West Newton Cinema

Based on the life story of Tourette's Syndrome campaigner John Davidson, MBE. Set within 1980s Britain, the story follows him throughout his troubled teens and early adulthood, and explores this little known and entirely misunderstood condition, along with his attempts to live a ‘normal’ life against the odds. Join us for a panel discussion following the movie! PANELISTS: Dr. Eileen Joyce, PhD, MD Dr. Joyce is a Professor Emerita of Neuropsychiatry at The Institute of Neurology, University College London. Her research focuses on interventions for neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, OCD and Tourette's syndrome and their mechanisms of action. Her clinic work includes the management of complex neuropsychiatric disorders such as conversion disorder, Parkinson's disease and Tourette's syndrome. She is involved in clinical studies of deep brain stimulation and neurosurgical ablation for severe mental illness. She served as Chair of the Faculty of Neuropsychiatry, Royal College of Psychiatrists. Dr. Michael Stanley, MD Dr Stanley is Director of the Neurocognitive Division at Tufts Medical Center. In addition to his clinical, administrative, and institutional duties, he is an internationally sought field-builder and scholar in the neurohumanities for his prolific contributions to both academic and lay forums and his vigorous promotion of better understanding between interaction between cognition and culture. MODERATOR Aaron Walker, MFA Aaron Walker is a writer, director, and producer and narrative and documentary film, and a teacher of film production at Boston University College of Communication. He worked with the Academy Award winning documentary production company Just Media in Denver, CO as a researcher, editor, project manager, and associate producer before pursuing his MFA in narrative film work at Columbia. His short films have been screened in various international film festivals, most notably TriBeCa.

Join us for a screening of the award-winning documentary, followed by a discussion between the Emmy- and Pulitzer Prize-winning director, David Abel, and Chris Vognar, TV and pop culture critic for The Boston Globe. In the shark-filled waters off Cape Cod, Michael Packard has long tempted fate. For several months a year, Packard and his longtime mate, Josiah Mayo, cast off nearly every morning ground dawn to navigate through the half-light to their diving grounds off Provincetown, the isolated community where they grew up at the tip of the Cape. As the region’s last-remaining commercial lobster diver, the aging father has had his share of harrowing experiences, which include close encounters with great whites, nearly drowning, and having to pull up the body of a fellow diver. He even survived a plane crash in the jungles of Costa Rica, where he ran a charter fishing business. But what happened to him on a routine dive on a clear June morning was something he never imagined possible, and many around the world refused to believe it. A story of biblical proportions, told with stunning visuals, IN THE WHALE shares Packard’s harrowing experience and its profound impact on his life and the community. PANEL DISCUSSION David Abel is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, documentary filmmaker, and professor of the practice at Boston University. His films include Inundation District (2023) and ENTANGLED (2020), which was nominated for an Emmy and won both a Jackson Wild and Best Feature Film award at the International Wildlife Film Festival. His other films include GLADESMEN: THE LAST OF THE SAWGRASS COWBOYS (2022), which won the Miami Film Festival’s Knight Made in Miami Award; LOBSTER WAR (2018), which won Best New England Film at the Mystic Film Festival; and SACRED COD (2016), and he directed and produced two films about the Boston Marathon bombings. Chris Vognar is the television and pop culture critic for The Boston Globe. He has written about TV, film, books, music, and theater for publications including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, and The Atlantic. He has covered the Oscars, the Sundance Film Festival, and the Toronto International Film Festival, and is a frequent panelist at the Venice Film Festival.

An anxious law school dropout (Matthew Shear) stumbles into a job babysitting his psychiatrist's three granddaughters and falls for the girls' mother (Amanda Peet), an actress in a rocky marriage. A smart, New York-set romantic comedy co-starring Alessandro Nivola, Judd Hirsch, Bob Balaban, Andrea Martin, Zosia Mamet, and Holland Taylor. Winner of the SXSW Narrative Feature Audience Award.

