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Shirley MacLaine’s LAST WORD at THE NEON This Weekend

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Hello Everyone!

How can you not love Shirley MacLaine? From THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY to THE APARTMENT to THE CHILDREN’S HOUR to IRMA LA DOUCE to SWEET CHARITY to TERMS OF ENDEARMENT to STEEL MAGNOLIAS to POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE to BERNIE – there’s so much to love! This Friday, we will bring this legend’s latest film to town – THE LAST WORD – and MacLaine fans won’t be disappointed. We will also hold onto both KEDI and THE SENSE OF AN ENDING for one more week.

Synopsis for THE LAST WORD: “In THE LAST WORD, Shirley MacLaine is Harriet Lauler, a once successful businesswoman in tight control of every aspect of her life. As she reflects upon her accomplishment, she’s suddenly inspired to engage a young local writer, Anne Sherman (Amanda Seyfried), to pen her life’s story. When the initial result doesn’t meet Harriet’s high expectations, she sets out to reshape the way she is remembered, with Anne dragged along as an unwilling accomplice. As the journey unfolds, the two women develop a unique bond which alters not only Harriet’s legacy, but also Anne’s future.” (Bleecker Street) Click this LINK to visit the film’s official site.

Don’t forget about THE REEL PADDLING FILM FESTIVAL – returning to town this Thursday evening at 7:30. Advanced tickets are available on-line or at THE NEON’s box office.

“LUNAFEST, a national festival of women’s films, comes to Dayton for the 8th time this Sunday, March 26 from 3:00-5:00 pm at THE NEON. This season’s program of nine selected films will compel discussion, make you laugh, tug at your heartstrings and motivate you to make a difference in your community. Incredibly diverse in style and content, the films are united by a common thread of exceptional storytelling – by, for and about women. Two additional short films will be presented by Pens to Pictures, a local filmmaking collaborative that worked with incarcerated women at the Dayton Correctional Institute to help them make their own short films, from script to screen. Funds raised by this event will go to the Breast Cancer Fund and to Pens to Pictures. Tickets are $10.00 ($5.00 for students) and donations over this amount are gratefully accepted. The event is sponsored nationally by Luna, makers of the nutrition bar, and locally by Dayton Women’s Rights Alliance and the Dayton chapter of the American Association of University Women. Tickets are now available at THE NEON’s box office.” (Press Notes) Visit the Lunafest official site to check out clips from this year’s festival.

Equitas Health is bringing the film FREEDOM TO MARRY to town on Thursday, March 30 at 7:30. This film is “The nail-biting, untold story of how same-sex marriage became law of the land. THE FREEDOM TO MARRY follows Evan Wolfson, the architect the movement, civil rights attorney Mary Bonauto and their key colleagues on this decades long battle, culminating in a dramatic fight at the United States Supreme Court. More than the saga of one movement’s history, this is an inspiringtale of how regular people can change the world.” To watch the trailer and reserve your ticket, visit this LINK.

“On Saturday, April 8, from 9:00 am until Noon, come out to Kick-off and Celebrate MINORITY HEALTH MONTH! This event is free and open to the entire community. Starting at 9:00 am, there will be a free breakfast and health screenings (Hepatitis B, Cholesterol, Blood pressure and confidential HIV), and a live radio broadcast with WROU’s Host Faith Daniels! At 10:00 am, health leadership awards will be given to Gina McFarlane-El, CEO, Five Rivers Health Center, the 2017 Shero of Health recipient, and Richard “Clay” Dixon, for Community Action Leadership. At 10:00, watch the award-winning movie UNNATURAL CAUSES: IS INEQUALITY MAKING US SICK? How do you have good health? How do you live longer? Housing, education, community development and so much more impact choices, behaviors, health conditions, and quality of life. Get answers on how to improve health and quality of life. Free popcorn. Funded by Public Health, Buckeye Health Plan, and the Ohio Commission on Minority Health.”

Vu-Do Swing is hoping to bring ALIVE AND KICKING to town on April 26, but they still need to reserve 55 tickets by April 17 to make it happen. “ALIVE AND KICKING is a feature-length documentary that takes an inside look into the culture of swing dancing and the characters who make it special. We explore the culture surrounding Swing dance from the emergence of the Lindy Hop to the modern day international phenomenon. The film follows the growth of Swing dance from its purely American roots as an art form, to countries all over the world. Alive and Kicking looks at the lives of the Swing dancers themselves to find their personal stories and why this dance fills them with joy.” If not enough tickets are reserved by the deadline, your credit card will never be charged. Click this LINK to watch a trailer and reserve your ticket.

The Dayton Jewish Film Festival will kick off in late April, but they’ll have a sneak peek at this year’s fest during a screening of the classic film THE FRISCO KID (starring Gene Wilder) on Sunday, April 2 at 3PM. Brochures for the entire festival are now available in our lobby, and you can visit the official site to read about the films, watch trailers and purchase tickets in advance. This year’s line-up looks pretty amazing!

We’ve added numerous films to our “Coming Soon” list, and I’m very happy that we’ve added FRANTZ (from Francois Ozon) and THEIR FINEST (a period film with Bill Nighy) to the line-up – they are films I loved in Toronto, and I know you’ll like them, too.

