Tickets are now on sale for an annual fan favourite on the social calendar: the fall Reel Monday film series. The screenings of three critically acclaimed films take place one Monday every month from September to November.
This time around, the screenings include The Lady in the Van, Free State of Jones, and The Meddler.
Valerie Spink, the president of the Friends of St. Albert Public Library, said that the committee carefully makes each selection for the curated series.
“We spend a lot of time trying to get movies that are not necessarily blockbusters, ones that are sometimes below the radar.”
The subtext is that there’s an inverse proportionality at work: “below the radar” means “above average quality.” The films come from the Toronto International Film Festival film circuit so there’s already an established pedigree that means viewers get more than their money’s worth in entertainment and cinematic delight.
The fall series starts off with The Lady in the Van on Sept. 26. The Nicholas Hytner-directed movie tells the true story of the relationship between real life screenwriter Alan Bennett and Mary Shepherd, an eccentric woman who 'temporarily' parked her van in his London driveway … for 15 years. The always endearing Dame Maggie Smith plays the lady, with Alex Jennings as Bennett and Jim Broadbent, Frances de la Tour and Roger Allam in the supporting cast.
The next title lights up the marquee on Oct. 17. Free State of Jones is another ‘based on real life’ account, this time retelling the little-known story of Newton Knight (Matthew McConaughey) who rebels against the Confederacy in Jones County, Mississippi during the American Civil War. His squad of counter revolutionaries including farmers and slaves became a unique mixed race community in the post-war South. Matthew McConaughey stars with Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Keri Russell and Mahershala Ali co-starring in this film by Gary Ross (of Hunger Games, Seabiscuit and Pleasantville fame).
The curtain comes back down on the season after The Meddler plays on Nov. 7. Newly widowed, Marnie Minervini (Susan Sarandon) moves from the Atlantic coast in New Jersey to the Pacific coastline of Los Angeles to be closer to her daughter, Lori (Rose Byrne). These matters never come without family squabbles. It is called ‘The Meddler’ after all. This Lorene Scafaria film co-stars Harry Hamlin, Laura San Giacomo, Michael McKean, and J.K. Simmons.
“The reviews have been very good,” Spink said. “They aren’t blockbusters but they certainly are movies that we think our audience will enjoy.”
She added that viewer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and she appreciates the “huge” community support of the Readers’ Festival, which continues to draw in world-renowned authors.
A season ticket for all three films costs $35 apiece, while individual movies are $15 each. Films will be shown at the Arden Theatre at 7 p.m. on the noted Mondays.
Tickets are available from the customer service desk at the library. Call 780-459-1530 or visit www.sapl.ca for more information.
All proceeds go to benefit the St. Albert Readers’ Festival, a.k.a. STARFest.
