the whistleblower

HIGHER GROUND & More at THE NEON

September 29, 2011 By Jonathan McNeal Leave a Comment

Hello Everyone.

Many thanks to those of you who supported this year’s Downtown Dayton LGBT Film Festival. It was the most successful festival yet! While CAROL CHANNING: LARGER THAN LIFE received the most enthusiastic response (if you missed this, you missed a complete gem), many attendees were also in love with WEEKEND and TOMBOY.

This weekend, we’re going to hold onto THE GUARD and THE WHISTLEBLOWERwhile opening a new film both directed by and starring Vera Farmiga – HIGHER GROUND.

Synopsis for HIGHER GROUND: “Higher Ground, depicts the landscape of a tight-knit spiritual community thrown off-kilter when one of their own begins to question her faith. Inspired by Carolyn S. Briggs’ memoir, This Dark World, the film tells the story of a thoughtful woman’s struggles with belief, love, and trust. Faith, love and honesty are the cornerstones of this story of a woman who learns that no matter how many times she loses her footing, she has within herself all that’s necessary to get to a higher place.” (Sony Pictures Classics) Visit the film’s official site.

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This Sunday, The India Foundation will celebrate the birthday of Gandhi by presenting a reception and a free screening of the documentary MAHATMA. “This one-hour documentary on the life of Mahatma Gandhi contains never-before-seen archival footage from the vaults of Films Davison of India. Come over and join in Mahatma Gandhi’s 142nd birthday celebration. Birthday cake, coffee, samaras in the lobby from 1:30 to 2:30. The film starts at 3:00. Admission is FREE – on first-come, first-seated basis.”

Below is a small collage of photos I took during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Sadly, I didn’t always have my camera with me…and in some instances, I didn’t want to be “that guy” snapping pictures at a big party. How many people can you name?

Living City is putting the final details in place for this Fall’s VAMPIRE retrospective. Ticketing details will be available soon. That said, you can mark your calendars now for October 17 – THE HUNGER, October 24 – DRACULA (starring Bela Lugosi), October 31 – THE LOST BOYS, November 7 – INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE, and November 14 – BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA (1992).

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Next Friday (Oct. 7), we plan to open SENNA. We’ve had numerous calls and e-mails about this film…so we hope that we’ll soon have another documentary hit on our hands!

Hope to see you this weekend,

Jonathan

SHOWTIMES for Sept. 30 – October 6:

THE WHISTLEBLOWER (R) 1 Hr 52 Min

Friday, Saturday: 2:40, 7:15

Sunday: 7:15

Monday – Thursday: 3:10, 7:50

THE GUARD (R) 1 Hr 36 Min

Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 12:30, 5:00, 9:40

Monday – Thursday: 5:30

HIGHER GROUND (R) 1 Hr 49 Min

Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 12:20, 2:45, 5:10, 7:30, 9:45

Monday – Thursday: 3:00, 5:20, 8:00

MAHATMAN (NR) 1 Hr

Sunday: 3:00 (reception begins at 1:30)

COMING SOON:

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

In some cases, titles may disappear.

Oct. 7 SENNA

Oct. 7 RESTLESS

Oct. 14 THE FUTURE

Nov. 4 TAKE SHELTER

Nov. 18 MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE

Nov. 25 THE SKIN I LIVE IN

TBD LIFE ABOVE ALL

Movies Galore This Weekend at THE NEON!

September 21, 2011 By Jonathan McNeal Leave a Comment

Hello Everyone.

I’m back from Toronto and throwing myself right into details for the upcoming weekend at THE NEON. Toronto was fantastic – 34 Films, a couple great parties and a chance to meet numerous people in the industry. If you want to catch up on my daily blogs from the festival, click HERE. In addition to my reaction to each film, I posted trailers, clips and pictures (and in the coming days, I’ll manage to upload some personal photos I took – including pictures of Tilda Swinton, Antonio Benderas, Jessica Chastain and more.)

If you still need to see SARAH’S KEY , you only have until Thursday to see it at THE NEON (visit our site for remaining showtimes). THE GUARD – starring Brendan Gleeson & Don Cheadle – had a solid opening weekend. It will stick around. In addition to this weekend’s LGBT Film Festival, we will open THE WHISTLEBLOWER – starring Rachel Weisz, Vanessa Redgrave and David Strathairn on Friday.

