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

Archives for October 2011

Yuengling Comes To Dayton Bars First, Stores Later

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Many Dayton beer lovers have had Oct 31st circled on their calendar as the day Yuengling debuts in Dayton.  The billboards and bus signs have been hyping the arrival for months.  And for draught lovers, many local bars and restaurants will be  treating folks to a glass of beer on Mon, Oct 31st.  But there is a trick to the debut as well, according to Kathryn Oakes, Director of Marketing for Heidelberg Distributing, the demand has been far bigger than we expected.  We’ll have enough kegs on hand to service our market, but the retail packages will be delayed until Nov. 14th.”

“I thought that this launch was going to make history for Yuengling and set the standard for future state launches, and Ohioans are going to make that happen,” said Patrick Noone, the brewery business development manager overseeing the move into Ohio. “It’s crazy. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

The family-owned brewery, which promotes itself as “America’s Oldest Brewery,” is based in Pottsville, Pa. Despite being in a neighboring state, Yuengling had never sold its brands in Ohio, blaming the reason on a lack of production.

Yuengling recently expanded one of its breweries to make the push into Ohio.

The beer has a major cult-like following, and there are plenty of stories about Ohioans making special trips to Pennsylvania to stock up. Its arrival has elicited comparisons to Coors, which for years wasn’t sold on the East Coast.

Rob VanMetre, the local Yuengling brand manager, shared with us that the Lager, Light Lager and Black & Tan ( a mixture of Yuengling Premium Beer and Dark-Brewed Porter) will be available at the roll out.  Other Yuengling brands, such as Porter and Lord Chesterfield Ale, are expected to arrive sometime next year.

He goes on share that “Yuengling is a fantastic beer with a great following and moving the release date back for retail and convenience stores is really so we can service all our customers and be fair.”

Many local bars will be opening early to host special tasting parties.  The Dublin Pub is opening at 5:30am to our $3 pints to Yuengling fans. Stop in for kegs and eggs and get a great start to your week!  Archer’s Tavern in Centerville will open up at 6am and TJ Chumps is promoting $2.50 22oz Yuenglings the entire month of November.

If you know of other special events, feel free to add them in the comments below.

And then two weeks later look for the stores to roll out a round of welcome parties. Cheers!

“

Music Video Monday: October 24, 2011

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In the words of a classic film minus a classic killer, “8 more days til Halloween, Halloween, Halloween…”  Okay, so we’re actually a bit farther a long than that.  So it’s a perfect time to share a fantastic music video by local musician and filmmaker Henrique Couto.  It’s a new twist on the classic tune, Monster Mash and features Couto alongside Moriah Yux (Jasper the Colossal), Jay Madewell (Fab Gear) and a host of friends and ghouls.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewbvvGF0jT4′]

Fast Food With A Healthier Twist!

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Agnes All Natural GrillFresh, healthy, delicious… fast? Oh yes! Innovative fast food meets wholesome and affordable Caribbean dishes at Agnes All Natural Grill, located on 1438 North Keowee Street. In a world where cheap food is typically not nutritious and nutritious food is not cheap, Nicole and Jose Estremera opened Dayton’s first all natural fast food grill in a upbeat challenge to the old rules of fast-food. Agnes All Natural Grill revamps the old idea of drive-throughs and walk-ups and brings people speedy, wallet-friendly dishes with a much healthier twist. Customers seeking a bit of zesty Caribbean kick in their diet can find solace in the Agnes’s colorful menu as vibrant as the bright orange and avocado-green of the restaurant’s walls.

I spoke with Mrs. Estremera about the grill and she enthusiastically stated, “We’re really excited to provide natural selection for every day customers. We’re always striving to make our food even better and are very open to suggestions from customers. We want them to enjoy our food and leave happy and feeling good”. At their restaurant, every dish is cooked in all natural Caribbean seasons, priced under $10, and of course, made to order. Not to mention that Agnes’s never uses pork products processed foods, high fructose syrup, MSG, or trans fat in any of their menu items.  The grill also only uses grain and grass fed natural meats and all natural seasonings in their meals in an effort to provide the most wholesome fast-food dining experience possible.

The happily healthy menu offers options like Caribbean jerk chicken wings, grilled turkey wraps, hand-cut sweet potato fries, and veggie burgers, as well as “Special of the Moment” daily and weekly specials. The current specials at Agnes’s include Curry Chicken, Stew Beef, Ox Tails, and Curry Goat, just to name a few. Mrs. Estremera noted the beef patty and cocoa bread as one of the most popular and most delicious combinations. She describes the cocoa bread as a “Texas-toast type of bread, very soft and kind of sweet, with a pocket in the middle”. Mrs. Estremera elaborated to say that when the beef patty, a Caribbean golden pastry turnover filled with beef, is paired with the special cocoa bread, it makes a sandwich that is simply, “really, really good!”

The Estremeras stand by their motto to “Eat Right and Live Life Longer” and every customer of Agnes All-Natural Grill is sure to be convinced of the fresh and flavorful menu. The grill serves drive-through, walk-ups and call-ins, preparing each menu item within seconds after the order is placed. The Estremeras recommend calling in for pick-up orders  (368-8787) to get a hot and delicious meal without the wait. The grill is located at 1438 N. Keowee Street and is open every day of the week, Mondays through Thursdays form 11 AM until 9 PM, Fridays from 11 AM until 7 PM, Saturdays from 6 PM until midnight and Sundays from noon until 7 PM.  To be added to the email list to receive updates on weekly specials send an email to [email protected].

Film Review – The Way (D)

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Synopsis:

Tom (Martin Sheen) is an American doctor who travels to France following the death of his adult son, Daniel (Emilio Estevez), killed in the Pyrenees during a storm while trekking The Camino de Santiago, also known as The Way of St. James. Tom’s initial purpose is to retrieve his son’s body. However, a combination of grief and homage to his son inspires Tom to journey on this path of pilgrims. While walking The Camino, Tom befriends others from around the world (Yorick Van Wageningen, Deborah Kara Unger, and James Nesbitt) who are also broken and looking for greater meaning in their lives.

Review:

The potentially appealing idea of real-life father & son, Martin Sheen & Emilio Estevez sharing the screen together is undermined by a wealth of trite, new age-y theatrics in this well-intentioned, yet misconceived drama directed by Emilio Estevez. Estevez’s follow-up to the equally dramatically inert 2006’s Bobby follows every trope of the road movie genre as well as the “man without faith learning to believe” subgenre.

