(Photo by Neon / courtesy Everett Collection. Movie: Longlegs.)
Created in 2017 and with co-founder roots in Alamo Drafthouse, production house and distributor Neon has been bringing independent and unconventional films to the masses. Neon’s first film, the Anne Hathaway-starring kaiju comedy Colossal, was an out-the-gate statement and things have only gotten more interesting from there. Margot Robbie’s sports comedy I, Tonya was their first box office hit coming in December of that first year, with awards gold to soon follow. By 2020, Neon won a few Oscars for Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite (it’s the highest-rated Best Picture winner ever), while Portrait of a Lady on Fire got the Golden Tomato for Best Movie here on Rotten Tomatoes.
It seems like we can’t go more than a few months before hearing about an upcoming buzzy Neon film, like Pig (Nicolas Cage’s best-reviewed live-action movie), the provocative Titane, high-society satire Triangle of Sadness, psychologically devastating Spencer, unforgettably titled The Worst Person in the World, surprise awards contender Anatomy of a Fall, mood-lightening Perfect Days, and director Michael Mann’s return with Ferrari.
In 2024 so far, Neon’s had Sydney Sweeney get up cloistered and personal with the devil in Immaculate, babymaking comedy Babes, and crime horror Longlegs, which has had the strongest marketing campaign seen in ages.
#1
Adjusted Score: 101228%
Critics Consensus: As visually distinctive as it is narratively satisfying, Bait blends a classic aesthetic with timely themes to produce a thrillingly original and uniquely enriching drama.
#2
Adjusted Score: 124956%
Critics Consensus: An urgent, brilliantly layered look at timely social themes, Parasite finds writer-director Bong Joon Ho in near-total command of his craft.
#3
Adjusted Score: 104684%
Critics Consensus: As heartbreaking as it is heartwarming, Robot Dreams is the stuff good animation is made of.
Starring:
#4
Adjusted Score: 114881%
Critics Consensus: A singularly rich period piece, Portrait of a Lady on Fire finds stirring, thought-provoking drama within a powerfully acted romance.
#5
Adjusted Score: 110870%
Critics Consensus: Like the animal itself, Pig defies the hogwash of expectations with a beautiful odyssey of loss and love anchored by Nicolas Cage’s affectingly raw performance.
#6
Adjusted Score: 107793%
Critics Consensus: Small in narrative scope but deeply impactful, Petite Maman is a delicate, powerfully acted meditation on grief.
#7
Adjusted Score: 103617%
Critics Consensus: Thrilling, unpredictable, and brilliantly acted, Border (Gräns) offers a singular treat to genre fans looking for something different.
#8
Adjusted Score: 112183%
Critics Consensus: A smart, solidly crafted procedural that’s anchored in family drama, Anatomy of a Fall finds star Sandra Hüller and director/co-writer Justine Triet operating at peak power.
#9
Adjusted Score: 108569%
Critics Consensus: The Worst Person in the World concludes Joachim Trier’s Oslo Trilogy with a romantic comedy that delightfully subverts the genre’s well-worn tropes.
#10
Adjusted Score: 105830%
Critics Consensus: An absorbing slice-of-life drama led by a remarkable Kôji Yakusho performance, Perfect Days adds a quietly soaring gem to director/co-writer Wim Wenders’ estimable filmography.
#11
Adjusted Score: 101501%
Critics Consensus: A restless and riveting fable, Night of Kings sees writer-director Philippe Lacôte in full command of his craft.
#12
Adjusted Score: 103842%
Critics Consensus: An explosive adaptation of Andreas Malm’s treatise, How to Blow Up a Pipeline delivers a high-stakes eco-thriller ignited by riveting and complex antiheroes.
#13
Adjusted Score: 108580%
Critics Consensus: Strong performances, assured direction, and a refreshingly original concept make Palm Springs a romcom that’s easy to fall in love with.
#14
Adjusted Score: 106801%
Critics Consensus: Further refining his provocative vision, writer-director Brandon Cronenberg uses Possessor‘s potentially over-the-top premise as a delivery mechanism for stylishly disturbing thrills.
#15
Adjusted Score: 102081%
Critics Consensus: Broker skirts the edges of sentimentality, but is consistently grounded by Kore-eda Hirokazu’s warm, tenderly melancholic approach.
#16
Adjusted Score: 101228%
Critics Consensus: If La Chimera is a wild, improbable pursuit, this marvelous and magical tale by Alice Rochrwacher is the pie in the sky to behold.
#17
Adjusted Score: 100354%
Critics Consensus: As visually splendid as it is thought-provoking, Monos takes an unsettling look at human nature whose grim insights leave a lingering impact.
#18
Adjusted Score: 99847%
Critics Consensus: Revenge slices and dices genre tropes, working within an exploitation framework while adding a timely — yet never less than viscerally thrilling — feminist spin.
