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Falling Up

Javier Bardem in BIUTIFUL Opens + Our Oscar Success!

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Hello Everyone.

Wow! What a great weekend. On top of our Oscar party seeing its biggest crowd ever (we were at capacity!) BARNEY’S VERSION performed better than the national average. Thanks for your continued support in making THE NEON your destination for great cinema.

On top of holding onto BARNEY’S VERSION, we will hold RABBIT HOLE for one more week. If you haven’t seen this fantastic film, please hurry down. I’ve had a few people tell me that they didn’t intend to see RABBIT HOLE until I urged them to do so…and they’re so glad they saw it.

On Friday we will begin a film that was nominated for 2 major awards at this year’s Oscars. Starring Javier Bardem and directed by Alejandro Gonzelez Inarritu (director of 21 GRAMS and BABEL), BIUTIFUL was nominated for “Best Actor” and “Best Foreign Film.”

Synopsis for BIUTIFUL: “Academy Award winner Javier Bardem plays a man on the wrong side of the law who struggles to provide for his children on the dangerous streets of Barcelona. The latest film from Academy Award nominee Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Biutiful won the award for Best Actor at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.” (Roadside Attractions)
I saw BIUTIFUL at the Toronto Film Fest in September, and I think it’s a stunning film. Though certainly of heavy subject matter, it’s quite worth the ride. Bardem is superb!  Visit the official website by clicking HERE.

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Last year marked the first time that THE FOUND FOOTAGE FESTIVAL made a stop in Dayton. Folks loved the show, the fellas are on the road again. On Sunday, March 20 at 7:30, THE FOUND FOOTAGE FESTIVAL will return to THE NEON with a new batch of material. Visit the official website to find out more about the show. Advanced tickets ($11 each) are only available on-line by visiting this LINK.

THE 11th DAYTON JEWISH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL is just around the corner. Screenings at THE NEON begin on Thursday, March 24th…and I’ll give you even more details in next week’s newsletter. To see a list of titles, screening venues, showtimes and ticket details, click this LINK.

Tickets for the documentary NORTH DIXIE DRIVE are flying from our box office! The film will play on Saturday, March 26 at 5:00pm and tickets are $6 each (and only $4 for members of FilmDayton). “North Dixie Drive is the portrait of a small community of businesses and people residing in the Northridge section of Dayton, OH. It is the story of big time wrestlers, mechanics, a donut salesmen, an eccentric country singer, barbers, exotic dancers and car repo men. This collection of people, from all walks of life, live and work around a traffic circle situated along highway I-75, and fight to keep their lives and careers afloat in a failing economy. This debut film by Brooklyn, NY filmmaker Eric Mahoney showcases an off beat group of characters in today’s Middle America.” (taken from website) You can see a trailer and read more about the film by visiting the official site.

If you were lucky enough to see Djuna Wahlrab’s short film FALLING UP, don’t miss seeing her set pieces and puppets at the 5th Street Gallery at Stivers School for the Arts. The exhibit is up and running…and it is completely stunning. Call (937)542-7448 for more details.

If you’re in the mood for an escapist, well-reviewed, hysterical, dirty-minded comedy…we’ve got you covered. CEDAR RAPIDS is set to open on March 11.

We hope to see you soon,
Jonathan

SHOWTIMES for March 4 – March 10:

RABBIT HOLE (PG-13) 1 Hr 31 Min
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 2:50
Monday – Thursday: 5:15

BIUTIFUL (R) 2 Hr 28 Min
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 9:45
Monday – Thursday: 2:00, 5:00, 8:00

BARNEY’S VERSION (R) 2 Hr 14 Min
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 12:15, 4:45, 7:20, 9:50
Monday – Thursday: 2:30, 7:30

COMING SOON:
As always, all dates are tentative.
Due to Oscar Season, we know that many of these dates will change.
In some cases, titles may disappear.
March 11 CEDAR RAPIDS
TBD I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS
TBD SOMEWHERE
TBD TINY FURNITURE
TBD JANE EYRE
TBD WIN WIN

RABBIT HOLE is Incredible. Don’t Miss It!

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Hello Everyone.

While at The Toronto International Film Festival last September, I saw close to 30 films from around the world. Only 2 English-language films made my “Top 5.” One was THE KING’S SPEECH (you loved that, right?)…the other was RABBIT HOLE – starring Nicole Kidman & Aaron Eckhart and directed by John Cameron Mitchell. This film has not been performing very well around the country, so folks don’t have high hopes for it in Dayton…but you can help change the trend by supporting this film opening weekend. It’s true that the subject matter is sad (that’s why people are staying away) – but there’s a great deal of healing in this film…with moments of wonderful laughter and happiness. Please spread the word and support this small, indie film with beautiful, honest performances.

