We’ve got two, star-studded films opening at THE NEON this week. HILLBILLY ELEGY, directed by Ron Howard and starring Amy Adams and Glenn Close, just opened today (though usually associated with big Hollywood fare, Howard is no stranger to THE NEON…he directed the NEON hit documentary PAVAROTTI last year). On Friday, we will open the gorgeous period film AMMONITE – starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan. (Director Francis Lee is also no stranger – his critically acclaimed film GOD’S OWN COUNTRY played at The Dayton LGBT Film Festival in 2017.).
Today marks the start of RECON in our Virtual Cinema. This is the film that we’ve partnered with The Dayton Literary Peace Prize in order to bring to you. And after its successful in-person screenings at THE NEON, we will bring CHUCK LEAVELL: THE TREE MAN to our Virtual Cinema starting this Friday.
NEW FILMS FOR IN-PERSON SCREENINGS
Synopsis for HILLBILLY ELEGY: “J.D. Vance (Gabriel Basso), a former Marine from Middletown, Ohio and current Yale Law student, is on the verge of landing his dream job when a family crisis forces him to return to the home he’s tried to forget. J.D. must navigate the complex dynamics of his Appalachian family, including his volatile relationship with his mother Bev (Amy Adams), who’s struggling with addiction. Fueled by memories of his grandmother Mamaw (Glenn Close), the resilient and whip-smart woman who raised him, J.D. comes to embrace his family’s indelible imprint on his own personal journey. Based on J.D. Vance’s #1 New York Times Bestseller and directed by Academy Award winner Ron Howard, HILLBILLY ELEGY is a powerful personal memoir that offers a window into one family’s personal journey of survival and triumph. By following three colorful generations through their unique struggles, J.D.’s family story explores the highs and lows that define his family’s experience.” (taken from Netflix) Click the image below to watch the film’s trailer.
Synopsis for AMMONITE: “In 1800s England, acclaimed but unrecognized fossil hunter Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) works alone on the rugged Southern coastline. With the days of her famed discoveries behind her, she now searches for common fossils to sell to tourists to support herself and her ailing mother. When a wealthy visitor entrusts Mary with the care of his wife Charlotte Murchison (Saoirse Ronan), she cannot afford to turn his offer down. Proud and relentlessly passionate about her work, Mary initially clashes with her unwelcome guest, but despite the distance between their social class and personalities, an intense bond begins to develop, compelling the two women to determine the true nature of their relationship.” (Neon Rated) Click the image below to watch the trailer.
NEW IN OUR VIRTUAL CINEMA
Synopsis for RECON: We’re partnering with The Dayton Literary Peace Prize to bring a film that compliments one of their upcoming events. RECON (based on the novel PEACE by Richard Bausch) is now available for you to watch in our Virtual Cinema…then on November 16, you can join this wonderful organization’s discussion “Turn the Page: The Legacy of War” – a discussion between Richard Bausch and Andrew Krivak – both prize recipients from The Dayton Literary Peace Prize. For details about the special event with DLPP, visit this LINK. “Adapted from the critically acclaimed New York Times best seller PEACE by famed author Richard Bausch, and based on a true event – RECON tells the story of four American soldiers in WW2, who after they witness a vicious murder of an innocent civilian at the hands of their platoon Sergeant, are sent on a reconnaissance/suicide mission lead by a local partisan, an elderly man whose indeterminate loyalties add to the terror and confusion that engulfs the Americans as they are hunted by an unseen enemy. RECON centers around young men in the midst of war. The action occurs over the course of one long day between four soldiers placed in a crucible, as they debate both their fates and that of life itself. Each has a different perspective, liberal, racist, uncertain – a metaphor for the America both of 1945 and 2018. As the soldiers fight amongst themselves they realize they are being both hunted and haunted by a mysterious sniper and the specter of a burning question – is their Italian guide, this old man from the village, a fascist sympathizer who wishes to lead them to their death? As they struggle to make it off the mountain alive, these American soldiers face the worst that war can offer men…. and through this each finds their own peace.” (Brainstorm Media) This film can be watched on your computer or mobile device or via your Roku or AppleTV. For additional information regarding accessibility of the film, please visit this Eventive HELP page. Click the image below to watch the trailer and purchase 72 hour access to this film for $12.
Synopsis for CHUCK LEAVELL: THE TREE MAN: Daytonian Allen Farst has a new documentary about a rock’n’roll legend that is filled with big stars. After its successful in-person run, we are happy that we can now offer the film virtually. “Filmed in four countries with more than 80 interviews from artists with a combined 58 Grammy Awards by the artist included, CHUCK LEAVELL: THE TREE MAN is the cinematic documentary that shines a light on one of the greatest rock’n roll pianists and keyboardists over the last 40 years. Not just known for his musical influence, Leavell is also one of the biggest names in environmental forestry and was selected the National Tree Farmer of the Year in the United States. His commitment to the planet and his strong family ties are refreshing reminders to be kind and treat your neighbor with respect. As Leavell puts it, ‘if you cut a tree down, plant two for the next guy.’Featuring: Allman Brothers Dickey Betts and; Warren Haynes; Rolling Stones Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Woods; President Jimmy Carter; Eric Clapton; Chris Robinson; Mike Mills; Pat Monahan; John Bell; Lee Ann Womack; Bruce Hornsby; John Popper; Bonnie Raitt; Julian Lennon; Charlie Daniels; Miranda Lambert; John Mayer; and David Gilmore, among others” (Niche Productions) This film can be watched on your computer or mobile device or via your Roku or AppleTV. For additional information regarding accessibility of the film, please visit this Eventive HELP page. Click the image below to watch the trailer and purchase 72 hour access to this film for $12.
