Logitech G and McLaren Racing Sign New, Expanded Multi Year Partnership 

Logitech G, a Logitech brand and global leader in gaming technology, and motorsport icon McLaren  Racing, has announced a multi-year renewal and expansion of their long-standing partnership. This  renewed partnership with McLaren Racing builds on the success of Logitech McLaren G Challenge, the  world's premier racing tournaments, to now also include a portfolio of official gaming wheels, pedals,  racing seats, and headsets, all designed to deliver the most authentic and immersive sim racing  experience possible. 

"When two pioneers from different worlds come together, they don’t just collaborate, they redefine what’s  possible. That’s exactly what happened when we partnered with McLaren Racing, one of the most iconic  names in motorsport,” said Robin Piispanen, GM of Logitech G’s SIM and PRO Categories. “What began as  a shared passion for performance and innovation quickly evolved into a powerful force shaping the future  of racing, both on the grid and in the world of esports." 

One of the pillars of this collaboration is the Logitech McLaren G Challenge. Launched in 2018, the G  Challenge has grown into one of the world’s largest and most accessible sim racing tournaments. Open to  drivers of all skill levels, it gives participants from around the globe a chance to compete for real-world  prizes—including a trip to a Formula 1® Grand Prix and a visit to the legendary McLaren Technology  Centre. With over 200,000 unique competitors annually, the G Challenge proves that anyone with talent  and dedication can race with the best. 

Drivers compete for more than $100,000 in prizes—including an all-expenses-paid trip to a Formula 1®  Grand Prix, exclusive meet-and-greets with McLaren drivers, and a behind-the-scenes tour of the McLaren  Technology Centre in the UK.

“Working closely with Logitech G, we’ve been able to blur the lines between virtual and real-world racing  throughout our partnership, turning our fans into true racers since 2017,” said Nick Martin, Co-Chief  Commercial Officer, McLaren Racing. “We’re excited to take this collaboration to the next level, and we  can’t wait to show you what new developments we have in store.” 

As Logitech G and McLaren Racing look to the future, the partnership remains focused on expanding  opportunities for fans, drivers, and players around the world to connect through the power of play. 

As McLaren Racing's Official Gaming Peripherals Partner, Logitech G will collaborate with McLaren to  create advanced sim racing accessories, which will be engineered to McLaren's rigorous standards,  fulfilling the requirements of professional drivers, racing enthusiasts, and McLaren fans. Designed to  enhance gameplay and deliver an authentic McLaren racing experience, these new products will bring  the excitement of the track to homes and training facilities globally. 

With continuous innovations in G Challenge combined with next-generation products on the horizon,  Logitech G and McLaren Racing are poised to elevate sim racing to new heights, delivering on the shared  vision: push boundaries, deepen fan engagement, and shape the future of sim racing. 

For more information, visit logitechg.com and mclaren.com to follow the latest updates and discover how  you can get behind the wheel. 

What's on Neon in August

Here's everything that's streaming on Neon in August.

Outlander: Blood of my Blood (August 9 from 1pm)

Outlander: Blood of my Blood welcomes viewers back to the Outlander universe. Set across two different time periods, this prequel explores two new love stories filled with loyalty, passion, and desire as the young couples defy the forces that seek to tear them apart. From the war-torn battle fields during WWI where Claire's parents, Julia Moriston and Henry Beauchamp came together, to the sweeping Highlands of 18th century Scotland where Jamie's parents, Ellen MacKenzie and Brian Fraser reside. 

Stars: Harriet Slater, Jamie Roy, Hermione Corfield, Jeremy Irvine 

George Clarke's Homes in the Wild (August 14)

George Clarke’s Homes in the Wild is a captivating documentary series following renowned UK architect George Clarke as he journeys to some of the most remote and awe-inspiring homes in New Zealand and Australia. 

Each episode uncovers the grit, creativity, and resilience it takes to construct and sustain a home in such extreme environments – where weather, access, and distance from everyday conveniences test even the toughest pioneers. 

A Sky New Zealand Originals. Made with the support of NZ On Air. 

Dexter: Original Sin (August 1)

Miami, 1991. When his bloodthirsty urges can't be ignored any longer, a young Dexter Morgan must learn to channel his inner darkness. Dexter transitions from student to vigilante serial killer under the guidance of his father, Detective Harry Morgan. 

Peacemaker Season 2 (August 22 from 1pm)

The new season follows Christopher “Chris” Smith aka  Peacemaker, the vigilante Super Hero as he struggles to  reconcile his past with his newfound sense of purpose while  continuing to kick righteous evil-doer butt in his misguided  quest for peace at any cost.  

