant exploration of how the stories we hear become the stories we tell.

A young girl recounts growing up in San Francisco in the '70s and '80s with her gay dad. Based on the award-winning novel of the same title.

Join us for a 1-Night special showing of the 1931 classic, Frankenstein. Henry Frankenstein is a doctor who is trying to discover a way to make the dead walk. He succeeds and creates a monster that has to deal with living again.

A brilliant but egotistical scientist brings a creature to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation

In the new film, Gabby (Laila Lockhart Kraner, reprising her role from the series) heads out on a road trip with her Grandma Gigi (four-time Grammy Award winner Gloria Estefan) to the urban wonderland of Cat Francisco. But when Gabby’s dollhouse, her most prized possession, ends up in the hands of an eccentric cat lady named Vera (Oscar®nominee Kristen Wiig), Gabby sets off on an adventure through the real world to get the Gabby Cats back together and save the dollhouse before it’s too late.

Dracula, who operates a high-end resort away from the human world, goes into overprotective mode when a boy discovers the resort and falls for the count's teenaged daughter. *Kids doing Window Painting with Newton Cultural Development get in free.*

Dreamgirls and Beauty and the Beast director Bill Condon returns to the movie musical in this dazzling Technicolor-hued fantasy. Valentín (Diego Luna), a political prisoner, shares a cell with Molina (Tonatiuh), a window dresser convicted of public indecency. The two form an unlikely bond as Molina recounts the plot of a Hollywood musical starring his favorite silver screen diva, Ingrid Luna (Jennifer Lopez). Based on the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical hit.

It's back this Halloween! A world-renowned K-Pop girl group balances their lives in the spotlight with their secret identities as bad-ass demon hunters, set against a colorful backdrop of fashion, food, style, and the most popular music movement of the current generation.

When their evil enemy resurfaces after 16 years, a group of ex-revolutionaries reunites to rescue one of their own's daughter.

George Orwell was one of the most radical and visionary authors of the 20th Century, whose 1940s novels, such as 1984 and Animal Farm, foretold a chilling, all-too-believable authoritarian future that has become scarily prescient in our modern era. Acclaimed director Raoul Peck (I Am Not Your Negro), working in collaboration with the Orwell Estate, seamlessly interweaves historical clips, readings from Orwell's diary, cinematic references, and dynamic modern day footage to craft not only a definitive portrait of the writer himself, but an entirely fresh take on how remarkably relevant and prophetic his work has become. Featuring award-winning actor Damian Lewis as the voice of Orwell.

JACK LEMMON: A CENTENNIAL TRIBUTE TO NEWTON'S OWN HOLLYWOOD LEGEND October 24-26, 2025 SATURDAY EVENING Schedule: 5:30 PM - Reception with Lemon Cake & Lemon Martinis (included with admission) 6:15 PM - Conversation and Q&A with Jack Lemmon's family, moderated by film critic Ty Burr. FOLLOWED BY - Comedy classic SOME LIKE IT HOT! ABOUT THE FILM With no money and nowhere to hide, two down-on-their-luck jazz musicians (Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis) masquerade as members of an all-girl band, leading to romantic complications when one falls for the band’s lead singer, played by Marilyn Monroe in one of her most iconic performances. Directed by Billy Wilder, SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959) has been named the #1 American comedy of all time by the American Film Institute.

ABOUT THE FILM Spreadsheet Champions is a heartwarming feature documentary that follows six students from across the world as they put their Excel-lent skills to the test at the Microsoft Office Specialist World Championships. Blending adrenaline, formulas, and friendship, the film shines a light on the power of education, the surprising influence of spreadsheets, and the next generation of digital leaders. POST SCREENING PANEL DISCUSSION Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston, co-creator's of VisiCalc, the first spreadsheet program, will be doing a Q&A and short discussion following this free event.

From 20th Century Studios, “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” chronicles the making of Bruce Springsteen’s 1982 “Nebraska” album. Recorded on a 4-track recorder in Springsteen’s New Jersey bedroom, the album marked a pivotal time in his life and is considered one of his most enduring works—a raw, haunted acoustic record populated by lost souls searching for a reason to believe.

