Whether you’re after a fairy tale crime thriller, a New Zealand-made young adult fantasy drama, or the greatest Wolverine film ever made, ’tis the season for films at home.
New to NEON
Logan
Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart and director James Mangold are back for the third Wolverine, featuring an older, more broken, Logan than we’ve seen to date. “Provides the tough, adult version of Wolverine that fans have been wanting for a long time…” -Tony Stamp, FLICKS
La La Land
Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling star in this all-singing, all-dancing, Oscar-winning musical comedy from the director of 2014’s brilliant Whiplash. “This movie is why movies exist.” -Dominic Corry, FLICKS
Pork Pie
Dean O’Gorman, James Rolleston and Ashleigh Cummings play a trio of accidental outlaws on the run in a yellow Mini in this remake of 1981’s Goodbye Pork Pie. “Conjured half a dozen solid laughs out of me, along with a bunch of chuckles, so there’s definitely some enjoyment to be had.” -Steve Newall, FLICKS
Beauty and the Beast
A quarter-century on from the animated classic, Disney brings the romance fantasy tale to life in live-action. “It looks exciting and new, and there are a few winky nods to the modern folk but everything else remains entirely the same…” -Alex Casey, FLICKS
Office Christmas Party
TJ Miller (Deadpool), Kate McKinnon (Ghostbusters), Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston lead this Christmas comedy. “Like many a real office Christmas, you’d be correct to go into this film with low expectations.” -Steve Newall, FLICKS
Fifty Shades Darker
Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson return to their roles in the second film based on the bestselling Fifty Shades phenomenon. “Does it have moments of cackling, raunchy fun? Yes. Is it a good movie? No way in fresh kinky f-ckery.” -Alex Casey, FLICKS
X-Men: Apocalypse
Filmmaker Bryan Singer follows up his X-Men, X-Men 2 and Days of Future Past (as well as Matthew Vaughn’s First Class) with this all-encompassing entry to the Marvel mutant superhero franchise. “If you’re just in it to see mutants scrap it out, Dragon Ball Z-style, you’ll probably leave satisfied.” -Liam Maguren, FLICKS
Animal Kingdom: Season 2
The first season and the brand new second season of the Australian crime drama, based on David Michôd’s excellent 2010 film, comes to NEON.
Available now | Season 1 available now
Silicon Valley: Seasons 1 – 4
It’s a Christmas miracle – all four seasons of the hit tech comedy have landed exclusive to NEON.
The Shannara Chronicles: Season 2
A year on from the loss of Amberle, a lot has changed in the new season of the fantasy adventure series.
New to Netflix
Bright
Will Smith, Noomi Rapace and Joel Edgerton lead this Netflix crime sci-fi from director David Ayer (Suicide Squad) and writer Max Landis (Chronicle).
Spotlight
Best Picture Oscar winner following the Boston Globe journalists who investigated allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church, uncovering and exposing a decade-long cover-up that spans the world. “Like its protagonists, it’s modest, unstarry, and admirably unswerving. It gets the job done.” -Matt Glasby, FLICKS
Anomalisa
Academy Award-nominated stop-motion animated tale from Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and Duke Johnson (Moral Orel). “It gets under your skin, and you’ll never guess where it’s going…” -Matt Glasby, FLICKS
Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
Remake of the 1947 award winner about a man who dedicates himself to portraying Santa Claus.
Zoolander 2
Ben Stiller’s sequel to his own high-fashion comedy Zoolander, which lifted the lid on the little known world of male modelling. “It’s hard to imagine any clamouring for a third entry in another fifteen years, or even fifteen months.” -Steve Newall, FLICKS
My Happy Family
A 52-year-old Manana’s family is shocked when she announces that she’s moving out. “An interesting sociological perspective on a changing patriarchal society.” -VARIETY
The Danish Girl
Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything) and director Tom Hooper (The Kings Speech) gun for another Oscar, one that Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina) would claim. “The cinematography and design is a feast for aesthetes; you can’t help but wonder why all men wouldn’t jump at the chance to wear such beautiful gowns.” -Leonie Hayden, FLICKS
Elf
Christmas family-comedy from star Will Ferrell and director Jon Favreau. “A gleeful, cracked fairytale.” -TOTAL FILM
New to Everything Else
The Changeover
Erana James stars alongside Timothy Spall and Kiwis Melanie Lynskey and Lucy Lawless in this adaptation of Margaret Mahy’s namesake novel. “A solid film that stands on its own two feet.” -Steve Newall, FLICKS
Sleight
Jacob Latimore (The Maze Runner) stars as a street magician who turns to dealing drugs in this urban drama co-starring Seychelle Gabriel. “Enough of a novelty and an expansion of the gangbanger playbook to give Sleight some legs.” -SCREEN DAILY
Wind River
The feature directorial debut from the writer of Hell or High Water and Sicario is a murder investigation thriller starring Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen. “A great sombre thriller that circles you like a pack of wolves” -Liam Maguren, FLICKS
I Am Not Your Negro
Director Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished – a radical narration about race in America – in this Oscar-nominated film. “For those unfamiliar with Baldwin, I Am Not Your Negro will motivate you to seek him out, and one would hope, get off your ass to do something about racism.” -Aaron Yap, FLICKS
Good Time
Cannes Palme d’Or-nominated crime drama set in NYC starring Robert Pattinson. Directed by Joshua and Ben Safdie (Heaven Knows What). “Further solidifies Robert Pattinson as one of the most exciting actors working today.” -FILMINK
20th Century Women
Oscar nominee Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right), Elle Fanning (The Neon Demon) and Greta Gerwig (Mistress America) lead this comedic, ’70s-set, multi-story film about love, family, freedom, and the (sometimes) futile search for meaning. “Generous, reflective, absolutely delightful.” -VULTURE
The Lost City of Z
True-life drama about Col. Percival Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam), a British explorer who disappeared while searching for a mysterious Amazonian city in the 1920s. “The movie feels lengthy by the finish but as does any great jungle movie of the past.” -Newt, FLICKS USER
Dunkirk
Christopher Nolan’s World War II thriller, with Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy and Oscar winner Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies). “You’ll leave thrilled and shaken by the scale of the real-life endeavour as well as Nolan’s cinematic version.” -Steve Newall, FLICKS
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie
Ed Helms, Kevin Hart and Nick Kroll star in this DreamWorks animated feature based on the children’s novel series by Dav Pilkey. “Superbad for primary schoolers.” -James Croot, STUFF.CO.NZ
Victoria & Abdul
Queen Victoria (Judi Dench) strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk in this period drama from the director of The Queen. “Even if loosely based on a true story, these very dodgy foundations of Victoria and Abdul continue to wobble all the way to the end.” -Alex Casey, FLICKS
American Made
Tom Cruise plays real-life pilot Barry Seal, who transported contraband for the CIA and the Medellin cartel in the ’80s in this Doug Liman-directed crime thriller. “Cruise goes all in as Barry, and in having a ball delivers his best performance in years.” -Adam Fresco, FLICKS
American Assassin
Dylan O’Brien, Michael Keaton and Sanaa Lathan must prevent a World War in this action thriller. “It is great to see Michael Keaton as a take-no-shit mentor and he gets to enjoyably ham it up a bit when the tables get turned on him.” -Steve Newall, FLICKS
A Silent Voice
A young man comes to regret the harassment he gave to a deaf girl during his high school years in this animated Japanese drama. “Director Naoko Yamada often instil a suitably soothing quality to her storytelling…” -Liam Maguren, FLICKS
Kingsman: The Golden Circle
Taron Egerton and Mark Strong return to their roles in the sequel to 2014’s spy action comedy Kingsman: The Secret Service. “By the standards of the first film, it’s merely enjoyable.” -Steve Newall, FLICKS
It
The supernatural horror adapted from Stephen King’s 1986 novel proved to be a massive success at this year’s Box Office, led by Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise the creepy sewer clown. “Skarsgård’s malevolence and awkward physicality are captivatingly chilling…” -Steve Newall, FLICKS
The Glass Castle
Brie Larson and Short Term 12 director Destin Daniel Cretton re-team for this drama based on Jeannette Walls’ best-selling memoir. “Whatever its imbalances and flaws, the movie is sure to strike an emotional chord with the book’s many fans as well as newcomers to the remarkable tale.” -HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
The LEGO Ninjago Movie
Six teens are high school students by day and ninjas defending their homeland of Ninjago by night in this CGI martial arts comedy. “Makes for some cool blockbusting blockbuster moments for the family” -Liam Maguren, FLICKS
The Free Man
New Zealand Olympic freestyle skier Jossi Wells takes up new extreme sports – with which he has zero experience – in his doco from filmmaker Toa Fraser (The Dead Lands). “A fascinating look into the lives of some incredible people.” -Daniel Rutledge, FLICKS
Wish Upon
A girl discovers a box that holds magic powers and a deadly price for using them in this supernatural horror from the director of Annabelle. “An (almost) fascinatingly flat waste of cast, premise and your time.” -FILMINK
The Emoji Movie
Emojis are on a mission to save the hidden world within our phones in this CGI family comedy. “80-plus minutes of excruciating mental torture.” -Adam Fresco, FLICKS