Stars: John Cena, Danielle Brooks, Jennifer Holland 

MOVIES

Conclave (August 3)

Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with running one of the world's most secretive and ancient events – selecting the new Pope. Lawrence finds himself at the centre of a conspiracy that could shake the very foundation of the Catholic Church. 

Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto, Isabella Rossellini 

Kraven the Hunter (August 12)

Kraven the Hunter is the visceral, action-packed origin story of how and why one of Marvel's most iconic villains came to be. Kraven, a man whose complex relationship with his ruthless father starts him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared. 

Stars: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Russell Crowe, Ariana DeBose 

September 5 (August 12)

During the 1972 Munich Olympics, a U.S. sports broadcasting crew is thrust into covering a terrorist hostage crisis involving Israeli athletes. 

Stars: Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Ben Chaplin 

Maria (August 16) 

After a glamorous yet tumultuous life in the public eye, famed opera singer Maria Callas retreats to Paris, where she reckons with her identity. 

Stars: Angelina Jolie, Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher 

AUGUST - NEON MOVIE  CONTENT BY DATE 

01 Training Day  

02 Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion  03 Conclave 

04 Arctic Justice  

05 Firebrand  

06 Bend It Like Beckham 

08 Shaun the Sheep Movie  

09 Den of Thieves 2: Pantera 

10 Come Out Fighting  

11 Your Monster 

12 Kraven the Hunter 

12 September 5 

13 Goodrich 

14 Dragged Across Concrete 

15 The Punisher  

15 The Punisher: War Zone  

16 Maria 

16 Luis & The Aliens  

17 Stars At Noon  

18 The Big Easy  

19 Alone Together  

20 Naked Gun 2 ½: The Smell of Fear  20 Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult  20 Naked Gun From The Files of Police Squad! 21 A Knight’s Tale  

22 Machete Kills  

23 Charming  

24 Widow Cliquot 

25 The Diary of a Teenage Girl  27 City of Ember  

28 Desperado  

29 Point Break  

30 The Monkey

SHARK WEEK 2025

AIR JAWS: HUNT FOR COLOSSUS  - AVAILABLE AUGUST 10 

A 20-foot great white breaches in New Zealand, sparking a hunt for Colossus – the  legendary flying shark who went missing 10 years ago from South Africa’s waters.  Could he still be alive and lead researchers  to a secret colony of lost great whites? 

JAWS VS MEGA CROC - AVAILABLE AUGUST 11  

Using data gathered in new experiments,  Tristan Guttridge, Rosie Moore, and Dr. Sora Kim construct a CGI fight to the death between two of the biggest and baddest  apex predators in the water – the Great 

White Shark and the Nile Crocodile.

GREAT WHITE ASSASSINS  - AVAILABLE AUGUST 15 

Shark expert Alison Towner teams up with Shark Week legend Dickie Chivell to decode how killer whales take down great whites with ease. To get answers, the team travel to New Zealand and goes to the extreme, sending Dickie underwater posed as an orca to see how the great whites react. 

SURVIVING JAWS  - AVAILABLE AUGUST 14 

50 years ago, Jaws changed the beachgoing experience forever, striking fear into millions of Americans who vowed to never go in the water again. Now, marine biologist Tom “Blowfish” Hird and predator ecologist Michelle Jewell re examine the movie and dive with Great Whites to separate fact from fiction, answering questions like: does skinny dipping really attract great whites? Could a monster shark chew through a boat’s hull? 

What's on DocPlay in August

Here's everything streaming on DocPlay in August.

15 July 2025

This month on DocPlay, a focus on titles from Scandinavia: in CPH:Dox-premiering A Dangerous Boy, teenage hacker Siggi plays sidekick to Julian Assange. In the jaw-droppingly beautiful Songs of Earth, the filmmaker’s father is our guide to a Norwegian valley; while the Sundance Award-winning A New Kind of Wilderness follows a family living off-grid. Plus, Sarah Polley’s playful and poignant contemporary classic Stories We Tell comes to DocPlay.

4 Aug

A Dangerous Boy • Series • Exclusive

Reality beats fiction in the story of Icelandic teenage hacker Siggi who became Julian Assange's sidekick in a story of paranoia, intelligence services, abuse, friendship and betrayal. A coming-of-age story unlike any other. 

7 Aug

Lynch/Oz

Through six distinct perspectives, Alexandre O. Philippe's Lynch/Oz helps us reexperience and reinterpret The Wizard of Oz by way of David Lynch.

18 Aug

Songs of Earth

Documentary filmmaker Margareth Olin's 84-year-old father is our guide to the Norwegian valley where his family has lived side-by-side with nature for generations. Executive produced by Wim Wenders and Liv Ullmann. 

