sally hawkins

LOVING VINCENT Opens Friday at THE NEON. Big Holiday Films On Horizon!

November 8, 2017 By Jonathan McNeal

Hello Everyone!

We’re moving forward this Friday with a film many of you have expressed great interest in seeing – LOVING VINCENT. This hand oil-painted film is absolutely stunning, but its engagement will be limited (we have 2 spectacular new films that need to open on Nov. 22). Hurry down – everything will have to leave (including FLORIDA PROJECT and GOODBYE CHRISTOPHER ROBIN – click either title to visit that film’s official site) within the next couple weeks.

Synopsis for LOVING VINCENT: “The man was carrying nothing; his hands clasped to a fresh bullet wound leaking blood from his belly. This was Vincent van Gogh, then a little known artist; now the most famous artist in the world. His tragic death has long been known, what has remained a mystery is how and why he came to be shot. Loving Vincent tells that story.” LOVING VINCENT is told via animated oil paintings – all done by hand. Don’t miss this incredibly gorgeous experience! To watch the trailer and learn more about the process, Click this LINK to visit the film’s official website.

“The ME/CFR Dayton Support Group is sponsoring a free screening of UNREST to raise awareness about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and resources within the Dayton area for support. When Harvard Ph.D. student Jennifer Brea is struck down by a fever that leaves her bedridden, she sets out on a virtual journey to document her story as she fights a disease that medicine forgot. FREE to the public (movie, parking, popcorn). Donations welcome at the door. This Sunday, Nov. 12 at 3:30.” To reserve your seat via FaceBook, please click this LINK. (details provided by event coordinator Jerry Leggett)

On Wednesday, November 15 at 7:15, The Jewish Community Center of Greater Dayton will host a special screening of the classic Gary Cooper film HIGH NOON at THE NEON. Speaking with the film will be the Pulitzer Prize-winner Glenn Frankel, author of HIGH NOON: THE HOLLYWOOD BLACKLIST AND THE MAKING OF AN AMERICAN CLASSIC. Tickets are $9 each and are available via this LINK or by calling Karen at (937)610-1555.

The Dayton Holiday Festival, Mix 107.7 and THE NEON will present the return of the much-loved FAMILY HOLIDAY FILM SERIES. This year, we’ll look at 3 holiday gems over the course of the first three Saturdays in December. Admission is free for children 12 and under, and general admission is just $2. On December 2 at Noon, we’ll watch PRANCER – a film about a little girl who finds one of Santa’s injured reindeer. On December 9 at Noon, we’ll watch the holiday classic – MIRACLE ON 34th STREET – starring a young Natalie Wood. On December 16 at Noon, we’ll wrap up the series with HOME ALONE – this classic starring Macaulay Culkin is already 27 years old! Tickets are first come, first serve – available 45 minutes before each screening.

We’ve got a really strong line-up over the next several weeks. We are slated to open both LADY BIRD and THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI on November 22. These 2 films are winning praise and Oscar buzz galore. On December 22, we are slated to open THE SHAPE OF WATER (one of my absolute favorite films of the year with the incredible Sally Hawkins) and DARKEST HOUR. Somewhere in between these dates, we hope to get to FACES PLACES (another of my favorites of the year – an absolutely charming, insightful and uplifting film) and possibly THE SQUARE. Stay tuned!

Thanks so much for your continued support.
We hope to see you soon,
Jonathan

SHOWTIMES for Wednesday, Nov. 8 – Thursday, Nov. 16:

THE FLORIDA PROJECT (R) 1 Hr 51 Min
Wednesday-Thursday (Nov 8 & 9): 2:50, 5:10, 7:30
Friday & Saturday (Nov 10 & 11): 2:50, 5:10, 7:30, 9:45
Sunday (Nov 12): 5:30, 7:45
Monday-Thursday (Nov 13-16): 5:10, 7:30

GOODBYE CHRISTOPHER ROBIN (PG) 1 Hr 47 Min
Wednesday-Thursday (Nov 8 & 9): 3:00, 5:20, 7:40
Friday, Saturday, Sunday (Nov 10 – 12): 12:10, 2:30, 7:20
Monday & Tuesday (Nov 13 & 14): 3:00, 7:20
Wednesday (Nov 15): 3:00
Thursday (Nov 16): 3:00, 7:20

