dustin hoffman

QUARTET & AMOUR – Biggest Hits in 6+ Months at THE NEON!

February 19, 2013 By Jonathan McNeal Leave a Comment

Hello Everyone,

Thank you! We had a tremendous weekend…our best in over 6 months. We will hold both films – QUARTET (which is a crowd-pleasing, huge hit) and AMOUR (which won’t stick around nearly as long…but is a powerful, amazingly crafted film). Remaining showtimes for this week are at www.neonmovies.com. In addition to our 2 current hits, we will present an encore screening of the Oscar-Nominated Shorts Films. The Animated Shorts will play on Friday at 1:00, and the Live Action Shorts will play on Sunday at 1:00.

Check out this fun featurette about QUARTET…

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA8IuLHgnxY’]

Here’s an interesting piece with director Michael Haneke about AMOUR…

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjjKkZbfw2M’]

“On Saturday at Noon, the Junior Leaguers of Dayton – an African American Women’s Service Organization – will hold an annual fundraiser which raises money for scholarships. They will screen the film RED HOOK SUMMER (directed by Spike Lee and written by James McBride) – a coming of age movie about a young African American male who visits his grandparents living in the projects of Brooklyn New York. The discussion following the movie will be led by Dr. Michael Williams, a psychologist. The price is $30.00 which includes a movie ticket, glass of wine, soda, and popcorn. Student tickets are $15.00. Please contact Jackie Colvard for tickets at (937) 219-7501.” (taken from press notes)

Next Thursday, February 28 at 7:30, Peace on Fifth will hold a screening of HALF THE SKY. We don’t yet have all the needed details for this event. Stay tuned to our website for details as they come in. Advanced tickets are only available at Peace on Fifth for $8.50 each…day-of tickets will be at THE NEON for $10 each.

Omari Matlock, a former Daytonian, will premiere his latest film – DESCENT OF A SUPERSTAR – on Saturday, March 2 at Noon. “When money power and fame is not enough, a young pop star turns to habits put in place by dark spirits.” A minimum donation of $10 is required for each ticket. Each ticket includes admission to the film and to the After Party/Networking event at Therapy Cafe at 3:00 (be sure to bring head shots, demo reels & resumes to this event if you are in or aspiring to be in the entertainment industry). Visit the facebook page for this film by clicking this LINK. Tickets are now available at our box office.

I’m excited to announce that Square One Salon & Spa has once again donated a prize for our Oscar contest! This Sunday marks the date of our Free Annual Oscar Party. Ballots are now available in our lobby and prizes have started to arrive (though you must be present at the party in order to win prizes). We hope you’ll make plans to spend this fun night with us. We will begin seating for this party as close to 7pm as possible…which is when the Red-Carpet pre-show begins. (We will begin collecting ballots on Sunday, Feb. 24 at Noon…collected ballots (only one per person present) will result in our seating priority for the party.) Special thanks to ThinkTV for their help is us getting a signal for the event!

We hope to see you soon,
Jonathan

SHOWTIMES for Fri. Feb. 22 – Thur, Feb. 28:

QUARTET (PG-13) 1 Hr 38 Min.
Friday, Saturday: 12:45, 3:00, 5:15, 7:30, 9:40
Sunday: 12:45, 3:00, 5:15, 7:30
Monday – Thursday: 3:00, 5:15, 7:30

AMOUR (PG-13) 2 Hrs 7 Min.
Friday, Saturday: 4:00, 7:00, 9:30
Sunday: 4:00, 9:30
Monday – Wednesday: 2:30, 5:15, 8:00
Thursday: 2:30, 5:15

RED HOOK SUMMER (R) 2 Hr 1Min + Discussion
Saturday: Noon

OSCAR NOMINATED SHORTS
Animated Shorts – Friday at 1:00 (1Hr 27Min)
Live Action Shorts – Sunday at 1:00 (1Hr 55Min)

HALF THE SKY
Thursday: 7:30

COMING SOON:
As always, all dates are tentative. Many of these dates will change.
In some rare cases, titles may disappear.
March 8 – EMPEROR
March 22 – STOKER
March 29 – THE GATEKEEPERS
April 5 – ON THE ROAD
April 12 – NO

QUARTET and AMOUR Exclusively at THE NEON

February 12, 2013 By Jonathan McNeal Leave a Comment

Hello Everyone,

Everything we’ve got is leaving! If you still need to see A ROYAL AFFAIR or SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, hurry down. On Thursday (Valentine’s Day) we’ll begin our exclusive engagement of QUARTET (which I’m certain will delight so many of you). On Friday, we begin one of the absolute best reviewed films of 2012 – AMOUR.

The Oscar-Nominated Shorts were a big success. Special thanks to all of you who came out and supported them. If at all possible (we’re not certain yet), we will have encore screenings of these films next weekend (Feb. 22-24). Remaining showtimes for this week are at www.neonmovies.com.

Synopsis for QUARTET: “Beecham House is abuzz. The rumor circling the halls is that the home for retired musicians is soon to play host to a new resident. Word is, it’s a star. For Reginald Paget (Tom Courtenay), Wilfred Bond (Billy Connolly) and Cecily Robson (Pauline Collins) this sort of talk is par for the course at the gossipy home. But they’re in for a special shock when the new arrival turns out to be none other than their former singing partner, Jean Horton (Maggie Smith). Her subsequent career as a star soloist, and the ego that accompanied it, split up their long friendship and ended her marriage to Reggie, who takes the news of her arrival particularly hard. Can the passage of time heal old wounds? And will the famous quartet be able to patch up their differences in time for Beecham House’s gala concert?” (The Weinstein Company) When I saw this film in Toronto, I knew immediately that we had to book this film…I deemed it “the next BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL,” and audiences across the country are loving it. Please help us spread the word…we want to let The Weinstein Company know that they made the right decision by giving us the exclusive engagement! Click on this LINK to visit the official site.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSEnh8Hi62E’]

