Hillbilly Elegy

David Fincher’s Award Hopeful MANK & More NEON News!

November 24, 2020 By Jonathan McNeal

We’re moving along with the highly anticipated film – MANK – David Fincher’s look at how Mankiewicz rushed to finish the screenplay for Orson Welles’ CITIZEN KANE. It opens tomorrow. If you still need to see THE CLIMB, Thursday will be your last chance. On Friday, we open the documentary ZAPPA for one week only. If you still need to see HILLBILLY ELEGY on the big screen, it will stick around for one more week.

In our Virtual Cinema, we have a new documentary that seems “right on time” about a social movement from the 60’s – WBCN AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. It also opens tomorrow.

NEW IN-PERSON ENGAGEMENT

Synopsis for MANK: “David Fincher’s latest masterpiece is slated for THE NEON for Thanksgiving Weekend! “1930s Hollywood is re-evaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish the screenplay of CITIZEN KANE for Orson Welles.” Starring Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Charles Dance, and Lily Collins….you’ll be seeing some of these names during Oscar season! Click the image below to watch the film’s vintage-looking trailer.

Synopsis for ZAPPA: “With unfettered access to the Zappa family trust and all archival footage, ZAPPA explores the private life behind the mammoth musical career that never shied away from the political turbulence of its time. Alex Winter’s assembly features appearances by Frank’s widow Gail Zappa and several of Frank’s musical collaborators including Mike Keneally, Ian Underwood, Steve Vai, Pamela Des Barres, Bunk Gardner, David Harrington, Scott Thunes, Ruth Underwood, Ray White and others.” (Magnolia Pictures) Click the image below to watch the trailer.

NEW IN OUR VIRTUAL CINEMA

Synopsis for WBCN AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION: Available starting Nov. 25! “WBCN AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION follows a compelling cast of characters as their lives connect and intersect during the rise of the legendary radio station that became both a player in and a platform for the explosive rock ‘n roll counterculture, passionate anti-war movement, and burgeoning civil rights, women’s rights, and gay rights movements. The dramatic and compelling stories in WBCN and The American Revolution are interwoven with the original sights and sounds of the critical events of the late 1960s and early 1970s, thanks to more than 100,000 audio and visual items, many of which were donated to the project by members of the WBCN community and the station’s many listeners and fans. The material includes never before exhibited film shot by Andy Warhol and cinema vérité pioneer Ricky Leacock, images from notable photographers including the late Peter Simon, brother of singer Carly Simon, and Jeff Albertson, as well as aircheck audio from memorable on-air, in-studio moments.” This film can be watched on your computer or mobile device as well as via Chromecast or via an HDMI cable attached to your television. For additional notes regarding connectivity, you can visit the film’s Help Page HERE. Click the image below to watch the trailer and purchase 72 hour access to this film for $12.

CONTINUING IN OUR VIRTUAL CINEMA

Synopsis for MONSOON: Available Now! “Kit (Henry Golding from CRAZY RICH ASIANS) returns to Ho Chi Minh City for the first time since he was six years old when his family fled the country in the aftermath of the Vietnam-American war. Struggling to make sense of himself in a city he’s no longer familiar with, he embarks on a personal journey across the country that opens up the possibility for friendship, love and happiness.” 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 MODERN PERSUASION: Now Available! We’re delighted to bring this romantic comedy with a stellar cast (they had us at Bebe Neuwirth and Jenn Harris) and directed by Jonathan Lisecki and Alex Appel to our Virtual Cinema. Lisecki was a special guest several years ago with his hit comedy GAYBY. “A modern telling of Jane Austen’s PERSUASION. Wren Cosgrove is a happy, single, and self-confessed workaholic who, after rising to the top of the corporate ladder, finds herself coming home every night to her cat. When her firm is hired by Owen Jasper, “the man who got away,” long-lost feelings are stirred, giving Wren a second chance at true love.” This film can be watched on your computer or mobile device as well as via Chromecast or via an HDMI cable attached to your television. For additional notes regarding connectivity, you can visit Samuel Goldwyn’s Help page HERE. Click the image below to watch the trailer and purchase 72 hour access to this film for $12.

To read more about all the films that are still available in our Virtual Cinema, please visit our WEBSITE. We’ll continue to offer crowd-pleasing films like CHUCK LEAVELL: THE TREE MAN, RADIUM GIRLS and THE DONUT KING through Thanksgiving. Here’s a LINK with a video I made about how Virtual Cinema works.

Wanna know what titles we’re planning in our virtual cinema? (Click any title to watch that film’s trailer.) On Dec. 4, we’ll open two new films – the first is 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. The second film on Dec. 4 is ANOTHER ROUND – Denmark’s highest grossing film in several years and it stars Mads Mikkelsen. On Dec. 9, we’ll open a documentary about the very first days of the COVID outbreak – 76 DAYS (there’s no trailer yet for 76 DAYS, but here’s a CLIP). On December 11, we’re planning to offer a WONG KAR WAI RETROSPECTIVE – full of remastered gems including a personal all-time favorite – IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE. Also on December 11, we’re glad that we can finally bring THE LIBRARY THAT DOLLY BUILT – a film we had planned to play in April before global shutdowns. More titles are on the way…stay tuned!

Though dates continue to move around, I’m delighted that we are now able to bring a new documentary about Billie Holiday starting next Friday. Stay tuned for more details about BILLIE.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful, safe and warm Thanksgiving.

My best,

Jonathan

THE CLIMB & More NEON News!

