Dayton937

Things to do in Dayton | Restaurants, Theatre, Music and More

Archives for April 2011

Where Am I? April 4, 2011

By 1 Comment

Here is the forth installment in our new Where Am I? contest – if you know where the following picture was taken, simply fill out the form below with the correct answer and you’ll be entered to win a $25 gift certificate to The Wine Loft at The Greene.  Next Monday – a new picture and another chance to win!  Last week’s picture was the Pirate ship at the West Carrollton High School athletic field. – congratulations to Jim Moser who won our third gift certificate.  For those who didn’t win or didn’t get a chance to play, here is your chance for this week.  Just fill out the form below with the correct answer to be entered to win.

(thanks to Teri Lussier for creating these weekly installments)

This week’s hint: “Never again.”

This "Where Am I" series sponsored by The Wine Loft

Error: Contact form not found.

TINY FURNITURE + 2 New Films Next Week! LIMITED ENGAGEMENTS!!

By Leave a Comment

Hello Everyone.

In addition to holding onto I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS and CEDAR RAPIDS, we will open a film festival darling called TINY FURNITURE.  Visit www.neonmovies.com for the current showtimes.

Synopsis for TINY FURNITURE (I love this synopsis): “22-year-old Aura returns home to her artist mother’s TriBeCa loft with the following: a useless film theory degree, 357 hits on her Youtube page, a boyfriend who’s left her to find himself at Burning Man, a dying hamster, and her tail between her legs. Luckily, her trainwreck childhood best friend never left home, the restaurant down the block is hiring, and ill-advised romantic possibilities lurk around every corner. Surrounded on all sides by what she could become, Aura just wants someone to tell her who she is.”   OFFICIAL SITE

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

I’m so excited to announce that we will open 2 new films next week (April 8th)…but they will only play for one week. One is the crowd-pleasing film THE CONCERT (see trailer). The other is another film from my “Top 5” from last year’s Toronto Film Fest – HEARTBEATS – which is the 2nd, full-of-style feature from my newest, favorite director – Xavier Dolan. Mark your calendars. We’re one of only a handful of cinemas in the MidWest play the film!! These films will only play for one week!
HEARTBEATS Trailer!

THE 11th DAYTON JEWISH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL is underway. To see a list of titles, screening venues, showtimes and ticket details, visit the official site.
Here are the films that will screen at THE NEON:
Sunday, April 3 at 3:00 – WHERE I STAND: THE HANK GREENSPUN STORY
Sunday, April 3 at 7:10 – NORA’S WILL
Wednesday, April 6 at 7:10 – A MATTER OF SIZE
Thursday, April 7 at 7:10 – JEWS & BASEBALL: AN AMERICAN LOVE STORY

NORTH DIXIE DRIVE tickets are completely SOLD OUT!  I’ll keep you posted if we’re able to add additional screenings.  “NORTH DIXIE DRIVE is the portrait of a small community of businesses and people residing in the Northridge section of Dayton, OH. It is the story of big time wrestlers, mechanics, a donut salesmen, an eccentric country singer, barbers, exotic dancers and car repo men. This collection of people, from all walks of life, live and work around a traffic circle situated along highway I-75, and fight to keep their lives and careers afloat in a failing economy. This debut film by Brooklyn, NY filmmaker Eric Mahoney showcases an off beat group of characters in today’s Middle America.” (taken from website)

On Tuesday, April 5, Andrew – one of our employees – will premiere his latest work. “ONE SUMMER HERE is an independent short film by local filmmakers and Wright State Motion-Pictures alumni Andrew Fiscus (writer, director) and Cole Pisano (director of photography) that will be holding its world premiere screening on Tuesday, April 5th at 9:30PM. It’s a sweltering Ohio summer, and Emma and Dan are growing up. They’re eighteen, hovering somewhere between child and adult. Emma is dreaming of leaving, and Dan is dreaming of her. All the nuance of growing up and the confusion and impetus to be something new, something more than yourself, is explored in the dreamy ONE SUMMER HERE. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged to help offset the high cost of film festival submissions. You can view the trailer for the film by visiting this link . Find out more about the film by joining the facebook fan page.”

