Audiences absolutely adored THE DONUT KING…and though we’re unable to keep it a second week for in-person screenings, the distributor is allowing us to present it in our Virtual Cinema. It will be available there starting Friday. If you still need to see STEVIE NICKS 24 KARAT GOLD, THE EXORCIST or A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, you’ll need to hurry – tomorrow (Thursday) will be your last chance for these films on the big screen.
On Friday, we will open 2 new films. The star-studded documentary CHUCK LEAVELL: THE TREE KING was made by local director Allen Farst, and the period drama A CALL TO SPY (which will only play for 5 days) is a tribute to some of the women who helped turn the tide of World War II. Next Wednesday, Nov. 11, we will open the highly anticipated Ron Howard film HILLBILLY ELEGY.
In addition to THE DONUT KING, we will off 2 new film in our Virtual Cinema. CITY HALL, rated “100% Fresh,” is being heralded as Frederick Wiseman’s latest masterpiece. RADIUM GIRLS is a fascinating story about an important time in the labor movement. These films will all be available starting Friday.
New Booking for In-Person Screenings
Synopsis for CHUCK LEAVELL: THE TREE KING: Daytonian Allen Farst has a new documentary about a rock’n’roll legend that is filled with big stars…and it opens for one week only at THE NEON this Friday. “Filmed in four countries with more than 80 interviews from artists, CHUCK LEAVELL: THE TREE MAN is the cinematic documentary that shines a light on one of the greatest rock’n roll pianists and keyboardists over the last 40 years. Not just known for his musical influence, Leavell is also one of the biggest names in environmental forestry and was selected the National Tree Farmer of the Year in the United States. His commitment to the planet and his strong family ties are refreshing reminders to be kind and treat your neighbor with respect. As Leavell puts it, ‘if you cut a tree down, plant two for the next guy.’ Featuring: Allman Brothers Dickey Betts and Warren Haynes; Rolling Stones Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Woods; President Jimmy Carter; Eric Clapton; Chris Robinson; Mike Mills; Pat Monahan; John Bell; Lee Ann Womack; Bruce Hornsby; John Popper; Bonnie Raitt; Julian Lennon; Charlie Daniels; Miranda Lambert; John Mayer; and David Gilmore, among others”(press notes) Click the image below to visit the film’s official site.
Synopsis for A CALL TO SPY: (IFC Films). 5 DAYS ONLY! “As Great Britain’s forces were stretched thin during World War II, Winston Churchill’s Special Operations Executive (SOE) began to enlist women as spies. Their daunting mission: conduct sabotage and build a resistance. Spymistress Vera Atkins, later the inspiration for Ian Fleming’s Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond franchise, was the chief recruiter for this secret army. Atkins selected two unusual candidates: Virginia Hall, an American journalist from Baltimore hampered by a wooden leg, and Noor Inayat Khan, a wireless officer of Indian descent and an avowed pacifist. Together, they worked to undermine the Nazi regime in France. The courage, sacrifices and grit of these three women helped quell the Nazi occupation.” (IFC Films) Click on the image below to watch the film’s trailer.
Synopsis for HILLBILLY ELEGY: “J.D. Vance (Gabriel Basso), a former Marine from Middletown, Ohio and current Yale Law student, is on the verge of landing his dream job when a family crisis forces him to return to the home he’s tried to forget. J.D. must navigate the complex dynamics of his Appalachian family, including his volatile relationship with his mother Bev (Amy Adams), who’s struggling with addiction. Fueled by memories of his grandmother Mamaw (Glenn Close), the resilient and whip-smart woman who raised him, J.D. comes to embrace his family’s indelible imprint on his own personal journey. Based on J.D. Vance’s #1 New York Times Bestseller and directed by Academy Award winner Ron Howard, HILLBILLY ELEGY is a powerful personal memoir that offers a window into one family’s personal journey of survival and triumph. By following three colorful generations through their unique struggles, J.D.’s family story explores the highs and lows that define his family’s experience.” (taken from Netflix) Click the image below to watch the film’s trailer. Tickets for Nov. 11 & 12 are on sale now. Additional dates and tickets will be available by early next week!
NEW FILM IN OUR VIRTUAL CINEMA
Synopsis for CITY HALL: Available starting Nov. 6! “Fresh off its high profile screenings at the Venice, Toronto and New York Film Festivals – and featuring a 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating – Frederick Wiseman’s latest film arrives at the crux of a major crossroads for our nation. City government touches almost every aspect of our lives. Most of us are unaware of or take for granted these necessary services such as police, fire, sanitation, veterans affairs, elder support, parks, licensing of various professional activities, recordkeeping of birth, marriage and death as well as hundreds of other activities that support Boston residents and visitors. CITY HALL, by Frederick Wiseman, shows the efforts by Boston city government to provide these services. The film also illustrates the variety of ways the city administration enters into civil discourse with the citizens of Boston. Mayor Walsh and his administration are presented addressing a number of their policy priorities which include racial justice, affordable housing, climate action, and homelessness. CITY HALL shows a city government successfully offering a wide variety of services to a diverse population.” (Zipporah Films) This film can be watched on your computer or mobile device or via your Roku or AppleTV. For additional information regarding accessibility of the film, please visit this Eventive HELP page. Click the image below to watch the trailer and purchase 72 hour access to this film for $12 (as an FYI – this film is 4.5 hours, and many critics have said they could have kept going).