#19
Adjusted Score: 98501%
Critics Consensus: The Killing of Two Lovers unites deft direction and an artfully assembled cast in service of a powerful story.
#20
Adjusted Score: 95620%
Critics Consensus: Dear Comrades takes a sharp, commanding look at a dark chapter in Soviet history made even more effective by its director’s cold fury.
#21
Adjusted Score: 100116%
Critics Consensus: Saturated in disquieting mood while leveraging a nightmarishly gonzo performance by Nicolas Cage, Longlegs is a satanic horror that effectively instills panic.
#22
Adjusted Score: 102484%
Critics Consensus: There’s no shortage of star-is-born stories, but Wild Rose proves they can still be thoroughly entertaining — and marks its own transcendent moment for lead Jessie Buckley.
#23
Adjusted Score: 99692%
Critics Consensus: Clemency mines serious social issues for gripping drama, brought to life by an outstanding cast led by Alfre Woodard.
#24
Adjusted Score: 99589%
Critics Consensus: Luce brings a stellar ensemble to bear on a satisfyingly complex story that addresses its timely themes in thought-provoking fashion.
#25
Adjusted Score: 97279%
Critics Consensus: Offering an uproariously unvarnished look at motherhood and female friendships, Babes finds Pamela Adlon making an assured feature-length directorial debut with a big assist from stars Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau.
#26
Adjusted Score: 92975%
Critics Consensus: A willingness to sidestep clichés and a skilled central performance help A Chiara stand out in the crowded coming-of-age genre.
#27
Adjusted Score: 111546%
Critics Consensus: Led by strong work from Margot Robbie and Alison Janney, I, Tonya finds the humor in its real-life story without losing sight of its more tragic — and emotionally resonant — elements.
#28
Adjusted Score: 102687%
Critics Consensus: Thrillingly provocative and original, Titane reaffirms writer-director Julia Ducournau’s delightfully disturbing vision.
#29
Adjusted Score: 96410%
Critics Consensus: Memoria finds writer-director Apichatpong Weerasethakul branching out into English-language filmmaking without forsaking any of his own lyrical cinematic vocabulary.
#30
Adjusted Score: 96773%
Critics Consensus: A chilling immersion into a place and time fraught with constant danger, The Royal Hotel reunites Kitty Green and Julia Garner to electrifying effect.
#31
Adjusted Score: 92861%
Critics Consensus: With its thorny themes and aggressive humor, Bodied dares to offend – and justifies its approach with a subversive comedy that edifies as it entertains.
#32
Adjusted Score: 103133%
Critics Consensus: Elevated by outstanding work from Elisabeth Moss, Shirley pays tribute to its subject’s pioneering legacy with a biopic that ignores the commonly accepted boundaries of the form.
#33
Adjusted Score: 93599%
Critics Consensus: Provocative on more than one level, Pleasure peels back the curtain on unsavory aspects of the adult film industry, with Sofia Kappel’s powerful performance leading the way.
#34
Adjusted Score: 92334%
Critics Consensus: Revolving around outstanding performances from Margaret Qualley and Christopher Abbott, Sanctuary confounds expectations with élan.
#35
Adjusted Score: 100097%
Critics Consensus: Turbulent waters even for strong swimmers, Infinity Pool provides a visceral all-inclusive retreat of Cronenbergian perversion for those wanting to escape commercial sundries.
#36
Adjusted Score: 95536%
Critics Consensus: Led by strong performances from Aubrey Plaza and Elizabeth Olsen, Ingrid Goes West delivers smart, topical humor underlined by timely social observations.
#37
Adjusted Score: 88734%
Critics Consensus: Funny, heartfelt, and brought to life by a smartly assembled ensemble, Big Time Adolescence finds fresh pleasures in the crowded coming-of-age genre.
#38
Adjusted Score: 94654%
Critics Consensus: Formally provocative and emotionally raw, She Dies Tomorrow confirms writer-director Amy Seimetz as a filmmaker with a unique — and timely — vision.
#39
Adjusted Score: 91608%
Critics Consensus: Borg vs McEnroe makes tennis improbably cinematic — and brings the absolute best out of Shia LaBeouf, who delivers some of the best work of his career.
#40
Adjusted Score: 89383%
Critics Consensus: Empathetic and powerfully acted, Beach Rats takes a clear-eyed yet dreamlike look at a young man’s adolescent turmoil.
#41
Adjusted Score: 88338%
Critics Consensus: An insightful overview of a bygone Hollywood era as well as a deeply personal journey for director Andrew McCarthy, Brats is a bittersweet reflection on childhood stardom.
#42
Adjusted Score: 101675%
Critics Consensus: Spencer can frustrate with its idiosyncratic depiction of its subject’s life, but Kristen Stewart’s finely modulated performance anchors the film’s flights of fancy.
