Hello Everyone,

Tomorrow (Fri, Aug 16), we will open the new film from my favorite director Pedro Almodovar – I’M SO EXCITED. This film is a return to the tone of his earlier work. It’s a sex farce that’s more in the vein of WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN than ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER, but it’s certainly not without social commentary. Even though Almodovar’s work runs the gamut in regards to stories and themes, you can always tell his work by the incredible design and color palette.

Synopsis for I’M SO EXCITED: “A very varied group of people are in a precarious situation aboard a plane flying to Mexico City. A technical failure (a kind of justifiable negligence, even though it sounds contradictory, but that’s what human actions are) has endangered the lives of the passengers on Peninsula Flight 2549. The pilots, hardened, experienced professionals are striving, along with their colleagues in the Control Center, to find a solution. The flight attendants and the chief steward are atypical, baroque characters who, in the face of danger, try to forget their own personal problems and devote themselves body and soul to the task of making the flight as enjoyable as possible for the passengers, while they wait for a solution. Life in the clouds is as complicated as it is at ground level, and for the same reasons, which could be summarized in two: sex and death.” (taken from Sony Classics) Click this LINK to visit the official site.

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The FilmDayton Festival is ready to kick off next weekend with the opening night film of IN A WORLD! Film screenings will take place at THE NEON, but the festival is about a whole lot more…and it’s scheduled for August 23-25. Check out their line-up on the official site.

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And speaking of FilmDayton, WSU’s Annual Big Lens Film Festival will kick off the festival this year. “The 21st Annual Big Lens Film Festival will premiere on Thursday, August 22nd at the THE NEON…Every year, Big Lens screens a selection of the very best short films to come from the Wright State University Motion Picture program, and this year is no different! Ranging from documentary to narrative, these six films cover a wide variety of subjects and emotions. There will be two screenings shown concurrently, one at 7:30pm and one at 8:00. Following the screenings, there will be a Q&A with the filmmakers, emceed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Julia Reichert. Tickets to either screening are $7 each, and are now available at THE NEON. Some films may contain adult content.” (taken from Big Lens press notes)

The India Foundation is also gearing up for another special screening. “When Salma, a young Muslim girl in a south Indian village, was 13 years old, her family locked her up for 25 years, forbidding her to study and forcing her into marriage. During that time, words were Salma’s salvation. She began covertly composing poems on scraps of paper and, through an intricate system, was able to sneak them out of the house, eventually getting them into the hands of a publisher. Against the odds, Salma became the most famous Tamil poet: the first step to discovering her own freedom and challenging the traditions and code of conduct in her village.” The India Foundation Celebrates One Hundred Years of Indian Cinema with this month’s selection – SALMA – the critically acclaimed documentary by Kim Longinotto – Saturday, August 31, 2013 at 12 noon. This is the first public screening in Ohio and outside the festival circuit!

We’ve got so much going on!
We hope to see you soon!

All the best,
Jonathan

SHOWTIMES for Fri, Aug. 16 – Thurs, Aug. 22:

I’M SO EXCITED (R) 1 Hr 30 Min
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 12:50, 3:00, 5:10, 7:20, 9:30
Monday – Wednesday: 3:15, 5:30, 7:45
Thursday: 3:15, 5:30

THE WAY WAY BACK (PG-13) 1 Hr 43 Min
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 12:30, 2:45, 5:00, 7:15, 9:30
Monday – Wednesday: 3:00, 5:15, 7:30
Thursday: 3:00, 5:15

WSU’S BIG LENS FILM FESTIVAL (NR)
1 Hr 30 Min + Discussion
Thursday: 7:30 (large auditorium), 8:00 (small auditorium)

COMING SOON:
As always, all dates are tentative. Many of these dates will change.
In some rare cases, titles may disappear.
8/23 – BLUE JASMINE
8/26-29 – IN THE HOUSE
8/30 – BLACKFISH
TBD – THE HUNT
9/13 – SALINGER
9/? – THE SPECTACULAR NOW
TBD – THE PATIENCE STONE
TBD – AUSTENLAND
TBD – CUTIE AND THE BOXER
10/18 – INEQUALITY FOR NOW
10/18 – ENOUGH SAID
TBD – WADJDA