Synopsis for RADIUM GIRLS: Available starting Nov. 6! “Teenage sisters, Bessie and Jo, dream of faraway places as they paint glow-in-the-dark watch dials at the American Radium Factory. When Jo loses a tooth, Bessie’s world turns upside down as the mystery of Jo’s disease slowly unravels. Bessie befriends two young activists and in a radical coming of age, she investigates a corporate scandal. Bessie and the ‘Radium Girls’ file a lawsuit against American Radium. The notorious case ultimately led to a lasting impact in the area of workplace health and safety as well as the study of radioactivity.” (Juno Films) This film can be watched on your computer or mobile device or via your Roku or AppleTV. For additional information regarding accessibility of the film, please visit this Eventive HELP page. Click the image below to watch the trailer and purchase 72 hour access to this film for $12.
Synopsis for THE DONUT KING: We offered this film in person, and audiences absolutely loved it! And because we’re not able to hold it over and because it’s available to us in a virtual format, we’ll start offering this terrific film in our Virtual Cinema on Friday, Nov. 6. Rated “100% Fresh” on rottentomatoes! “Ted’s story is one of fate, love, survival, hard knocks, and redemption. It’s the rags to riches story of a refugee escaping Cambodia, arriving in America in 1975 and building an unlikely multi-million-dollar empire baking America’s favorite pastry, the donut. Ted sponsored hundreds of visas for incoming refugees and helped them get on their feet teaching them the ways of the donut business. By 1979 he was living the American Dream. But, in life, great rise can come with great falls.” (Greenwich Entertainment) NEON regular Krystyna wrote, “The Donut King is a most heartwarming documentary…it is one’s man journey as he escapes from his war torn homeland (the historical footage is excellent) achieving the “American Dream” with the creation of his donut empire. The movie is fascinating as it deals with war, immigration, refuge camps, family, infidelity, addiction as it is much more than just about the donut. Do not underestimate this movie as the title is a bit misleading…you will be pleasantly surprised by this gem!!!” Click the image below to watch the trailer and gain 72 hour access for $12.
CONTINUING IN OUR VIRTUAL CINEMA
Synopsis for NATIONTIME: “NATIONTIME is the long-lost film that William Greaves made about the National Black Political Convention of 1972, when 10,000 black politicians, activists and artists went to Gary, Indiana, to forge a national unity platform in advance of the Republican and Democratic presidential conventions. The delegates included a wide array of political thinkers.” This film can be watched on your computer or you can watch it on your Roku or AppleTV via the Kino Now app. More questions regarding accessing this film can be found on the bottom of the platform’s page. Click the image below to watch the trailer then gain 5 day access to the film for $10.
Synopsis for MADRE: If you attended the Oscar Nominated Narrative Shorts a couple years ago at THE NEON, then you’ve seen the wonderful short film on which this exquisite Spanish/French dramatic thriller is based. “Elena receives a call from her six-year-old son, who tells her that he is lost on a beach in France…these desperate words of his son were the last that she learned about him…After ten years, her life shakes again when she accidentally meets Gene, a French teenager resembling her son.” This film can be watched on your computer or mobile device or via your Roku or AppleTV. For additional information regarding accessibility of the film, please visit this Eventive HELP page. Click on the image below to watch the trailer and pre-order access for $12 (once you start watching, you’ll have 24 hours to finish). The film will become available on Friday!
Here’s a LINK with a video I made about how Virtual Cinema works. Click HERE to see all the films that are still available in our Virtual Cinema.
Wanna know what’s coming down the road in our virtual cinema? (Click any title to watch that film’s trailer.) On Nov. 11, we’re partnering with The Dayton Literary Peace Prize to bring a film that speaks to one of their upcoming events. RECON(based on the novel PEACE by Richard Bausch) will be available for you to watch in our Virtual Cinema starting Nov. 11…then on November 16, you can join this wonderful organization’s discussion “Turn the Page: The Legacy of War” – a discussion between Richard Bausch and Andrew Krivak – both prize winners from The Dayton Literary Peace Prize. For details about the special event, click HERE. On November 18, we’ll open MONSOON – a gorgeous film about a man’s personal journey as he returns to his birthplace and struggles to recognize himself in this unfamiliar land. On Dec. 4, we’ll open ENDING DISEASE – a documentary that looks at advancements in stem cell therapies and curing the incurable. One subject of the film is Ryan Custer, a former Wright State basketball player who suffered a neck injury. More titles are on the way…stay tuned!
Many, Many thanks to our friends at Toxic Brew and Hole in the Wall – 2 neighborhood bars in the Oregon District. Their special horror film screening on Sunday night raised over $800 for THE NEON! We truly appreciate their generosity…and the crowd had a blast!
We’ve got some great new films on the horizon. AMMONITE, starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan, will open on Nov. 13. The adaptation of August Wilson’s MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM, starring Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman, will open on Dec. 4, and George Clooney’s THE MIDNIGHT SKY opens Dec. 11. More Oscar-hopeful titles are being negotiated…stay tuned!
We hope to see you soon!
Be safe & well.
My best,
Jonathan
IN-PERSON SHOWTIMES for Wednesday, Nov. 4 – Thursday, Nov. 12:
STEVE NICKS 24 KARAT GOLD THE CONCERT (NR) 1 Hr 40 Min
Wednesday & Thursday (Nov 4 & 5): 7:00
FINAL DAY – Nov. 5!
THE EXORCIST: EXTENDED DIRECTOR’S CUT (R) 2 Hrs 12 Min
Wednesday & Thursday (Nov 4 & 5): 3:15
FINAL DAY – Nov. 5!
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (R) 1 Hr 31 Min
Wednesday & Thursday (Nov 4 & 5): 7:15
FINAL DAY – Nov. 5!
THE DONUT KING (NR) 1 Hr 30 Min
Wednesday & Thursday (Nov 4 & 5): 3:30
FINAL DAY – Nov. 5!
CHUCK LEAVELL: THE TREE MAN (NR) 1 Hr 43 Min – ONE WEEK ONLY!
