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The 2 Hottest Indie Films of Spring Open Friday at THE NEON!

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Hello Everyone.

Our two current films have been much loved but sparsely attended. I’ve seen a handful of posts on Facebook urging people to see HEARTBEATS (one friend even went as far as saying it’s “one of the three best films I have ever seen at THE NEON”)…and audiences of THE CONCERT have expressed their affection for the film to all of THE NEON’s staff. That said, Thursday will be the last day to see these films. Hurry down if you still need to see them.

On Friday, we start the two hottest indie films of the season – WIN WIN and JANE EYRE. These films have proven themselves as critical successes, audience favorites and box office champs in numerous markets across the country. I’ve seen both films recently and really liked them both, and I’m certain that Daytonians will like them, too.

Synopsis for WIN WIN: “Disheartened attorney Mike Flaherty, who moonlights as a high school wrestling coach, stumbles across a star athlete through some questionable business dealings while trying to support his family. Just as it looks like he will get a double payday, the boy’s mother shows up fresh from rehab and flat broke, threatening to derail everything.” (Fox Searchlight Pictures) OFFICIAL SITE
We’ll be giving away some fun WIN WIN materials on opening night at 7:30…and we’ll have a drawing for a WIN WIN sweatshirt throughout opening week.

Synopsis for JANE EYRE: “Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender star in the romantic drama based on Charlotte Bronte’s classic novel, from acclaimed director Cary Fukunaga. In the story, Jane Eyre flees Thornfield House, where she works as a governess for wealthy Edward Rochester. As she reflects upon the people and emotions that have defined her, it is clear that the isolated and imposing residence – and Mr. Rochester’s coldness – have sorely tested the young woman’s resilience, forged years earlier when she was orphaned. She must now act decisively to secure her own future and come to terms with the past that haunts her – and the terrible secret that Mr. Rochester is hiding and that she has uncovered.” (Focus Features)  OFFICIAL SITE

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbe33D59euY’]

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8J6Cjn06kA’]

Gar Drolma Buddhist Center will host an event at THE NEON this Saturday, April 16th. “Imagine if every thought, word, and action was only…FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL BEINGS – A film by Christina Lundberg, producer of Mystic Tibet, Discovering Buddhism, and On the Road Home. Tickets for the first screening have already sold out…so a 2nd screening has been added for 5:15.
Garchen Rinpoche’s life presents tragic events from the light of transcendent experience. After the Chinese invasion of Tibet, Rinpoche joined the Tibetan resistance fighters and was subsequently imprisoned for more than 20 years, enduring horrifying conditions. He practiced the Buddha’s teachings in secret and emerged a Realized Being; then risked his life to preserve the living tradition of the path to enlightenment… On Saturday, April 16th at 3:00 pm Gar Drolma will host a benefit screening of this magnificent film with Garchen Rinpoche in the audience. Garchen Rinpoche and Christina Lundberg, filmmaker, will speak following the screening of the movie. (Garchen Rinpoche will not attend the 5:15 screening.)
When you purchase your tickets online, you will see price levels of $10, $20, $30, $40, $50 and $108…all seating will be general admission. The tiered prices are offered to you as a convenient way to donate to the making of the film…Any amount above $10 is a tax deductible donation.” (taken from press release)

LUNAFEST: Short Films By, For, and About Women is set for this Sunday, April 17 at 3:00. This will be the 3rd year for LUNAFEST at THE NEON – sponsored by Dayton Women’s Rights Alliance and American Association of University Women – and it’s been quite successful the past two years. In addition to the touring LUNAFEST showcase, this event will feature REFLECTIONS – a short film by Tessa Trozzolillo, a junior at Stivers School for the Arts. In lieu of a set price for tickets, organizers are requesting a minimum donation of $5 or $10 per person (with $3 per student). Money raised will go to benefit The Breast Cancer Fund and Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region.
[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41TvvKTCg1Q’]

Lastly, I’d like to thank some of our community partners. Once a week, I make a jaunt to Meadowlark to hang a poster for our upcoming/current attractions. While there, I almost always run into someone who is a NEON regular (if you’ve never eaten at Meadowlark, you should really try it out…I love it). I always hang posters at a couple Boston Stoker locations as well as The Ohio Coffee Company, and when we have a British film, Basically British is always receptive. Special thanks to these businesses for helping us spread the word about what’s happening at THE NEON.