Synopsis for RABBIT HOLE: “RABBIT HOLE is a vivid, hopeful, honest and unexpectedly witty portrait of a family searching for what remains possible in the most impossible of all situations.
Becca and Howie Corbett (NICOLE KIDMAN and AARON ECKHART) are returning to their everyday existence in the wake of a shocking, sudden loss. Just eight months ago, they were a happy suburban family with everything they wanted. Now, they are caught in a maze of memory, longing, guilt, recrimination, sarcasm and tightly controlled rage from which they cannot escape. While Becca finds pain in the familiar, Howie finds comfort…
RABBIT HOLE is directed by John Cameron Mitchell (HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH) from a script by acclaimed playwright David Lindsay-Abaire, adapted from his Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Additional cast includes two-time Oscar winner Dianne Wiest (HANNAH AND HER SISTERS & BULLETS OVER BROADWAY), Tammy Blanchard, Miles Teller, Giancarlo Esposito, Jon Tenney and Sandra Oh.” — (C) Lionsgate
Nicole Kidman has been nominated for “Best Actress” for this role, and Dianne Wiest was robbed for not being nominated. Don’t miss it!

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http://rabbitholefilm.com/index.html

The “D” review for THE ILLUSIONIST in Friday’s Dayton Daily News really hurt at the box office this weekend. Though nominated for “Best Animated Feature” and a darling at film festivals around the world, the paper has told me that the “D” review was the only review available for them to use from their wire service. (Most of you know that no one at Dayton Daily covers film any longer…all reviews are from other papers – and critics change from week to week.) That said, it would be a crime for us not to hold such a charming, magical film. THE ILLUSIONIST will stay for one screening a day for one more week. In addition, we’ll continue Djuna Wahlrab’s lovely stop-action film FALLING UP. Read more about FALLING UP by visiting the official website at – http://fallingupmovie.com/

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Hurry down…as we’re gonna keep moving…Next week, we will open ANOTHER YEAR and BARNEY’S VERSION!

The International College of Broadcasting & Mike Giannott have rented our theater for a special, one night only screening…complete with multiple shorts, a PSA and their centerpiece film. “ZOMBIE PUNK ATTACK is a short film written, produced and directed by Aaron Cline and Mike Giannott. It’s taken from a comic written by Aaron Cline. It, of course, has a diseased animal, a lab technician that gets bitten and a mad scientist who has the cure – sprinkle that with an all-girl punk band and what could possibly go wrong? Well, a lot. Ride the wave of undead through this tale of death, decay, punk rock and weaponry. It stars Brittany Nagy, Brian Hixon, Paige Beller, Nicki Brooks, Moriah Yux, Sarah Kouse, Nina Lombardo and Marty Velez. Come on out on Tuesday, March 1st 2011, for the World Premier and help support local filmmakers. Tickets are $5.00. There will be a raffle for dvds and the movie poster (signed by the directors and stars).” (taken from press notes)

Tickets for the documentary NORTH DIXIE DRIVE are now on sale. The film will play on Saturday, March 26 at 5:00pm and tickets are $6 each (and only $4 for members of FilmDayton). “North Dixie Drive is the portrait of a small community of businesses and people residing in the Northridge section of Dayton, OH. It is the story of big time wrestlers, mechanics, a donut salesmen, an eccentric country singer, barbers, exotic dancers and car repo men. This collection of people, from all walks of life, live and work around a traffic circle situated along highway I-75, and fight to keep their lives and careers afloat in a failing economy. This debut film by Brooklyn, NY filmmaker Eric Mahoney showcases an off beat group of characters in today’s Middle America.” (taken from website) You can see a trailer and read more about the film by visiting the official site by clicking http://www.northdixiedrivemovie.com/

Plan on joining us for our Annual OSCAR Screening Party on Feb. 27. The show starts at 8:00 (doors open at 7:30) – admission is FREE – first come, first serve. Ballots are now available in our lobby, and prizes are arriving daily (screenplays, soundtracks, dvds, etc.). The big prize – provided by our friends at Square One Salon & Spa – will be a salon gift basket complete with champagne and movie goodies. In addition, our friends at Granola Snacks are donating lots of gourmet granola for the festivities. Join fellow movie lovers as we celebrate the “Cinephile’s Superbowl.” You must be present to win prizes.
Special thanks to the folks at ThinkTV for helping us to get a signal for the telecast!

Both the Dayton Jewish International Film Festival and FilmDayton are gearing up for their annual festivals. March, April & May will have numerous opportunities for you to catch films that you otherwise wouldn’t have a chance to see. I’ll keep you posted as they unveil plans for these film fests.

We hope to see you soon,
Jonathan

SHOWTIMES for February 18 – February 24:

RABBIT HOLE (PG-13) 1 Hr 31 Min
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 12:50, 3:10, 5:15, 7:30, 9:40
Monday – Thursday: 3:10, 5:15, 7:30

BLUE VALENTINE (R) 1 Hr 52 Min
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 12:30, 5:00, 7:20, 9:40
Monday – Thursday: 5:00, 7:20

THE ILLUSIONIST (PG) 1 Hr 20 Min
Friday – Thursday: 3:00*
(*denotes preceded by FALLING UP)

COMING SOON:
As always, all dates are tentative.
Due to Oscar Season, we know that many of these dates will change.
In some cases, titles may disappear.
Feb. 25 BARNEY’S VERSION
Feb. 25 ANOTHER YEAR
March 11 CEDAR RAPIDS
TBD I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS
TBD BIUTIFUL
TBD SOMEWHERE
TBD TINY FURNITURE
TBD CASINO JACK

New Oscar Nominee Opens Friday at THE NEON

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Hello Everyone.

