Hulu doesn’t get the popularity of competitors like Netflix and Max, however, the streamer offers a reliable, rotating variety of theatrical movies, as well as impressive original releases. These are some of the best, most upbeat and/or fun movies streaming lately, in a variety of genres.
Despite a clunky title, this fourth installment in the popular Apes series maintains the technical mastery of its predecessors, as well as its revolutionary spirit, while also serving as a comfortable reboot that doesn’t require a great deal of wisdom from what came before. death of Andy Serkis’ Caesar, human civilization continues to decline; Owen Teague plays Not, a young chimpanzee forced to leave his home when a tyrannical faction of rival apes destroys his village due to twisted and contradictory interpretations of Caesar’s teachings. It’s a stunning continuation of our smarter and more cohesive modern film franchise. Hulu also offers a diversity of previous Apes movies.
A ghost story, at least on the surface, All of Us Strangers follows lonely screenwriter Adam (Andrew Scott) as he begins a romantic date with his mysterious neighbor Harry (Paul Mescal), both of whom are the only citizens of a new component. . building. The relationship leads Adam to return to his relatives’ house, where he discovers that his parents (long dead) act very much alive. From there, the film will go into dark places, serving as a strong reminder that loss is an inevitable component of life, yes, but also that the only true convenience is to move on. Emotionally raw (be prepared, honestly), but beautiful.
These inherited consequences have been unpredictable, although it is more the latter than the former. If you had told me that a prequel to this defunct franchise would be one of the most effective horror movies of 2024, I would have looked at you the same way everyone looked at Gregory Peck when he tried to kill his satanic son a long time ago. back. Original from 1976. But here we are! First-time director Arkasha Stevenson brings plenty of ’70s-era flavor and paranoid vibe to the birth story of long-term antichrist Damien, combining (extremely timely!) frame themes of self-importance with true horror, and one of the strangest birth scenes. in the history of cinema.
An unabashedly nostalgic coming-of-age movie that has become an object of nostalgia, this summer crop of the ’60s follows Scott Smalls (Tom Guiry), the friendless new kid in town who knows nothing about baseball (relative), but takes a vacancy on the local sandlot team, hoping to fake it until he succeeds. It’s full of original characters and hits all the expected beats of the story and, despite a lukewarm reception in 1993, has shown an impressive strength of permanence among the children who saw it grow up. It’s a must-see, if only to better understand why you can hear a middle-aged user arbitrarily shout “You’re killing me, Smalls!” »
One of the darkest (and funniest) satires in recent memory, Ruben Östlund’s wild movie feels like at least 3 movies in one, with narratives that take sharp turns to the right at times, taking a beating opposed to greed and skewering capitalism to the end. A memorable middle segment aboard a luxury cruise send divided between the haves (the passengers) and the have-nots (the crew) culminates in veritable explosions of vomit and. This is before a satisfying role reversal encouraged through the Lord of the Flies. Brilliant and hilarious, if you have the courage.
M. Night Shyamalan is one of our most interesting, if inconsistent, filmmakers. Split, however, represents a highlight. James McAvoy gives a masterful performance as a man with dissociative identity disorder who kidnaps and imprisons three young women in an underground bunker. Depending on the dominant personality, McAvoy is the hero, the villain, but he obviously has fun betting on at least nine other characters. The film’s description of DID is quite problematic, but it’s still quite funny.
Renate Reinsve brilliantly plays Julie, a medical student – for a short time – who has no idea what she wants to do with her life and is afraid to dedicate herself to anything and anyone. She’s that extremely exhausting cinematic trope: a messy young woman in her early twenties, in a way you’ve noticed in other minor films. The Worst Person in the World, however, makes the most of this, bringing all the joys of cinematic romantic dramas we’ve noticed before while also feeling a little more like the genuine life. People are messy! Everything is strangely sweet and stimulating.
It’s crazy that the most productive Predator movie since the first (and even better) was streaming only on Hulu. Whichever film deserves a theatrical release, Prey is an exciting action film that expands the Predator universe while also feeling deeply serviceable. Set on the Great Plains of 1719, Prey stars Amber Midthunder as Naru, a young Comanche warrior who ends up being the only user capable of protecting her tribe from the hunter from outer space.