PUNCHING THE CLOWN will have one special screening on Wednesday, April 13 at 7:30…and Henry Phillips will be in attendance for a Q&A after the screening. “Winner of the Audience Award at the Slamdance Film Festival, this uproarious and smart new comedy tells the story of Henry Phillips, a hapless modern day troubadour who grinds his way through the heartland, living out of his car and singing his twisted satirical songs to anyone who will listen. After a booking mishap involving a Christian fundraiser, he decides he’s hit rock bottom. Seeking to shake things up, he moves to L.A. where his luck changes overnight. Thanks less to his inept manager than to a wild case of mistaken identity, he falls backwards into a string of packed gigs, a record deal and even the promise of love. But he who lives by the whimsy of show business dies by it, and reality hits him like a fist in the face: an innocent miscommunication over a bagel brands him a neo-Nazi in the world of tabloid journalism…Hailed by comedy icon Sarah Silverman as ‘the best movie about comedy I’ve seen so far,’ this hilarious and evocative film is ‘totally primed for a fervent cult following.'” (taken from press notes) General admission will apply, and tickets will be available one week prior to the event.

Gar Drolma Buddhist Center will host an event at THE NEON on Saturday, April 16th. “Imagine if every thought, word, and action was only…FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL BEINGS – A film by Christina Lundberg, producer of Mystic Tibet, Discovering Buddhism, and On the Road Home. Tickets for the first screening have already sold out…so a 2nd screening has been added for 5:15.
Garchen Rinpoche’s life presents tragic events from the light of transcendent experience. After the Chinese invasion of Tibet, Rinpoche joined the Tibetan resistance fighters and was subsequently imprisoned for more than 20 years, enduring horrifying conditions. He practiced the Buddha’s teachings in secret and emerged a Realized Being; then risked his life to preserve the living tradition of the path to enlightenment… On Saturday, April 16th at 3:00 pm Gar Drolma will host a benefit screening of this magnificent film with Garchen Rinpoche in the audience. Garchen Rinpoche and Christina Lundberg, filmmaker, will speak following the screening of the movie. (Garchen Rinpoche will not attend the 5:15 screening.)
When you purchase your tickets online, you will see price levels of $10, $20, $30, $40, $50 and $108…all seating will be general admission. The tiered prices are offered to you as a convenient way to donate to the making of the film…Any amount above $10 is a tax deductible donation. ” (taken from press release)

See you soon!

Take care,
Jonathan

SHOWTIMES for April 1 – April 7:

CEDAR RAPIDS (R)
Fri & Sat: 3:00, 7:30
Sun: 5:15 PM
Mon – Thu: 3:00, 7:30

I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS (R)
Fri & Sat: 5:10, 9:40
Sun: 9:40 PM
Mon – Thu: 5:10, 9:40

TINY FURNITURE (NR)
Fri – Sun: 12:45, 2:50, 5:00, 7:20, 9:30
Mon: 2:50, 5:00, 7:20, 9:30
Tue: 2:50, 5:00, 7:20
Wed & Thu: 2:50, 5:00, 9:40

NORTH DIXIE DRIVE (NR) 52 Min
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 1:00

ONE SUMMER HERE (NR) 20+ minutes
Tuesday: 9:30

DAYTON JEWISH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Sunday: 3:00 – WHERE I STAND
Sunday: 7:10 – NORA’S WILL
Wednesday: 7:10 – A MATTER OF SIZE
Thursday: 7:10 – JEWS & BASEBALL

COMING SOON:
As always, all dates are tentative. Some of these dates will change.
In some cases, titles may disappear.
April 8 HEARTBEATS
April 8 THE CONCERT
April 15 WIN WIN
April 15 JANE EYRE
April 29 OF GODS AND MEN
May 6 WINTER IN WARTIME
May 13 THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD
May 20 IN A BETTER WORLD
June 3 BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK
July 1 TREE OF LIFE
TBD POTICHE
TBD CERTIFIED COPY

Highly Favored While Hated

By Leave a Comment

Playhouse South staged Dayton’s first community theater presentation of Jonathan Larson’s “Rent” last season, but currently embraces more traditional tastes with its production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” a breezily sung-through Biblical opus which opened Friday, March 25 in the Clark Haines Theatre of the Kettering Board of Education Building.

Brett Norgaard supplies sincere innocence, sensitivity and understatement as the titular prophetic boy wonder colorfully cloaked by his adoring father Jacob (Richard Young) and absolutely despised by his jealous brothers. Norgaard’s shy timidity and underdog persona serves him well as Joseph’s topsy-turvy journey from slavery to imprisonment to prominence inherently stirs emotions that pull the audience in, particularly during the poignant “Close Every Door,” one of Lloyd Webber’s finest ballads. He is also winningly partnered with Emily L. Fultz, whose lovely soprano and comedic sensibility warmly resonates while guiding the action as the Narrator.