We hope to see you soon!
Jonathan

SHOWTIMES for April 15 – April 21:

JANE EYRE (PG-13) 2 Hrs
Friday: 12:10, 2:30, 4:50, 7:15, 9:40
Saturday: 12:10, 2:30, 7:15, 9:40
Sunday: 12:10, 5:30, 7:40, 9:50
Monday – Thursday: 2:30, 4:50, 7:15, 9:40

WIN WIN (R)  1HR 46Min
Friday: 12:30, 2:50, 5:10, 7:30, 9:40
Saturday: 12:30, 5:10, 7:30, 9:40
Sunday: 12:30, 2:50, 5:10, 7:30, 9:40
Monday – Thursday: 2:50, 5:10, 7:30, 9:40

FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL BEINGS (NR) 100 Min + Q&A
Saturday: 3:00*, 5:15
(* already sold out)

LUNAFEST (NR)
Sunday: 3:00

COMING SOON:
As always, all dates are tentative. Some of these dates will change.
In some cases, titles may disappear.
April 29 OF GODS AND MEN
May 6 WINTER IN WARTIME
May 13 THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD
May 20 IN A BETTER WORLD
June 3 BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK
July 1 TREE OF LIFE
TBD POTICHE
TBD CERTIFIED COPY

Everything Must Go + NORTH DIXIE DRIVE News!

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Hello Everyone.

It’s time to move on. Our three current films – CEDAR RAPIDS, I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS and TINY FURNITURE – will only play through Thursday. Hurry down if you still need to see them (visit our website – www.neonmovies.com – for current showtimes). On Friday, we will open 2 new films – HEARTBEATS and THE CONCERT.

HEARTBEATS was one of my “Top 5” from Toronto…right up there with two films we’ve already shown from my list – THE KING’S SPEECH and RABBIT HOLE. Xavier Dolan, the 22-year old director of the film, has had both of his movies play and win awards at the Cannes Film Festival. He’s an incredible director with a stunning visual style. Don’t miss this incredible film – we’re one of the only cinemas in the midwest to play HEARTBEATS.
Synopsis for HEARTBEATS: “Francis and Marie are close friends. One day, during a lunch, they meet Nicolas, a young man from the country newly arrived in town. As one rendezvous leads troublingly to another – whether real or imagined, the signs are all bad – each of the two friends slides deeper into obsessive fantasies around the same object of desire. And the deeper they slide, the more their once cast-iron friendship begins to crack under the pressure of competing for the new kid on the block. Xavier Dolan’s second film, Heartbeats, is a study of the fall into love. We follow each stage of the typical love story’s progress – it starts with a meeting and ends in tears. The film reveals a fundamentally simple intrigue that careens through a whole gamut of poetic craziness: passions unleashed, expectations, sorrow, humiliation and, finally, loneliness.” (taken from IFC Films)

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQ_eE3kl2AA&playnext=1&list=PL2C4A0DE78FA187CE’]

THE CONCERT is a real crowd-pleaser. About 10 days ago, I received an e-mail from Rochelle Goldstein – one of our regulars at THE NEON. She wrote, “Last evening in DelRay FL, Mike and I saw THE CONCERT, hands-down one of the absolute best! Any chance it’ll come your way soon? If so, we need to see it again, and maybe even yet again!” That’s quite an endorsement, and I think many of you will feel the same way about this film.

Synopsis for THE CONCERT: “Thirty years ago, Andrei Simoniovich Filipov, the renowned conductor of the Bolshoi orchestra, was fired for hiring Jewish musicians. Now a mere cleaning man at the Bolshoi, he learns by accident that the Chatelet Theater in Paris invites the Bolshoi orchestra to play there. He decides to gather together his former musicians and to perform in Paris in the place of the current Bolshoi orchestra. As a solo violin player to accompany his old Jewish or Gypsy musicians he wants Anne-Marie Jacquet, a young virtuoso. If they all overcome the hardships ahead this very special concert will be a triumph.” (taken from metacritic)

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkMdBggI4Ws’]

NORTH DIXIE DRIVE Sold Out on Saturday and Sunday…so we’ve added more screenings. Tickets are now available for April 8, 9, & 10 at 1pm, and they’re just $5. “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)

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoH26ARkeUs’]

