Neon continues to bring in a convoy of quality shows and films. See our handpicked highlights below followed by the full release schedule.
Top picks: TV
Yellowjackets: Season 3 (February 14)
Okay, team huddle: we can acknowledge that the sophomore season of this thrilling female-driven series didn’t quite live up to the mystery, friendship and cliffhangers of season one. Perhaps third time’s the charm, and that disturbing character death in last season’s finale won’t totally derail things?
Even if Melanie Lynskey’s present-day storyline feels as if it’s on the wane just a tad, the show’s flashback storyline—of teen soccer players stranded in the wilderness—has always been utterly gripping. As our fave gals slide deeper into cannibalism and tribal infighting, their fascinating past is only getting more fleshed out (flesh being a very apt term here).
The White Lotus: Season 3 (February 17)
The Italy-set second season of this acerbic black comedy was even better than the first, so season three and its Thailand setting bear huge expectations. We’re already keen from the cast along, plucking your fave character actors into enthralling lead roles once again: Walton Goggins, Carrie Coon, Parker Posey, Jason Isaacs, Michelle Monaghan, etc.
And the big-brained creator behind it all, writer and director Mike White, has said that this season will revolve primarily around themes of death, noting that season two’s pivotal theme was sex. Of course, viewers will already know that each season kicks off with a mysterious body washing up at a White Lotus hotel or resort, so maybe this time around we can expect some additions to the body count…
Top picks: Movies
Collateral (February 21)
Boy this would’ve been a different film if Russell Crowe and Adam Sandler went ahead as its leads instead of a slickly sociopathic Tom Cruise and reluctant cab driver Jamie Foxx. Michael Mann keeps things feeling dangerous with unvarnished digital cinematography, and the LA car chase scenes maintain a pulse-pounding momentum as the story unravels.
Like a few of Mann’s films, it’s one of those cases where audiences and critics at the time of its release didn’t know how good they had it, only appreciating the edgy aesthetic and intriguing characters at a few years’ distance. It’s a great one to screen for Cruise haters, too—say what you like about the guy and his couch-jumping, he’s still got bucketloads of charisma and vitality to spare.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (February 21)
I’m desperate to give this Fury Road prequel the rewatch it deserves, admitting with some sadness that it quite disappointed me when I saw it in cinemas. George Miller is always going to deliver on dystopian visuals, and eye-popping action sequences, but I found the momentum of Furiosa’s coming-of-age to be stilted, lurching unevenly between time periods and unclear motivations. Anya Taylor-Joy is practically wordless as the titular heroine, who basically goes scorched-earth on Chris Hemsworth’s nasty Dementus—and all the worldbuilding details thrown in are totally delicious, including a tattooed History Man who wears the franchise’s lore on his skin.
Amadeus (February 26)
One of those (very rare) times the Academy got it right. A vibrant and endlessly watchable Best Picture winner, Milos Forman’s tale of Mozart and his bitter rival uses the biopic format to explore creativity, fame and destiny. I remember watching this movie as a youngster on a flight somewhere, and spending my whole holiday abroad just dying to get back on the plane so I could watch the movie a second time!
Don’t just take my word for it: in his retrospective piece, Luke Buckmaster praises the film, saying it hasn’t aged a day. “Forman’s rightly lauded 1984 classic is no dry or stuffy period piece,” Buckmaster says: “this long, colourful, splashy drama bubbles with emotions and has an intoxicating punch-drunk spirit.”
Everything Coming to Neon this February
February 1
Bill Maher: Is Anyone Else Seeing This?
Bookworm
Lethal Weapon
February 3
American Flyers
Grace: Seasons 1-2
Naked and Afraid XL: Season 9
Teen Titans Go!: Season 8
February 4
Bad Boys For Life
Bad Boys: Ride or Die
February 5
Can’t Hardly Wait
Desperately Seeking Susan
February 6
Chris Brown: A History of Violence: Season 1
The Fall of Diddy: Season 1
The Pelican Brief
February 7
Limitless
February 8
Shadow Land
The Smurfs
The Smurfs 2
The Smurfs: Lost Village
February 9
Call the Midwife: Season 12
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Miriam Margolyes in New Zealand: Season 1
February 10
Batwheels: Season 2
Good Luck Chuck
February 11
Love Me If You Dare
February 12
Expedition Unknown: Season 9
Life As We Know It
February 13
Selena + Restaurant: Season 1
Two Weeks Notice
What Am I Eating? With Zooey Deschanel: Season 1
February 14
Law Abiding Citizen
Yellowjackets: Season 3
February 15
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Thief Lord
February 16
The 4.30 Movie
February 17
All The President’s Men
We Baby Bears: Season 3
The White Lotus: Season 3
February 18
Trading Places
February 19
Honky-Tonk Man
February 20
Swingers
February 21
Collateral
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
February 22
A Fish Called Wanda
February 23
The Informant
Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent: Season 3
February 24
Pineapple Express
February 25
With Honors
February 26
Amadeus
February 27
City Heat
February 28
Baylen Out Loud: Season 1
Ben 10: Seasons 1-2
Clarence: Season 2
Heroic Quest of the Valiant Price Ivandoe: Season 2
Mini Beat Power Rockers: Season 2
Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?: Season 1
Sin City
We Bare Bears: Season 1
The Tom & Jerry Show: Seasons 2-3
Unikitty: Season 2
