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Los Angeles Times
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Inside Oscar voters' most coveted piece of swag: the Neon DVD box
Swag can seem endless during awards season, whether it's gift bags at red-carpet events or for-your-consideration collectibles that studios send journalists. But since 2017, the most highly anticipated promotional item among film critics has been the Neon box set, a gorgeous annual package containing all the indie distributor's releases on individual DVDs. In an era when impersonal screener links are ubiquitous, the Neon box feels artisanal, exclusive, classy and tangible. In the process, it's become the one piece of swag critics brag about receiving, posting photos on social media as soon as the set arrives at their doorsteps — and, not coincidentally, providing Neon with ample free publicity. Not that the good folks at Neon would ever suggest that's part of the strategy. 'It's not unwelcome,' says Andrew Brown, Neon's president of digital distribution, laughing over Zoom when this possibly devious ulterior motive is mentioned. 'We love that people want to share it — we love that people feel enthusiastic about it. I can't say it was the intent, but we're really happy that there are fans of it.' Brown is joined on the call by Spencer Collantes, vice president of creative marketing, to recount the box set's origins dating to the early days of the company led by Chief Executive Tom Quinn. 'In our first year, we were fortunate enough to have a real big contender with 'I, Tonya,'' Brown recalls. 'We had a number of really great films and I'm pretty sure it was Tom's idea: 'Hey, we should build a book around it.' We wanted something really bold. Primary colors. Very reproducible.' The design for Neon's first set in 2017 — which, ironically, didn't include 'I, Tonya' but did feature the studio's initial cult successes, such as 'Ingrid Goes West' — was simple: just some DVDs with critics' blurbs and stills packed in a glossy book. But Brown's team had lofty aspirations for it. 'In our New York office, we have the Janus 50,' says Brown, referring to Criterion's box set 'Essential Art House: 50 Years of Janus Films,' the hefty 50-disc survey of the beloved label's essential masterpieces that was produced in 2006. 'That was probably the great-granddaddy of [ours]. Obviously, we're doing a much smaller version of that, but we wanted something that looks good on a shelf or a coffee table. It is a tool to celebrate our movies and garner attention around them for award season, but we really wanted something that's a step above.' After essentially sticking to the same packaging for its first four years, Neon reimagined the box in 2021, creating specific design elements for individual movies in that year's slate. Sturdy without being bulky, each new eye-catching edition now sports its own arresting design and theme, the set's increasing grandeur reflecting Neon's growing stature as an Oscar player. (Its 2019 sensation, 'Parasite,' became the first international film not primarily in the English language to win the coveted best picture trophy.) Just don't ask Collantes to explain the hidden narrative behind a particular book's theme. 'I don't know if I want to put it out there because that's the fun of these sets,' he says when discussing last year's strikingly minimalist layout. 'Every single year, there's something different that everyone picks up from it. There's a lot of discussion and consideration that goes into all of the different elements — we're excited about what people have been remarking about online.' The boxes look pricy, which only adds to their desirability. Past sets sell on EBay for around $150 to $200, comparable to some Criterion box sets. 'Financially, it makes no sense whatsoever — those things are ridiculously expensive,' Neon's chief marketing officer, Christian Parkes, admits in a separate phone call. 'But they're also really important because that's the end-of-year statement. It's a way of saying thank you to everyone that supported us. And it's a way for everyone to look back and be like, 'Yeah, good work, Neon — that's a good slate.'' But just how much does Neon spend on these sets? Brown won't divulge exact numbers, although he confirms that Neon sends out around 3,000 of them to the members of different critics organizations. Is the price tag six figures? 'We spend what we think needs to be spent,' says Brown, drawing a line. 'We don't want it to feel flimsy' — and then adds, jokingly, 'We also don't feel the need to stud it with precious gems.' He points out that the sets contain DVDs rather than higher-resolution options. 'These are still [just] screeners. We don't want these movies to leak in high definition. Some of these movies are in these boxes before they've even come out in theaters.' As the industry continues to grapple with physical media's drop in popularity, the appeal of Neon's box set mirrors that of vinyl's old-school physical pleasures. The handsome package caters to critics who think about movies as meaningful, enduring objects. And if Neon's approach helps inspire those voters to associate the specialty distributor with the art and craft of film, well, Brown won't object. 'We're well aware that it does set us apart,' he says of the box sets. 'We know that people welcome our books and we know that our fellow studios look at us and go, 'Wow, that's pretty amazing. We wish we could do something like that.' It's not a competition — I mean, it's a competition for the films, but it's not a competition for the book. We welcome more of this type of thing.'
