WOW! Friday’s “Curbside Candy Clearance & More” was a huge, huge hit. Some people waited over 90 minutes, and cars were lined up around the block. Love for THE NEON was pouring in, and we were blown away! Many, many thanks for all of your support! (One family was even watching THE WOMAN WHO LOVES GIRAFFES on an i-pad while they waited – BRILLIANT!) This Friday, we’ve got something completely different for all of you folks with Facebook and Instagram – “TEST YOUR NEON KNOWLEDGE” – NEON Movie Trivia Live! More details below.
Next up in our “Virtual Cinema” are two new, great films. The first is for all the book lovers of the world – THE BOOKSELLERS – a wonderful documentary that was executive produced by Parker Posey. (I love a good bookstore – from the labyrinth of Strand and the charm of Three Lives Books in NYC to our neighborhood treasure Bonnett’s in the Oregon District.) The second film is a nail-biting political thriller set during the time of the Berlin Wall – BALLOON – and it’s based on a true story!
Synopsis for THE BOOKSELLERS: “Antiquarian booksellers are part scholar, part detective and part businessperson, and their personalities and knowledge are as broad as the material they handle. They also play an underappreciated yet essential role in preserving history. THE BOOKSELLERS takes viewers inside their small but fascinating world, populated by an assortment of obsessives, intellects, eccentrics and dreamers.” (Greenwich Entertainment) Executive produced by Parker Posey. The Hollywood Reporter wrote, “A treat for anyone who appreciates the printed word.” You can access this film virtually for 72 hours for $9.99. Just click the image below. A note from this distributor for this particular film: “You can watch on your desktop, tablet, smartphone, Chromecast or AirPlay. If you prefer to watch on another device, check this here before your purchase.”
Synopsis for BALLOON: “In the summer of 1979, the Strelzyk and Wetzel families-who had been working on their audacious plan for more than two years-try to flee East Germany in a self-made hot-air balloon. But after the balloon crash-lands just before the West German border, the Stasi find traces of the attempted escape and immediately launch an investigation. In a nerve-wracking race against the clock, the two families attempt to build a new escape balloon as the Stasi get closer and closer each day…” (Distrib Films) Click the image below to visit the site where you can watch the trailer and then purchase 72 access to the film for $10. A note from the distributor about BALLOON: “You will be able to watch the film for 3 days on any computer, laptop, ipad, chromebook or other mobile devices. IMPORTANT: The only way to watch this film on a television is to mirror or cast from one of the above devices to your television.” (I watched this one with an HDMI cable from my computer to my television.)
And for one more week, we’ll continue to offer THE WOMAN WHO LOVES GIRAFFES and THE TIMES OF BILL CUNNINGHAM. Visit our website – www.neonmovies.com – for all the details!
Wanna know what’s coming down the road? (click any title to watch that film’s trailer) On 4/29, we’ll open a film I saw and loved at The Cleveland International Film Festival last year – WHAT SHE SAID: THE ART OF PAULINE KAEL. This terrific documentary is for anyone who loves the movies. In addition, we will open a documentary that many of you will be excited about – THE DOG DOC. We’ll be partnering with and donating $1 of every download to a really special organization – Ellie’s Rainy Day Fund – which works through veterinary request to support families that would otherwise be in danger of losing their beloved furry family members to veterinary emergencies they cannot afford to treat. To learn about Ellie’s Rainy Day Fund, please visit https://elliesrainydayfund.org/. On May 6, we are slated to open 2 more films. The first is a truly inspiring documentary about a high school where 91% of the students qualify for free lunch and where 90% graduate each year – PAHOKEE. In addition, we’ll open a smart, rapid-fire comedy that moves at the pace of those beloved Golden Age comedies like HIS GIRL FRIDAY and BRINGING UP BABY – STRAIGHT UP.
Thanks to our friends at Row House Cinema, you have a chance to make your cats the stars they were meant to be! “Now that we are all quarantined at home with our cats, let us use this time to raise money for independent cinemas across the country. Videos selected will be joined with others, becoming the QUARANTINE CAT FILM FESTIVAL. THE NEON will sell tickets to the film, and receive 50% of the net proceeds. With your help, we are hoping cats will help to save independent movie theaters through this unprecedented quarantine. The videos will be judged in four categories: Cutest, Funniest, Bravest, and Most Loving. There will be a Best Of Show award as well. The videos will be judged by cat experts who are very opinionated. The cash prize amounts will be determined closer to the film’s release…Winners will be notified before the release of the film and identified in the film.” (Row House Cinema) Here’s the LINK with all the details!
Over the past few weeks, many have reached out and asked how you can help during our time of closure…and we truly appreciate your support! One great way you can help is by spreading the word about our virtual offerings! 90% of the films we will offer virtually are not available on any other platform. Please send people to our website, urge them to sign up for our newsletter and encourage them to enjoy one of our curated films. And because we are now a non-profit, there’s another way you can help – by making a donation. And your gifts are tax deductible! If you’d like to make a donation to THE NEON, we’ll certainly put it to good use – just mail a check to THE NEON, 130 E 5th St., Dayton, OH 45402. We’ll make sure you get a receipt for your records. One of our customers requested that his employer match his donation – very cool!…so we are now set up with Benevity (a platform that many large companies use to match charitable donations). And as of late last year, we are also set up with The Dayton Foundation under “Dayton Movies dba The Neon.”
A Note About Our Virtual Offerings! It’s hard to believe that one month ago, offering films virtually wasn’t even something we had considered. But many indie distributors stepped up very quickly and began to figure out ways to help us maintain a bit of revenue during these tricky times. Each distributor comes with a different set of rules and prices, and all of us are learning a lot in the process of exploring multiple platforms. Please know that you can always view the film from your browser (on your PC, laptop or ipad), and in most circumstances there are ways to access the media on your TV (via an app, syncing your wireless device with your TV, and more). I’m a little “old fashioned”…I still hook an HDMI cable from my laptop to my TV – just like a bluray player (it works great).
And here’s the special news for Friday. I’ll be on Facebook Live & Instagram Live on Friday, April 24 at 4:00 with a game where you can win prizes – TEST YOUR NEON KNOWLEDGE! I’ll ask a series of 15 trivia questions, and you can email in your answers by 10pm on Friday night to theneon@msn.com. Winners will be revealed on Saturday afternoon. You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/neonmovies and here’s our instagram handle: @neonmovies – I hope to see many of you there!
Wishing you all good health!
My best,
Jonathan