Synopsis for THE WHISTLEBLOWER: “Inspired by actual events, Kathy is an American police officer who takes a job working as a peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia. Her expectations of helping to rebuild a devastated country are dashed when she uncovers a dangerous reality of corruption, cover-up and intrigue amid a world of private contractors and multinational diplomatic double-talk.” (Samuel Goldwyn Pictures) Visit the official website to read more about the film.

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The 6th Annual Downtown Dayton LGBT Film Festival is ready to go, and festival passes & single tickets are currently on sale at our box office. Our closing movie on Sunday afternoon – a British film called WEEKEND – just received a fantastic review in The Village Voice. To visit the official website for the festival, click HERE . Trailers for each feature are on the site. And don’t forget…if you get a ticket to the opening night film, you’re invited to the opening night party at Sidebar – which will include appetizers and complimentary sangria. A movie starring Cheyenne Jackson & Julia Ormond + food & cocktails for only $8??? Almost too good to be true!

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On Thursday, September 29 at 7:30, director Lee Zellars has rented one of our auditoriums for the Dayton premiere of his Cincinnati-based film PURPLE HAZE. “Damian Ship was a talented musician in Haiti. He dreamed of coming to American and becoming a famous musician. This was made possible by CEO Sam Lucci – who signed him to his label but had no intention to living up to the agreement… When Damian is swindled out of monies due to him, he brings a wrath on Sam Lucci like nothing he ever experienced in all his shady dealings before. Damian Ship, later known as Purple Haze, brought forth a horror that would keep any record executive in check.” Tickets are $10 each and are available at our box office.

Hope to see you this weekend,

Jonathan

SHOWTIMES for Sept. 23 – September 29:

THE WHISTLEBLOWER (R) 1 Hr 52 Min

Friday: 12:30, 2:50, 5:10, 7:30, 9:45

Saturday: 12:30, 5:10, 7:30

Sunday: 12:30, 2:50, 5:10, 7:30, 9:45

Monday – Thursday: 3:00, 5:30, 8:00

THE GUARD (R) 1 Hr 36 Min

Friday: 12:40, 2:50, 5:00, 9:50

Saturday: 2:50, 5:15, 9:50

Sunday: 5:10, 7:20, 9:30

Monday – Wednesday: 3:10, 5:30, 7:50

Thursday: 3:10, 5:30

DOWNTOWN DAYTON LGBT FILM FESTIVAL

Friday at 7:30 – THE GREEN

Saturday at 12:30 – GEN SILENT

Saturday at 3:00 – TOP DRAWER SHORTS

Saturday at 7:30 – TOMBOY

Saturday at 9:30 – GOING DOWN IN LA-LA LAND

Sunday at 12:30 – CAROL CHANNING: LARGER THAN LIFE

Sunday at 3:00 – WEEKEND

PURPLE HAZE (NR) 1 Hr 26 Min

Thursday: 7:30

COMING SOON:

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

In some cases, titles may disappear.

Sept 30 HIGHER GROUND

Sept. 30 THE FUTURE

Oct. 7 RESTLESS

Oct. 7 SENNA

Nov. 4 TAKE SHELTER

Nov. 18 MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE

Nov. 25 THE SKIN I LIVE IN

TBD LIFE ABOVE ALL

2 New Films This Weekend at THE NEON + LGBT Film Fest Line-Up!

August 16, 2011 By Jonathan McNeal Leave a Comment

Hello Everyone.

After a phenomenal 10-week run, it’s time for MIDNIGHT IN PARIS to head out. If you still need to see it (or need to see it one more time), you can find remaining showtimes on ourwebsite. That said, PAGE ONE: INSIDE THE NEW YORK TIMES is leaving after just one week. Hurry down if it’s still on your list.

In addition to holding onto BUCK, we will open two new films – SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN and THE DOUBLE HOUR.