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lurker review – deviously entertaining Hollywood hanger-on thriller
There's something remarkably assured about Alex Russell's attention-demanding thriller Lurker, a buzzy Sundance debut that's made with an unusual amount of self-awareness. The majority of this year's first-time narrative films have been cursed with an overabundance of either in-your-face style or precariously stacked ideas (or, even worse, both) and a frantic need to show how much one can do, often showcasing how little can be done well. But Russell, a TV writer whose credits include Beef and The Bear, is the rare freshman who knows exactly the right balance, often choosing less when others choose too much, his film a relatively simple yet extremely confident introduction. It's a contemporary pop-culture riff on an obsessive psycho-thriller, the kind we were flooded with in the 90s in which an outlier enters the life of someone who has something they want, recalling Single White Female and The Talented Mr Ripley as well as something more recent and comedic like Ingrid Goes West. Russell takes this formula and extracts most, if not all, of the heightened genre elements to give us something a little more grounded, dialogue more rooted in reality and a canny realisation that murder isn't always needed to create menace. The lurker is Matthew (Théodore Pellerin), a twentysomething retail worker who insinuates himself into the inner circle of rising music star Oliver (Saltburn survivor Archie Madekwe) by pretending not to be a fawning superfan. Matthew, living with his grandmother and seemingly lacking a social life of his own, has to work hard to make his way deeper inside, cleaning dishes and putting up with insults from Oliver's entourage of laddish yes men, a believably off-putting and juvenile world new to some of us. Many would tap out but Matthew persists, and his refusal to fall at the many hurdles laid out nabs him a job as unofficial documentarian. Much of Russell's film then swerves among forms of video, as Matthew films more and more of Oliver's life, but he avoids stylistic overkill and, for a film that revolves around people of this age, keeps plot-reliant on-screen texts and social media posts to a bare minimum. Unlike, say, Ingrid in Ingrid Goes West or Tom in The Talented Mr Ripley, there's nothing likable or tragic about Matthew (a tender scene of him dancing with his grandmother is quickly followed by him hilariously scolding her for talking while he's on the phone). He's a parasite, perfectly played by an uncomfortably on-point Pellerin, lacking the social ease and innate coolness that he sees around him, always lingering longer than he should, the kind of person who makes you want to leave a room as soon as they enter. His welcome is inevitably outstayed but Lurker isn't just content with the well-trodden downfall of someone who is embraced and then rejected. It's smarter than that, examining what a person would actually need to do to impress and then control someone so vulnerable yet so fickle, the learned portioning of tough love in a world where people are afraid to give it. What if Matthew is what Oliver needs? What would that say about the realities of being famous? Related: Opus review – John Malkovich plays an evil pop star in a silly horror dud Russell is happy with light interrogation – his film is no grand social statement – and he's focused more on his characters over what they represent. It's also a pleasure and relief to see a film about pop culture ignore the obvious cascade of easy point-and-acknowledge referencing that plagues so many others and create its own credible world instead with music, crafted by Kenny Beats, that you never once doubt. As things go from bad to worse, it's a captivatingly nasty descent as Matthew's mask starts to slip, offering up the sort of clammy suspense that one hopes for from this territory without falling into the equally expected overwrought absurdity. The young cast are all superb, with Madekwe cleverly embodying that brand of alluring aloofness that so many celebrities have, never letting you know where you stand, keeping you on a knife's edge instead. There's also a great turn from Havana Rose Liu, doing a lot with a little, as a semi-assistant who pities then fears Matthew's presence. Lurker is a film of easy targets but Russell avoids obvious jabs. While there's a cynicism that clearly comes from someone who has done his time in both Los Angeles and the industry, it's ultimately about something more human, and more unsettling, than just Hollywood. There are, after all, lurkers everywhere. Lurker is screening at the Sundance film festival and is seeking distribution
