pariah

PARIAH Starts Friday at THE NEON (One Week Only)!

April 4, 2012 By Jonathan McNeal Leave a Comment

Hello Everyone,

Though neither SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN nor IN DARKNESS were big hits for us, they both performed well enough to stick around for one more week. (Interestingly, both films have received rave reviews from our NEON regulars.) On Friday, we’re going to add one new title into the mix – a film about a young African American woman coming-of-age in Brooklyn. PARIAH has received perfect reviews from numerous critics, and Meryl Streep even acknowledged lead actress Adepero Oduye during her acceptance speech at this year’s Golden Globes (this was big news for Oduye – as she was the only name mentioned by Streep who wasn’t nominated for the award).

Synopsis for PARIAH: “Adepero Oduye portrays Alike (pronounced ah-lee-kay), a 17-year-old African-American woman who lives with her parents Audrey and Arthur and younger sister Sharonda in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood. She has a flair for poetry, and is a good student at her local high school. Alike is quietly but firmly embracing her identity as a lesbian. With the sometimes boisterous support of her best friend, out lesbian Laura, Alike is especially eager to find a girlfriend. At home, her parents’ marriage is strained and there is further tension in the household whenever Alike’s development becomes a topic of discussion. Pressed by her mother into making the acquaintance of a colleague’s daughter, Bina, Alike finds Bina to be unexpectedly refreshing to socialize with. Wondering how much she can confide in her family, Alike strives to get through adolescence with grace, humor, and tenacity – sometimes succeeding, sometimes not, but always moving forward.” (taken from Focus Features)

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

On Tuesday, April 17 at 7:30, we have a special treat for lovers of documentaries and vintage aircraft. “Each year the famous Doolittle Tokyo Raiders from WWII have a reunion to remember their mission, their comrades, and their heroic leader Gen. James Doolittle. In 2010, an extraordinary event took place – seventeen B-25 bomber crews volunteered to gather in honor of the Raiders, and over 70,000 people turned up to witness it. THE RESTORERS – THEY WERE ALL VOLUNTEERS follows the journey of a Minnesota B-25 named Miss Mitchell. Join this restored bomber as she travels to Dayton, Ohio to attend the largest B-25 gathering since WWII. Help us commemorate the 70th anniversary of the historic Doolittle mission. The filmmakers and participants will be on-hand for discussion and questions. Cost: $8.00 for adults, $6.00 for children and veterans.” (synopsis provided by Adam White)

“In celebration of National Record Store Day, GHETTOBLASTER MAGAZINE will be hosting a special screening of EMPIRE RECORDS on Saturday, April 21 at 10:15pm. In addition to the movie we’ll be giving away two tickets for this year’s Nelsonville Music Festival and all proceeds will go toward 2012’s Dayton Music Fest. Other events that day include music trivia at Blind Bob’s from 4-6pm, live music throughout the day at Omega Music, Record Gallery and Feathers in the Oregon District and Toxic Beauty in Yellow Springs (Omega and Toxic will also be selling special RSD releases) and many local businesses will be offering discounts with a shown receipt from one of our local record stores.” (taken from press notes) Tickets for this event will be just $6 each (and only $4 each if you have a receipt from one of the local, indie record stores). Tickets will only be available on the night of the screening.

Do you want to win a trip to Paris? THE NEON has been happy to take part in selling raffle tickets for an upcoming benefit for AIDS Resource Center Ohio. Raffle tickets are $25 each or 6 for $100…and we still have a handful left. The drawing will take place on Saturday, April 28, and we will keep selling this tickets for another week.

For those of you who use Facebook, we finally have an actual page…not just a “group” page. We will soon be fazing out the old group, so please LIKE us by clicking this LINK.

We hope to see you soon,
Jonathan

SHOWTIMES for Fri. April 6 – Thur. April 12:

SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN (PG-13) 1 Hr 47 Min
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 12:20, 2:40, 5:00, 7:20, 9:40
Monday – Thursday: 2:40, 5:00, 7:20

IN DARKNESS (R) 2 Hr 33 Min
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 12:20, 5:00
Monday – Thursday: 5:00

PARIAH (R) 1 Hr 26 Min
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 3:10, 7:50, 9:45
Monday – Thursday: 3:10, 7:50

COMING SOON:

As always, all dates are tentative.

Many of these dates will change. In some rare cases, titles may disappear.

April 13 JEFF WHO LIVES AT HOME
April 13 THE RAID
April 20 WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN
April 27 FOOTNOTE
May 4 JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI
mid-May DAMSELS IN DISTRESS
mid/late-May DARLIN COMPANION
May 25 THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL
June 1 SOUND OF MY VOICE
July ? BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
July ? TO ROME WITH LOVE

FRIENDS WITH KIDS and THE HEDGEHOG Open Friday at THE NEON!

March 14, 2012 By Jonathan McNeal Leave a Comment

Hello Everyone,

Due to the underwhelming performance of recent titles, we had to make some quick changes to our upcoming schedule. On Friday, we will open 2 new films. First off is a film we’ve been marketing for several months – THE HEDGEHOG. This film is based on a beloved book that many of you have mentioned to me – The Elegance of the Hedgehog. Secondly, we will open a comedy with an all-star cast –FRIENDS WITH KIDS. In addition to the 2 new films, we will hold onto A SEPARATION (winner of this year’s Oscar for “Best Foreign Film”) for a few more screenings. With 3 very different films, we think we’ve got something for almost everyone this weekend. We hope you’ll make it down to see us.