Synopsis for SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN: “In 19th-century China, seven year old girls Snow Flower and Lily are matched as laotong – or “old sames” – bound together for eternity. Isolated by their families, they furtively communicate by taking turns writing in a secret language, nu shu, between the folds of a white silk fan.In a parallel story in present day Shanghai, the laotong’s descendants, Nina and Sophia, struggle to maintain the intimacy of their own childhood friendship in the face of demanding careers, complicated love lives, and a relentlessly evolving Shanghai. Drawing on the lessons of the past, the two modern women must understand the story of their ancestral connection, hidden from them in the folds of the antique white silk fan, or risk losing one another forever.What unfolds are two stories, generations apart, but everlasting in their universal notion of love, hope and friendship.” (Fox Searchlight Pictures) Click HERE to be directed to SNOW FLOWER’s official website.

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Synopsis for THE DOUBLE HOUR: “Guido, a former cop, is a luckless veteran of the speed-dating scene in Turin. But, much to his surprise, he meets Slovenian immigrant Sonia, a chambermaid at a high-end hotel. The two hit it off, and a passionate romance develops. After they leave the city for a romantic getaway in the country, things suddenly take a dark turn. As Sonia’s murky past resurfaces, her reality starts to crumble. Everything in her life begins to change – questions arise and answers only arrive through a continuous twist and turn of events keeping viewers on edge until the film’s final moments.” (Samuel Goldwyn Pictures) Click HERE to be directed to THE DOUBLE HOUR’s official website.

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Marketing pieces for The 6th Annual Downtown Dayton LGBT Film Festival are well underway, and I’m quite pleased with the line-up! In the coming days, you’ll start to see stacks of postcards popping up all over town (if you’d like to place some at your business or favorite hangout, please let me know…I anticipate their arrival any day).

Here’s this year’s line-up:

Fri. Sept. 23 at 7:30 – THE GREEN – sponsored by Square One Salon & Spa

Fri. Sept. 23 postfilm – PARTY at SIDEBAR – sponsored by Lisa Hanauer & Sue Spiegel

Sat. Sept. 24 at 12:30 – GEN SILENT with THE COLONEL’S OUTING & FIRST AND LOVELISS – sponsored by Greater Dayton LGBT Center

Sat. Sept. 24 at 3:00 – TOP DRAWER SHORTS: I DON’T WANT TO GO BACK ALONE, REVOLUTION, LUST LIFE, CHANGE, THE QUEEN, and THE NOT SO SUBTLE SUBTEXT – sponsored by Miami Valley Fair Housing Center

Sat. Sept. 24 at 7:30 – TOMBOY – sponsored by PFLAG Dayton

Sat. Sept. 24 at 9:30 – GOING DOWN IN LA-LA LAND with 52 – sponsored by MJ’s Cafe, JOHN and Marion’s Piazza

Sun. Sept. 25 at 12:30 – CAROL CHANNING: LARGER THAN LIFE – sponsored by Human Race Theatre Company

Sun. Sept. 25 at 3:00 – WEEKEND with EMPIRE – sponsored by Ken Byers

Ticketing details, trailers, and news about visiting artists will be available soon on the festival website. One special treat…The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra will give a pair of tickets away at each LGBT festival screening to see Lynda Carter when she’s in town!

We don’t anticipate THE DOUBLE HOUR (and maybe even SNOW FLOWER) to stick around too long…so we hope you’ll hurry down.

Take care!

Jonathan

SHOWTIMES for August 19 – August 25:

THE DOUBLE HOUR (NR) 1 Hr 35 Min

Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 3:00, 9:30

Monday – Thursday: 2:20, 8:30

SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN (PG-13) 2 Hr

Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 12:10, 2:30, 5:00, 7:30, 9:50

Monday – Thursday: 3:00, 5:30, 8:00

BUCK (PG) 1 Hr 28 Min

Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 1:00, 5:15, 7:20

Monday – Thursday: 4:30, 6:30

COMING SOON:

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

In some cases, titles may disappear.

Aug 26 ANOTHER EARTH

Aug 26 THE GUARD

Sept. 2 THE TRIP

Sept. 9 LIFE ABOVE ALL

Sept 9 THE WHISTLEBLOWER

Sept 9 BEATS AND RHYMES: A TRIBE CALLED QUEST

Sept 23 HIGHER GROUND

TBD SARAH’S KEY

TBD THE FUTURE