The Guardian
31-01-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Lurker review – deviously entertaining Hollywood hanger-on thriller
There's something remarkably assured about Alex Russell's attention-demanding thriller Lurker, a buzzy Sundance debut that's made with an unusual amount of self-awareness. The majority of this year's first-time narrative films have been cursed with an overabundance of either in-your-face style or precariously stacked ideas (or, even worse, both) and a frantic need to show how much one can do, often showcasing how little can be done well. But Russell, a TV writer whose credits include Beef and The Bear, is the rare freshman who knows exactly the right balance, often choosing less when others choose too much, his film a relatively simple yet extremely confident introduction. It's a contemporary pop-culture riff on an obsessive psycho-thriller, the kind we were flooded with in the 90s in which an outlier enters the life of someone who has something they want, recalling Single White Female and The Talented Mr Ripley as well as something more recent and comedic like Ingrid Goes West. Russell takes this formula and extracts most, if not all, of the heightened genre elements to give us something a little more grounded, dialogue more rooted in reality and a canny realisation that murder isn't always needed to create menace. The lurker is Matthew (Théodore Pellerin), a twentysomething retail worker who insinuates himself into the inner circle of rising music star Oliver (Saltburn survivor Archie Madekwe) by pretending not to be a fawning superfan. Matthew, living with his grandmother and seemingly lacking a social life of his own, has to work hard to make his way deeper inside, cleaning dishes and putting up with insults from Oliver's entourage of laddish yes men, a believably off-putting and juvenile world new to some of us. Many would tap out but Matthew persists, and his refusal to fall at the many hurdles laid out nabs him a job as unofficial documentarian. Much of Russell's film then swerves among forms of video, as Matthew films more and more of Oliver's life, but he avoids stylistic overkill and, for a film that revolves around people of this age, keeps plot-reliant on-screen texts and social media posts to a bare minimum. Unlike, say, Ingrid in Ingrid Goes West or Tom in The Talented Mr Ripley, there's nothing likable or tragic about Matthew (a tender scene of him dancing with his grandmother is quickly followed by him hilariously scolding her for talking while he's on the phone). He's a parasite, perfectly played by an uncomfortably on-point Pellerin, lacking the social ease and innate coolness that he sees around him, always lingering longer than he should, the kind of person who makes you want to leave a room as soon as they enter. His welcome is inevitably outstayed but Lurker isn't just content with the well-trodden downfall of someone who is embraced and then rejected. It's smarter than that, examining what a person would actually need to do to impress and then control someone so vulnerable yet so fickle, the learned portioning of tough love in a world where people are afraid to give it. What if Matthew is what Oliver needs? What would that say about the realities of being famous? Russell is happy with light interrogation – his film is no grand social statement – and he's focused more on his characters over what they represent. It's also a pleasure and relief to see a film about pop culture ignore the obvious cascade of easy point-and-acknowledge referencing that plagues so many others and create its own credible world instead with music, crafted by Kenny Beats, that you never once doubt. As things go from bad to worse, it's a captivatingly nasty descent as Matthew's mask starts to slip, offering up the sort of clammy suspense that one hopes for from this territory without falling into the equally expected overwrought absurdity. The young cast are all superb, with Madekwe cleverly embodying that brand of alluring aloofness that so many celebrities have, never letting you know where you stand, keeping you on a knife's edge instead. There's also a great turn from Havana Rose Liu, doing a lot with a little, as a semi-assistant who pities then fears Matthew's presence. Lurker is a film of easy targets but Russell avoids obvious jabs. While there's a cynicism that clearly comes from someone who has done his time in both Los Angeles and the industry, it's ultimately about something more human, and more unsettling, than just Hollywood. There are, after all, lurkers everywhere. Lurker is screening at the Sundance film festival and is seeking distribution