West Newton Cinema Reads and Newtonville Books present: Famed naturalist Sy Montgomery, author of THE TRUE AND LUCKY LIFE OF A TURTLE, and E. B. Bartels, author of GOOD GRIEF, together for a talk and book signing to benefit the Turtle Survival Alliance! Our day begins with a turtle meet and greet. Sy and E.B. will then share big-screen stories and more from their animal adventures, followed by a Q&A. Guests are invited to stay for a screening of THE SLOWEST STAMPEDE ON EARTH and join Sy and E.B. for a book signing in our lobby. And don’t forget to bid on items—like turtle quilts—in the silent auction! The day’s events: 11am-11:30: Turtle meet & greet; mingle in the lobby to browse books & turtle merch & bid on the silent auction items 11:30-12:30: Authors talk books & turtles, followed by a Q&A, in the theater 12:30-1:30: Join us for a screening of THE SLOWEST STAMPEDE ON EARTH (20 mins, in the theater) & a book signing (in the lobby) National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestseller SY MONTGOMERY is the author of thirty-nine books for both adults and children, including Soul of an Octopus and Of Time and Turtles, and has been honored with a Sibert Medal, three Sibert Honors, two Science Book and Film Prizes from the National Association for the Advancement of Science, four honorary degrees, and many other awards. She lives in Hancock, New Hampshire, with her husband, Howard Mansfield, and their border collie, Thurber. E.B. BARTELS is a nonfiction writer, a teacher, an editor, and a former bookseller with an MFA from Columbia. She is the author of Good Grief: On Loving Pets, Here and Hereafter (out in paperback from Mariner Books/HarperCollins on 11/11/25), a narrative nonfiction book about loving and losing animals, which has received positive press from many media outlets including The Associated Press, NPR, The Boston Globe, WBUR, Kinship, Psychology Today, and the American Kennel Club, and which has been translated into Korean. Her essays and interviews have appeared in Salon, Slate, WBUR, Literary Hub, Catapult, Electric Literature, The Believer, and The Rumpus, among others. E.B. lives in Arlington, Massachusetts, with her husband (Richie), her son (Luca), and a pair of red-footed tortoises (Terrence and Twyla).

JACK LEMMON: A CENTENNIAL TRIBUTE TO NEWTON'S OWN HOLLYWOOD LEGEND October 24-26, 2025 SATURDAY AFTERNOON Schedule: 3:20 PM - Screening of THE APARTMENT 5:30 PM - Celebratory Reception with Lemon Cake & Lemon Martinis (included with admission) Winner of five Academy Awards including Best Picture, Billy Wilder’s THE APARTMENT (1960) is both a biting social satire and a moving story of loneliness, ambition, and ultimately love. Jack Lemmon is brilliant in a role that alternates lighthearted comedy with emotional depth. ABOUT THE FILM C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon) tries to rise in his company by letting its executives use his apartment for trysts. Complications ensue when he falls for elevator operator Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine), who is involved with his boss (Fred MacMurray).

John, an ambitious but undisciplined New York City office worker, meets and marries Mary. They start a family, struggle to cope with marital stress, financial setbacks, and tragedy, all while lost amid the anonymous, pitiless throngs of the big city. Our curator, Prof. Julie Levinson, says: "A rare screening of director King Vidor’s silent film masterpiece about a young man’s aspirations and frustrations as he experiences city life during the roaring twenties."

Celebrated filmmaker Kelly Reichardt (First Cow, Showing Up) directs an unforgettable Josh O’Connor in THE MASTERMIND, her latest Cannes triumph. In a sedate Massachusetts suburb circa 1970, unemployed family man and amateur art thief J.B Mooney sets out on his first heist. With the museum cased and accomplices recruited, he has an airtight plan. Or so he thinks. A brilliant look at the folly of man, THE MASTERMIND also features Alana Haim, Gaby Hoffmann, John Magaro, Hope Davis and Bill Camp. Rich in textured detail, this sly depiction of an era subverts long-held illusions and confronts disillusionment.

JACK LEMMON: A CENTENNIAL TRIBUTE TO NEWTON'S OWN HOLLYWOOD LEGEND October 24-26, 2025 Introduced by Chris Lemmon (Jack’s son) and Charlie Matthau (Walter’s son), who will reminisce about their fathers' legendary comic pairing and offscreen friendship (via Zoom) ABOUT THE FILM Two friends (Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau) try sharing an apartment, but their ideas of housekeeping and lifestyles are as different as night and day.

In THERE WAS, THERE WAS NOT, myth and reality intertwine to reveal the lives of four Armenian women facing the loss of their homeland. What began as a quiet observation of their daily lives became, after the war in Artsakh, an urgent chronicle of survival — a cinematic act of memory and resistance. The film has been hailed by critics as: “A bold act of narrative resistance”-The Moveable Fest “A fiery, feminist wartime fable”- Hammer to Nail “A powerful tribute to a former country" - RogerEbert.com Filmmaker Atom Egoyan praised it as “a deeply felt and beautifully made film.” The documentary has toured festivals worldwide following its world premiere at True/False Film Festival, winning multiple awards, including the Audience Award and First Honorable Mention Jury Award at Argentina’s Mar del Plata International Film Festival and the FIPRESCI International Film Critics Award at the Golden Apricot Film Festival. Q&A: Following the screening, filmmaker Emily Mkrtichian will join a Q&A discussion moderated by Paul Boghosian, President of Harbor Side Films, producer of documentaries (PBS), public affairs programming as well as major television and cable and streaming projects for networks and private clients.

Join us for the full story! Wicked and Wicked: For Good. Includes a 15-minute intermission. There will be special refreshments and goodies provided by West Newton Cinema during the intermission! Double Feature shows will be exclusively on our newly upgraded 1st floor theaters with 4k laser projection and Dolby surround sound.

Wicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz, stars Emmy, Grammy and Tony winning powerhouse Cynthia Erivo (Harriet, Broadway’s The Color Purple) as Elphaba, a young woman, misunderstood because of her unusual green skin, who has yet to discover her true power, and Grammy-winning, multi-platinum recording artist and global superstar Ariana Grande as Glinda, a popular young woman, gilded by privilege and ambition, who has yet to discover her true heart. The two meet as students at Shiz University in the fantastical Land of Oz and forge an unlikely but profound friendship. Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths. Glinda's unflinching desire for popularity sees her seduced by power, while Elphaba's determination to remain true to herself, and to those around her, will have unexpected and shocking consequences on her future. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfill their destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West. The film also stars Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh as Shiz University’s regal headmistress Madame Morrible; Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton, Fellow Travelers) as Fiyero, a roguish and carefree prince; Tony nominee Ethan Slater (Broadway’s Spongebob Squarepants, Fosse/Verdon) as Boq, an altruistic Munchkin student; Marissa Bode in her feature-film debut as Nessarose, Elphaba’s favored sister; and pop culture icon Jeff Goldblum as the legendary Wizard of Oz.

Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), now demonized as The Wicked Witch of the West, lives in exile, hidden within the Ozian forest while continuing her fight for the freedom of Oz’s silenced Animals and desperately trying to expose the truth she knows about The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum). Glinda, meanwhile, has become the glamorous symbol of Goodness for all of Oz, living at the palace in Emerald City and reveling in the perks of fame and popularity. Under the instruction of Madame Morrible (Oscar® winner Michelle Yeoh), Glinda is deployed to serve as an effervescent comfort to Oz, reassuring the masses that all is well under the rule of The Wizard. As Glinda’s stardom expands and she prepares to marry Prince Fiyero (Olivier award winner and Emmy and SAG nominee Jonathan Bailey) in a spectacular Ozian wedding, she is haunted by her separation from Elphaba. She attempts to broker a conciliation between Elphaba and The Wizard, but those efforts will fail, driving Elphaba and Glinda only further apart. The aftershocks will transform Boq (Tony nominee Ethan Slater) and Fiyero forever, and threaten the safety of Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode), when a girl from Kansas comes crashing into all their lives. As an angry mob rises against the Wicked Witch, Glinda and Elphaba will need to come together one final time. With their singular friendship now the fulcrum of their futures, they will need to truly see each other, with honesty and empathy, if they are to change themselves, and all of Oz, for good.