Animal Kingdom

ADDED NOTE – 10/11/10:  Due to technical issues, showtimes have changed.  Please see below.  If you are concerned about these times and want to verify, please call the theater at (937)222-8452.  Thanks for your understanding.

Hello Everyone.

As predicted, we’re cleaning house again this week.  Hurry down if you still need to see FAREWELL, MAO’S LAST DANCER or THE ELEPHANT IN THE LIVING ROOM – Thursday, Oct. 7 will be the final day for each film.  On Friday, we will start 2 new films – IT’S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY and ANIMAL KINGDOM.

Synopsis for IT’S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY: “It’s @5:00 A.M. on a Sunday in Brooklyn. Craig Gilner is bicycling up to the entrance of a mental health clinic; this bright 16-year-old is stressed out from the demands of being a teenager. Before his parents and younger sister are even awake, Craig checks himself into Argenon Hospital and is admitted by a psychiatrist. But the youth ward is temporarily closed – so he finds himself stuck in the adult ward. One of the patients, Bobby, soon becomes both Craig’s mentor and protégé. Craig is also quickly drawn to another 16-year-old displaced to the adult ward, the sensitive Noelle, who just might make him forget his longtime unrequited crush Nia. With a minimum five days’ stay imposed on him by the adult ward’s staff psychiatrist Dr. Eden Minerva, Craig is sustained by friendships on both the inside and the outside as he learns more about life, love, and the pressures of growing up.” (Focus Features)  This film is written and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck – the team who brought us HALF NELSON and SUGAR.

Synopsis for ANIMAL KINGDOM: “A youngster is given an inside look at a criminal empire that also happens to be his family in this independent drama. Teenage Joshua Cody is suddenly on his own after his mother’s drug habit catches up with her, and he’s taken in by his grandmother Smurf, usually regarded as the black sheep of the family. Joshua quickly learns Smurf’s reputation is well deserved; she and her four sons are members of a mid-level crime syndicate that operates out of her home in Melbourne…Nathan Leckie (Guy Pearce) is a police detective who has found out who Joshua is and what he knows, and he tries to convince the teenager to help him put the Cody family behind bars, though Joshua isn’t certain about his loyalties to these outlaws who are also his blood. The first feature film from director David Michod, Animal Kingdom was an official selection at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, where it received the World Cinema Jury Prize for Best Dramatic Feature.”  (Mark Deming, American Movie Guide)  ANIMAL KINGDOM has been given a 100% review from THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, and THE LOS ANGELES TIMES.

Living City Film Fest is at it again!  This year, the festival will be a celebration of the career of Jeff Bridges.  Here’s the line-up:
THE BIG LEBOWSKI (sponsored by Dublin Pub) – Oct. 15, 16 at 10PM, Oct. 18 at 7PM
THE FABULOUS BAKER BOYS (sponsored by Downtown Dayton Partnership) – Oct. 25 at 7PM
THE LAST PICTURE SHOW (sponsored by Chisano Marketing) – Nov. 1 at 7PM
THUNDERBOLT AND LIGHTFOOT (sponsored by Jeff Martin Florist) – Nov. 8 at 7PM
RANCHO DELUXE (sponsored by CityWide Development) – Nov. 15 at 7PM
Single tickets will be $8 each available before each show.  A festival pass (available soon) will be just $30 for all five screenings.

On October 30 at 3:30, Columbus Filmmaker Will Graver will bring his film REVELATION and a small collection of local shorts to THE NEON.  More details will be available in the coming days.  For now, you can check out Graver’s website – HERE.

On Thursday, November 18, New York director Gary Beeber is working to bring his movie DIRTY MARTINI AND THE NEW BURLESQUE to town.  In addition to the documentary, Beeber is also rounding up Burlesque stars from Southern Ohio to put on a show for attendees.  More details will be available in the coming days, but for now you can check out a teaser trailer by clicking HERE.

Until we find our next round of hits, movies will be coming and going quickly.  We hope to see you soon and often.

Take care,
Jonathan