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Sally Field’s DORIS & Star-Studded Malick Film Open Friday at THE NEON!

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rs_634x939-151119112930-634-hello-my-name-is-doris-posterHello Everyone,

We’re cleaning house this week! If you need to see HITCHCOCK/TRUFFAUT, MUSTANG, SON OF SAUL or LADY IN THE VAN, Thursday will be your last chance to catch them at THE NEON. On Friday, we’ll begin a film that many of you have expressed excitement about – HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS – starring Sally Field. In addition, we’ll begin a film by master filmmaker Terrence Malick with a star-studded cast – KNIGHT OF CUPS.

Synopsis for HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS: “When Doris Miller meets John Fremont, her company’s hip new art director, sparks fly-at least for Doris. In the cluttered house she shared with her late mother, Doris mines the Internet for information on her one-and-only, guided by the 13-year-old granddaughter of her best pal Roz. When Doris begins showing up at John’s regular haunts, she wins over his Williamsburg friends. Her new life brings Doris a thrilling perspective, but also creates a rift between her and her longtime friends and family, who believe she’s making a fool of herself over a guy half her age. Eager for all the experiences she has missed out on, Doris throws caution to the wind and follows her heart for the very first time.” VARIETY wrote, “A showstopper. Sally Field shines.”

Synopsis for KNIGHT OF CUPS: “Knight of Cups follows writer Rick (Christian Bale) on an odyssey through the playgrounds of Los Angeles and Las Vegas as he undertakes a search for love and self. Even as he moves through a desire-laden landscape of mansions, resorts, beaches and clubs, Rick grapples over complicated relationships with his brother (Wes Bentley) and father (Brian Dennehy). His quest to break the spell of his disenchantment takes him on a series of adventures with six alluring women: rebellious Della (Imogen Poots); his physician ex-wife, Nancy (Cate Blanchett); a serene model Helen (Freida Pinto); a woman he wronged in the past Elizabeth (Natalie Portman); a spirited, playful stripper Karen (Teresa Palmer); and an innocent Isabel (Isabel Lucas), who helps him see a way forward. Rick moves in a daze through a strange and overwhelming dreamscape — but can he wake up to the beauty, humanity and rhythms of life around him? The deeper he searches, the more the journey becomes his destination.” THE VILLAGE VOICE wrote, “KNIGHT OF CUPS might be both the most intoxicating film [Malik] has ever made-a deluge of gorgeous, kinetic images and sounds-and, in some ways, the most perplexing.” Click this LINK to visit the film’s official site.

It’s almost time for THE DAYTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL, and this year’s selections look like a winning line-up! The fest begins in early April with screenings and speakers all around town. Here’s a list of films that will screen at THE NEON:
Thursday, April 7 – 7:15pm – ATOMIC FALAFEL
Sunday, April 10 – 7:15pm – THE LAST MENTSCH
Tuesday, April 12 – 9:30am – GETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE AMSALEM
Tuesday, April 12 – 7:15pm – BORROWED IDENTITY
Thursday, April 14 – 7:15pm – APPLES FROM THE DESERT
Sunday, April 17 – 5:20pm – MAKING MORNING STAR
Sunday, April 17 – 7:15pm – DOUGH
Advanced tickets are available on the festival’s official site.

On Wednesday, April 20 at 7:30, “Go Wild for Earth Month at the WILD AND SCENIC FILM FESTIVAL presented by Aveda and the SierraClub. The evening will be a celebration of wilderness and waterways as we take a cinematic tour of rivers, lakes, oceans and the individuals exploring, enjoying, and protecting them. Over 15 films spanning the globe highlight why our waterways should be wild.” (taken from press notes) Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased in advance via this LINK. If tickets remain, they will be sold one hour before the event at our box office. All proceeds benefit the Sierra Club.

We hope to see you soon!
Thanks for your continued support!
Jonathan

SHOWTIMES for Tuesday, March 22 – Thursday, March 31:

THE LADY IN THE VAN (PG-13) 1 Hr 44 Min
Tuesday – Thursday (March 22-24): 3:00, 7:30
FINAL DAY – March 24!

SON OF SAUL (R) 1 Hr 47 Min
Tuesday-Thursday (March 22-24): 5:10
FINAL DAY – March 24!

HITCHCOCK/TRUFFAUT (PG-13) 1 Hr 19 Min
Tuesday-Thursday (March 22-24): 5:15
FINAL DAY – March 24!

MUSTANG (PG-13) 1 Hr 37 Min
Tuesday-Thursday (March 22-24): 3:15, 7:30
FINAL DAY – March 24!

HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS (R) 1 Hr 35 Min
Friday & Saturday (March 25 & 26): 12:20, 2:40, 5:00, 7:20, 9:30
Sunday (March 27): 12:20, 2:40, 5:00, 7:20
Monday – Thursday (March 28-31): 3:00, 5:15, 7:30

KNIGHT OF CUPS (R) 1 Hr 58 Min
Friday, Saturday, Sunday (March 25-27): 12:30, 3:00, 5:30, 8:00
Monday – Thursday (March 28-31): 3:00, 5:30, 8:00

COMING SOON:
(All Dates Are Tentative. Dates Often Move And Sometimes Disappear.)
April 1 – I SAW THE LIGHT
April 8 – DEMOLITION
April ? – REMEMBER
April 22 – MILES AHEAD (shot in Cincinnati & Dayton)
April ? – THE DARK HORSE
April ? – KRISHA
May 6 – SING STREET
May 13 – LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP
May 27 – THE MEDDLER
June 10 – MAGGIE’S PLAN
June 17 – DARK HORSE

Toronto Film Fest – Day #7

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I’m Back!

Wow…though my eyes are starting to blur a bit and my feet are slightly dragging, I’m still makin’ it to all the screenings I’ve got on the docket.