CONTINUING IN OUR VIRTUAL CINEMA
Synopsis for CITY HALL: “Fresh off its high profile screenings at the Venice, Toronto and New York Film Festivals – and featuring a 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating – Frederick Wiseman’s latest film arrives at the crux of a major crossroads for our nation. City government touches almost every aspect of our lives. Most of us are unaware of or take for granted these necessary services such as police, fire, sanitation, veterans affairs, elder support, parks, licensing of various professional activities, recordkeeping of birth, marriage and death as well as hundreds of other activities that support Boston residents and visitors. CITY HALL, by Frederick Wiseman, shows the efforts by Boston city government to provide these services. The film also illustrates the variety of ways the city administration enters into civil discourse with the citizens of Boston.” (Zipporah Films) This film can be watched on your computer or mobile device or via your Roku or AppleTV. For additional information regarding accessibility of the film, please visit this Eventive HELP page. Click the image below to watch the trailer and purchase 72 hour access to this film for $12 (as an FYI – this film is 4.5 hours, and many critics have said they could have kept going).
Synopsis for RADIUM GIRLS: “Teenage sisters, Bessie and Jo, dream of faraway places as they paint glow-in-the-dark watch dials at the American Radium Factory. When Jo loses a tooth, Bessie’s world turns upside down as the mystery of Jo’s disease slowly unravels. Bessie befriends two young activists and in a radical coming of age, she investigates a corporate scandal. Bessie and the ‘Radium Girls’ file a lawsuit against American Radium. The notorious case ultimately led to a lasting impact in the area of workplace health and safety as well as the study of radioactivity.” (Juno Films) This film can be watched on your computer or mobile device or via your Roku or AppleTV. For additional information regarding accessibility of the film, please visit this Eventive HELP page. Click the image below to watch the trailer and purchase 72 hour access to this film for $12.
Synopsis for THE DONUT KING: We offered this film in person, and audiences absolutely loved it! Rated “100% Fresh” on rottentomatoes! “Ted’s story is one of fate, love, survival, hard knocks, and redemption. It’s the rags to riches story of a refugee escaping Cambodia, arriving in America in 1975 and building an unlikely multi-million-dollar empire baking America’s favorite pastry, the donut. Ted sponsored hundreds of visas for incoming refugees and helped them get on their feet teaching them the ways of the donut business. By 1979 he was living the American Dream. But, in life, great rise can come with great falls.” (Greenwich Entertainment) Click the image below to watch the trailer and gain 72 hour access for $12.
Here’s a LINK with a video I made about how Virtual Cinema works. Click HERE to see all the films that are still available in our Virtual Cinema.
Wanna know what titles we’re planning in our virtual cinema? (Click any title to watch that film’s trailer.) On November 18, we’ll open MONSOON – a gorgeous film about a man’s personal journey as he returns to his birthplace and struggles to recognize himself in this unfamiliar land. On Nov. 20, we’ll open MODERN PERSUASION (trailer now yet available) – a modern day take on the classic Jane Austen novel directed by Jonathan Lisecki & Alex Appel (Lisecki was a guest at the Dayton LGBT Film Festival several years ago with his hit film GAYBY). On Nov. 25, we’ll open WBCN AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION – a film about a radical underground radio station set against the social, political and cultural changes during the late 60’s and early 70’s. On Dec. 4, we’ll open two new films – the first is ENDING DISEASE – a documentary that looks at advancements in stem cell therapies and curing the incurable. One subject of the film is Ryan Custer, a former Wright State basketball player who suffered a neck injury; the second is ANOTHER ROUND – Denmark’s highest grossing film in several years starring Mads Mikkelsen. More titles are on the way…stay tuned!
Jonathan McNeal, a graduate of Wright State's Motion Picture Production program, has been managing THE NEON in downtown Dayton since the Fall of 2001. Having grown up in a small town in northeast Ohio, the idea of an independent movie theater that showed hard-to-find films seemed like something that could only be found in a major metropolis. Upon moving to Dayton in the early 1990's, finding THE NEON was a was like finding a new home.
McNeal's film work includes the documentary of Dayton's beloved drag troupe - THE RUBI GIRLS. The doc premiered in San Francisco in 2003 and played across the country and as far away as Australia. The film continues to be played at night clubs and on college campuses as an educational and outreach tool.
McNeal himself has been a part of the performance troupe since 1997.