Thanks so much for your continued support.
See you soon,
Jonathan

SHOWTIMES for Tuesday, March 21 – Thursday, March 30:

KEDI (NR) 1 Hr 20 Min
Tuesday-Thursday (March 21-23): 3:10, 5:15, 7:20
Friday & Saturday (March 24 & 25): 1:00, 5:30, 9:45
Sunday (March 26): 1:00, 5:30
Monday-Wednesday (March 27-29): 3:00, 7:40
Thursday (March 30): 3:00

THE SENSE OF AN ENDING (PG-13) 1 Hr 48 Min
Tuesday & Wednesday (March 21 & 22): 2:50, 5:10, 7:30
Thursday (March 23): 2:50, 5:10
Friday & Saturday (March 24 & 25): 3:00, 7:20
Sunday (March 26): 7:20
Monday-Thursday (March 27-30); 5:10

REEL PADDLING FILM FESTIVAL (NR) 2 Hrs
Thursday (Mar 23): 7:30

THE LAST WORD (R) 1 Hr 48 Min
Friday & Saturday (March 24 & 25): 12:30, 2:50, 5:10, 7:30, 9:45
Sunday (March 26): 12:30, 2:50, 5:10, 7:30
Monday-Thursday (March 27-30): 2:50, 5:10, 7:30

LUNAFEST + PENS TO PICTURES (NR) 2 Hrs
Sunday (March 26): 3:00

FREEDOM TO MARRY (NR) 1 Hr 26 Min
Thursday (March 30): 7:30

COMING SOON:
(All Dates Are Tentative. Dates Often Move And Sometimes Disappear)
March 31 – WILSON
April 4-9 – CONTEMPORARY COLOR (limited screenings, lots of local ties)
April 7 – FRANTZ
April 21 – COLOSSAL
May 5 – THEIR FINEST
May 26 – THE LOVERS
TBD – TONI ERDMANN, THE RED TURTLE, PERSONAL SHOPPER

Toronto – Day #4 – 2013

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Hello!

Yesterday was another epic day.  After seeing 5 films, I still managed to meet up with a couple friends for drinks…a nap is certainly in store at some point today.  One person I met up with is a Dayton native (a former Neon regular and Stivers grad) – Rachel Allen.  She now lives in Brooklyn and works for a PR firm in NYC…and she’s in Toronto working with a handful of films at the festival.  It was great to see her, and I was delighted to hear of her recent successes.

The first film I saw in the morning was THE F WORD – a romantic comedy starring Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan.  This charming film is full of fast, witty dialog (and sadly way too many poop-obsessed jokes), and it doesn’t try to be anything beyond a sweet film targeted at young adults.  The story centers on 2 young people who meet at a party.  The young girl, delightfully played by Kazan, is an animator who is in a relationship.  The young guy, played by Radcliffe (he has 3 films at TIFF this year), is still getting over a broken heart (the opening scene has him finally deleting a year-old voicemail from his ex-girlfriend).  The 2, upon meeting, have great chemistry…but they determine that they can only be friends.  Thogh predictable and at times a bit too screwball for my taste, this film ultimately works.

THE F WORD

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB was the 2nd film of the festival that I really loved.  Based on a true story, this is a film about a man in the 1980’s who is diagnosed with HIV.  Frustrated by the lack of FDA-approved drugs, he sets out to smuggle non-approved treatments into the US.  Matthew McConaughey plays the main character, and his performance is mind-blowing.  That said, Jarred Leto – who plays a trans character – is also out of this world.  With lots of interesting choices (great sound design and an urgency that makes the film not seem like a period piece), this will go down as one of the best films of the year…stay tuned for lots of award season recognition.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8utPuIFVnU’]

Next up was a romantic, modern musical by John Carney (director of ONCE) – CAN A SONG SAVE YOUR LIFE?  Starring Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo, this film is full of great music and good performances.  It’s the story of two broken people who begin working together to produce an album of fresh, new music.  I’ve heard many people raving about this film.  Though I liked it, I didn’t think it was amazing.  There are some magical moments, but I didn’t buy into the film entirely.  (There’s a scene where Ruffalo imagines orchestrations over Knightley’s simple, guitar-accompanied performance…and I found it terribly cheesy.)  There will certainly be an audience for this film, but I don’t think the results are as successful as ONCE.

Keira+Knightley+Mark+Ruffalo+Can+Song+Save+tluM0jf258Yl

PHILOMENA, the new Judi Dench film by Stephen Frears, is absolutely wonderful. This is the story of a relationship between a journalist and an aging woman.  Philomena gave birth to a boy in a convent when she was 14, and the nuns found a home for him when he was an toddler.  After years of feeling guilty for her sins of the flesh (the nuns were successful at shaming her for decades), a journalist takes interest in Philomena’s attempt to locate her son.  The story is ultimately a mystery, but it’s so much more.  The script is absolutely terrific, and the performances are rich and layered.  This film is 100% NEON material!  Without harping, the film has very interesting things to say at the Catholic Church, contemporary journalism and the Republican Party.

LE WEEK-END – a new film about a retirement-aged, British couple during a weekend is Paris – is clearly inspired by (and even references) films of the French New Wave.  Though there are several great scenes in this film, and the performances of Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan are terrific, I had a hard time connecting.  Duncan’s hot/cold character changes moods on a dime, and I ultimately found her so frustrating that I found it difficult to care about anybody.  Though I was ultimately moved by the film, I didn’t love it overall.  Directed by Roger Michell (NOTTING HILL, THE MOTHER, VENUS, HYDE PARK ON HUDSON), I don’t see a lot of commercial success with this title.

I’m about to head into a screening of BELLE…then 3 other films today.

Thanks for reading!  More tomorrow!