PUNCHING THE CLOWN will have one special screening on Wednesday, April 13 at 7:30…and Henry Phillips – the subject of the film – will be in attendance for a Q&A after the screening. “Winner of the Audience Award at the Slamdance Film Festival, this uproarious and smart new comedy tells the story of Henry Phillips, a hapless modern day troubadour who grinds his way through the heartland, living out of his car and singing his twisted satirical songs to anyone who will listen. After a booking mishap involving a Christian fundraiser, he decides he’s hit rock bottom. Seeking to shake things up, he moves to L.A. where his luck changes overnight. Thanks less to his inept manager than to a wild case of mistaken identity, he falls backwards into a string of packed gigs, a record deal and even the promise of love. But he who lives by the whimsy of show business dies by it, and reality hits him like a fist in the face: an innocent miscommunication over a bagel brands him a neo-Nazi in the world of tabloid journalism…Hailed by comedy icon Sarah Silverman as ‘the best movie about comedy I’ve seen so far,’ this hilarious and evocative film is ‘totally primed for a fervent cult following.'” (taken from press notes) General admission will apply, and tickets will be available one week prior to the event.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08Xwrh-lYpU’]

Gar Drolma Buddhist Center will host an event at THE NEON on Saturday, April 16th. “Imagine if every thought, word, and action was only…FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL BEINGS – A film by Christina Lundberg, producer of Mystic Tibet, Discovering Buddhism, and On the Road Home. Tickets for the first screening have already sold out…so a 2nd screening has been added for 5:15.
Garchen Rinpoche’s life presents tragic events from the light of transcendent experience. After the Chinese invasion of Tibet, Rinpoche joined the Tibetan resistance fighters and was subsequently imprisoned for more than 20 years, enduring horrifying conditions. He practiced the Buddha’s teachings in secret and emerged a Realized Being; then risked his life to preserve the living tradition of the path to enlightenment… On Saturday, April 16th at 3:00 pm Gar Drolma will host a benefit screening of this magnificent film with Garchen Rinpoche in the audience. Garchen Rinpoche and Christina Lundberg, filmmaker, will speak following the screening of the movie. (Garchen Rinpoche will not attend the 5:15 screening.)
When you purchase your tickets online, you will see price levels of $10, $20, $30, $40, $50 and $108…all seating will be general admission. The tiered prices are offered to you as a convenient way to donate to the making of the film…Any amount above $10 is a tax deductible donation.” (taken from press release) Visit the OFFICIAL SITE.

LUNAFEST: Short Films By, For, and About Women has been set for Sunday, April 17 at 3:00. This will be the 3rd year for LUNAFEST at THE NEON…and it’s been quite successful the past two years. Mark you calendars now, and I’ll provide ticket details in next week’s newsletter.

Folks from Cirque du Soleil are offering NEON subscribers 15% off select tickets to their new show OVO – described as “…a headlong rush into a colorful ecosystem teeming with life, where insects work, eat, crawl, flutter, play, fight and look for love in a non-stop riot of energy…” OVO will take place in Cincinnati under the Big Top at Coney Island. (In the coming days, Cirque will send us some free tickets which I’ll be using as prizes at THE NEON. I’ll keep you posted.)
Discounted tickets are available HERE.
See you soon!

Take care,
Jonathan

SHOWTIMES for April 8 – April 14:

HEARTBEATS (NR) 1 Hr 35 Min
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 3:00, 5:10, 7:20, 9:30
Monday & Tuesday: 3:00, 5:10, 7:20, 9:30
Wednesday: 3:00, 5:10, 9:45
Thursday: 3:00, 5:10, 7:20, 9:30

THE CONCERT (PG-13) 1 Hr 59 Min
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 12:15, 2:40, 5:00, 7:30, 9:50
Monday – Thursday: 3:00, 5:30, 8:00

NORTH DIXIE DRIVE (NR) 52 Min
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 1:00

PUNCHING THE CLOWN (NR) 91 Min + Q&A and Stand-Up Teaser
Wednesday: 7:30

COMING SOON:
As always, all dates are tentative. Some of these dates will change.
In some cases, titles may disappear.
April 15 WIN WIN
April 15 JANE EYRE
April 29 OF GODS AND MEN
May 6 WINTER IN WARTIME
May 13 THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD
May 20 IN A BETTER WORLD
June 3 BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK
July 1 TREE OF LIFE
TBD POTICHE
TBD CERTIFIED COPY

TINY FURNITURE + 2 New Films Next Week! LIMITED ENGAGEMENTS!!

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Hello Everyone.

In addition to holding onto I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS and CEDAR RAPIDS, we will open a film festival darling called TINY FURNITURE.  Visit www.neonmovies.com for the current showtimes.