Synopsis for FRIENDS WITH KIDS: “FRIENDS WITH KIDS is a comedy about a close-knit circle of friends at that moment in life when children arrive and everything changes. The last two singles in the group observe the effect that kids have had on their friends’ relationships and wonder if there’s a better way. They decide to have a kid together – and date other people. This unconventional ‘experiment’ leads everyone in the group to question the nature of friendship, family and, finally, true love.” (taken from Roadside Attractions) Written and directed by Jennifer Westfeldt (KISSING JESSICA STEIN), FRIENDS WITH KIDS also stars Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Edward Burns and more. Click this LINK to visit the official site.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0cYheYIT4o’]

Synopsis for THE HEDGEHOG: “THE HEDGEHOG is the timely story of Paloma, a young girl bent on ending it all on her upcoming twelfth birthday. Using her father’s old camcorder to chronicle the hypocrisy she sees in adults, Paloma begins to learn about life from the grumpy building concierge, Renee Michel. When Paloma’s camera reveals the extensive secret library in Renee’s back room, and that the often gruff matron reads Tolstoy to her cat, Paloma begins to understand that there are allies to be found beneath the prickliest of exteriors. As the unlikely friendship deepens, Paloma’s own coming of age becomes a much less pessimistic prospect.” (taken from NeoClassic Films) Click this LINK to visit the film’s official website.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bLq4ehVo7c’]

On Thursday, March 22 at 7:30, Keener Farm has rented our space for a special screening of the acclaimed documentary AMERICAN MEAT. “The film explains our current industrial meat system and shows the feedlots and confinement operations – not through hidden cameras but through the eyes of the farmers who live and work there. The film then shifts to the burgeoning sustainable, local-food movement made up of farmers, food advocates, chefs and everyday folks who could change everything about the way meat reaches the American table…Sustainable farming is expanding exponentially as Americans learn more about their food and how to connect with local farmers…” (taken from press notes) The screening will be preceded by a meet and greet with appetizers provided by Olive: An Urban Dive (beginning at 6:30), and a panel discussion with the filmmaker as well as local farmers & restaurateurs will follow the screening. Admission is free (first come, first serve), but donations will gladly be accepted to help offset costs.

Save The Date! April 1 at 3:00 – LUNAFEST: Short Films By…For…About Women. More details in next week’s newsletter.

For this week’s remaining showtimes, please visit www.neonmovies.com.

Thanks for your continued support.

We hope to see you soon,

Jonathan

P.S. We now have TWITTER. If you use this application, we hope you’ll follow us.

SHOWTIMES for Fri. March 16 – Thur. March 22:

THE HEDGEHOG (NR) 1 Hr 40 Min

Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 12:40, 2:50, 7:30

Monday – Wednesday: 2:50, 7:30

Thursday: 2:50

A SEPARATION (PG-13) 2 Hr 03 Min

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

Monday – Thursday: 5:00

FRIENDS WITH KIDS (R) 1 Hr 47 Min

Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 12:30, 2:45, 5:00, 7:20, 9:40

Monday – Thursday: 3:00, 5:15, 8:00

COMING SOON:

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

TBD PARIAH

TBD BEING FLYNN

March 23 THIN ICE

March 30 IN DARKNESS

March 30 WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

April 13 THE RAID

April 27 FOOTNOTE

Spring SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN

mid-May DAMSELS IN DISTRESS

mid/late-May DARLIN COMPANION

May 25 THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL

June 1 SOUND OF MY VOICE

SHAME “The Sex Addiction Film” Starts Friday at THE NEON!

March 8, 2012 By Jonathan McNeal Leave a Comment

Hello Everyone,

A SEPARATION performed just well enough for it to stick around a second week. If you haven’t seen this film yet, I hope you’ll hurry out to see it! Across the boards, A SEPARATION was one of the very best reviewed films of last year (far better than any of the nominees for “Best Picture”). Professor Charles Derry recently sent me a note regarding the film. In it, he wrote, “I think the most perceptive way of looking at this film is by comparing it to some of the great films by Jean Renoir, who famously said, in a variety of different versions: ‘The real hell of life is that everyone has their reasons.’ And this film shows exactly that: everyone, in their own way, is right, and because of that, we empathize with everyone, and yet all that results is conflict and separation.” Derry also mentioned that Woody Allen recently stated that he considered A SEPARATION to be the best film of the year.

If you still haven’t seen it (or need to see it again), THE ARTIST is on its way out. Today (March 8) will be your last chance to catch it at THE NEON. On Friday (March 9), we will begin a limited engagement of the new film starring Michael Fassbender – SHAME.

Synopsis for SHAME: “Brandon is a New Yorker who shuns intimacy with women but feeds his desires with a compulsive addiction to sex. When his wayward younger sister moves into his apartment stirring memories of their shared painful past, Brandon’s insular life spirals out of control.” This film stars incredible performances by both Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan (Mulligan’s performance of “New York, New York” is one of the best vocal performances I’ve seen in a film for quite some time). Click on this LINK to visit the official site. (You might recall Fassbender from FISH TANK or the recent JANE EYRE…and Carey Mulligan from AN EDUCATION and NEVER LET ME GO.) Note: This film is rated NC-17 for explicit sexual content. THE NEON will be carding anyone who appears to be under 18 for admission to this film.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op9iQiB_ANI’]

Here’s a second trailer – different in tone – that features Mulligan’s performance.

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

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

For this week’s remaining showtimes, please visit our official site.

Thanks for your continued support.

We hope to see you soon,

Jonathan

P.S. We now have TWITTER. If you use this application, we hope you’ll follow us – @neonmovies