A New Kind of Wilderness

Winner of Sundance’s World Cinema Grand Jury Prize for Documentary, this poignant film follows a family living off-grid and learning to face change in the wake of the unexpected. 

21 Aug

A Still Small Voice

An aspiring hospital chaplain begins a yearlong residency in spiritual care, only to discover that to successfully tend to her patients, she must look deep within herself. 

Stories We Tell

Academy Award®-nominee Sarah Polley's extraordinary Stories We Tell is a deeply moving portrait of a family dealing with a legacy of secrets and lies, and the elusive nature of truth itself.

The Amateur: Disney+ Movie Review

Cast: Rami Malek, Rachel Brosnahan, Jon Bernthal, Caitriona Balfe
Director: James Hawes

A more muted revenge-driven thriller than perhaps its explosive trailer promised, The Amateur sees Mr Robot star Rami Malek showcasing his trademark nervous energy and outsider charm as Charles Heller, a CIA cryptographer whose wife is killed in a terrorist attack.

Despite his tracking down of those responsible, he is told by the powers that be within the CIA that it'll be dealt with. However, when he discovers that's anything but the case, and being wildly unqualified to do so, he sets out to exact vengeance on those who've wronged him.

It's an interesting premise for The Amateur - one that promises an avenging angel able to appear hidden in plain sight because of his own anonymity. 

But director James Hawes' film is more concerned with offering middling thrills than full-on revenge edges that would have spiked moviegoers' interests in the 1980s. It's a shame because there are frustrating hints of what could have been in this film.

A scene where Heller uses a lockpick video on YouTube to crack open a door in an apartment is rich with humour, as he scrabbles to go unnoticed and the video tells viewers to like and subscribe.

The movie could have used a few more of these moments throughout, rather than a more workmanlike script that hits the right notes, but never seems to have the joy of having done so. 

Malek is watchable though - his Heller has real potential for a franchise character, a kind of antithesis to the power dynamics of the likes of Jason Bourne, but unfortunately the script never quite cooks up enough of the ambiguity of the relationships between Heller, the trainer forced upon him (Laurence Fishburne) and the spy who Bro-loved him played by Jon Bernthal.

What transpires in The Amateur is a nice story of the unexpected underdog having their day, but without the frisson of tension and suspense, you're never anything less than 100% sure he'll make it through. 

A bit more edge could have made this unmissable - as it is, well, it's just slightly Amateur-ish.

The Amateur is streaming now on Disney+.

Win a double pass to see The Naked Gun in cinemas

To celebrate the release of The Naked Gun in cinemas August 21, thanks to Paramount Pictures New Zealand, you can win a double pass.

About The Naked Gun

Only one man has the particular set of skills - to lead Police Squad and save the world.

Starring Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson and Paul Walter Hauser.

The Naked Gun is in cinemas August 21.

The Life Of Chuck: Movie Review

Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Matthew Lillard, Jacob Tremblay, Carl Lumbly, Mia Sara, Cody Flanagan, Benjamin Pajak
Director: Mike Flanagan

Based on a Stephen King short story and an intriguing mix of the melancholy and the joyous, Mike Flanagan's The Life Of Chuck is a film that's in love with language - and is all the better for it.

From visual language to musical language via wordplay from the dryly laconic tones of Nick Offerman as the narrator, this non-linear film is a joy from beginning to somewhat abrupt end.

Divided into three parts and best served without any idea of what's ahead, the movie serves as a reminder to find joy in connection and take moments where they come.

It begins with the world facing a range of catastrophes of unknown origin. From the utterly disastrous events such as earthquakes taking out regions to the banal worldwide loss of the internet, the opening moments deliver a mix of atmospheric menace and mystery, all anchored by the gently warm performances of Ejiofor as a teacher and Gillan as a nurse.

How it all ties in to Tom Hiddleston's Chuck Krantz is best experienced cold, but suffice to say the story's deliberate pace and slow unpeeling serves it well.

Yet it's also the actors in this that elevate a very human story. From Hiddleston's energetic dance moves to Hamill's gruffly hunched performance as a near-broken man to a young Pajak and Flanagan's turn in a joy-filled dance medley, via Matthew Lillard's scene- stealing performance as a neighbour, every carefully crafted moment and actor more than delivers in surprisingly affecting ways.

Perhaps the only minor disappointment is the somewhat tritely conceived and brusque ending that stymied the emotional power with its central message, but overall, The Life Of Chuck is a cinematic joy to behold, a vibrant, breathing reminder of what going to the movies should be - and what elevated effective storytelling can deliver when it's at its very best.

I Know What You Did Last Summer: Movie Review

Cast: Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jennifer Love Hewitt

Director: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson

The 2025 version of the iconic slasher arrives.

And with it the expectation of something original to kick off a new run for the franchise.