Join us for a twenty minute short film followed by a panel discussion, celebrating a remarkable community, the South Sudanese Enrichment for Families, and their inspiring stories of courage, resilience, and hope. Hosted by Reverend Liz Walker, author of No One Left Alone: A Story of How Community Helps Us Heal. This event will begin with a screening of the short documentary Between Two Worlds, directed and produced by Molly Bedell, for the South Sudanese Enrichment for Families (SSEF). After the screening, members of this community will join Reverend Walker, in a discussion about steps we can all take to collective healing. Drawing on her humanitarian work in South Sudan and in counseling community members through hardship, Reverend Walker will lead us through what it takes to access the resources we have within us to survive the unthinkable. A reception and signing of Reverend Walker's No One Left Alone will follow in the cinema lobby, with all book proceeds benefiting the Cory Johnson Program for Post-Traumatic Healing. We thank the Roxbury Presbyterian Church for coordinating the signing. PANEL REVEREND LIZ WALKER - MODERATOR Liz Walker is a minister, journalist, activist, and Founder of Can We Talk ® Community Sharing on Trauma and Healing. Best known as Boston's first Black evening television news anchor, Walker has given the last 25 years of her life to humanitarian work and Urban Ministry. A graduate of Harvard Divinity School, Walker served as pastor of Roxbury Presbyterian Church. She helped found the Jane Doe Safety Fund, has done humanitarian work in South Sudan, and has served on the boards of Boston Medical Center and Andover Newton Theological Seminary. PANTHER ALIER Panther Alier came to America in 2001 as a "lost boy" from Sudan. He earned his Masters in International Development from Brandeis University and then worked in South Sudan with several NGOs, starting a school for boys in South Sudan. With the recent defunding of NGOs in Africa, Panther has returned to Boston, where he will become the Executive Director of SSEF in June 2026. MOLLY BEDELL Molly Bedell has worked her entire career as a television journalist. She began at CBS News and then moved to producing and writing long-form documentaries for PBS, NBC, A&E, National Geographic. and History. She directed and produced Between Two Worlds. REBECCA MADUT Rebecca Madut was born in South Sudan and came to the United States in 2001. Upon arriving, she lived with a foster mother in Massachusetts. She attended the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and now works in Acton. TABAN MANYOK Taban Manyok is a 25-year-old college graduate with a degree in computer information systems and a minor in cyber security. Taban currently works at Aztech Consulting, a Boston technology business, and serves on the board of SSEF.

Based on the life story of Tourette's Syndrome campaigner John Davidson, MBE. Set within 1980s Britain, the story follows him throughout his troubled teens and early adulthood, and explores this little known and entirely misunderstood condition, along with his attempts to live a ‘normal’ life against the odds.

Join us on May 23, for 2 opportunities to watch, Influenced, and meet the the star of the film, Jill Kargman. NOTE- The 4pm show will be introduced by Jill Kargman: The 7pm show will have a Q&A following the movie with Jill Kargman. ABOUT THE FILM Renowed influencer Dzanielle navigates fake friends among the black card-swiping, Ozempic-sharting, workout-addicted Upper East Siders. In her comedic quest for a million followers, she finds her first real new friend and her true self. JILL KARGMAN Jill Kargman is a writer and actress born and raised in New York City. After graduating Yale in three years, she worked in magazines, with articles published in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, GQ, Town & Country, ELLE, DAZED, Condé Nast Traveller, and Interview, and others. She went on to become a New York Times bestselling author of twelve books including Sometimes I Feel Like A Nut, The Right Address, Sprinkle Glitter On My Grave, and Momzillas, which was the basis of her scripted comedy Odd Mom Out, currently streaming on Peacock. She has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and as a contributor to the Drew Barrymore Show and the Today Show. She’s also a Tony-Nominated co-producer of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club on Broadway. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and three grown kids, and her new film INFLUENCED will be out in 2026.

THE POWER OF BELONGING: JOIN OR DIE Stronger communities start with showing up. 3:00 - 4:30 PM – “Join or Die” screening 4:30 - 5:30 PM – Club Fair in the Cinema Lobby The West Newton Cinema, together with The Boston Club, is hosting a special screening of “Join or Die” and a post screening “joining fair” with 15 area clubs and organizations. "Join or Die" is a film about why you should join a club—and why the fate of America may depend on it. Follow the story of America's civic unraveling through the journey of legendary social scientist Robert Putnam, whose viral "Bowling Alone" research into the decline in American community lights a path out of our democracy's present crisis. The film shows that the solution is within reach: getting involved. After the film, connect with local clubs and organizations, including Green Newton, Newton Free Library, The Boston Club, Ty Burr’s Movie Club, The Highland Glee Club, Newton Camera Club, LGBTQ Newton, Newton Rotary, Newton Lions Club, Newton Women’s Forum, Rock Voices, and more. Discover how you can turn inspiration into action by becoming part of a community.

MICHAEL is the cinematic portrayal of the life and legacy of one of the most influential artists the world has ever known. The film tells the story of Michael Jackson’s life beyond the music, tracing his journey from the discovery of his extraordinary talent as the lead of the Jackson Five, to the visionary artist whose creative ambition fueled a relentless pursuit to become the biggest entertainer in the world. Highlighting both his life off-stage and some of the most iconic performances from his early solo career, the film gives audiences a front-row seat to Michael Jackson as never before. This is where his story begins.

Science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship light years from home with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory returns, he begins to uncover his mission: solve the riddle of the mysterious substance causing the sun to die out. He must call on his scientific knowledge and unorthodox ideas to save everything on Earth from extinction… but an unexpected friendship means he may not have to do it alone.

The estranged children of a once-famous artist hire a forger to complete his unfinished works so they can be "discovered" and sold after his death.

Twenty years after making their iconic turns as Miranda, Andy, Emily and Nigel—Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci return to the fashionable streets of New York City and the sleek offices of Runway Magazine in 20th Century Studios’ “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” the eagerly awaited sequel to the 2006 phenomenon that defined a generation. The film is directed by David Frankel, written by Aline Brosh McKenna, produced by Wendy Finerman, and executive produced by Michael Bederman, Karen Rosenfelt and Aline Brosh McKenna.

