Hello Everyone!

How is it already mid-May?  The last couple months have flown by, and we're getting ready for some big films in June!  Tickets for Wes Anderson's THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME (which premieres at the Cannes Film Festival this weekend and opens with us on June 5) go on sale next Monday.  And tickets for THE LIFE OF CHUCK (a film I absolutely adored at last year's Toronto International Film Festival - which opens on June 12) go on sale next Wednesday. THE LIFE OF CHUCK won TIFF's coveted Audience Choice Award - joining the ranks of films like AMELIE, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, THE KING'S SPEECH, LA LA LAND, JO JO RABBIT and so many other big NEON Hits.  I can't wait for you to see this one!

But before we get to June, we have three more weeks of smaller films that I know many of you will love. This weekend, we're opening a movie several of you have asked about - THE WEDDING BANQUET - starring Bowen Yang and Lily Gladstone.  Next Thursday, we'll open the A24 dark comedy starring Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd - FRIENDSHIP.  And on May 30, we'll open a sweet, French rom-com of sorts - JANE AUSTEN WRECKED MY LIFE.

Both SINNERS and SECRET MALL APARTMENT - 2 very different but incredible films that have both been embraced by our customers - will stick around for another week.

And don't forget about our special screening of CHEECH AND CHONG'S LAST MOVIE...set for Monday, May 19 at 7:30.  Tickets are available HERE.

Many of you have been asking about what effect NATO will have on our business.  Though a lot of downtown will have significant traffic restrictions, our building and parking lot are outside of the NATO village.  We have scheduled extra staff to be on hand from May 21-27 to keep our parking lot available to our customers. That said, I would just suggest giving yourself a little extra time to navigate the traffic. For more information about NATO, here is the official site.

"Open Caption Mondays" are a hit and much appreciated by many of our regulars.  On Monday, May 19, our screenings of  SINNERS and THE WEDDING BANQUET will be presented with Open Captions (aka - captions presented on the screen).

Synopsis for THE WEDDING BANQUET: "Frustrated with his commitment-phobic boyfriend Chris and running out of time, Min makes a proposal: a green-card marriage with their friend Angela in exchange for her partner Lee's expensive IVF. Elopement plans are upended, however, when Min's grandmother surprises them with an extravagant Korean wedding banquet." (Bleecker Street)

DAYTON BLACK WOMEN'S FILM FESTIVAL 2025

TICKETS MOVING QUICKLY! Celebrating films made by Black women from Dayton and around the world, this is the 2nd year for DAYTON BLACK WOMEN'S FILM FESTIVAL...and it is growing quickly!

Three ticketed events will be hosted at THE NEON and are already on sale!  (The festival's official website is coming soon!)

OPENING NIGHT - Thursday, May 15 at 7:30 - Dayton's premiere of Brittany Shyne's SEEDS.  Click HERE to learn more and buy tickets.

SATURDAY SHORTS - Saturday, May 17 at Noon - a curated collection of short films including the Dayton premiere of Aisha Ford's BROWNIES. Click HERE to learn more and buy tickets.

AWARDS + LOVE & BASKETBALL - Sunday, May 18 at 5:00.  2 special presentations, 2 Awards and a 25th anniversary screening of LOVE & BASKETBALL. Click HERE to learn more and buy tickets.

CHEECH & CHONG'S LAST MOVIE

"Exploring their 5-decade career performing stand-up, making records, and starring in hit films. It covers their lives, comedy partnership, and lasting influence on pop culture."

Join us on Monday, May 19 for this one-time screening!

MON, MAY 19 | 7:30

NE ZHE 2

3 Special Screening! We've had a few requests to play this Chinese animated film that has been breaking records all over the world. NE ZHA 2 is currently #5 of the highest grossing films of all time (and the #1 highest grossing animated film of all time)...and it's still going.  "Following the Tribulation, although the souls of Ne Zha and Ao Bing were preserved, their physical bodies will soon be destroyed. Tai Yi Zhen Ren plans to use the Seven Colored Lotus to reshape their physical forms, but encounters numerous difficulties. What will become of Ne Zha and Ao Bing?" Join us for special screenings of this record-breaking film in late May!
Tickets are $12.50 each.

SAT, MAY 24 | NOON
SUN, MAY 25 | NOON
TUE, MAY 27 | 7:30

GOODBYE HORSES:
THE MANY LIVES OF
Q LAZZARUS

"An intimate journey through the life of singer Diane Luckey aka Q Lazzarus, narrated through her own words, lyrics and music. The exceptionally talented but vastly underappreciated Q, who sang the cult hit song “Goodbye Horses” (which appeared in the Jonathan Demme films MARRIED TO THE MOB and SILENCE OF THE LAMBS), reveals the reason behind her mysterious 25-year long disappearance and paves the way towards her re-emergence, with stories sad, funny and moving."
This special, one-time screening will take place Wednesday, May 28 at 7:30.  Tickets are $12.50 each.

