Time-Sensitive Culture Alert: "Next Year Jerusalem"

Hello! We (the Royal "we") interrupt the scheduled postings for this blog to tell you about the FABULOUS movie I saw this past Saturday night.

The film is Next Year Jerusalem.  As it happens, I know about the movie because I know the filmmaker personally.  But, before you start thinking that I'm just pushing my friend's project because he's my friend: stop thinking that!  If you've ever known anyone who's made something truly excellent, you'll know the feeling where on the one hand is the regular guy you know and make jokes with and then there's this other really talented artist who created this amazing thing and you're honored and surprised to realize that you know him too.  It was like that.

Anyway, here's what you need to know:

1. Next Year Jerusalem is currently screening in NYC through May 22 at Quad Cinema, 34 West 13th Street, New York, NY - (212) 255-8800.  Tickets are available for purchase at movietickets.com - search zip code 10011 for the Quad and select appropriate dates and showtimes.

2. The film will screen in Los Angeles May 30 - June 5 at Laemmle Cinemas, Locations and Showtimes TBD - (212) 255-8800.  (If you live in or near LA, please consider going to see the film in honor of my June 4 birthday. Seriously!)

3. You can see a trailer for the film here!

The movie is about eight residents of an old folks' home in CT who take an unlikely but inspiring trip to Israel.  Honestly: I'm not a fan of old people.  I do not swoon for Young @ Heart, Dr. Ruth never made me anything but uncomfortable, and while I just tolerate Santa, I see Scrooge as a fairly accurate portrayal of the majority of people in his age group.  So, I expected to appreciate this movie but not to really like and enjoy it.  But I did!  That is how good Next Year Jerusalem is.  Because it's really about how we choose to live our lives - the classic Viktor Frankl: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

I do hope you'll see the film - or, if you can't, that you'll sign up for news about future screenings and the DVD release - and then leave a comment with your thoughts.