A happily engaged couple is put to the test when an unexpected turn sends their wedding week off the rails.

ABOUT THE FILM: In 1917, Lionel — a young, talented music student — meets David at the Boston Conservatory, where they bond over a deep love of folk music. Years later, Lionel receives a letter from David, leading to an impromptu journey through the backwoods of Maine to collect traditional songs. This unexpected reunion, ensuing love affair, and the music they collect and preserve, will shape the course of Lionel’s life far beyond his own awareness. PANEL DISCUSSION FOLLOWS: RABBI TOBA SPITZER Rabbi Toba Spitzer has been the spiritual leader of Congregation Dorshei Tzedek in West Newton, MA since graduating from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1997. She is a past president of the Massachusetts Board of Rabbis , and currently serves as the co-chair of the New England region of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. Her groundbreaking book God Is Here: Reimagining the Divine, was published by St Martin’s Press in 2022, and is now being taught in synagogues and churches around the country. She served as the President of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association from 2007-2009, and was the first openly LGBTQ rabbi to head a national rabbinic organization. Rabbi Spitzer has received the honor of being included in Newsweek’s Top 50 Rabbis in America 2008 list as well as the 2010 Forward list of 50 Female Rabbis Who Are Making A Difference. She has a life goal of bowling in all 50 states (32 down so far!). REV. DIEGO GARRIDO BARRETO (He/Him) Rev. Diego Garrido Barreto, MDiv (2025), born in 1996 in Bogotá, Colombia. He is a recently ordained Unitarian Universalist minister whose ministry is shaped by a bilingual and multicultural vision. A graduate of Boston University School of Theology, he is the recipient of the 2025 Hare Preaching Prize and the 2024 Climate Justice Revival UUA sermon award. He has served as ministerial intern at First Church in Chestnut Hill, where his work integrates preaching, spiritual direction, and community-building. Grounded in mystical traditions while drawing from interfaith sources, his ministry explores belovedness, migration, and contemplative justice.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is an animated film based on the world of Super Mario Bros., and follows The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which was released in 2023 and earned more than $1.3 billion worldwide. Both the 2023 film and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie are produced by Chris Meledandri of Illumination and Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo. The film will be co-financed by Universal Pictures and Nintendo and will be released worldwide by Universal Pictures. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is directed by returning filmmakers Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, from a screenplay by returning screenwriter Matthew Fogel, with Brian Tyler returning to compose the score.

A retired San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend's wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her. Stay after the movie for a discussion led by Ty Burr!

Sunday, May 24th at 4pm West Newton Cinema Reads & Newtonville Books present: Tom Perrotta, author of The Leftovers, Little Children, and Election, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jayne Anne Phillips reading from, discussing, and signing copies of their new books, Ghost Town and Small Town Girls, followed by a screening of The Last Picture Show. Tom Perrotta’s new novel, Ghost Town, is a gripping and darkly nostalgic tale about a tumultuous summer in 1970s suburban New Jersey, told from the perspective of a middle-aged writer looking back on events that changed his life—and the story he finally has the courage to tell. Ghost Town reveals the way our ghosts are always with us, even when we think we’ve left them behind. Small Town Girls is Oprah’s #1 most anticipated book of 2026. Part coming-of-age story, part social history, this tender, sparkling memoir is Jayne Anne Phillips’s love letter to the place and the people who have shaped her perceptions and her writing. Phillips grew up in Buckhannon, West Virginia—dense with forests and small churches, rich in history and misunderstandings. In her singular voice, Phillips re-creates the place she calls home and reflects on her origins, the mysteries of memory, and the troubled annals of the last American centuries. And in Peter Bogdonavich’s The Last Picture Show (1971), adapted from Larry McMurtry’s novel, we experience an aching portrait of a dying West. Set in Texas in the early fifties, The Last Picture Show portrays the daily shuffles of three futureless teens—enigmatic Sonny (Timothy Bottoms), wayward jock Duane (Jeff Bridges), and rich rebel Jacy (Cybill Shepherd)—and the aging, lost souls who bump up against them. Shot in arresting black-and-white, this hushed depiction of crumbling American values remains a pivotal film (Criterion). Our event will begin with a reading and conversation between the authors in our first-floor Cinema 2, followed by an audience Q&A and book signing in our lobby, with books for sale courtesy of Newtonville Books. We will then return to Cinema 2 to watch The Last Picture Show. PANEL DISCUSSION TOM PERROTTA Tom Perrotta is the author of eleven works of fiction, including Election and Little Children, which were made into Oscar-nominated films, and The Leftovers and Mrs. Fletcher, which were adapted into acclaimed HBO series. JAYNE ANNE PHILLIPS Jayne Anne Phillips is the author of Black Tickets, Machine Dreams, Fast Lanes, Shelter, MotherKind, Lark and Termite, Quiet Dell, and Night Watch, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Her work has been a finalist once for the National Book Award and twice for the National Book Critics Circle Award. The recipient of Guggenheim, National Endowment for the Arts, Howard, Bunting, and Rockefeller Foundation Fellowships, she is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.