Synopsis for TINY FURNITURE (I love this synopsis): “22-year-old Aura returns home to her artist mother’s TriBeCa loft with the following: a useless film theory degree, 357 hits on her Youtube page, a boyfriend who’s left her to find himself at Burning Man, a dying hamster, and her tail between her legs. Luckily, her trainwreck childhood best friend never left home, the restaurant down the block is hiring, and ill-advised romantic possibilities lurk around every corner. Surrounded on all sides by what she could become, Aura just wants someone to tell her who she is.”   OFFICIAL SITE

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF_jWPJwKIE’]

I’m so excited to announce that we will open 2 new films next week (April 8th)…but they will only play for one week. One is the crowd-pleasing film THE CONCERT (see trailer). The other is another film from my “Top 5” from last year’s Toronto Film Fest – HEARTBEATS – which is the 2nd, full-of-style feature from my newest, favorite director – Xavier Dolan. Mark your calendars. We’re one of only a handful of cinemas in the MidWest play the film!! These films will only play for one week!
HEARTBEATS Trailer!

THE 11th DAYTON JEWISH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL is underway. To see a list of titles, screening venues, showtimes and ticket details, visit the official site.
Here are the films that will screen at THE NEON:
Sunday, April 3 at 3:00 – WHERE I STAND: THE HANK GREENSPUN STORY
Sunday, April 3 at 7:10 – NORA’S WILL
Wednesday, April 6 at 7:10 – A MATTER OF SIZE
Thursday, April 7 at 7:10 – JEWS & BASEBALL: AN AMERICAN LOVE STORY

NORTH DIXIE DRIVE tickets are completely SOLD OUT!  I’ll keep you posted if we’re able to add additional screenings.  “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)

On Tuesday, April 5, Andrew – one of our employees – will premiere his latest work. “ONE SUMMER HERE is an independent short film by local filmmakers and Wright State Motion-Pictures alumni Andrew Fiscus (writer, director) and Cole Pisano (director of photography) that will be holding its world premiere screening on Tuesday, April 5th at 9:30PM. It’s a sweltering Ohio summer, and Emma and Dan are growing up. They’re eighteen, hovering somewhere between child and adult. Emma is dreaming of leaving, and Dan is dreaming of her. All the nuance of growing up and the confusion and impetus to be something new, something more than yourself, is explored in the dreamy ONE SUMMER HERE. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged to help offset the high cost of film festival submissions. You can view the trailer for the film by visiting this link . Find out more about the film by joining the facebook fan page.”

PUNCHING THE CLOWN will have one special screening on Wednesday, April 13 at 7:30…and Henry Phillips will be in attendance for a Q&A after the screening. “Winner of the Audience Award at the Slamdance Film Festival, this uproarious and smart new comedy tells the story of Henry Phillips, a hapless modern day troubadour who grinds his way through the heartland, living out of his car and singing his twisted satirical songs to anyone who will listen. After a booking mishap involving a Christian fundraiser, he decides he’s hit rock bottom. Seeking to shake things up, he moves to L.A. where his luck changes overnight. Thanks less to his inept manager than to a wild case of mistaken identity, he falls backwards into a string of packed gigs, a record deal and even the promise of love. But he who lives by the whimsy of show business dies by it, and reality hits him like a fist in the face: an innocent miscommunication over a bagel brands him a neo-Nazi in the world of tabloid journalism…Hailed by comedy icon Sarah Silverman as ‘the best movie about comedy I’ve seen so far,’ this hilarious and evocative film is ‘totally primed for a fervent cult following.'” (taken from press notes) General admission will apply, and tickets will be available one week prior to the event.

Gar Drolma Buddhist Center will host an event at THE NEON on Saturday, April 16th. “Imagine if every thought, word, and action was only…FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL BEINGS – A film by Christina Lundberg, producer of Mystic Tibet, Discovering Buddhism, and On the Road Home. Tickets for the first screening have already sold out…so a 2nd screening has been added for 5:15.
Garchen Rinpoche’s life presents tragic events from the light of transcendent experience. After the Chinese invasion of Tibet, Rinpoche joined the Tibetan resistance fighters and was subsequently imprisoned for more than 20 years, enduring horrifying conditions. He practiced the Buddha’s teachings in secret and emerged a Realized Being; then risked his life to preserve the living tradition of the path to enlightenment… On Saturday, April 16th at 3:00 pm Gar Drolma will host a benefit screening of this magnificent film with Garchen Rinpoche in the audience. Garchen Rinpoche and Christina Lundberg, filmmaker, will speak following the screening of the movie. (Garchen Rinpoche will not attend the 5:15 screening.)
When you purchase your tickets online, you will see price levels of $10, $20, $30, $40, $50 and $108…all seating will be general admission. The tiered prices are offered to you as a convenient way to donate to the making of the film…Any amount above $10 is a tax deductible donation. ” (taken from press release)

See you soon!

Take care,
Jonathan

SHOWTIMES for April 1 – April 7:

CEDAR RAPIDS (R)
Fri & Sat: 3:00, 7:30
Sun: 5:15 PM
Mon – Thu: 3:00, 7:30

I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS (R)
Fri & Sat: 5:10, 9:40
Sun: 9:40 PM
Mon – Thu: 5:10, 9:40

TINY FURNITURE (NR)
Fri – Sun: 12:45, 2:50, 5:00, 7:20, 9:30
Mon: 2:50, 5:00, 7:20, 9:30
Tue: 2:50, 5:00, 7:20
Wed & Thu: 2:50, 5:00, 9:40

NORTH DIXIE DRIVE (NR) 52 Min
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 1:00

ONE SUMMER HERE (NR) 20+ minutes
Tuesday: 9:30

DAYTON JEWISH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Sunday: 3:00 – WHERE I STAND
Sunday: 7:10 – NORA’S WILL
Wednesday: 7:10 – A MATTER OF SIZE
Thursday: 7:10 – JEWS & BASEBALL

COMING SOON:
As always, all dates are tentative. Some of these dates will change.
In some cases, titles may disappear.
April 8 HEARTBEATS
April 8 THE CONCERT
April 15 WIN WIN
April 15 JANE EYRE
April 29 OF GODS AND MEN
May 6 WINTER IN WARTIME
May 13 THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD
May 20 IN A BETTER WORLD
June 3 BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK
July 1 TREE OF LIFE
TBD POTICHE
TBD CERTIFIED COPY

Toronto – THE FILMS – Day #6

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After just 4 hours of sleep last night, I woke up, went across town to pick up tickets, and proceeded to see two films.  I then had to take a nap (2 nights with just 4 hours of sleep got to me).  I then woke to see one more…and so glad I got there in time.

First off, I saw a Canadian film starring Zach Braff & Isabelle Blais (from the incredible film THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS).  The films is called THE HIGH COST OF LIVING (dir. Deborah Chow).  In it, a RX, “high end” drug dealer accidentally hits a pregnant woman on the side of the street.  He flees the scene and later feels guilty – so he investigates to see if she’s OK.  Along the way, he befriends her and finds out that the baby inside her died as a result of the accident – and she will have to have stillborn birth.  The film has an interesting set-up, but there’s ultimately something wrong.  It simply didn’t work for me.  The moments of zany  behavior seemed thrown in to break the tension…and seemed out-of-place…but the overall sadness wasn’t working for me either.

Next up was a film that many people are comparing to Wes Anderson – SUBMARINE (from actor-turned-director Richard Ayoade).  However, this film is Welsh…and it’s quite fresh  – with a big heart mixed in with the left-of-center comedy.  The story is one of budding love between teenage minor-outcasts…and all the angst, humiliation and great lengths to please that come along with that – especially when you’re dealing with eccentric kids.  The movie is visually stylish with a brilliant script and some supporting parts from people I love (Sally Hawkins and Paddy Considine).  There’s certainly an audience for this film. (The director and two leads did a Q&A after this screening.  They were delightful.)

Lastly, I saw HEARTBEATS – the new film from Xavier Dolan.  Dolan’s first, Cannes-winning film is the opening night movie of the Downtown Dayton LGBT Film Fest.  (Incidentally, tickets are available.  Visit daytonlgbt.com for screening details.)  This new film follows a gay boy and his straight female friend.  They both fall for the same blonde, tossle-haired boy…and the dynamic between the two friends shifts.  With a gorgeous pallet, a great soundtrack, interesting photography, and some fun intercutting of “confessions” from people in the dating scene, this film is great. (Dolan introduced the film and held a Q&A after.)

I just got back from a party celebrating all of the queer content of this year’s festival.  John Cameron Mitchell was guest DJing, and I met up with some new friends who associated with festival.  It was a fun night, but I’m glad I’m getting to bed before 3:00.

First thing tomorrow is the new film from Francois Ozon – one of my favorite filmmakers of all time.

More soon!

Jonathan