Martin Sheen stars as Tom, an ophthalmologist of conservative beliefs whose estranged son Dan played by Emilio Estevez, has been killed while travelling the Camino de Santiago pilgrim route. Sheen gives the role his all, but proves to be no match for the overbearing schmaltz operating throughout the film. However, he does manage to register brief moments of genuine pathos to the character mainly in moments that utilize silence to convey his grief rather than the false sentiments that permeate the majority of the film. An early scene in which Tom visits his deceased son’s body in the morgue makes effective use of sparse dialogue interspersed with cross cutting to Estevez’s character, Daniel on the verge of meeting his tragic end. Tcheky Karyo, far too briefly appears as a French police captain in the aforementioned scene managing to be the sole actor capable of adequately delivering Estevez’s clumsily written lines with his dignity intact. The level of fluidity and competency displayed in Estevez’s direction all but disappears after this scene.

The remainder of The Way devolves at a rapid pace into a slog of walking montages, each one more laborious than the last, occasionally interrupted with scenes of recycled fish out of water humor of the “Oh that silly American” variety & trite philosophizing. Any undercurrents of honesty from the characters are undercut by direction that is at times awkwardly stilted and uneven. Hallmark card worthy pearls of wisdom such as (“You don’t choose a life; you live one”) are frequently dispensed out of our lead characters. The none too subtle homage to the Wizard of Oz (the emotionally hardened feminist-The Tin Man, the self-consciously overweight Dutchman-Cowardly Lion, and the intrusive writer-The Scarecrow) do nothing more than further illustrate how many more complexities those fantastical characters have compared to these flesh and blood characters.

The utter lack of substance offered to the relationship between Sheen and Estevez’s characters is the most disappointing aspect of this drama. Limited to brief flashbacks serving the purpose of delivering lazy exposition are the only moments we share with these two characters. The lone reason the viewer is given to invest in Tom’s plight is that he’s Daniel’s father therefore we as the viewer should automatically feel his pain. The overused motif of Tom seeing the ghost of Daniel offers zero dramatic impact as Daniel’s ghost remains silent at his every appearance. One verbal exchange between these two characters delving into the intricacies of their relationship would’ve made all the difference yet Daniel remains a silent cipher providing all of the dramatic value of a Where’s Waldo picture. The overbearingly precious and sentimental score by Tyler Bates accompanied by hilariously on the nose song cues from artists such as The Shins, Death Cab for Cutie, & Alanis Morissette do an additional disservice in providing any sliver of subtlety.

Fulfilling the role of Tom’s fellow travelers, only Deborah Kara Unger gets any substantive material to work with. However, her role is mired with an abundance of self consciously hardened women dialogue. By the time Unger and Sheen have a heart to heart discussing the abortion of her unborn daughter, eye rolling seemed to be the only viable option to respond to such an obvious tactic to tug at the heartstrings.Van Wageningen and Nesbitt fare even worse, registering as nothing more than broad strokes than fully realized characters with the former being an overweight hash smoker who learns he shouldn’t eat so much and the latter overcoming his writer’s block. The sights of stunning French country sides and cathedrals end up garnering more of dramatic response than the enlightenment any of these characters reach at the end of their journey.

On a positive note, every 30 minutes or so a joke connected eliciting a minor chuckle and Deborah Kara Unger continues to possess an alluring screen presence as she transitions from sex-pot femme fatale roles in films such as David Cronenberg’s Crash and David Fincher’s The Game into more demure roles. Despite Estevez sincerely wearing his heart on his sleeve through every frame of The Way, the film ultimately adds up to nothing more than a ham fisted Lifetime Movie of the Week.

The Way is currently being screening around the country in a grass roots campaign organized by Estevez and will be screening at The Neon beginning Oct. 21st, 2011.

[yframe url=’http://youtu.be/o5VZKWcgw6c’]

By the numbers: A Dayton real estate market report

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Today we look at some Dayton real estate market stats. Both buyers and sellers need to know what is going on in the market, so let’s see the numbers.

I pulled the numbers on a very specific area- Hills and Dales in Kettering. The Dayton Area Board of Realtors defines this area as generally north of Dorothy Lane, east of S. Dixie Hwy, south of Schantz, and to the west of Hills and Dales Park. I chose this area because it’s got a little bit of everything as far as housing stock goes- vintage, newer, custom-built, affordable, starter homes, move-up homes, upscale homes, it’s all represented here. Plus it’s an area that most people reading this will be at least somewhat familiar with, also, this neighborhood would have been affected by the economic issues Dayton has dealt with over the past 6 years including both GM and NCR pulling out of Dayton so we can see how the real estate market responded.

This is a year over year Market Report for Hills and Dales. I’ve searched for single family homes only, no condos, land, or multi-family homes. We are looking at the averages here- just a big picture snapshot. DOM= Days On Market. I went back to 2006 which is generally considered the peak of the real estate market. One other thing, I only searched for sales from Jan. to Oct. for each year So let’s take a look.

Year # Sold Avg List Price Avg Sale Price % List/Sale Price Avg DOM
2011 YTD 27 $123,296 $118,885 96% 111
2010 41 $111,926 $106,037 94% 95
2009 29 $115,112 $109,359 95% 156
2008 24 $99,877 $97,116 97% 124
2007 37 $132,130 $126,854 96% 107
2006 50 $138,440 $134,051 96% 123

Pretty much what you expected? This Buyer’s Market you keep hearing about has a lot to do with the interest rates on loans, which are at historic lows. Home prices for many areas are coming back, and loans themselves are more difficult to qualify for. Buyers are still paying about 96% of asking price- that’s remained fairly consistent, and all those great deals you might hear about? They often sell within days of being listed and with multiple offers which drive up the price.

If you are selling your home, things are looking up, although whether or not home prices return to 2006 levels is anybody’s guess. But still, a well-prepared and well-priced home will sell and seller financing is still a good way to take advantage of the current market and get a better price than a sale with lender financing.

Finally, I can’t say this often enough- real estate is local. This one small area of Dayton and your neighborhood is going to have unique challenges and opportunities, so get informed before you make a decision about how to make the most of the current real estate market.

Slasher: A Horrifying Comedy

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“Slasher: A Horrifying Comedy” (presented by University of Dayton Theatre Program at UD’s Boll Theatre) began with a young woman delivering the usual request to silence our electronic devices and refrain from eating in the theater, with an added warning for those in the front seat: they had unwittingly chosen the “splash zone,” and were advised to move back to avoid the spattering of stage blood.

Despite this, the blood kept very nicely on the stage for the preview (maybe a little too nicely, based on the introduction).  A play about the makings of a horror film, or rather the familial controversy behind it, “Slasher” certainly has its moments reminiscent of typical horror movies (most notably the meat hook). However, unlike most horror films, these people can actually act. The character portrayal is what really made this play, and there were some phenomenal scenes that showcased the talent of the students. An easy example is Kiersten Manifold, who plays no less than nine different characters throughout the show, ranging from the Mormon at the door to the skating waitress at Sonic. Another notable example is the interaction between the director of the film, Marc Hunter, and the lead, Sheena McKinney (played by Patrick Lillis and Julia Puscas), is nothing short of astounding. The sexual tension that develops from them is both awkward and chilling as we move throughout the play, especially during the last scene. Hannah Blosser made a stellar debut as an actress, playing the role of Frances McKinney (Sheena’s lazy, feminist, and deranged mother). The supporting roles of Jody and Hildy, played by Jonathan Golab and Jenna Gomes, gave the play a certain charm and realism. Director of the production, Linda Dunlevy, said that this show required intelligent acting, and that she was grateful to have such people to work with. Linda has been with the University of Dayton for the past 18 years, and is also involved with the Human Race Theater Company and the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, which are both local organizations.

I was privileged to be a part of the set construction team. Remember when I said the play began with “turn off your cell phones”? I lied. In reality, the play began with auditions on Monday, August 29th. From there, hundreds of hours were spent not only practicing lines, but also designing and building the set, selecting costumes and props, and organizing lighting and sound. The special effects proved to be most difficult. That blood I mentioned? Donna Beran and her team tried about every recipe they could find to figure out which ones to use. Not to mention Kiersten’s constant costume changes. Due to the cinematic nature of the play, the scene changes themselves needed to be quick and fluid. This ruled out a number of set designs, according to Darrell Anderson. Ed Larkin, stage manager, noted that he was pleased with how the lighting turned out, despite all the issues with organization. Because I was completely unfamiliar with the play until I saw it, I have to say seeing how the different sets were used for each scene was rewarding.

The play itself is short, clever, funny, and very well done. However, due to the adult nature of the play, I would suggest a babysitter.

Show times are the 21st and 22nd at 8pm, the 23rd at 7pm, and the 27th, 28th, and 29th at 8pm. Location is the University of Dayton’s Boll Theater in J.F. Kennedy Union. For tickets and information, call the KU box office at 229-2545.

Turkish Delights Return to the Stage with South Park Tavern Show

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We haven’t heard much from the Turkish Delights since early this spring, but we’re very happy to report that the band is back in action with a show on Saturday at South Park Tavern.  The Turkish Delights will perform with the Smug Brothers, who are putting the final touching on their forthcoming EP, Treasure Virgins.  Cincinnati’s Minor Leagues will round out a great evening of music.  The music starts around 9pm, and this show, like most every show at South Park Tavern, is all ages.


Food Adventures Heads South of Dayton to Kyojin Sushi Buffet

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The Raw Sushi Buffet Bar – click to enlarge

Sushi, one of your Food Adventurer’s favorite foods.  Let’s get this straight up front, not all sushi is raw.  There are many types of cooked sushi that involve shrimp and crab for example.  But, we crave it all, specialty rolls, sashimi, hand rolls, nigiri, you name it.   So you can imagine our delight the first time we heard about a sushi buffet south of Dayton off of I-71 near Cincinnati.  We know, this is DaytonMostMetro.com, but once in very blue moon, we spread our wings and have to tell our fellow foodies about a special place outside the Dayton area.  This is one of those times.

The place is called Kyojin and it is a truly unique place.  They have sushi, lots of it, probably 40 different kinds of rolls on their buffet, and for dinner they add more items including sashimi, raw scallop, flying fish roe, and giant clam sushi.  Please check out our picture album below and you will see the vast variety of items.  When we first tried this restaurant, we ate so much, we had to go directly to IKEA to walk it off.  So here is a tip, if you go .. pace yourself!

The Dinner Buffet Includes Seared Ahi Tuna, and Tuna Sashimi

The restaurant is setup with 5 buffet bars and a dessert cabinet and ice cream freezer.  The 5 buffet bars are a sushi roll bar, a raw sushi bar, a Chinese food bar, a shrimp/mussel appetizer bar and a salad/fruit bar.  There is even an area for edamame(soybeans), tofu, and a wasabi and ginger area.  In the evenings, the dinner menu includes a hibachi option as well as skewered duck, squid and shrimp offerings on the side hibachi area.  We also love the steamed mussels and peel and eat shrimp available,and we have never seen a raw calamari nigiri offered anywhere else.  Other items of interest include raw calamari rolls, and the dinner treats of flying fish roe, raw scallop rolls and seared ahi tuna sashimi.

Kyojin is truly a dream for the seafood and sushi lover, and the prices are not bad either.  For lunch the price is $9.95 and dinner is $16.95.  But here is a tip, on their website kyojinohio.com you can show them the online coupon on your phone and get $1 off each lunch and $2 off each dinner purchased.  We think it is a good value.  Is it the best sushi we have ever had? No, but it is pretty decent.  It is actual sushi chefs preparing good food.   It is not comparable to the Chinese buffets that offer the side sushi.  This place is much better than that.

Kyojin offers the normal soft drinks, and they offer $5 specialty cocktails.  Kyojin is one of our guilty pleasures, especially for the Big Ragu, as some like the traditional sushi bars and their offerings.  We challenge the “sushi snobs” to try this place and let us know what you think.  But Kyojin is a great place for a sushi novice to finally try a lot of different types of sushi, cooked, or raw and see what they like, without having to order an entire roll.  They even have some vegetarian rolls and seaweed salad with pasta for you non meat eaters.  We even saw a sushi roll with chicken!

Our most recent trip to Kyojin was a challenge, while Ragu was challenged by  Shawn to a sushi eating contest.   Shawn stopped in his 40 something piece to go get some Chinese food, while Big Ragu matched his football number by eating 71 pieces of sushi.  It was our comic relief for the day watching the “sushi eat off.”

There is something for everyone at this place.  The Big Ragu’s favorite items on the buffet are raw salmon on rice, the kani (crab nigiri) and the raw tuna roll.  We enjoyed the shrimp tempura roll, the Cincinnati roll, and coconut shrimp on the Chinese food bar.

Big Ragu called his plate “Mount Va-sushi-us”

Do you love sushi?  Have you ever tried it? Sushi pro or sushi rookie, Kyojin is worth the trip.  Take a drive south on I-71 and the Fields Ertel exit, and Kyojin is just a minute away.  It is an incredible deal to get all the good sushi you can eat.  Check it out, you will be glad you gave it a chance.  All you can eat sushi, that’s how we “roll.”

Become an “Official” fan of Food Adventures by clicking here and visiting their page on Facebook !

Have you been to Kyojin?  What did you think?  Please comment below.

[album: http://www.daytonmostmetro.com/wp-content/plugins/dm-albums/dm-albums.php?currdir=/wp-content/uploads/dm-albums/Kyojin/]

Kyojin Japanese Buffet
12140 Royal Point Drive
Cincinnati, OH 45249
P: 513-683-2628
kyojinohio.com

Home Bar Primer

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We are looking for a good home. Won't you help?

The holidays are right around the corner, and the first big party holiday of the season, Halloween, is next week. That means a great deal of entertaining in the home, bringing people over, and having cocktails on hand for all of the guests you will entertain. It is a perfect time to start up that home bar you have been talking about for years. With the Cocktail Revolution in full force, there are more choices of liquors out there than ever before, from a wide range of flavored vodkas to classic ingredients making a comeback. Not only do you need the liquors, you need something to mix them with. There are also few basic tools that every bartender needs to make sure they can produce a wide range of drinks, from a classic Sazerac to a modern Cable Car. Glassware is an important part of a nicely stocked bar, and the range of glassware you can find in most cocktail books can also be very daunting. So let’s start with…

The Basics

Of course, the defining characteristic of a bar is the liquor, and your bar will be no exception. The first rule of putting together your own home bar is: It is your bar. You can have whichever liquors you like, crafted to whichever cocktails you prefer to make. If you love tequila, you can have five bottles of various styles of tequila handy, to enhance the flavors of everything from a margarita to a Paloma. Most bars have at least one of what are considered the five main liquors that most cocktails are based off of.

Rum

This is the liquor most historians say the first cocktail started off in. Rum is an incredibly versatile liquor, working well popular summer drinks like the Mojito to the hammer-you-in-the-head strength of a Devil’s Poison. It ranges from the lighter flavors of Bacardi to the full flavors Kraken. For a home bar, Bacardi or Cruzan are great stock rums for you to have. If you want to add a little spice to you bar’s selection, Captain Morgan or Sailor Jerry are excellent options as well.

Vodka

The most recent addition to the cocktail world (it did not get big until the 20th century), this is now a staple to almost every bar. Its colorlessness and lack of flavor makes it a great base spirit to use if you are looking to have a lively drink with less liquor burn. It also boasts a wide range of flavors, from sweet cake and whip cream to spicy pepper. For your bar, it is best to stick to the original. Flavored vodkas are great if there is a specific drink for it, like Absolut Peppar in a Bloody Mary, or Stolichnaya Citros in a Cosmopolitan, but not for general cocktail making. Absolut, Grey Goose, and Ohio’s own Buckeye vodkas are all great brands to stock your bar with.

Whiskey

A classic, this is also something that you should have in your home bar. Whiskey has been around for centuries, and one of the earliest bases for cocktails to be made from. Whiskey is a little tricky to add, since there are so many types of whiskey on the market, all with unique characteristics. Do you get a bottle of Canadian whiskey? Irish whiskey? Scotch? Bourbon? The answer is to go with the one that you drink the most. If you are looking for a good base for a wide variety of cocktails, Jack Daniels or Jim Beam are the best bets. They also both mix well in cocktails.

Gin

The refreshing gin and tonic

A staple of many classic cocktails, gin has fallen out of favor because of its bold flavor (typically heavy on the juniper, which makes it taste piney). However, this is a great liquor to rediscover because it mixes so well with other liquors. Most cocktails we now love also started their lives as gin cocktails, but gravitated to the less-obvious-you-had-a-three-martini-lunch vodkas. Tanqueray, Bombay, and Beefeater are good basic gins to have as ingredients behind your home bar.

Tequila

Tequila and gin hang out in roughly the same neighborhood: good liquors with a tarnished reputation. Tequila is needed for many cocktails like the margarita and Tequila Sunrise, and even makes a guest appearance in a Long Island Iced Tea. And, of course, people will take shots of it. Silvers seem to be very popular at the moment, Patron being the brand of choice with 1800 and Jose Cuervo both being good choices for your bar.

Outside of these five liquors, there is one other you may choose to add.

Brandy/Cognac

Brandy and cognac are liquors that are fairly out of fashion at the moment, but are useful to have for an assortment of classic cocktails like the Sidecar (I am a huge fan of this cocktail). This category is very much a matter of choice; if you are not much for brandies, there is no real need to keep one behind the bar. Paul Masson and E & J both make a nice brandy to have in stock.

Schnapps, Liqueurs and Other Flavors

There are a few liqueurs you will want to have for you home bar, for a variety of reasons. Triple sec is a popular ingredient in many cocktails, adding either a sweetness to the cocktail or a slight orange flavoring. DeKuyper or Mr. Boston makes a fine triple sec, but you may also be tempted to purchase Cointreau or Grand Marnier as higher end substitutes. In the same vane as triple sec, blue or orange curacao can be added to you bar for an orange flavor. The blue variety is much more common than the orange. Amaretto is another liqueur that you should add to your basic par set up, again being very versatile in multiple cocktails, and just as delicious on the rocks. Disaronno is a good upscale amaretto, but others can be found at a lower cost. Vermouth, both sweet and dry, are good pick ups as well. A bottle will last you a long time, since most recipes that call for either call for a splash, dash, or other very small amount. Most people are familiar with dry, since it is a key component in a classic martini. Sweet vermouth is found in Manhattans, and other whiskey based cocktails with a similar flavor profile. While we are discussing the Manhattan, add a bottle of Angostura bitters to your list of mixers. Usually only a few drops of this potent liquid is needed in any drink, so a bottle of it will last you a good long while.

Flavors for all occasions...

Flavors are something else you are going to want to look for. Schnapps have a smoother, more natural flavor profile for cocktails. Apple, peach, and banana are popular ones. They do not punch out as much as stronger puckers do. Puckers , which still fall into the schnapps category, are usually very sour, and add a stronger flavor to your cocktail, as one might find in an Appletini. Other popular puckers you may consider are Razzamatazz (raspberry), cherry, grape, and watermelon. To round out the flavors you may consider behind the bar, add some white crème de cocoa and white crème de menthe (mint). They add flavor without tinting your cocktails, and some classic cocktails have these flavors to add some bite, like the classic Stinger. DeKuyper and Mr. Boston make a wide selection of flavors for you to try and add to your collection. If there are cocktails you or your friends like that have different schnapps, make sure you have some on hand. Schnapps will usually last quite a while, depending on use.

Mixers

Very few cocktails are straight liquor. You are going to need something to mix them with. Of course, the common ones to buy are cola, diet cola, lemon and lime soda, ginger ale, tonic, soda water, orange juice, cranberry juice, pineapple juice, and sweet and sour mix. For carbonated drink mixers, most cola companies make smaller sized cans that are perfect for mixing into a cocktail. Using the smaller containers helps to keep the carbonation popping for when you want to make the drink. Opening and closing a two liter may be fine for the non-alcoholic glasses of pop, but you will not go through it as fast behind the bar. Sweet and sour mix can be found with pre-mixes in most groceries and liquor stores. You should also pick up a bottle of grenadine and a bottle of Rose’s Lime Juice, for the added color, flavor, or both. The juices can be bought in the juice aisle. For orange juice, I would suggest the pulp free kind. Having lemons and limes handy would help as well, since some drinks call for fresh squeezes of both of these fruits.

Mixers are things that you do not always have to have stocked behind your bar. Make sure you have the ones you commonly use on hand, but buy the others before a big event. Even sealed or closed, it is possible for fruit juices to go bad and carbonated beverages to go flat.

Basic Tools

Stainless steel tools for all your bar needs

There are plenty of gadgets you can have behind your home bar, but only a few that are truly needed as part of a kit of basics. Jiggers are a must. Recipes for cocktails are put there for a reason, and the jigger will help you make sure your drinks taste the same each time you make them. There are two types: you can get the single glass with measurements on the glass, or a stainless steel one with separate measurements on each side. A wine key is an outstanding all purpose bottle opener, useful in opening everything from wines to bottles of beer. A cocktail shaker will be needed for chilling liquors and mixing ingredients. Speaking of mixing, you should also have a bar spoon handy, since not all drinks need to be (or should be) shaken to blend the ingredients together. Since some of the older style drinks are coming back into vogue, a muddler is also a good tool to have behind the bar. It is used to crush herbs and fruits to release their oils or juices into the drink. They are more commonly plastic or metal, but you still may be able to find a wooden one if you look around. And once you have all you ingredients mixed, muddled, or chilled, a Hawthorne strainer will help to get the cocktail neatly into the glass you are serving it in, while keeping the ice and crushed fruit in the shaker. One other tool that every bar has is a handy book filled with cocktail recipes. It is always nice to have a reference book for cocktails, either to try new things with the ingredients you have on hand or to see which ingredients you need for one you wanted to try. Mr. Boston Platinum Edition is one of the ones I have behind my bar, but swing by a local book store to check them out. The book will also help you determine which garnishes you will need for your drinks, such as olives, oranges, cherries, and a host of assorted others. Many will even tell you how to prepare them.

Glassware

There isn’t a great deal of glassware you should run out and buy to get your home bar started. A set of martini glasses would be a lovely addition, as well as a set of wine glasses. You can put a wine into any wine glass, so pick the wine glass most appropriate to your favorite type of wine. If you do add brandy or cognac, a set of brandy snifters should also be added to enhance the aromas and flavors of the liquid in the glass. Any other cocktails will go fine into the glassware you have in the house. You are going to be spending plenty of money on the rest of the tools and liquors to set up your bar, so no need to get fancy with the glassware up front. Save that for the next few rounds.

While the list above may look daunting, over a short period of time you can acquire are fairly well stocked home bar. Buying a few pieces at a time will help spread the costs out, as well as give you some time to figure out what you need and what will just turn into something else for you to dust. And of course once your bar is nicely stocked, you get to enjoy experimenting with some cocktails at home you may never have thought to buy while you were out on the town, and share some of that with your friends. Maybe even invite them all over for a fun night in. Cheers!

The Monster Needs A Mate!

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DPO’s Halloween Weekend focuses on family and the sheer horror of marital bliss

(see ticket contest details below the article)

Blind dates. Most of us have either been the one fixing someone up or the one being fixed up. Either way, it’s always a scary proposition. Women worry that the guy might turn out to be a nerdy dweeb or a totally insensitive caveman. Guys worry that the woman might look like their old Aunt Brunhilda and have the moral character of Mother Teresa.

As I said, scary.

Almost as if to underscore the validity of my remarks, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra will be going out its way to prove the point. It has devoted the entire day, Saturday, October 29, to what frightens us most, both as children and as adults, especially adults of marriageable age.

First, the kids.

The DPO opens its 2011-2012 DP&L Family Series with its annual PhilharMonster concert at 3 pm featuring a musical depiction of the dangers of the wild in Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, a piece Prokofiev wrote (words and music) just for kids. It’s a story, told by a narrator with orchestral accompaniment, about a young boy named Peter (string instruments), who defiantly tells his grandfather (a bassoon) that – simply because he lives in his grandfather’s cottage in a forest full of wild animals – does not mean he is afraid of any old wolf. To scold him, his grandfather takes him back into the cottage and locks the gate.

Soon after, a big wolf (French horns) does come, and Peter enlists a cat (a clarinet), a bird (a flute), and a duck (an oboe) to help him as he ropes the wolf and holds him for local hunters (a woodwind theme, with gunshots on timpani and bass drum) to take to the zoo. Full of himself, Peter leads the entourage in a victory parade. At the end, the narrator tells the audience, “If you listen very carefully, you’d hear the duck quacking inside the wolf’s belly, because the wolf in his hurry had swallowed her alive.”

And the narrator?

Niki Dakota, WYSO’s Music Director and Host of the program Excursions. Not afraid of much herself, Niki spent much of her young life moving around the United States with her archeologist mother. By the time the family settled in Cincinnati, Ms. Dakota found herself in pursuit of professional music-making as she headed-up the Alterna-Folk band, Plow On Boy. In the course of her first live radio interview to promote the band, Niki’s keen excitedness manifested itself in extreme chattiness. At the conclusion of the segment, the DJ closed the mic and said, “You need to be in radio.”  She took his advice. That was in 1990. And since 2002 we in the Miami Valley have been the grateful beneficiaries of that advice.

As usual, Neal Gittleman and the DPO orchestra members will all be in Halloween costume.

Next, the adults.

To tell the story of the blind date from hell, Saturday night at 8 pm, the DPO presents its first Special Event of the season, providing live music to accompany the showing of the 1935 film The Bride of Frankenstein. This timeless horror classic features a score composed by iconic Hollywood composer Franz Waxman. And the story? You think you’ve seen some bad blind dates?

You ain’t seen nothing yet.

The film, the first of three sequels to Frankenstein (1931), starts out as a buddy flick. Henry Frankenstein has given up his plans to make living creatures out of bits and pieces of dead ones. But, you see, if he does that, then his horny old buddy, the Monster, will have to do without.

Always.

So Henry, egged on by Henry’s old adviser Dr. Pretorius and the fact that Pretorius has had the Monster kidnap Henry’s missus to give Henry the proper incentive, starts to build his buddy a mate.

It was a dark and stormy night…

Well, it actually was, when Henry completed the last few steps needed to bring the Bride of Frankenstein to life. What happens next is right out of Ben Franklin’s bio. Her body, wrapped in bandages, rises through the roof where lightning strikes a kite and shoots electricity through her. “She’s alive! Alive!” Henry cries, removing her bandages and helping her to stand.

Now this is the part of this blind date where it gets particularly spooky and way out of hand.

Turned on more than any time since Henry originally brought him to life with similar electro-shock therapy, the excited Monster sees his bride, reaches out to her, and uses the lamest of all pickup lines: “Friend?” Well, what else could any self-respecting Monster-Bride-To-Be do but reject him? Twice. And screaming through it all, no less.

PhilharMonster Halloween Concert
DP&L Family Series
Saturday, Octo­ber 29 ~ 2011 ­
Schuster Center, 3 pm
Click for Tickets

Well, the monster’s not all that dumb. He gets it. “She hate me! Like others.” he says, his erector-set heart broken. As Henry’s wife runs to his side, the Monster starts to demolish the lab. Henry tells Elizabeth that he can’t leave. But the Monster, firmly resolved never to let anyone ever set him up again tells Henry and Elizabeth, “Yes! Go! You live!” To Pretorius and his bride, he says, “You stay. We belong dead.”

Bride of Frankenstein with Orchestra
Saturday, October 29 ~ 2011
Schuster Center, 8pm
Click for Tickets

While Henry and Elizabeth flee, the Monster sheds a tear, and his bride hisses (yes, hisses) at him and pulls a lever that destroys the lab and tower.

And should you happen to take a blind date to the concert, don’t worry. Compared to the bride of Frankenstein, he or she will seem heaven-sent.

As opposed to having come from the other place.

TICKET CONTEST

We have FIVE PAIRS of tickets to see the Bride of Frankenstein with Orchestra (courtesy of The Dayton Philharmonic)! Simply fill out the form below and “like” both the On Stage Dayton and Dayton Philharmonic Facebook pages (make sure you’re logged into Facebook first).  We’ll randomly draw five ticket-pair-voucher winners on Tuesday October 25th at 4pm – check back here to see if you’ve won.  GOOD LUCK!

Contest closed…. And the winners are:

Cher Collins (Dayton)

Jennifer Krohn (Yellow Springs)

Julie Westwood (Centerville)

Christa VanHoesen (Beavercreek)

Liz Hudson (Dayton)

Local Musicians Occupy Canal Street to Support Protests

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A Shade of Red (Photo by David Dotson)

Politics aside, Canal Street Tavern has a killer lineup this Friday night, and in a spirit that’s common in our local music scene, the bands have donated their time to play for a cause.  It’s suggested that the audience donate $5 or more at the door, and those funds will be donated to the Occupy Dayton movement (there will also be representatives from the movement in attendance if you want to learn more).  The music begins around 9:30pm.  Here’s the lineup:

Michael & Sandy Bashaw
Dan Raridan and the Calientes
A Shade of Red
The Professors

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College Radio: A Sparkling Star of Hope

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Most radio these days has too narrow a vision. Pandering to corporations and very specific groups of people, it is hard to find a station that shows a spark of creativity in the wasteland. However, there still exists a shining ray of hope for those looking for something unique: independent radio. More specifically, college radio. And I’m not just saying this because I work at a college radio station.

This year, just this past week, the first ever College Radio Day was held. The goal of the day was to bring together college radio stations across the United States and help promote awareness of these stations. Wright State University’s station, WWSU 106.9, decided to participate in the festivities as well. Each station chose the way they wanted to promote the day, with the only specific event each did was airing a piece on the history and future of college radio. WWSU celebrated the day by hitting the campus, giving out prizes, and generally promoting college radio programming.

So what is so unique about college radio that it deserves its own day? Well, as I mentioned before, it is one of the last bastions of creativity in a corporate-run business. You’re not likely to find robotic DJs working their way through a set playlist of specific songs, never deviating from the norm. You will probably find more than just the few songs-DJ talk-commercials setup you hear everywhere else. I know personally that at the station I work at, you can hear interviews with comedians, a block of old-school hip-hop, a video game music focused show, and metal bands playing live in studio on the same day, sometimes back to back. Try finding that on your typical radio station.

College radio also caters to its community. In fact, it is my personal opinion that college radio stations have a duty to their community to help promote its music and events. Local music depends on college stations to help expand their listenership. With corporate radio either playing nostalgia-focused music or top-40, hip-with-the-kids stuff, there isn’t much room for local and unsigned bands to get their music out there. College radio provides this outlet to local artists, promoting them along with the local scene.

Keep this in mind the next time you get in your car: Do you want to listen to the same thing over and over, or would you like to hear something new? Do you want to support large companies, or your local scene? If you answered the latter to either of those (hopefully both!), then check out your friendly neighborhood college radio station! We’d be glad to have you listen!

Salem’s Shameful Hysteria

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Allison Husko and Chris Hahn with Angela Dermer (foreground) in The Crucible (Photo by Patti Celek)

Sinclair Community College provides a commendably performed, terrifically designed presentation of “The Crucible,” Arthur Miller’s marvelous 1953 Tony Award-winning parable of 1950s McCarthyism set in Salem, Massachusetts circa 1692.

“The Crucible,” a well-timed season opener for Sinclair considering Wright State University’s production of Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” last month, centers on a God-fearing community grappling with issues of intolerance and morality as accusations of witchcraft by a group of vengeful teenage girls spreads like wildfire. Despite an opening half hour mired in ponderous pacing and off-kilter chemistry, director Stephen Skiles’ staging, neatly confined within Terry Stump’s excellently stark, wooden set expertly lit by Gina Neuerer, ultimately coalesces with gripping results.

As this powerfully relevant tale of betrayal, deceit and hypocrisy unfolds, Chris Hahn’s breakthrough performance as John Proctor firmly remains a towering depiction of a flawed man completely engulfed in rage, bewilderment and regret while circumstances implode beyond his control. Totally grounded and convincing as an earnest, rustic, hard working husband and father reaching his emotional and spiritual breaking point, Hahn wonderfully conveys the disgust and guilt that defines John’s infidelity with vindictive ringleader Abigail Williams (Angela Dermer) and the cold distance fueling his strained marriage to the plain Elizabeth (Allison Husko).

Additional standouts include Kes-lina Luoma as the conflicted Mary Warren, the splendidly sharp, authoritative Patrick Hayes as the unyielding, merciless Deputy-Governor Danforth, John Ray as the inquisitive, eventually distraught Reverend John Hale, and the simply fascinating Tametha Divvleeon as Tituba. Possessing an authentic dialect in her dynamic stage debut, Divvleeon supplies the first theatrical fireworks of the evening during Tituba’s passionate response to claims she conjured the devil in the forest. Embracing the sheer emotional drama of the moment for all its worth, she attacks center stage, arms outstretched and audibly winded, with a strikingly compelling intensity that seems to overtake every fiber of her being. It is an unforgettably riveting highlight within a production that unnervingly and upsettingly provokes just as Miller intended.

The Crucible continues through Oct. 22 in Blair Hall Theatre, Building 2, at Sinclair Community College, 444 W. Third St. Performances are Thursday at 7 p.m. and Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. Act One: 68 minutes; Act Two: 68 minutes. Tickets for the Downtown Dayton Thursday performance are $20 for adults and $15 for students and seniors. Tickets for Friday and Saturday are $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. For additional information, visit www.sinclair.edu/tickets

BAM Percussion: The Blue Barrel Show (TICKET CONTEST)

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Victoria Theatre Association presents the first show of the 2011-2012 PNC Family Series, BAM Percussion: The Blue Barrel Show, November 5 & 6 at 1pm and 3:30pm in the historic Victoria Theatre.

BAM Percussion features three zany characters that will have you and your family rolling – and dancing – in the aisles. Fabulous drumming is mixed with side-splitting humor, and the results are contagious. With audience participation, quick-witted humor and impeccable timing, BAM Percussion: The Blue Barrel Show is an electrifying and deliriously funny show thathas toured Canada, the United States, South America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, New Zealand and no less than eleven European countries, making everybody laugh in their own language!

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9VesB5wPf0′]

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeA7iiK_wwY’]

Tickets for BAM Percussion: The Blue Barrel Show are priced at a family-friendly $18 for adults and $16 for children (ages 12 and under). Tickets are on sale now through Ticket Center Stage, and may be purchased at the Schuster Center box office in downtown Dayton or by phone, at (937) 228-3630 or toll free (888) 228-3630. Ticket Center Stage hours are Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Saturday, noon – 4 p.m., and two hours prior to each performance. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.ticketcenterstage.com.

WIN FREE TICKETS

We have TWO sets of Family Four Packs to give away to see BAM Percussion: The Blue Barrel Show, courtesy of Victoria Theatre Association!  Simply fill out the form below and we’ll announce the two winners here on Friday October 28 at 5pm.  GOOD LUCK!

Contest Closed

And congratulations to our winners – enjoy the show!

Patti Celek

Karri O’Reilly

Get Your Spook On at Spinoza’s

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It’s that time of year again. The time to flaunt that Dracula cape or dress your little one in her favorite princess gown. The time for parents to walk the neighborhood while little Buzz Lightyear is sprinting with all his might to get to the next candy bowl. The time when everyone regrets how many sugary treats they just wolfed down.  It’s a time for crazy costumes, haunted houses, and genuine fun. We all remember the glorious days of trick-or-treating, and if those days still constitute your present, all the better! But not all the fun of Halloween is wrapped inside those treats vanishing into what may seem like thin air. Actually, a local restaurant, Spinoza’s, is putting together a special pre-Halloween celebration for adults. Accompanied with live and entertaining music, this local pizzeria is serving up six special beers by Wychwood Brewing Company, (how perfect a name!) all paired with delicious eats. So all you twenty-one and uppers, climb into that storage closet and put some life back into that fang and cape duo on October 25th—Spinoza’s is even giving away special prizes for guests who appear in costume!

This six course meal is the perfect way to celebrate Halloween a tad early; what better to pair fun with than delicious food and beer? Plus live music by the Evil Jim Volk! Let me tell you—you’re in for a treat. Wychwood Brewery has fully embodied the spirit of Halloween with their clever names of the featured ales, while Spinoza’s has carefully matched the prepared cuisine to stimulate your taste buds. But before we dive into the logistics of the meal, let’s indulge in a bit of a history lesson about both of these fine companies. How did they come to be?

This is Glen ↑

Glen Brailey, the owner of Spinoza’s, has been in the pizza industry for many years. He began his adventure at Domino’s while attending college, and after a few more adventures and thirteen years at Pacchia Wood Fired Pizza, which he opened, he found an empty pizzeria in the Mall at Fairfield Commons, located in Beavercreek. “The space was great, the rent was right, and I was yearning to toss dough again!” wrote Brailey in a blurb on Spinoza’s website. After aging the dough, using the freshest ingredients in their sauce, the “finest (and most expensive)” cheese, and topping it all off with all-natural pepperoni, this pizza is sure to be like nothing you’ve ever tasted before. And the fact that a mouth-watering brew is to be served alongside this gourmet pizza—this will constitute the ultimate testimony that beer and pizza were a match made in heaven.

Now for the second half of this dynamic duo—Wychwood Brewery. After perusing their Halloween-decorated, interactive website, I was briefed on Wychwood’s history. This company is located in the heart of Witney, in Oxfordshire, England—a town famous for its brewing. The brewery acquired its name in 1990, actually named after the Wychwood Forest which is located on the outskirts of Witney. “By 1997, Wychwood Brewery was producing nearly 30,000 barrels a year…” according to wychwood.co.uk. That’s extremely impressive, and a whole lot of beer! Today, Wychwood is famous for their hand-crafted ales, and exports all over the world. Just thinking about the combination of fine pizza with hearty beer—isn’t your mouth watering already?

So I’m sure you’re biting at the bit to know what exactly is on the menu for the Halloween Beer Dinner next Wednesday at 7 PM. Well, let me tell you.

Warning: The following description may cause a severe longing and appetite that can only be satisfied by attending Spinoza’s on Wednesday, October 25th.

Welcome—The evening will begin with Wychwood’s “Wychcraft” 3 Hopped Golden Ale. It has been described as “bursting with succulent citrus and lime hop character”. This unique ale will be paired with Spinoza’s Crispy Deviled Eggs with pistachio, bacon and chives.

Appetizer—Immediately following, Wychwood “Scarecrow” Organic Pale Ale will be served alongside “Finger” Sandwiches of spicy capicola, peppered salami, pepperoni, fresh mozzarella, and garlic aioli. The Brewery describes this pale ale as having a “refreshing citrus and delightful malt flavor, rounded off with a spicy bittersweet finish.”

Salad—Next, we will be served the salad portion of the meal, consisting of shaved harvest salad with Fuji Apple Dressing and Spanish Marcona Almonds. The drink of choice will be St. Peters India Pale Ale, whose brewery has been in business for over 700 years

Pizza—To begin our fourth course, we will be graced by a draft of Wychwood’s most famous ale—“Hobgoblin” Dark Ale. This very smooth ale acquires its flavors from “chocolate and crystal malts”, and will be paired with Spinoza’s Sicilian Poutine Calzones with Sweet Potato, Snake River Farms Ground Beef, Wine-infused Marinara, Basil Pesto Sour Cream, Jumbo Ripe Olives, and Shredded Parmesan.

Cheese Course—Wychwood “King Goblin” Special Reserve Ale will be served beside Black Label Cambozola with Quince. This ale has a very rich character, while still being smooth.

Dessert—And last, but certainly not least, is dessert. Yes, you read dessert. Spinoza’s is putting together house-made “Blood Red” Velvet Doughnuts with honey glaze and toasted almonds. Complementing this decadent dessert is a “deep chestnut beer…with hints of coffee, banana and licorice”, titled Monty Python’s Holy Grail “Dark Knight Reserve”.

This menu and more can be found at spinozas.com

Now, try to tell me your mouth isn’t watering right now. Are you even still with me or are you already slipping into that witch’s hat and attaching that ugly green mole to your nose? Honestly, this is a Halloween celebration you and your taste buds can’t afford to miss. So what are you waiting for? Give Spinoza’s a call RIGHT NOW to put in your reservation for this epic night. Better hurry before they are booked. I’ve even made it convenient for you and included the number:

937.426.7799

spinozas.com

So here’s how the scene should ultimately play out. You arrive in your decked out Dracula ensemble and casually stroll into Spinoza’s. And when the hustle and bustle has finally died down and the waiter comes to serve you your first course, you quote this famous line from 1992’s Dracula:

“They say you are a man of good…taste.”

Then proceed to cackle in the most evil way imaginable. Oh, and then dig in!

THE WAY, THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE & Big NEON News!

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Hello Everyone,

We’re cleaning house this week.  If you still need to see THE FUTURE, RESTLESS or SENNA, you only have through tomorrow (October 20) to see them at THE NEON.  On Friday, we open two new films.  First is a film from Emilio Estevez – starring his father Martin Sheen – THE WAY.  On our other screen, we’ll open a film based on a true story about the body double for Saddam Hussein’s son – THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE.

Synopsis for THE WAY:  “THE WAY is a powerful and inspirational story about family, friends, and the challenges we face while navigating this ever-changing and complicated world. Martin Sheen plays Tom, an American doctor who comes to St. Jean Pied de Port, France to collect the remains of his adult son (played by Emilio Estevez), killed in the Pyrenees in a storm while walking the Camino de Santiago, also known as The Way of Saint James. Rather than return home, Tom decides to embark on the historical pilgrimage to honor his son’s desire to finish the journey. What Tom doesn’t plan on is the profound impact the journey will have on him and his ‘California Bubble Life.'” (taken from the official site)  Many of you have heard about this film because Sheen & Estevez recently came through Dayton promoting it.  We hope you’ll help us make this film a success in their hometown!

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Synopsis for THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE: “Summoned from the frontline to Saddam Hussein’s palace, Iraqi army lieutenant Latif Yahia is thrust into the highest echelons of the ‘royal family’ when he’s ordered to become the body double to Saddam’s son – a reckless, sadistic party-boy with a rabid hunger for sex and brutality. With his and his family’s lives at stake, Latif must surrender his former self forever as he learns to walk, talk and act. But nothing could have prepared him for the horror of the Black Prince’s psychotic, drug-addled life of fast cars, easy women and impulsive violence…” (Herrick Entertainment) Click the link to visit the film’s official site.

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Next Monday will be the 2nd of Living City’s VAMPIRE retrospective.  Single tickets will be available at the door before each screening for $8 each.  Here are the remaining dates and films:

October 24 – DRACULA (1931, starring Bela Lugosi – 35mm)

October 31 – THE LOST BOYS (digital video projection)

November 7 – INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (35mm)

November 14 – BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA (1992 – 35mm).

Here’s some great news!  TAKE SHELTER was one of my favorite films from this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.  It has been receiving much-deserved international acclaim, and I hope we hear a lot more about it come Oscar time.  The performances are incredible, the story is great, and the photography is wonderful.  On top of all that, the film was made in Ohio!  We’re so glad to announce that we will bring producer Tyler Davidson to town during opening weekend.  Mr. Davidson will be able to introduce the film and conduct Q&As following select screenings.  Stay tuned to my updates for the latest details as they develop.  Meanwhile, visit the film’s official site .

On November 17, DATV has rented our space to host their annual MEDIA THAT MATTERS event.  Tickets are already available at our box office for $10 each.  Mark your calendars now, and I’ll include more details in next week’s update…but if you want to read more, visit their official site.

For remaining showtimes for this week visit THE NEON’s site.

Hope to see you very soon,

Jonathan

SHOWTIMES for October 21 – October 27:

THE WAY (PG-13) 2 Hrs 1 Min

Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 12:15, 2:40, 5:00, 7:30, 9:50

Monday – Thursday:  3:00, 5:30, 8:00

THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE (R) 1 Hr 49 Min

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

Monday: 3:00, 5:15

Tuesday – Thursday: 3:00, 5:15, 7:30

DRACULA (NR) 1 Hr 15 Min

Monday: 7:30

COMING SOON:

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

In some cases, titles may disappear.

Nov. 4  TAKE SHELTER

Nov. ?  MARGIN CALL

Nov. 18  MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE

Nov. 25   THE SKIN I LIVE IN

Dec. 2   MELANCHOLIA

TBD   WEEKEND

TBD   THE HEDGEHOG

TBD   MY AFTERNOONS WITH MARGUERITTE