This week’s newsletter is coming a little early because I want to make sure you get reminded that AMELIE is only here through tonight. Tomorrow, we open a marvelous and empowering film – HERSELF. In addition to HERSELF, we’re adding a “NEON Classic” to the mix. Originally destined for “direct-to-video” in 2008, this gem ended up getting a theatrical release and went on to win 8 Oscars including “Best Picture.” Though it was dethroned as our highest grossing film in 2017, it still holds the record as our longest-running film of all time – the much-loved SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. It will start Friday for one week. Come back and see this heart-racing & triumphant film on the big screen. The new “landmark adaptation” of PINOCCHIO will stick around for another week.
We aren’t opening anything new in our Virtual Cinema this week…but there are plenty of great films to rent. In fact, if you count all the films in the Wong Kar Wai Retrospective, we currently have 18 films available. As a reminder, THE LIBRARY THAT DOLLY BUILT and ENDING DISEASE are only available through Dec. 31. MODERN PERSUASION, WBNC AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, and ZAPPA will all disappear on January 7.
A few of you have asked about PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN. Though we don’t have firm plans, we hope to squeeze in a one-week engagement very soon.
NEW IN-PERSON ENGAGEMENT:
Synopsis for HERSELF – Opening January 30!: “HERSELF tells the story of Sandra, a young mother who seeks to rebuild her life from scratch, and provide a safe home for her two young daughters. In order to do so, she must escape the grip of a possessive ex-partner, circumnavigate a broken housing system, and bring together a community of friends who can support her and lend a helping hand.” (Amazon) During our run of HERSELF, we will have literature in our lobby about the services provided by an organization we care so much about – Artemis Center. You can find out all about how you can help (financially or by volunteering) on their website. Click the image below to watch the trailer for this powerful and empowering film.
Synopsis for SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE: I saw this film at a press/industry screening at The Toronto International Film Festival in September 2008. Such an audience can usually be quite jaded and cynical…but this screening was different. The crowd erupted into applause and cheers at the end — we knew we had just seen something special. This record-breaker opened in early December 2008 at THE NEON and played for 16 weeks. It held the title of our “highest grossing film” for almost a decade, and we’ve seen Dev Patel back on our screens numerous times over the years. Come celebrate it’s return to the big screen this weekend! “As 18-year-old Jamal Malik (Patel) answers questions on the Indian version of ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,’ flashbacks show how he got there. Part of a stable of young thieves after their mother dies, Jamal and his brother, Salim, survive on the streets of Mumbai. Salim finds the life of crime agreeable, but Jamal scrapes by with small jobs until landing a spot on the game show.” (Searchlight Pictures) Click the image below to watch the film’s original trailer.
CONTINUING IN OUR VIRTUAL CINEMA:
Synopsis for LOVE SARAH: A sweet British film is just what so many of us need for the holidays. “Determined to fulfill her late mother’s dream of opening a bakery in charming Notting Hill, 19-year-old Clarissa enlists the help of her mother’s best friend Isabella and her eccentric estranged grandmother Mimi(played by Celia Imrie from THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL). These three generations of women will need to overcome grief, doubts and differences to honour the memory of their beloved Sarah while embarking on a journey to establish a London store filled with love, hope and colourful pastries from all over the world.” (Samuel Goldwyn Films) This film can be watched on your computer or mobile device as well as via Chromecast or via an HDMI cable attached to your television. For additional notes regarding connectivity, you can visit the film’s HELP PAGE. Click the picture below to watch the trailer and purchase 72 hour access to this film for $12.
Synopsis for DEEP IN VOGUE: The Dayton LGBT Film Festival is helping us present DEEP IN VOGUE – complete with a virtual after-party and Q&A. “DEEP IN VOGUE celebrates the colorful, queer, emotional and political stories of Northern Vogue in Manchester, UK and the black, gay ballrooms of 1980s New York City. The documentary had its UK premiere at BFI Flare and its US premiere at NewFest NYC. Over the course of a year, film makers Dennis Keighron-Foster and Amy Watson charted the buildup to the Manchester ICONS Vogue Ball and explore universal themes and the unique styles from both sides of the Atlantic including the sometimes dramatic internal politics of Vogue to external politics including the disenfranchisement of black youth, LGBT issues, the dearth of art spaces and modes of expression, the over-commercialized gay scene, and the lack of safe spaces for the truly different. DEEP IN VOGUE is an electric, informative, and entertaining celebration of people coming to love and accept themselves, finding a new family through Vogue.” (FilmRise) This movie can be watched on your computer or mobile device. Click on the image below to watch the trailer and gain access to the film for $12.
To read more about all the films that are still available in our Virtual Cinema, please visit our WEBSITE. Here’s a LINK with a video I made about how Virtual Cinema works.
Would you like to know what titles we’re planning in our virtual cinema? (Click any title to watch that film’s trailer.) In January, we’ve got several fantastic docs…the first two are big the Sundance winners – ACASA MY HOME (about a family who are forced to live in the big city after living in harmony with nature for 20 years) and THE REASON I JUMP (a cinematic exploration of the experiences of nonspeaking autistic people from around the world). On January 15, we’ll have a really fun doc called ROCK CAMP (a doc featuring some big rock’n’rollers). On January 22, art lovers will delight with MY REMBRANDT. In early February, we’ll have a new doc about a brilliant artist (though he preferred the term “mathematician”) – M.C. ESCHER: JOURNEY TO INFINITY. More titles are on the way…stay tuned!
2020 has been quite a challenge, and I want to thank all of you for your continued support of THE NEON. Your donations and words of encouragement have meant the world to us. Though we’ll still have bumps in the road, new trends in the market to learn, and the need for fundraisers, THE NEON is here to stay. A few weeks ago, we got a sizable grant from The City of Dayton CARES Act – this grant helped to fill several holes in our 2020 budget, and it also allowed us to purchase 3 new Aerobiotix HEPA-Ultraviolet air recirculating units (the same devices used by The Cleveland Clinic). Each auditorium and the lobby now have one of these state-of-the art units which helps to make our space even safer. That said, I know some folks still aren’t ready to come out for in-person screenings…but I’m happy to share that we’ll be here when everyone is ready (and we have a lot of Virtual options in the interim).
About Jonathan McNeal
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.
