The best movies leaving Neon this month

While there are constant arrivals of fresh movies and TV shows on Neon, there’s 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 only there for a few months – or years – at a time.

In order to assist those 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 nine superb movies that won’t be around come July 1 – so catch them while you can.

Children of Men (2006)

Before he went on to wow the world – and the Academy – with Gravity, Alfonso Cuaron helmed this excellent sci-fi adventure starring Clive Owen, Julianne Moore and Michael Caine.

Set in the near future, it’s about an infertile human race and a man who must protect a rare, pregnant woman. Based on a 1992 P D James’ novel, it fair crackles with tension and has an authenticity about it that has unnerved many a viewer.

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

When this was first released, a then rookie director called Zack Snyder had a lot to live up to. The original 1978 version of Dawn of the Dead was still revered by horror fans worldwide.

Wisely, he chose to re-imagine the film, as a lot had changed in 25 years, both in special effects and the mall’s place in our culture. This time, instead of lobotomised lumberers, “the infected” possess determination and rage inspired by 28 Days Later and a scream straight out of the 1970s’ version of the Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

Throw in the uncertainty and human drama of The Thing and the girl power of Resident Evil, and you have a heady mix, with visual flourishes which left other, contemporary horrors stuck firmly in the backwoods.

Starring Sarah Polley (Women Talking), the script was written by the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy’s James Gunn.

The Hunger Games (2012)

Jennifer Lawrence, Donald Sutherland, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Elizabeth Banks and Lenny Kravitz star in this adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ much-loved young adult book about a young woman who voluntarily takes her younger sister’s place in the Hunger Games: a televised competition in which two teenagers from each of the 12 Districts of Panem are chosen at random to fight to the death.

“A muscular, honourable, unflinching translation of Collins’ vision. It’s brutal where it needs to be, particularly when children fight and bleed,” wrote Entertainment Weekly’s Lisa Schwarzbaum. Followed by three sequels that are also leaving Neon at the end of this month.

Looper (2012)

Bruce Willis is a craggy, crabby yet compelling presence that looms over Rian Johnson’s slow-burning, surprise-filled, mind-bending tale.

While Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the heart of this movie, Willis is the soul of a film that owes as much to Roman Polanski’s seminal 1970s detective drama Chinatown, as the classic time-travel flicks that came before it. Emily Blunt, Jeff Daniels and Paul Dano also feature.

A Royal Night Out (2015)

Some may disapprove of seeing our late queen portrayed in this sort of Carry On, but, beautifully pitched and modulated, this romp is a coming-of- age comedy of the highest order.

Director Julian Jarrold keeps the action coming thick and fast, as the Windsor sisters (Sarah Gadon’s and Bel Powley’s Margaret) get themselves into one scrape after another. Lifts, conga lines and labyrinthine buildings are used to full comic effect, while Jarrold also does a terrific job of capturing the chaos that must have been evident during a night of unabashed celebration for the end of World War II.

The Social Network (2010)

Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake star (while Amie Hammer pulls double duty) in David Fincher’s Oscar-winning drama which looks at Harvard University student Mark Zuckerberg’s creation of a website that would ultimately become Facebook.

The taut, tension-filled script was co-written by The West Wing’s Aaron Sorkin, while the memorable score was the first big-screen collaboration by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (Mank, Soul).

“The rewards for paying attention are mammoth and exhilarating. This is a high-IQ movie that gives viewers an IQ high,” wrote Time magazine’s Richard Corliss.

Superbad (2007)

Jonah Hill and Michael Cera star in this 2007 comedy about two co-dependent high school seniors who are forced to deal with separation anxiety after their plan to stage a booze-soaked party goes awry.

The young cast of, then, unknowns, also includes Emma Stone and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, while Bill Hader and co-writer Seth Rogen play police officers.

“It helps that the fun doesn’t stop. It helps even more that the pitch-perfect script doesn’t step out of character for a joke,” wrote Rolling Stone magazine’s Peter Travers.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

Based on John Le Carre’s 1974 novel (inspired by his own SIS experiences) writers Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan and director Tomas Alfredson created a near-perfect distillation.

Those raised on a diet of Bournes and Bonds may bridle at the lack of action in this cerebral thriller, but fans of ‘70s-style paranoid thrillers will lap up the combination of spare dialogue, a spectacular ensemble cast (that includes a cadre of besuited British acting talent from John Hurt, Gary Oldman and Colin Firth to Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Strong and Toby Jones) and a palpable sense of tension.

Shot with the same moody, grainy and understated quality as Alfredson’s much-acclaimed vampire movie, Let the Right One In, Tinker Tailor is still one of the most atmospheric and evocative films of the century so far.