Additionally, Webber and Rice’s tuneful score, incorporating calypso, country and western, rock and roll, and a Parisian and jazz-tinged waltz, is enjoyably upheld by the committed featured players. Brian Kester (Reuben) and Jim Brown (the Elvis-esque Pharaoh) are noteworthy for their respectively entertaining renditions of “One More Angel in Heaven” and “Song of the King.” The male ensemble also includes Rob Breving (Simeon), Tim Kushmaul (Levi), Kurt Cypher (Napthali), Daniel Sherrell (Asher), Jamal Cann (Dan), Bobby Gray (Zebulon), Jim Spencer (Gad and Potiphar), Jordan Gray (Benjamin) and Charlie Williford (Judah). The female ensemble is humorously led by Angie Thacker (Mrs. Potiphar), Cheryl Kayser (Butler) and Sande Scott (Baker) and also consists of Ashley Davis, Sherry Fox, Pauline Humbert, Jordan Norgaard, Livi Poghen, Katlyn Tilt and Mackensie Vonderbrink. The cute Children’s Chorus, who specifically heighten the lilting beauty of “Any Dream Will Do,” features Samantha Auditore, Zach Auman, Alli Brown, Emily Cypher, Raine Dedominci, Emily Imhoff, Gabrielle Kovachich, Nicholas Plummer and Jackson Smith.

Further, director Jennifer Skudlarek creates a sufficient sense of community while ensuring the larger musical numbers – such as “Joseph’s Coat,” “Go, Go, Go Joseph” and the hoedown reprise of the aforementioned “One More Angel in Heaven” – are delivered with energy. Music director Lorri B. Topping steadily leads the on stage orchestra.

This “Joseph” lacks the pizzazz of previous mountings of the show in our area over the years, but is certainly another artistic step in the right direction for Playhouse South.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat will continue through April 9 in the Clark Haines Theatre of the Kettering Board of Education Building, 3700 Far Hills Ave., Kettering. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Act One: 42 minutes; Act Two: 40 minutes. For tickets or more information, call (888) 262-3792 or visit www.playhousesouth.org. In related news, Playhouse South’s 2011 season also consists of A Piece of My Heart (May 13-21), Into the Woods (Aug. 12-21), Fame: The Musical (Nov. 4-19) and In the Spotlight-2011 (Dec. 9-10).

A Window of Opportunity To Change Lives

By 1 Comment

This coming Monday April 4,  Linda Vista, Inc. is hosting its 2011 Window of Opportunity Luncheon at 12:00 noon at the Holiday Inn, 2800 Presidential Drive.  The Mistress of Ceremonies will be local television personality Marsha Bonhart. Featured speakers include the Honorable Barbara Gorman of Montgomery County Common Pleas Court and Amos Otis, President of SoBran.

The luncheon is the first fund raiser for Linda Vista. Funds raised will be used to support the organization’s efforts to transition homeless women and their children to permanent housing.

“Linda Vista provides housing and a high quality program that teaches self-sufficiency to homeless women ready for change. Linda Vista provides the women with a clear vision to the future for themselves and their children,” says Carmen Gooden, founder and executive director of Linda Vista. More than a way to raise dollars, this event seeks to enlighten a broader spectrum of the community about the staggering number of homeless women and children in need of housing and support services how Linda Vista is working to meet that need.

Since opening its doors in 2006, the Linda Vista has become a recognized provider of homeless services by the City of Dayton and Montgomery County homeless solutions program. For twenty-four months, residents participate in life skills sessions, job readiness training, parenting classes and personal development workshops. The children are enrolled in an on-site after school program and on the weekends and during school breaks, participate in cultural, sports and arts activities.

Nearly two hundred (200) women and their children have been referred to Linda Vista for housing and services from 2006 – 2010. Over the last three years, Linda Vista has maintained a 80% success rate for a positive exit (clients exit to permanent housing) and has maintained 100% capacity since 2009.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXiDhqoXSy0 ‘]

Carmen and her staff seek to inspire the community to take a step forward to provide a caring and loving facility for women where they can regain and perpetuate their self-dignity in a challenging world. It is their firm belief that it “takes a community to heal a community.”

As one of the graduates of the program stated, “Life is a journey, but we are not defeated anymore.”   Strong, meaningful words, from a person that has a new life, a successful life thanks to Linda Vista.

Open a window of opportunity for a deserving family by attending this event. Tickets can be purchased for $35.00 by calling 277-9663 or 397-6537.

Friday Night Lites

By 1 Comment

Mexican VacationSummer is right around the corner, and we all know what that means. Warm weather, going out and having a good time, pool parties with friends…and of course, vacations! Which also means now is the time that we are revisiting those New Year’s Eve resolutions (maybe renewing them for Lent?) to eat better and start working out a little more. So there goes all the little pleasures; bread, desserts, and of course, drinks. Everyone knows that you have to cut out alcohol if you want to lose weight and live healthier, right?

While there are pros and cons to alcohol consumption from a general health standpoint, we want to look good in a bathing suit at the moment. Right now, let’s just stick to the info that matters: calories and carbohydrates. The calories in alcohol are, for the most part, empty. You do not get an energy boost from them, and they do not really fill you up. But, calories are calories, and they all count to your caloric intake for the day. As far as carbohydrates go, not all liquors contain them. Beer, liqueurs, and wines are the major culprits when it comes to carbohydrates, so they are avoidable during a night on the town. But without the carbohydrates (which at least provide a little actual energy), that makes the calories even emptier.

All of that sounds like bad news. Until we start looking closer at what you are drinking. Let’s start with the best bang for your caloric buck, wine. The breadth of wines you can go out and find is amazing, containing a wide variety of flavor profiles; everything from deep and peppery to light and fruity. At a standard serving of 5 oz., red and white wines contain a scant 120 calories. Just stay out of the reach of dessert wines, which will hit you in the gut with 200 calories for the same serving.  The only, very slight drawback to wine could be the fact that every serving has a carb or two.  Literally, they carry one or two grams of carbohydrates per glass.

If you are hitting the Atkins or any other low-carb sort of diet, start turning your gaze towards the hard liquors like rum, whiskey, vodka, and gin. All of these drinks contain zero carbohydrates. They do carry a higher calorie count than wine does, handing out about 100 calories per standard (1.5 oz.) shot. And if you are not a straight liquor drinker, you can add soda water, water or diet soda to reduce the impact on your taste buds without putting additional stress on your belt. If that does still not taste right, add a splash of fruit juice. Lemon or lime juice will add more flavor than anything else to the mix and you can pull in the heavy hitters like orange juice or cranberry juice if needed. Remember, just a splash to get the flavor in.

Beer is next in the hierarchy of what to drink while you are watching your weight. You can find quite a few light beers to sip in any bar or restaurant you go to. You can start at 55 calorie, 1.9 g. of carbs Bud Select 55, and get all the way to Sam Adams Light with 119 calories and 9.6 g. of carbs if you want to stay on the lighter side of the beer world. By and large, the average light beer is going to have about 100 calories and 5 g. of carbohydrates per 12 oz. bottle. You are drinking much more by volume than you are with wines and liquor, which is also a benefit if you are looking for something to just sip most of the night.

Stay as far away as you can from liqueurs. Shun them at all costs. Liqueur examples are Godiva Chocolate, DeKuyper Peachtree Schnapps, and Jaegermeister. While their calorie range varies from 70 to 130, their carbohydrate count is crazy, with most stuffing in about 10 g. of carbs. And that is in a 1.5 oz. serving. What they add to most of your drinks (outside extra minutes on the treadmill) is flavor. And while a chocolate martini or Mai Tai sound absolutely lovely, the respective 438 and 350 calories they add to your evening may not strike the right chord with your exercise regiment. A chocolate martini, from a calorie standpoint, is roughly equivalent to eating four Godiva dark chocolate truffles, or one McDonald’s double cheeseburger.

So what is a party animal to do? Here are a few tips to drink smarter while trying to shed some lbs.:

1. Have a glass of water/diet soda between each cocktail.Classic Margarita
Not only will this help reduce how quickly you are drinking (and thus taking in more fuel to burn), it will also mitigate the hangover you will have the next day. Working out with a severe headache and slight nausea is not a good time, and if you do, it is going to be a poor work out. Just trust me on this one.

2. Drink simple cocktails. If you are a fan of the Skinny Girl Margarita, it has around 100 calories in it. Why? It has only silver tequila, a splash of orange liqueur, and lime juice. It is just over 2 oz. in the glass, but has the punch of the standard 8 oz. margarita with about one third of the calories. Most of the modern cocktails we enjoy are huge (compared to most classic cocktails), so there is much more filler. The filler is where you are getting the calories. You can also order many cocktails short, which will give you less mixer. Cut down the filler, cut down the calories.  If you want more options for skinny drinks, there are quite a few here.

3. Make a drinking plan for the night, and stick to it. You have a work out regiment. When you make dinner, you know what you are going to make. When you go out for the evening, budget how many cocktails you will be having. That way you know how many calories you will be taking in and can plan some of your other activities around it.

Alcohol and dieting do not need to be mutually exclusive. You can still have some drinks with your friends while getting ready for summer. If you are looking in the area, check out Fleming’s at The Greene, who has a “5 for $6 at 7” bar menu that includes a few 100 calorie drinks. On Monday nights, Therapy Café offers a range of skinny cocktails. They are limited now to Mondays, but if demand goes up, who knows what they will do. If you know of any others, feel free to share them in the comments section below. See you on the beach!