November 20, 2020 By Jonathan McNeal

Audiences have been loving HILLBILLY ELEGY, and it will stick around for another week. We’ve heard numerous rave reviews from audiences exiting the cinema as well as via social media…and we’re glad that people are connecting to it. AMMONITE, a gorgeous film that would normally be a big hit, didn’t perform so well…but we’re going to keep it for one show a day over the weekend – so you’ll still have a few chances to see it. Tomorrow, we will open a critically-acclaimed comedy about a toxic male friendship – THE CLIMB.

In our Virtual Cinema, we have 2 new offerings this week. The beautiful film MONSOON just opened yesterday, and the contemporary Jane Austen romantic comedy MODERN PERSUASION (co-directed by one of our previous festival guests Jonathan Lisecki) opens tomorrow.

NEW FILM FOR IN-PERSON SCREENINGS

Synopsis for THE CLIMB: “Kyle and Mike are best friends who share a close bond — until Mike sleeps with Kyle’s fiancée. THE CLIMB is about a tumultuous but enduring relationship between two men across many years of laughter, heartbreak and rage. It is also the story of real-life best friends who turn their profound connection into a rich, humane and frequently uproarious film about the boundaries (or lack thereof) in all close friendships.” (Sony Classics) Click the image below to visit the film’s site and watch the trailer.

NEW FILMS IN OUR VIRTUAL CINEMA

Synopsis for MONSOON: Available Now! “Kit (Henry Golding from CRAZY RICH ASIANS) returns to Ho Chi Minh City for the first time since he was six years old when his family fled the country in the aftermath of the Vietnam-American war. There he meets Lee, his estranged second cousin, Linh, a young Vietnamese student, and arranges an online date that turns into something more with Lewis (Parker Sawyers from SOUTHSIDE WITH YOU), an American clothing designer. Struggling to make sense of himself in a city he’s no longer familiar with, he embarks on a personal journey across the country that opens up the possibility for friendship, love and happiness.” 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 MODERN PERSUASION: Available starting Nov. 20! We’re delighted to bring this romantic comedy with a stellar cast (they had us at Bebe Neuwirth and Jenn Harris) and directed by Jonathan Lisecki and Alex Appel to our Virtual Cinema. Jonathan Lisecki was a special guest several years ago at The Dayton LGBT Film Festival with his hit comedy GAYBY. “A modern telling of Jane Austen’s PERSUASION. Wren Cosgrove is a happy, single, and self-confessed workaholic who, after rising to the top of the corporate ladder, finds herself coming home every night to her cat. When her firm is hired by Owen Jasper, “the man who got away,” long-lost feelings are stirred, giving Wren a second chance at true love.” This film can be watched on your computer or mobile device as well as via Chromecast or via an HDMI cable attached to your television. For additional notes regarding connectivity, you can visit Samuel Goldwyn’s Help page HERE. Click the image below to watch the trailer and purchase 72 hour access to this film for $12.

Synopsis for RECON: Based on the novel PEACE by Richard Bausch. “RECON tells the story of four American soldiers in WW2, who after they witness a vicious murder of an innocent civilian at the hands of their platoon Sergeant, are sent on a reconnaissance/suicide mission lead by a local partisan, an elderly man whose indeterminate loyalties add to the terror and confusion that engulfs the Americans as they are hunted by an unseen enemy. As they struggle to make it off the mountain alive, these American soldiers face the worst that war can offer men…. and through this each finds their own peace.” (Brainstorm Media) 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. Many thanks to our friends at The Dayton Literary Peace Prize for working with us to bring this film to you.

Synopsis for CHUCK LEAVELL: THE TREE MAN: Directed by Daytonian Allen Farst. “Filmed in four countries with more than 80 interviews from artists with a combined 58 Grammy Awards by the artist included, 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.” (Niche Productions) 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.

To read more about all the films that are still available in our Virtual Cinema, please visit our WEBSITE. We’ll continue to offer crowd-pleasing films like RADIUM GIRLS and THE DONUT KING through Thanksgiving. Here’s a LINK with a video I made about how Virtual Cinema works.

Wanna know what titles we’re planning in our virtual cinema? (Click any title to watch that film’s trailer.) On Nov. 25, we’ll open WBCN AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION – a film about a radical underground radio station set against the social, political and cultural changes during the late 60’s and early 70’s. On Dec. 4, we’ll open two new films – the first is 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; the second is ANOTHER ROUND – Denmark’s highest grossing film in several years starring Mads Mikkelsen. On Dec. 9, we’ll open a documentary about the very first days of the COVID outbreak – 76 DAYS (there’s no trailer yet for 76 DAYS, but here’s a CLIP). More titles are on the way…stay tuned!

In the coming weeks, we will have a nice mix of stunning Oscar contenders and fun, escapist fare. We’re planning to open MANK next Wednesday – it’s David Fincher’s new film about Mankiewicz rushing to finish the screenplay for CITIZEN KANE…but we need to wait a few more days before we put tickets on sale. In the last 24 hours, we just added THE PROM. Based on the beloved Broadway musical, THE PROM opens Dec. 4 for one week…and the cast is stellar – Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Keegan-Michael Key, Kerry Washington, James Cordon and more! In addition to all that, dates keep changing…MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM is now set for Dec. 11.

We hope to see you soon!

Be safe & well.

My best,

Jonathan

Chuck Leavell, A Call to Spy & Hillbilly Elegy News From The Neon

November 4, 2020 By Jonathan McNeal

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