Many thanks to our friends Josh Egeland & Skeleton Dust Records for helping to make this screening possible!

WED, MAY 28 | 7:30

NEON NOSTALGIA NIGHT:
O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?

THIS SCREENING HAS SOLD OUT! 
Many thanks to our sponsor - Brian Sharp, of SharpGroup - Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Professional Realty!
Tickets are $12.50 each!

THU, MAY 29 | 7:30

Exhibition On Screen: MICHELANGELO LOVE AND DEATH

TICKETS ARE MOVING QUICKLY! Our third and final Exhibition On Screen event for this 2024/2025 season, in partnership with our friends from Dayton Art Institute, is MICHELANGELO: LOVE AND DEATH. "The spectacular sculptures and paintings of Michelangelo seem so familiar to us, but what do we really know about this renaissance genius? Who was this ambitious and passionate man? Michelangelo’s genius is evident in everything he touched. Beautiful and diverse works such as the towering statue of David, the moving Pietà in the Papal Basilica of St. Peter and his tour-de-force, the Sistine Chapel ceiling, still leave us breathless today...Sculptor, painter, architect, poet, genius - discover why Michelangelo is without a doubt one of the greatest artists of all time."

Dayton Art Institute members get FREE popcorn when they show their membership cards at this screening.

SUN, JUNE 1 | 5:00

Cult Movie Night
BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER

Victor Bonacore's Cult Movie Night returns - this time celebrating Pride Month with this Queer cult classic comedy celebrating its 25th anniversary.  "Starring indie darlings Natasha Lyonne (Orange is the New Black) ) and Clea Duval (The Faculty, Girl Interrupted).  Also featuring Ru Paul and Cathy Moriarity.  Lyonne plays Megan, a typical American girl who loved school, cheerleading and girls. Her parents suspect that she’s gay, and decide to send her to a boot camp intended to alter her sexual orientation...
The feature length directorial debut of Jamie Babbit deals with themes of sexuality, gender and social conformity and provides a  positive representation of LGBTQ community by casting a diverse range of characters.
And before the film will be an exclusive, sneak peak at the new Ohio made film MEAT - described as 'A violently queer new vision of fear!'
Plus trailers & More! 

THU, JUNE 5 | 7:30

The 25th Annual DAYTON JEWISH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

The Dayton Jewish International Film Fest is heading into its 25th year, and this year's line-up is looking very strong - with powerful documentaries, strong narratives and a collection of shorts.

Though Opening Night will happen at The Roger Glass Center for the Arts at U.D. (on June 5), nine other screenings will take place at THE NEON - starting on June 10.

To learn more about this year's selections and to purchase tickets, visit the "Official Site" link below.

THE FAMILY SUMMER FILM FESTIVAL

We're delighted to announce that we're able to once again offer FREE programming for kids and their families this summer. For six weeks starting on Saturday, June 14 at 11am, join us for screenings of PBS Kids favorites with free books and activities after each screening on our patio.

To get a better understanding of each week's programming, click on the button below to visit the line-up on our website.

Many thanks to our partners ThinkTV & Dayton Metro Library as well as our sponsors - Dyer, Garofalo, Mann & Schultz and FLOC - For Love of Children!

Thank you for all of your support,
Jonathan

WEDNESDAY, MAY 14 – THURSDAY, MAY 22:

SINNERS (R) 2 Hrs 17 Min
Wed & Thur (May 14 & 15): 3:30, 7:10
Friday (May 16): 1:00, 4:00, 7:10
Saturday (May 17): 12:30, 4:00, 7:10
Sunday (May 18): 1:00, 4:00, 7:10
Monday-Thursday (May 19-22): 3:30, 7:10

SECRET MALL APARTMENT (NR) 1 Hr 31 Min
Wednesday (May 14): 3:00, 5:10, 7:30
Thursday (May 15): 3:00, 5:10
Friday (May 16): 3:00
Saturday (May 17): 3:15
Sunday (May 18): 2:50
Monday (May 19): No Screening
Tues-Thu (May 20-22): 5:10

DBWFF Opening Night – SEEDS (NR) 2 Hrs+
Film Screening - Thursday (May 15): 7:30
DBWFF Bruch + SHORTS PROGRAM (NR) 2 Hrs 30 Min +
Saturday (May 17): Noon (Brunch Starts At 10:00)
DBWFF AWARDS + LOVE & BASKETBALL (NR) 3 Hrs +
Sunday (May 18): 5:00

THE WEDDING BANQUET (R) 1 Hr 43 Min
Friday (May 16): 12:45, 5:10, 7:30
Saturday (May 17): 5:10, 7:30
Sunday (May 18): 12:30
Monday (May 19): 2:50, 5:10
Tues & Wed (May 20 & 21): 2:50, 7:30
Thursday (May 22): 2:50

CHEECH & CHONG’S LAST MOVIE (R) 2 Hrs
Monday (May 19): 7:30

FRIENDSHIP (R) 1 Hr 40 Min
Thursday (May 22): 7:30