LOVING VINCENT (PG-13) 1 Hr 34 Min
Friday & Saturday (Nov 10 & 11): 12:50, 5:15, 9:40
Sunday (Nov 12): 12:50, 5:15
Monday-Thursday (Nov 13-16): 3:00, 5:15

UNREST (NR) 1 Hr 38 Min
Sunday (Nov 12): 3:30

HIGH NOON (PG) 1 Hr 25 Min + Discussion
Wednesday (Nov 15): 7:15

COMING SOON:
(All Dates Are Tentative. Dates Often Move And Sometimes Disappear)
Nov. 22 – THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING MISSOURI
Nov. 22 – LADY BIRD
Dec. 22 – SHAPE OF WATER
Dec. 22 – DARKEST HOUR
TBD Possibilities – FACES PLACES, THE SQUARE

TIFF 2016 – Day #6

September 14, 2016 By Jonathan McNeal

maudie-movie-poster-lg Hello!

Today’s schedule had me down for 5 films…and though I got into the fifth, I just wasn’t loving it enough to stick around (thus I won’t review it). Instead, I’ll go over the four films I screened in their entirety.

THEIR FINEST was my first screening at 9:30am, and it was packed in one of Scotiabank’s biggest venues. Lone Scherfig (AN EDUCATION) delivers a very solid film about the film industry in England during WWII. The story centers around a female writer who is initially hired to help write and flesh out the female voices just as the industry is also realizing that they need to make a picture that boosts morale on the homefront. Bill Nighy, who plays an egotistical old pro actor, is a scene-stealer…and the film will be an crowd-pleaser. Full of nostalgic winks and nods as well as colorful characters, this is an “acquisition title,” and I believe it will get picked up. There’s no trailer yet for THEIR FINEST…so a photo will have to do at this point.

Their Finest Hour and A Half
Directed by Lone Sherfig

MAUDIE, a biopic about Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis, was next on my list. With an outstanding performance by Sally Hawkins which is touching, physically demanding and full of hysterical funny moments that make Maud all the more endearing, the film is about Lewis’s relationship with her husband (played by Ethan Hawke) and her rise to fame in the art world. Challenged by childhood rheumatoid arthritis, everything from daily chores to even holding a brush look painful for Maud – but we fall in love with her desire to paint on just about any stationary object. Directed by Aisling Walsh (she’s done a lot of television work including FINGERSMITH with Hawkins), this is a slower character piece – but I think it could easily find an audience with Neon patrons. There’s no trailer for this film yet, but here’s a clip.

Once in a while at TIFF, I let myself see a big, splashy Hollywood movie. One that clearly won’t be coming to THE NEON, but one that’s receiving some critical buzz. A couple years ago, it was GRAVITY…this year, it was another sci-fi film – ARRIVAL, directed by Denis Villeneuve. Though I can rattle off a handful of sci-fi films that I greatly admire, this isn’t a genre that usually attracts my attention, and this alien film intrigued me because it wasn’t going to be full of explosions and battle scenes. Amy Adams plays a linguist who is hired by the government to attempt communicating with aliens who have landed 12 ships around the world. There’s some really lovely work happening in this film – from the central performance to terrific special effects. But there’s also some clunky ideas (especially in the third act) that keep me from embracing the film. I realize that many, many people will love this one…but it’s not for me.

My last full film of the day was THE SALESMAN, directed by Asghar Farhadi (A SEPARATION and THE PAST). The film opens with people needing to evacuate their building as it is beginning to crack and may soon crash. We follow a young theatrical couple (who are mounting a production of DEATH OF A SALESMAN) as they are displaced and soon find a new apartment that was formerly inhabited by a prostitute (though they don’t know that immediately). An incident in the new place leaves the couple forever changed, and the film then becomes a subtle thriller. With narrative elements and themes that I greatly admire, this film is well-done and solid – though not quite up to par with his previous two films due to a somewhat strained final act. There is no trailer yet for this film, but here’s a clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VcfinMasfw

I wrapped up the night by attending a low-key party for lgbt industry folks. I was glad to meet a few new people, and I’m crawling into bed before 2:00…so glad tomorrow is the last day I have to get up before 7:00.

Thanks for reading,

Jonathan

BLUE JASMINE, IN THE HOUSE, FilmDAYTON & More Great News at THE NEON!

