tab hunter

BEACH BOYS’ Brian Wilson, THE WHO, and TAB HUNTER – Check Out THE NEON This Weekend!

June 10, 2015 By Jonathan McNeal

Hello Everyone,

As promised, we’re excited to open the new biopic about Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys this Friday. It’s called LOVE & MERCY, and the reviews are terrific. The Village Voice, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune and many others have given the film a 100% Review! In addition, we will open a documentary about the famous managers of The Who – LAMBERT AND STAMP. Lastly, we’ll have a one-night only screening of the crowd-pleasing documentary about Hollywood’s “boy next door” – TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL. If you still need to see IRIS or DIOR AND I, you’ll need to hurry down. Thursday will be your last chance to catch those films at THE NEON. FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD will stick around for one more week. For this week’s remaining showtimes (they’re different than the upcoming week – which are listed below), please visit our website at www.neonmovies.com

Synopsis for LOVE & MERCY: “LOVE & MERCY presents an unconventional portrait of Brian Wilson, the mercurial singer, songwriter and leader of The Beach Boys. Set against the era defining catalog of Wilson’s music, the film intimately examines the personal voyage and ultimate salvation of the icon whose success came at extraordinary personal cost.” (taken from Roadside Attractions) This film has been winning rave reviews – especially for the two men who play Wilson – John Cusack and Paul Dano. Click on this LINK to visit the film’s official site.

Synopsis for LAMBERT AND STAMP: “Aspiring filmmakers Chris Stamp and Kit Lambert set out to find a subject for their underground movie, one that will reflect the way it feels to be young and dissatisfied in postwar London. This unlikely partnership of two men from vastly different backgrounds was inspired by the burgeoning youth culture of the early 1960s. Lambert and Stamp searched for months and finally found in a band called the High Numbers a rebellious restlessness that was just what they were looking for. Abandoning their plans to make a film, they instead decided to mentor and manage this group, which evolved into the iconic band known as the Who. The result was rock ‘n’ roll history” (taken from Sony Classics) Click on this LINK to visit the film’s official site.

The crowd-pleasing, insightful and kinda gossipy SXSW hit documentary TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL will make its way to town for one special screening. If you’re a Tab Hunter fan or if you’re interested in how the Hollywood machine worked (and still does to some extent), I encourage you to attend. This film will only screen one time – Thursday, June 18 at 7:30 – as Pride Night at THE NEON. Tickets, just $8 each, are available now at THE NEON’s Box Office! “In the 1950s, Tab Hunter is number one at the box office and number one on the music charts. He is Hollywood’s most sought-after star and America’s boy next door. Natalie Wood, Debbie Reynolds and Sophia Loren are just a few of the actresses he is romantically linked to. Nothing, it seems, can damage Tab Hunter’s career. Nothing, that is, except for the fact that Tab Hunter is secretly gay. Now, Tab Hunter’s secret is out. In TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL we will meet, for the first time, the real Tab Hunter as he shares with us the whole story of a happy, healthy survivor of Hollywood’s roller coaster.”

Director Kevin Nam will be debuting his first short film on Monday, June 22. “What if you were given a chance to traverse your own subconscious? Would you be afraid of what you may see? We all have our demons kept at bay buried under the lies we tell ourselves. Keaton, a heartbroken man, is given this chance to reshape and reform his memories. With the help of Dr. Darren Vonnuxley at Entropy’s Enlightenment, Keaton is plunged deep into his own subconscious, where he must confront and conquer his demon, face to face. HOW TO MURDER YOUR MELANCHOLY is a short dark psychological drama with horror elements filmed entirely in the Dayton, Ohio region. This one and only screening of the short film is the directorial debut of local resident Kevin Nam. The director requires a mature audience due to scenes of graphic violence, blood, and gore. The director will also be in attendance for a brief Q & A immediately following the film. Please arrive early, screening will promptly begin at 8 pm. Tickets are on a first-come first-serve basis. Admission is FREE.” (taken from Kevin Nam’s press notes)

Many thanks to Oldies 97.3 and Omega Music for their help in spreading the word about LOVE & MERCY. Visit their facebook pages and enter their contests for your chance to win LOVE & MERCY Prize Packages!

Next Friday (June 19), we will open the film that many of you have been waiting for – I’LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS – starring Blythe Danner and Sam Elliott.

Thanks for your continued support.
We hope to see you this weekend!