First of the day was Terrence Malick’s TO THE WONDER.  You might remember that THE TREE OF LIFE earned the title of most walk-outs in NEON history…and I think this film might give TREE OF LIFE a run for its money.  This visually lovely and poetic film is quite experimental…and it not only feels like a follow-up to TOL, it feels repetitive.  With identical shots from TOL, some similar “plot” lines and similar tone, this film will have both fans and detractors.  I heard one woman late this afternoon say to her friend, “I saw TO THE WONDER this morning.  It’s the worst movie I’ve EVER seen.”  The film is a rumination on relationships.  It has some wonderful moments, but I ultimately found the film to be tedious.  If I had to watch Olga Kurylenko skip through one more wheat field or twirl around down one more grocery store aisle, I might have to end it all (see below).  Ben Affleck seemed to phone in his performance (or perhaps he just wasn’t given much to do), and Rachel McAdams is certainly not the lead of this film (regardless of the marketing you might see).

Next I saw STILL – a Canadian film directed by Michael McGowen…starring James Cromwell and Genevieve Bojuld (Bojuld made a surprise appearance during the introduction of the film – it was a delight to see her).  This film is about how an elderly man is building an accessible home on his land for himself and his wife…and how the authorities keep handing him building violations.  The reason the man is building the house is because of the deteriorating health of his wife.  The director talked about how he read about this story from the headlines…and how he worked directly with the family in order to bring the film to life.  It’s a lovely, quiet film with great performances, a great score, and a wonderful backdrop of the Canadian landscape.

PEACHES DOES HERSELF was next on the list.  This film is the a record of a performance done by the rock star/performance artist Peaches.  Originally from Toronto, Peaches has been a part of the Berlin art scene for years.  This transexually charged performance had its highs and lows with some moments that had me (as well as a few folks beside me) in fits of hysterical laughter (some of it was like a train wreck), but it wouldn’t work well at all in a traditional engagement.  That said, it might find an audience at midnight screenings – especially for fans of the Peaches catalog.

My last screening of the night was SUICIDE SHOP – a life-affirming, French, animated, musical film about suicide.  Huh?  It’s true.  This sweet and funny film was directed by Patrice LeConte (RIDICULE and GIRL ON A BRIDGE), and it’s about a shop that sells anything needed to end one’s life.  Due to the recession, sales are up, and the gloomy family are happy to help folks find their preferred method of exiting the world.  The arrival of a new son throws the shop into a tailspin.  Why?  Because he’s too darn jovial.  Though I saw the film in 3D, it’s absolutely not necessary.  Unfortunately, I thought the film lost a little steam in the second and third act (and it’s only 80 minutes).  In addition, I don’t know who the film is for.  It’s full of adult themes, but the narrative arc is rather slight.  That said, I’m still glad I saw it…some of it is wonderful.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75gJaI_7eMM’]

Tomorrow I’ll see 2 or 3 films…and then I’m going to a non-TIFF-related event.  I’ll see Madonna in concert, and I have a great seat.

More to come.

Thanks for reading!

Jonathan

THE TREE OF LIFE – The Most Talked About Indie of the Year at THE NEON!

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Hello Everyone.

As planned, the fantastically charming POTICHE was only here for a week.  And just as we suspected, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS is still performing very well, and audiences are adoring it…so it will stick around for at least another week.

Today (6/24), we open the most talked about indie film of the year – Terrence Malick’s THE TREE OF LIFE.  Starring Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain, TREE OF LIFE was the winner of the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.  This film has been given a 100% review by The New York Times, The Chicago Sun-Times, NPR, USA Today, Variety, Time Out New York, The Village Voice, and many more.  Roger Ebert wrote, “The only other film I’ve seen with this boldness of vision is Kubrick’s 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, and it lacked Malick’s fierce evocation of human feeling.”

Synopsis for THE TREE OF LIFE:  “The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father. Jack finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith. Through Malick’s signature imagery, we see how both brute nature and spiritual grace shape not only our lives as individuals and families, but all life.”  (Fox Searchlight Pictures)  Check out the beautifully designed official site.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXRYA1dxP_0′]

Last week’s screening of WE WERE HERE was a marvelous, sold-out event – with a beautiful film and an insightful and brave panel discussion.  Many thanks to all my friends and community partners who helped to make the evening such a success.

We will have a new neighbor in the next few days – Sabai: Asian Cuisine & Sushi Bar. What we have been using for our parking lot for the past several years will soon become theirs.  Luckily, we will be able to utilize a new space that’s visible from our front windows.  Please start getting in the habit of parking in our new lot…though there aren’t parking lines yet, there will be soon.  We’ve painted a couple of the posts to make the lot quite easy to find.

Hope to see you this weekend.

Take care!

Jonathan

SHOWTIMES for June 24 – June 30:

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (PG-13) 1 Hr 40 Min

Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 12:50, 3:00, 5:10, 7:30, 9:40

Monday – Thursday: 3:30, 6:00, 8:30

THE TREE OF LIFE (R) 2 Hr 18 Min

Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 1:00, 4:15, 7:00, 9:45

Monday – Thursday:  2:30, 5:15, 8:00

COMING SOON:

As always, all dates are tentative.  Some of these dates will change.

In some cases, titles may disappear.

July 1  DOUBLE HOUR

July 8  BUCK

July 15   PAGE ONE: INSIDE THE NEW YORK TIMES

July 15   BEGINNERS

Aug 5   SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN

Aug 12   BEATS AND RHYMES: A TRIBE CALLED QUEST

Aug 26   ANOTHER EARTH

Aug 26   THE GUARD

Sept. 9   LIFE ABOVE ALL

Sept 23   HIGHER GROUND