Hello Everyone,

If you’ve been to THE NEON recently, you’ve more than likely seen the trailer for the Ohio-made film THE KINGS OF SUMMER. It will open on Friday, and it’s a gem. That said, it will only play for one week! If you still need to see MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING or KON-TIKI, tomorrow will be your last chance. 20 FEET FROM STARDOM will stick around for a 2nd week, but it will also wrap up on July 25. I’m delighted to announce that we have 2 new films cemented to begin on July 26 – FRUITVALE STATION (a powerful true story that was a big winner at Sundance this year…and it was art directed by Hannah Beachler – a WSU Motion Picture alum...stay tuned for more details about special Q&As with Beachler during opening weekend) and THE WAY WAY BACK (a comedic & touching hit at Sundance). For this week’s remaining showtimes, visit our website at www.neonmovies.com.

ONE WEEK ONLY!! Synopsis for THE KINGS OF SUMMER:
“Premiering to rave reviews at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, THE KINGS OF SUMMER is a unique coming-of-age comedy about three teenage friends – Joe, Patrick, and the eccentric and unpredictable Biaggio – who, in the ultimate act of independence, decide to spend their summer building a house in the woods and living off the land. Free from their parents’ rules, their idyllic summer quickly becomes a test of friendship as each boy learns to appreciate the fact that family – whether it is the one you’re born into or the one you create – is something you can’t run away from.” (taken from CBS Films) This film, shot in Ohio, was produced by Tyler Davidson – producer of TAKE SHELTER! Be sure to check out the really fun website by clicking this LINK. ONE WEEK ONLY!!

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“Roger Brown — the greatest basketball player Dayton has ever known — will be inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame on Sept. 8. Without the love and sacrifice of 84-year-old Daytonian Arlena Smith, it wouldn’t be happening. Join us at THE NEON on Aug. 15 at 7:30 for a benefit screening of the acclaimed documentary UNDEFEATED: THE ROGER BROWN STORY, with all proceeds going toward Arlena Smith’s trip to Springfield, Mass., for Brown’s Hall of Fame induction. Arlena and her late husband Azariah could not have children of their own, so they regularly welcomed troubled teenagers into their modest West Side home. One of those was Roger Brown. Among the greatest young basketball players in New York City history, Brown in 1961 had been unfairly implicated in a gambling scandal just as he was finishing his freshman year at the University of Dayton. Though never charged with a crime, he was kicked out of school and banned for life by the NBA. The Smiths came to the rescue. They opened up their home, found Brown a job, gave him the strength to move on. And finally, Brown bloomed anew. In 1967, he became the first player of the ABA’s Indiana Pacers. He led them to three championships, and became an Indianapolis City Councilman. All along, until his death at age 54 of cancer, Brown credited the Smiths — his ‘second parents’ — for making it possible.” (taken from press notes) Mark your calendars now! Tickets, just $10 each, will be available soon.

I’ll hopefully have some details for you next week about an upcoming screening of the documentary FARMAGEDDON – slated for August 8 and hosted by the Libertarian Party.

Hope to see you this weekend!

All the best,
Jonathan

SHOWTIMES for Fri. July 19 – Thur. July 25:

THE KINGS OF SUMMER (R) 1 Hr 35 Min
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 12:40, 2:50, 5:15, 7:30, 9:45
Monday – Thursday: 2:50, 5:15, 7:30

20 FEET FROM STARDOM (PG-13) 1 Hr 31 Min
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 12:50, 3:00, 5:10, 7:20, 9:30
Monday: 3:15, 5:30, 7:45
Tuesday: 3:15, 5:30
Wednesday & Thursday: 3:15, 5:30, 7:45

COMING SOON:
As always, all dates are tentative. Many of these dates will change.
In some rare cases, titles may disappear.
July 26 – THE WAY WAY BACK
July 26 – FRUITVALE STATION
TBD – FILL THE VOID
TBD – FROM UP ON POPPY HILL
TBD – IN THE HOUSE
Aug. 2 – I’M SO EXCITED
Aug. 23 – BLUE JASMINE