Jonathan

SHOWTIMES for Friday, June 12 – Thursday, June 18:

LOVE & MERCY (PG-13) 2 Hrs 1 Min
Friday & Saturday: 11:40, 2:10, 4:40, 7:20, 9:50
Sunday: 11:40, 2:10, 4:40, 7:20
Monday – Thursday: 2:45, 5:20, 7:50

LAMBERT AND STAMP (R) 1 Hr 57 Min
Friday, Saturday: 4:45, 9:40
Sunday: 4:45
Monday – Thursday: 5:15

FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD (PG-13) 1 Hr 59 Min
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 11:50, 2:15, 7:15
Monday – Wednesday: 2:50, 7:45
Thursday: 2:50

TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL (NR) 1 Hr 30 Min
Thursday: 7:30

COMING SOON:
(All Dates Are Tentative. Dates Often Move And Sometimes Disappear.)
June 19 – I’LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS
TBD – SUNSHINE SUPERMAN,
SAINT LAURENT, ALOFT
July 1- ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL
July ? – MR. HOLMES
July ? – AMY

DIOR & I Starts Friday and Partnering with Ghostlight Coffee at THE NEON!

June 2, 2015 By Jonathan McNeal

Hello Everyone,

We’re adding a new film to the mix this Friday. It’s a rare, inside look into the creation of a couture collection for one of the world’s most luxurious fashion brands – Christian Dior. It’s called DIOR AND I, and it had quite a nice run at film festivals over the past year. In addition, we will hold onto both of our current selections – IRIS (for limited screenings) and FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD. For this week’s remaining showtimes (they’re different than the upcoming week – which are listed below), please visit our website at www.neonmovies.com

Synopsis for DIOR AND I: “Frederic Tcheng’s solo directorial debut brings the viewer inside the storied world of the Christian Dior fashion house with a privileged, behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Raf Simons’ first haute couture collection as its new artistic director-a true labor of love created by a dedicated group of collaborators. Melding the everyday, pressure-filled components of fashion with mysterious echoes from the iconic brand’s past, the film is also a colorful homage to the seamstresses who serve Simons’ vision.” Click on the image below to visit the film’s official site.

Carol Quinones is bringing a special, one-time screening of TRACE AMOUNTS to town on Wednesday, June 10 at 7:30. Click this LINK to reserve your ticket – they’re $12.50 each. “After recovering from a sickness that would bring him to the edge of despair, Eric Gladen began researching the science behind what had made him so sick. His research led him straight into one of the biggest medical debates of all time, the question of whether or not childhood vaccines are causing Autism. He would end up quitting his career, moving into an RV, and traveling the country interviewing experts and piecing together thousands of studies and leaked documents. But Eric wasn’t focused on the vaccines themselves, he was focused on something that belongs nowhere near vaccines- mercury.”

Don’t miss the chance to see the SXSW hit documentary TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL. This film will only screen one time – Thursday, June 18 at 7:30. Tickets, just $8 each, are available now at THE NEON’s Box Office! “In the 1950s, Tab Hunter is number one at the box office and number one on the music charts. He is Hollywood’s most sought-after star and America’s boy next door. Natalie Wood, Debbie Reynolds and Sophia Loren are just a few of the actresses he is romantically linked to. Nothing, it seems, can damage Tab Hunter’s career. Nothing, that is, except for the fact that Tab Hunter is secretly gay. Now, Tab Hunter’s secret is out. In TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL we will meet, for the first time, the real Tab Hunter as he shares with us the whole story of a happy, healthy survivor of Hollywood’s roller coaster.”

Next Friday (June 12), we will open a Brian Wilson (of The Beach Boys) biopic – LOVE & MERCY. Please help us spread the word. Click HERE to visit the official site.

Ghostlight Coffee is now in the baking business. We currently offer a delicious variety of cookies and biscotti from their brand new kitchen, and we’re so happy that we’re able to partner with another independently owned downtown business. Give them a try the next time you’re in!

Thanks for your continued support.
We hope to see you this weekend!
Jonathan

SHOWTIMES for Friday, June 5 – Thursday, June 11:

DIOR AND I (NR) 1 Hr 30 Min
Friday & Saturday: 3:00, 7:20, 9:20
Sunday: 7:20
Monday & Tuesday: 3:15, 7:30
Wednesday: 3:15
Thursday: 3:15, 7:30

IRIS (PG-13) 1 Hr 23 Min
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 1:00, 5:15
Monday – Thursday: 5:15

FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD (PG-13) 1 Hr 59 Min
Friday, Saturday: 11:50, 2:15, 4:45, 7:15, 9:40
Sunday: 11:50, 2:15, 4:45, 7:15
Monday – Thursday: 2:50, 5:20, 7:45

TRACE AMOUNTS (NR) 1 Hr 37 Min
Wednesday: 7:30

COMING SOON:
(All Dates Are Tentative. Dates Often Move And Sometimes Disappear.)
June 12 – LOVE & MERCY
June 19 – I’LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS
TBD – SUNSHINE SUPERMAN, LAMBERT & STAMP,
SAINT LAURENT, ALOFT
July 1- ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL
July ? – MR. HOLMES

IRIS Apfel Documentary & Great Crowds for MADDING CROWD at THE NEON!