August 20, 2013 By Jonathan McNeal Leave a Comment

Hello Everyone,

We’ve got so much happening over the next week…I’m absolutely certain that there is something for everyone at THE NEON! In addition to FilmDayton‘s great line-up (including gems like IN A WORLD, SHORT TERM 12 and REMOTE AREA MEDICAL), we will open one of the most talked about indies of the year – Woody Allen’s BLUE JASMINE (featuring one of the most outstanding performances of Cate Blanchett’s incredible career). And it doesn’t stop there. Next Monday through Thursday, we will bring one of my favorite films of the year – Francois Ozon’s IN THE HOUSE – for a 4-day run!

Next Friday, August 30, we will open a coming of age story that critics and audiences alike are loving – THE SPECTACULAR NOW.

Synopsis for BLUE JASMINE: “After everything in her life falls to pieces, including her marriage to wealthy businessman Hal, elegant New York socialite Jasmine moves into her sister Ginger’s modest apartment in San Francisco to try to pull herself back together again.” (taken from Sony Classics) Click THIS LINK to visit the official site.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FER3C394aI8′]

Synopsis for IN THE HOUSE: “Sixteen-year-old Claude insinuates himself into the house of fellow high school student, writing about his family in essays that perversely blur the lines between reality and fiction for his jaded literature teacher. Intrigued by this gifted and unusual student, Germain rediscovers his taste for teaching, but the boy’s intrusion sparks a series of uncontrollable events.” This was one of my Top 3 Films at last year’s Toronto Film Festival…it stars Fabrice Luchini and Kristin Scott Thomas. Be sure to check out the trailer below.

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

The FilmDayton Festival is ready to go! Film screenings will take place at THE NEON, but the festival is about a whole lot more. Check out their complete line-up on their official site.
Films/Events at THE NEON are:
Friday, Aug. 23 at 7:00 – IN A WORLD
Friday, Aug. 23 at 9:00 – FLICK MY CLIP COMEDY SHORTS
Friday, Aug. 23 at 11:00 – FRIDAY NIGHT FRIGHT
Saturday, Aug 24 at 11:00am – WYSO SCREENLESS SCREENING
Saturday, Aug 24 at 1:00 – JACK, JULES, ESTHER AND ME
Saturday, Aug 24 at 3:30 – SHORTS BLOCK #1
Saturday, Aug 24 at 6:00 – SUNDOG FESTIVAL (FREE!)
Saturday, Aug 24 at 8:30 – SHORT TERM 12
Sunday, Aug. 25 at 1:00 – SHORTS BLOCK #2
Sunday, Aug 25 at 3:30 – REMOTE AREA MEDICAL
Sunday, Aug 25 at 6:00 – BIG WORDS
Sunday, Aug 25 at 8:00 – FilmDayton AWARDS

As an FYI, Tickets to both screenings of WSU’s BIG LENS FILM FESTIVAL are completely sold out!

In next week’s week’s newsletter, I’ll have more details about VSOP’s special screening of BAYOU MAHARAJA: THE TRAGIC GENIUS OF JAMES BOOKER – slated for Wed, Sept. 18 at 7:30.

We’ve got so much going on!
We hope to see you soon!
All the best,
Jonathan

SHOWTIMES for Fri, Aug. 23 – Thurs, Aug. 29:

BLUE JASMINE (PG-13) 1 Hr 38 Min
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 12:30, 2:45, 5:00, 7:15, 9:30
Monday – Thursday: 3:10, 5:20, 7:30

IN THE HOUSE (R) 1 Hr 45 Min
Monday – Thursday: 3:00, 7:45

THE WAY WAY BACK (PG-13) 1 Hr 43 Min
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: NO SCREENINGS
Monday – Thursday: 5:30

THE FILMDAYTON FESTIVAL
Friday: 7:00, 9:00, 11:00
Saturday: 11:00am, 1:00, 3:30, 6:00, 8:30
Sunday: 1:00, 3:30, 6:00, 8:00

COMING SOON:
As always, all dates are tentative. Many of these dates will change.
In some rare cases, titles may disappear.
Aug. 30 – THE SPECTACULAR NOW
TBD – THE HUNT
Sept. 13 – SALINGER
Sept. ? – BLACKFISH
TBD – THE PATIENCE STONE
TBD – AUSTENLAND
TBD – WADJDA
Oct. 18 – ENOUGH SAID
Oct. 18 – INEQUALITY FOR ALL
TBD – CUTIE AND THE BOXER