Mon. Dec. 1

What happens if/when we make contact with another world? Will we meet Stephen Speilberg's happy "E.T." or the oval weirdos who keep kidnapping and probing our populace? Or will it be something else altogether different? One of our favorite and thought-provoking films on the subject is "Contact," starring Jodi Foster as the scientist (Ellie) sent off into space, from a book written by one of our favorite thinkers of the cosmos, the late Carl Sagan. "Contact" is part of the Coolidge Corner Theatre's "Science on Screen" series and it screens Monday Dec. 1 at 7. Before the film unfolds, though, astrophysicist Paul Horowitz will talk on the real SETI (Search for Extraterrestial Intelligence). Horowitz is an expert in the field, and rpeortedly the inspiration for Sagan's book. He is Professor of Physics and of Electrical Engineering at Harvard. His research group is focused on several problems in experimental astrophysics, including the search for intentional radio signals or laser flashes from extraterrestrial intelligent civilizations.  The group’s evolving SETI effort has inspired groundbreaking experiments at Harvard, including a 250-million-channel radio receiving system and a pair of optical searches that process a trillion measurements per second (the equivalent of the ontents of all books in print, every second). Dr. Horowitz has published numerous scientific papers, and has led some two dozen technical studies (and co-authored a hundred reports) on national security topics.

The movie? It was directed by Robert Zemeckis. We follow the free- thinking Ellie as she keeps seeking evidence of the existence of extraterrestrial life by listening for contact via radio astronomy.  Her beliefs soon come into conflict with those of Palmer Joss (Matthew McConaughey, who if we recall right from 1997, did not bear his bare chest), a Christian theology student with whom she becomes romantically involved.  When Ellie discovers an intelligent message from deep space, her assumptions regarding science and spirituality are challenged, and she must decide whether to play it safe or risk her life in order to make first contact. Are we giving away something to say she risks her life? No we didn't think so. But we won't give away the truly unexpected ending. If you don't know it, don't spoil it for yourself with a Google search. Stay open, be amazed. Tickets: $9.75.

290 Harvard St., Brookline, 617-734-2500 www.coolidge.org