May 26, 2015 By Jonathan McNeal

Hello Everyone,

If you still need to see WHILE WE’RE YOUNG or THE SALT OF THE EARTH, Thursday will be your last chance to catch them at THE NEON. WHILE WE’RE YOUNG has been here for a while, but SALT OF THE EARTH has only been here since Friday. Though attendance was bar bones for this stunning documentary, audiences have been raving – it’s one of the most powerful documentaries to come along for quite some time. FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD had wonderful crowds over the weekend. Many thanks to those of you who came and made our opening weekend numbers stand out from the crowd (we were way above the national average for this picture). On Friday, we will start a wonderful and lively documentary by the late, great Albert Maysles – IRIS. For this week’s remaining showtimes (they’re different than the upcoming week – which are listed below), please visit our website at www.neonmovies.com

Synopsis for IRIS: Rated 98% FRESH on Rottentomatoes! “IRIS pairs legendary 87-year-old documentarian Albert Maysles with Iris Apfel – the quick-witted, flamboyantly dressed 93-year-old style maven who has had an outsized presence on the New York fashion scene for decades. More than a fashion film, the documentary is a story about creativity and how, even in Iris’ dotage, a soaring free spirit continues to inspire. IRIS portrays a singular woman whose enthusiasm for fashion, art and people are life’s sustenance and reminds us that dressing, and indeed life, is nothing but an experiment. Despite the abundance of glamour in her current life, she continues to embrace the values and work ethic established during a middle-class Queens upbringing during the Great Depression. ‘I feel lucky to be working. If you’re lucky enough to do something you love, everything else follows.'”(Magnolia Pictures) Click this LINK to visit the film’s official site.

Thanks for your continued support.
We hope to see you this weekend!

Jonathan

SHOWTIMES for Friday, May 29 – Thursday, June 4:

IRIS (PG-13) 1 Hr 23 Min
Friday, Saturday: 1:00, 3:00, 5:15, 7:20, 9:20
Sunday: 1:00, 3:00, 5:15, 7:20
Monday – Thursday: 3:15, 5:15, 7:30

FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD (PG-13) 1 Hr 59 Min
Friday, Saturday: 11:50, 2:15, 4:45, 7:15, 9:40
Sunday: 11:50, 2:15, 4:45, 7:15
Monday – Thursday: 2:50, 5:20, 7:45

COMING SOON:
(All Dates Are Tentative. Dates Often Move And Sometimes Disappear.)
June 12 – LOVE & MERCY
June 19 – I’LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS
TBD – SUNSHINE SUPERMAN, LAMBERT & STAMP,
SAINT LAURENT, ALOFT
July 1- ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL
July ? – MR. HOLMES

GREY GARDENS and New Juliette Binoche Film at THE NEON!

May 15, 2015 By Jonathan McNeal

Hello Everyone,

Over the past 14 years that I’ve been at THE NEON, THE D TRAIN ranks as one of the biggest box office disappointments we’ve ever had. We had to lose it quickly. Today, we opened a new film with Juliette Binoche and Kristen Stewart – CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA. (Stewart became the first American to ever win a Cesar award for her role in this film. The Cesar Awards are France’s equivalent to our Academy Awards.) In addition, we will open the 40th Anniversary Restoration of GREY GARDENS – the documentary that became the basis for numerous books, an HBO narrative film and even a Broadway musical. We will continue our run of WHILE WE’RE YOUNG for one more week. Next week, we’ll open the gorgeous new film FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD!

Synopsis for CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA: “Maria Enders (Juliette Binoche) is an actress at the peak of her international career who is asked to perform in a revival of the play that made her famous twenty years earlier. Back then she played the role of Sigrid, an alluring young woman who disarms and eventually drives her boss Helena to suicide. Now she is being asked to step into the other role, that of the older Helena. She departs with her assistant (Kristen Stewart) to rehearse in Sils Maria, a remote region of the Alps. A young Hollywood starlet with a penchant for scandal (Chloe Grace Moretz) is to take on the role of Sigrid, and Maria finds herself on the other side of the mirror, face to face with an ambiguously charming woman who is, in essence, an unsettling reflection of herself. (Sundance Selects) Click this LINK to visit the film’s official site.