As many of you already know, we will open THE ILLUSIONIST on Friday (2/11). Oscar-Nominated for “Best Animated Feature,” several of you have expressed a big desire to see this film. Of course we also have the added bonus of checking out a special short film during select screenings. FALLING UP is a beautiful stop-action film made by Dayton native Djuna Wahlrab. This stunning film, with sets based on local architecture (and an opening live/animated scene shot in downtown Dayton), will play before THE ILLUSIONIST during the 3:00 and 7:30 screenings during the week of Friday, February 11 through Thursday, February 17. Read more about FALLING UP by visiting the official website at – http://fallingupmovie.com/

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Falling Up from Djuna Wahlrab on Vimeo.

Synopsis for THE ILLUSIONIST: “THE ILLUSIONIST is a story about two paths that cross. An outdated, aging magician, forced to wander from country to country, city to city and station to station in search of a stage to perform his act meets a young girl at the start of her life’s journey. Alice is a teenage girl with all her capacity for childish wonder still intact. She plays at being a woman without realizing the day to stop pretending is fast approaching. She doesn’t know yet that she loves The Illusionist like she would a father; he already knows that he loves her as he would a daughter. Their destinies will collide, but nothing – not even magic or the power of illusion – can stop the voyage of discovery.
A script for THE ILLUSIONIST was originally written by French comedy genius and cinema legend Jacques Tati as a love letter from a father to his daughter, but never produced.
Sylvain Chomet, the Oscar-nominated and critically acclaimed creator of THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE, adapted the script and brought it to life in his distinctive hand- drawn animated style.” (taken from Sony Classics press notes)

Click here to visit the official website for THE ILLUSIONIST –http://www.sonyclassics.com/theillusionist/

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Plan on joining us for our Annual OSCAR Screening Party on Feb. 27. The show starts at 8:00 (doors open at 7:30) – FREE Party…no tickets required – first come, first serve. Ballots are now available in our lobby, and prizes are arriving daily (screenplays, soundtracks, dvds, etc.). The big prize – provided by our friends at Square One Salon & Spa – will be a salon gift basket complete with champagne and movie goodies. Join fellow movie lovers as we celebrate the “Cinephile’s Superbowl.” You must be present to win prizes. Special thanks to the folks at ThinkTV for helping us to get a signal for the telecast!

Details about the regional premiere of a documentary called NORTH DIXIE DRIVE will be available soon. It is scheduled to play on Saturday, March 26.

We hope to see you soon,
Jonathan

SHOWTIMES for February 11 – February 17:

BLUE VALENTINE (R) 1 Hr 52 Min
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 12:15, 2:30, 4:50, 7:20, 9:40
Monday – Thursday: 2:30, 4:50, 7:20

THE ILLUSIONIST (PG) 1 Hr 20 Min
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 1:00, 3:00*, 5:10, 7:30*, 9:30
Monday – Thursday: 3:00*, 5:10, 7:30*
(*denotes preceded by FALLING UP)

COMING SOON:
As always, all dates are tentative.
Due to Oscar Season, we know that many of these dates will change.
In some cases, titles may disappear.
Feb. 18 RABBIT HOLE
March 11 CEDAR RAPIDS
TBD ANOTHER YEAR
TBD I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS
TBD BARNEY’S VERSION
TBD BIUTIFUL
TBD SOMEWHERE
TBD TINY FURNITURE
TBD CASINO JACK

FALLING UP…A Dayton-Native’s Labor of Love To Make Its Local Premiere

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FALLING UP, the beautiful stop-action short film made by Dayton native Djuna Wahlrab, is coming to THE NEON in downtown Dayton.   This stunning film, with sets based on local architecture (and an opening live/animated scene shot in downtown Dayton), will play with select screenings of THE ILLUSIONIST (one of this year’s Academy Award nominated films for “Best Animated Film Feature”).

Wahlrab, a working filmmaker and graduate of Stivers School for the Arts, now resides in New York City.  She will be opening a gallery exhibit of sets and puppets from her film later this month at Stivers….You’ll want to see her short film THEN see how she made it.

Stop-action animation is shot one frame at a time – a pain-staking process with gorgeous, magical results.  To see more about her film and see the trailer, visit the official website at www.fallingupmovie.com.

FALLING UP will only play before THE ILLUSIONIST during the 3:00 and 7:30 screenings during the week of Friday, February 11 through Thursday, February 17.

Falling Up from Djuna Wahlrab on Vimeo.