Synopsis for AMOUR: Nominated for 5 Oscars – Including Best Picture, Best Foreign Film, and Best Actress – this is one of 2012’s Best Reviewed Films…with 100% reviews from THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, TIME, THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES and many more! “Georges and Anne are in their eighties. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter, who is also a musician, lives abroad with her family. One day, Anne has an attack. The couple’s bond of love is severely tested.” (Sony Pictures Classics) If I was casting a ballot for Best Picture at this year’s Academy Awards, this would be my pick! Click on this LINK to visit the film’s official site.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Tuc3zjvJU8′]

“On February 23 at Noon, the Junior Leaguers of Dayton – an African American Women’s Service Organization – will hold an annual fundraiser which raises money for scholarships. They will screen the film RED HOOK SUMMER (directed by Spike Lee with James McBride as co-writer) – a coming of age movie about a young African American male who visits his grandparents living in the projects of Brooklyn New York. The discussion following the movie will be led by Dr. Michael Williams, a psychologist. The price is $30.00 which includes a movie ticket, glass of wine, soda, and popcorn. Student tickets are $15.00. Please contact Jackie Colvard for tickets at (937) 219-7501.” (taken from press notes)

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWUaexrY2dk’]

On February 28 at 7:30, Peace on Fifth will hold a screening of HALF THE SKY. More details will be available in next week’s newsletter.

I’m excited to announce that Square One Salon & Spa has once again donated a prize for our Oscar contest! Feb. 24 marks the date of our Free Annual Oscar Party. Ballots are now available in our lobby and prizes have started to arrive (though you must be present at the party in order to win prizes). 15 films that are nominated for Academy Awards have screened at (or are coming soon to) THE NEON. Between these 15 films, there are 34 nominations. We hope you’ll make plans to spend this fun night with us. We will begin seating for this party as close to 7pm as possible…which is when the Red-Carpet pre-show begins. (We will begin collecting ballots on Sunday, Feb. 24 at Noon…collected ballots (only one per person present) will result in our seating priority.)

We hope to see you soon,
Jonathan

SHOWTIMES for Fri. Feb. 15 – Thur, Feb. 21:

QUARTET (PG-13) 1 Hr 38 Min.
Thur (Feb. 14): 3:00, 5:15, 7:30
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 12:45, 3:00, 5:15, 7:30, 9:40
Monday – Thursday: 3:00, 5:15, 7:30

AMOUR (PG-13) 2 Hrs 7 Min.
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 9:30
Monday – Thursday: 2:30, 5:15, 8:00

COMING SOON:
As always, all dates are tentative. Many of these dates will change.
In some rare cases, titles may disappear.
March 8 – EMPEROR
March 22 – STOKER
March 29 – THE GATEKEEPERS
April 5 – ON THE ROAD
April 12 – NO

Toronto Film Fest – Day #4

September 10, 2012 By Jonathan McNeal Leave a Comment

Hello!

I’m gonna try and make this short and sweet…as it’s already late and I need to wake by 6am again tomorrow.

It was quite a day. 4 films…all (mostly) good.

First off, I saw David O. Russell’s SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (Russell did I HEART HUCKABEES, FLIRTING WITH DISASTER and – starring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert DeNiro. This dysfunctional family comedy about mental illness was full of laughs – mostly due to honest observations. I wish it had been a little shorter, but ultimately I think it will be crowd-pleaser. (editorial note – I think that the pairing of obsessing over sports paired mental illness issues is an interesting marriage)

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj5_FhLaaQQ’]

A ROYAL AFFAIR is a period drama about Queen Caroline of Denmark in the late 18th Century. She married into the monarchy, and her husband was a childish, self-absorbed man. Caroline had an affair with the royal physician, and they managed to make numerous changes to government. The photography and set/costume design of this film are delicious, and the lead actress – Alicia Vikander – is absolutely stunning (she’s also in ANNA KARENINA).

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiHnVMHk6YU’]

This evening, I saw the film that will undoubtedly be dubbed “The Next Marigold Hotel.” QUARTET – Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut – stars Maggie Smith, Bill Connolly, Pauline Collins, and Tom Courtenay. This little film is an absolute delight! It’s about a retirement home for retired musicians…and in addition to the 4 lead actors, it stars numerous singers and musicians in their 70’s 80’s and 90’s (Hoffman wanted real musical artists to live in his scenes – not just actors playing musicians) . Tonight was it’s world premiere, and I must confess something…. I’ve seen people go insane for movie stars over the years. Johnny Depp. Brad Pitt. Angelina Jolie. People scream, the jump up and down, and sometimes they even cry. Tonight, when Maggie Smith was standing 10 feet away from me, tears streamed down my face. From THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE to ROOM WITH A VIEW…from THE V.I.P.s to DOWNTON ABBEY, I have loved Dame Maggie for decades, and it was a complete thrill to see her in person! The Q&A with the principal cast as well as Hoffman was a night to remember, and the film is going to be a hit with our audience.

Lastly, I saw LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED – the latest film from Sussane Bier (director of BROTHERS, IN A BETTER WORLD and OPEN HEARTS). (Interestingly, the original Danish title would be translated into THE BALD HAIRDRESSER.) This film is much lighter than Bier’s recent work. There are some serious subjects on the table – but there are also a lot of laughs. Bier, along with lead actress Trine Dyrholm (also in A ROYAL AFFAIR) and Pierce Brosnan, introduced the film and did a Q&A. Though I liked most of this film, I also thought it was a little too long given the subject/story. That said, Dyrholm is a joy to watch.

Off to bed! Thanks for reading!

Jonathan