Synopsis for GREY GARDENS: The original documentary from 1975 has received a 40th Anniversary Restoration! This is one of my favorite movies. In fact, when the musical adaptation premiered (before its move to Broadway), I scurried to NYC to see it. “Meet Big and Little Edie Beale: mother and daughter, high-society dropouts, and reclusive cousins of Jackie Onassis. The two manage to thrive together amid the decay and disorder of their East Hampton, New York, mansion, making for an eerily ramshackle echo of the American Camelot. An impossibly intimate portrait, this 1976 documentary by Albert and David Maysles, codirected by Ellen Hovde and Muffie Meyer, quickly became a cult classic and established Little Edie as a fashion icon and philosopher queen.” (taken from Janus Films) Click this LINK to visit the film’s official site.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijPIfZt72vc

“Stivers School for the Arts-Film & Animation Studio Presents THE SHOWCASE. This compilation of short films includes live action & animation and ranges from comedy to documentary. Some of these films have already won regional and state awards. Following the show, there will be a Q & A with the student filmmakers. All proceeds go towards updating equipment in the Stivers Film and Animation studio. The Showcase runs one night only – Wednesday, May 20th at 7:30pm. Tickets are$5.00 in advance and $7.00 on the day of the event.. Tickets are now available at THE NEON’s box office and Stivers School for the Arts. Please join us for an evening of entertainment as we celebrate this next generation of filmmakers.” (taken from press release)

On Tuesday, May 26 at 7:30, T.J.’s Place of Hope will host a screening of I AM A GIRL. This film is “an inspirational feature length documentary that paints a clear picture of the reality of what it means to be a girl in the 21st century. Feminism may have promised equality and sought a better and fairer world for women but the reality is that girls make up almost a quarter of the world’s population yet still face the greatest discrimination of any group in the world. Technology and science offer unimaginable potential but we still struggle to ensure men and women are afforded equal opportunities. Yet in spite of these obstacles, girls have found extraordinary ways to persevere and in our documentary we hear their stories of strength, hope, courage and a refusal to be second best.” (taken from Gathr press notes) Advanced tickets are $10 each and must be purchased on Gathr’s website. If tickets remain on the day of the event, they will be available at our box office one hour before the screening. Click this LINK to visit the site and purchase your ticket.

Carol Quinones is trying to bring a special, one-time screening of TRACE AMOUNTS to town on Wednesday, June 10 at 7:30. That said, 50 tickets need to be reserved by May 30 in order to proceed. Click this LINK to reserve your ticket – they’re $12.50 each. “After recovering from a sickness that would bring him to the edge of despair, Eric Gladen began researching the science behind what had made him so sick. His research led him straight into one of the biggest medical debates of all time, the question of whether or not childhood vaccines are causing Autism. He would end up quitting his career, moving into an RV, and traveling the country interviewing experts and piecing together thousands of studies and leaked documents. But Eric wasn’t focused on the vaccines themselves, he was focused on something that belongs nowhere near vaccines- mercury.”

Mark your calendars now for a special screening of a new, crowd-pleasing documentary – TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL. It will screen Thursday, June 18 at 7:30 (tickets $8 each). I’ll include more details in next week’s newsletter.

Thanks for your continued support.
We hope to see you this weekend!

All the best,
Jonathan

SHOWTIMES for Friday, May 15 – Thursday, May 21:

GREY GARDENS (PG) 1 Hr 37 Min
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 3:00
Monday: 3:00, 7:40
Tuesday & Wednesday: 3:00
Thursday: 3:00, 7:40

WHILE WE’RE YOUNG (R) 1 Hr 37 Min
Friday, Saturday: 12:40, 5:10, 7:20, 9:30
Sunday: 12:40, 5:10, 7:20
Monday – Thursday: 5:10

CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA (R) 2 Hrs 4 Min
Friday & Saturday: 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 9:40
Sunday: 1:00, 4:00, 7:00
Monday – Thursday: 2:45, 5:15, 7:50

STIVERS: THE SHOWCASE (NR)
Wednesday: 7:30

COMING SOON:
(All Dates Are Tentative. Dates Often Move And Sometimes Disappear.)
May 22 – FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD
TBD – IRIS, SUNSHINE SUPERMAN,
SALT OF THE EARTH, LAMBERT & STAMP, SAINT LAURENT, ALOFT
Early July – ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL