Screening on October 3rd, 2023

"[Jules]—as written by Gavin Steckler and directed by Marc Turteltaub—is sensitive, intelligent, sweet, and presented with considerable integrity, right down to the direction, which is scrupulous in not showing anything that doesn't actually need to be seen" (rogerebert.com).
In this film, Ben Kingsley plays Milton Robinson, a man who lives a quiet life of routine that involves going to weekly city council meetings and always sharing the exact same complaints (he would like the town motto’s to be changed, and wants a new crosswalk). His quiet life is upended by a silver spaceship crashing in his backyard; at the next council meeting, however, he casually mentions what he is more concerned with: that the flying saucer has “crushed his azaleas.” Milton befriends the mysterious extraterrestrial from the UFO, and two of his neighbours discover his situation while the government quickly closes in. Rotten Tomatoes says "Ben Kingsley’s quietly powerful performance drives this slight yet affecting crowd-pleaser that puts a lighthearted science-fiction twist on its exploration of aging, mortality, regret, and loneliness". The story is complicated further by Milton's questionable believability because of what his daughter suspects is the onset of Alzheimer's. An odd but endearing film, Jules is unique and likeable.
In this film, Ben Kingsley plays Milton Robinson, a man who lives a quiet life of routine that involves going to weekly city council meetings and always sharing the exact same complaints (he would like the town motto’s to be changed, and wants a new crosswalk). His quiet life is upended by a silver spaceship crashing in his backyard; at the next council meeting, however, he casually mentions what he is more concerned with: that the flying saucer has “crushed his azaleas.” Milton befriends the mysterious extraterrestrial from the UFO, and two of his neighbours discover his situation while the government quickly closes in. Rotten Tomatoes says "Ben Kingsley’s quietly powerful performance drives this slight yet affecting crowd-pleaser that puts a lighthearted science-fiction twist on its exploration of aging, mortality, regret, and loneliness". The story is complicated further by Milton's questionable believability because of what his daughter suspects is the onset of Alzheimer's. An odd but endearing film, Jules is unique and likeable.
Screening on November 7th: Past Lives
Screening on December 5th: Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret
Screening on December 5th: Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret