Leaving Neon
While there are constant arrivals of fresh movies and TV shows on Neon, there is also a regular churn of content dropping off the Kiwi-owned and curated streaming service.
So although you might think a film or programme will be available to watch on there in perpetuity, the truth is licencing deals mean they are usually there for only a few months – or years – at a time.
To assist those people keen to get the most out of their subscription, and to help with your viewing priorities, Stuff to Watch has come up with a list of six superb movies that won’t be around come April 1. Make sure to catch them while you can.
Caddyshack (1980)
This Harold Ramis-directed, comedian-packed comedy features one of the highest gag hit-rates and most anarchic casts in Hollywood comedy history. Chevy Chase is the smooth pro, Rodney Dangerfield the brash upstart, while Bill Murray’s greenskeeper battles the Bushwood Country Club’s resident gopher, in what is essentially a scattershot series of hilarious set-pieces.
It is written by Murray’s brother Brian, who based it on his own memories of working as a caddie at the Indian Hill Club in Winnetka, Illinois.
Easy A (2010)
With its whip-smart dialogue, characters and an anthemic soundtrack, this is a homage to John Hughes that will leave fans smiling. Providing puritanical pulp romance The Scarlet Letter with a 21st-century makeover, this was also the first movie to give a then flame-haired Emma Stone the leading role her talents deserved. However, in fact, it’s the adults who threaten to steal the show with terrific performances from Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson as our heroine Olive’s down-with-the-kids parents, Lisa Kudrow as a highly strung school counsellor, Thomas Haden Church as a cynical teacher and veteran actor Malcolm McDowell as a world-weary principal.
Jurassic Park (1993)
Thanks to nascent CGI technology and serial dreammaker Steven Spielberg (who incredibly was basically making Schindler’s List at the same time), the world finally got to see realistic-looking dinosaurs on screen with this blockbusting behemoth based on the 1990 novel by Michael Crichton. Credit actors like Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum
and our own Sam Neill for making it all look seamless. Most importantly, it made anything seem possible. “The effects have barely aged and the joy is timeless. (Sit down with) a child who’s never seen it and watch their imagination expand before your eyes,” wrote Empire magazine’s Olly Richards.
Mud (2012)
In this slow-burning thriller that arguably launched the McConaissance, Matthew McConaughey plays a fugitive who forms a pact with two boys to help him evade vigilantes and reunite with his true love.
A film that mixes the intimate with the epic, thrilling action with slow-burning drama, Jeff Nichols’ tale is a searing 2012 slice of Southern US-set cinema which rivals the brilliant Beasts Of The Southern Wild from the same year.
Like that movie, the steamy surroundings are as much a character as the excellent cast that not only includes a smouldering shirtless McConaughey, a show-stopping Reese Witherspoon and a scene-stealing Michael Shannon, but also a menacing Sam Shepard.
17 Again (2009)
The late, great Matthew Perry stars opposite Zac Efron in this coming-of-age comedy that’s like Tom Hanks’ Big or Jennifer Garner’s 13 Going On 30 in reverse. A disillusioned, unhappy 30-something man is magically made a teen again, returning to his high school to discover his life purpose. Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon and Michelle Trachtenberg also feature.
“Funny and lively, with a healthy dollop of sentimentality,” wrote Miami Herald’s Connie Ogle.