Gone by April: 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 April 1 – so catch them while you can.

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Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)

A laugh-a-minute James Bond parody, this was peak-Mike Myers, as the Canadian funnyman not only essayed the eponymous swinging 1960s spy, but also the magnificent creation that is Dr Evil.

Filled to the brim with brilliant sight gags, great one-liners and memorable comebacks, it, and it’s two sequels, are well worth a re-watch.

Bad Education (2019)

Filled with colourful characters, fabulous dialogue and pitch-perfect pacing, director Cory Finley’s based-on-real-life tale of a corrupt school district superintendent has the feel of a true-crime documentary delivered by a top-notch cast of actors that include Allison Janney and Ray Romano.

Those who enjoyed I, Tonya or American Animals will lap up this recreation of a little-known, but highly engrossing and shocking story. However, the sell wouldn’t truly sizzle without such a fabulous turn from the former Wolverine and PT Barnum – Hugh Jackman.

Boy (2011)

James Rolleston plays the eponymous 11-year-old devout Kiwi Michael Jackson fan who attempts to get to know his absentee criminal father (Taika Waititi, who also wrote and directed this tale) when he returns with the sole aim of finding a bag of money he buried years ago.

The hit dramedy not only scored big at the New Zealand box office, it also won awards at the Berlin, Melbourne and Sydney international film festivals and was nominated for a grand jury prize at Sundance.

“As with all great comedy, there’s some sadness and grit at its core that grounds the laughs in a relatable drama,” wrote Stuff to Watch’s own Graeme Tuckett.

The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)

For Kiwis, she was forever immortalised in Crowded House’s 1991 song Chocolate Cake.

But to millions of Americans, Tammy Faye Bakker was the friendly face of televangelism. The woman who helped preach her and husband Jim’s version of the gospel directly into homes via their Praise the Lord (PTL) Network.

As Michael Showalter’s entertaining biopic details, and to paraphrase Neil Finn, she had “a lot on her plate” and certainly couldn’t be blamed “for losing her faith”, as scandal started to swirl around the personal use of PTL money by the Bakkers and Jim’s extra-marital activities.

Showalter and screenwriter Abe Sylvia have crafted a vastly entertaining look at the rise and fall of a true original. One that truly showcases the acting talents of Jessica Chastain, who deservedly won an Oscar for throwing herself into the role and embracing the character’s quirks, complications and flaws, in all their war-painted glory.

In the Heights (2021)

Lin-Manuel Miranda fans had to settle for a live recording of Hamilton in 2020, after this big-screen musical adaptation of his earlier show was delayed by 12 months.

As with the Broadway original, it’s the story of a bodega owner (Anthony Ramos) who has mixed feelings about closing his store and retiring to the Dominican Republic after inheriting his grandmother’s fortune.

“Unpeel the song-and-dance romance and escapism and there’s a socially engaged, issue-led drama under the sparkle and pizzazz,” wrote The Observer’s Wendy Ide.

Nightmare Alley (2021)

A re-adaptation of William Lindsay Gresham’s 1946 novel, rather than a remake of the movie that debuted the following year, this may initially feel like Guillermo del Toro’s answer to Tim Burton’s Big Fish, but this is very much a movie of two-halves.

Dusty, dirty and dank settings are replaced by more salubrious and luxuriant surrounds, as this haunting 1930s and ‘40s-set neo-noir compellingly charts social-climbing carnie Stanton Carlisle’s (Bradley Cooper) rise and fall.

As you’d expect from a del Toro production, the costuming is exquisite, cinematography immersively evocative and the production design occasionally breathtaking. The impressive ensemble also includes Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette and Willem Dafoe.

Snowpiercer (2013)

Chris Evans, Jamie Bell and Tilda Swinton head an all-star cast in this sci-fi actioner about a train which appears to support the only life left on Earth after a climate-change experiment goes awry. The somewhat troubled production marked Korean director Bong Joon-Ho’s (Parasite) English-language debut.

“Enormously fun, visionary filmmaking, with a witty script and a great international cast,” wrote New York Post’s Lou Lumenick.

Superman: The Movie (1978)

It was the movie that made audiences believe a man could fly and that superhero movies could be the way of the future.

Christopher Reeve is a charismatic delight as “the Man of Steel” and his bumbling alter-ego Clark Kent, while Margot Kidder gave traditional love interest Lois Lane grit and moxy. The impressive cast also included Gene Hackman, Marlon Brando and Terence Stamp.

“It’s the simple, earth-bound quality of the film that makes this comic-book fantasy soar,” wrote The Washington Post’s Judith Martin.

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit (2007)

In everyone’s favourite man-and-his-dog’s feature-length debut, the dynamic duo set out to discover the mystery behind the serial garden-sabotaging that has been plaguing their village.

Among the guest vocal cast are outstanding turns by Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham-Carter.

“Bestows generous blessings on all that’s good in Englishness, in moviedom, and, of course, in cheese,” wrote Entertainment Weekly’s Lisa Schwarzbaum.