#43
Adjusted Score: 86805%
Critics Consensus: Well-acted and visually stylish, Monsters and Men tells its timely story with enough compassion and complexity to make up for occasionally uneven execution.
#44
Adjusted Score: 94623%
Critics Consensus: Colossal‘s singular strangeness can be disorienting, but viewers who hang on may find that its genre-defying execution — and Anne Hathaway’s performance — is well worth the ride.
#45
Adjusted Score: 93222%
Critics Consensus: Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie prove a well-matched duo in Eileen, which honors its source material with a twisty tale of obsession.
#46
Adjusted Score: 92798%
Critics Consensus: A moving drama that’s unafraid to ask big questions, Origin honors its source material with powerful performances in service of a deeply emotional story.
#47
Adjusted Score: 95819%
Critics Consensus: Quintessential if not classic Cronenberg, Crimes of the Future finds the director revisiting familiar themes with typically unsettling flair.
#48
Adjusted Score: 88466%
Critics Consensus: In the Earth‘s bleak kaleidoscope of horror is a hallucinogenic meditation on the residual pandemic fears that haunt humanity.
#49
Adjusted Score: 84915%
Critics Consensus: If its story’s mysteries are ultimately less compelling than they might seem, Enys Men‘s retro aesthetic and intriguingly abstract visuals make this a chilly treat for horror fans.
#50
Adjusted Score: 85462%
Critics Consensus: Led by typically outstanding work from Lupita Nyong’o, Little Monsters is a horror/rom-com hybrid that proves the zombie genre still has fresh brains to savor.
#51
Adjusted Score: 84203%
Critics Consensus: Led by an impressive Riley Keough performance, The Lodge should prove a suitably unsettling destination for fans of darkly atmospheric horror.
#52
Adjusted Score: 78372%
Critics Consensus: A grounded zombie picture with emotional bite, Handling the Undead shuffles along at a patient pace but succeeds as a poignant and thoughtful addition to the genre.
#53
Adjusted Score: 75570%
Critics Consensus: Debuting director Jake Johnson acquits himself admirably with Self Reliance, a unique comedy-thriller hybrid that does a generally effective job of balancing silly and sincere.
#54
Adjusted Score: 73685%
Critics Consensus: A kaleidoscopic neo-noir, Gemini is a visually striking murder mystery with a convoluted but largely compelling plot and an impressive showing from Lola Kirke.
#55
Adjusted Score: 94838%
Critics Consensus: The Year of the Everlasting Storm presents a diverse assortment of filmmakers offering a varied yet compelling response to shared trauma.
#56
Adjusted Score: 81379%
Critics Consensus: Assassination Nation juggles exploitation and socially aware elements with mixed results, but genre fans may find it too stylish and viscerally energetic to ignore.
#57
Adjusted Score: 87456%
Critics Consensus: Triangle of Sadness lacks the sharp edges of Östlund’s earlier work, but this blackly humorous swipe at the obscenely affluent has its own rewards.
#58
Adjusted Score: 86791%
Critics Consensus: Sleek and well-acted, Ferrari overcomes its occasionally underpowered narrative to deliver a rousing and admirably complex biopic.
#59
Adjusted Score: 83337%
Critics Consensus: Immaculate in conception if not always in execution, this religiously themed horror outing is saved by a divine performance from Sydney Sweeney.
#60
Adjusted Score: 72676%
Critics Consensus: Stress Positions plays on familiar seriocomic tropes with sporadic verve, although the characters are occasionally more interesting than the story they’re being used to tell.
#61
Adjusted Score: 83703%
Critics Consensus: The chemistry between Saoirse Ronan and a never-better Kate Winslet helps Ammonite transcend its period romance trappings.
#62
Adjusted Score: 72440%
Critics Consensus: Despite solid performances, New Order‘s merciless brutality and unfocused gaze threaten to derail its message.
#63
Adjusted Score: 69958%
Critics Consensus: Effective horror with a strong core of social commentary, It Lives Inside is an eerily compelling calling card for filmmaker Bishal Dutta in his feature-length debut.
#64
Adjusted Score: 66214%
Critics Consensus: Bad Hair‘s unwieldy ambitions are easy to respect — even if the film’s tonal jumble and uneven execution are impossible to ignore.
#65
Adjusted Score: 75941%
Critics Consensus: Intriguing albeit flawed, Vox Lux probes the allures and pitfalls of modern celebrity with intelligence, visual style, and an assured Natalie Portman performance.
#66
Adjusted Score: 64128%
Critics Consensus: The role of a lifetime for Matthew McConaughey, The Beach Bum is set apart by Harmony Korine’s distinctive style, but that isn’t always enough to offset the unfocused story.
#67
Adjusted Score: 49121%
Critics Consensus: The Bad Batch has its moments, but it’s too thinly written and self-indulgent to justify its length or compensate for its slow narrative drift.
#68
Adjusted Score: 11989%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.