After Frances McDormand’s Fern loses her job at a plaster factory, she sells everything and buys a van to live in and travel while searching for paintings (even in an Amazon warehouse – fun!). Attachments come and go on their journeys, as writer-director Chloé Zhao’s funny, elegiac film considers life within America’s increasingly precarious capitalist system while exploring broader themes of permanence and impermanence.
In eighteenth-century Denmark, hapless war hero, Captain Ludvig Kahlen (Mads Mikkelsen), hopes to turn his meager pension into a kind of life for himself by cultivating a component of a vast desert that no one else has been able to make. A greedy local justice of the peace is soon threatened by Kahlen’s reputation, aiming to ruin all his plans. This charming yet dark and intimidating Nordic drama plays out a bit like an old-school western.
It’s never too early for winter break! (Let’s say many other glorious people that are not me. )Hulu’s happiest season would arguably not be on anyone’s list of cinematic masterpieces. Very few (if any) films in the modern Hallmark-style homecoming genre for Christmas would cross that kind of barrier. . Still, there’s an explanation why we love those things, and this one adds a bit of prestige to their charms both in terms of casting (Kristen Stewart, Aubrey Plaza, Victor Garber, etc. ) and directing (Clea DuVall). , the film served as a high-profile torchbearer for queer representation in 2020, a year that introduced a small but significant wave of LGBTQIA Christmas films.
Or maybe you prefer your gay videos with a warmer vibe?Fire Island, a queer remake of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, also addresses the overabundance of stereotypes of fat, women, and Asians in the gay community. Social observation aside, it’s also a fun and wise romantic comedy with a fantastic cast that includes Joel Kim Booster (as Lizzy Bennett, who also wrote the screenplay), Bowen Yang, Conrad Ricamora, and Margaret Cho as the role of an organization of friends. That travel to the titular island every summer, however, this summer proves more dramatic (and romantic) than most.
Adrian Lyne (9 1/2 weeks, Fatal Attraction, and Indecent Proposal) returned to the director’s chair after a two-decade absence for this Hulu original. Ben Affleck is probably a rough equivalent in terms of star strength and sex appeal for old-age male leads, and Ana de Armas is a smart choice as co-director, even if the cast reminds us that the age differences in those films will be favorable. The concept of an older man with a particularly younger woman. Here, Vic d’Affleck agrees to forget his spouse’s series of adventures in order to maintain their marriage, but then becomes the prime suspect when his lovers begin to die. It’s a faked setup (taken from a Patricia Highsmith novel) that doesn’t really have a connection. However, it serves as a fun throwback to the golden age of sexy thrillers.
The Coen brothers relive Homer’s Odyssey, although it is not, strictly speaking, an absolutely faithful adaptation. In 1937, in Mississippi, a trio of network employees fled, led by Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney). The condemned encounter almost mythical obstacles on their way to freedom, as well as to a supposed fortune in buried treasure.
For many people who have only seen one animated movie, this is the one. Akira’s incredibly kinetic animation and highly detailed cityscape established a new popular form: writer-director Katsuhiro Otomo and his company gave birth to a new animated world with this film. , and we still live in it. Set in a dystopian 2019 (well, more dystopian than our 2019), the cyberpunk crop sees biker Kaneda forced to confront his friend Tetsuo after the latter acquires telekinetic talents in an accident. Akira is much more than its action, and it’s dense enough that it can be difficult for the uninitiated to follow, however, it’s a film that helps to keep growing with each scene.
A film that found itself in the middle of the discourse about videos being too dirty for the sensitive sensibilities of American audiences has earned a staggering 11 Oscar nominations in addition to Best Picture. Not bad. Emma Stone plays Bella Baxter, a monstrous creation of Frankenstein who struggles to find her place in the Victorian world with the help of her libertine lawyer friend, Duncan (Mark Ruffalo).
Writer-director Brandon Cronenberg (son of David) brings a palpable rage and inimitable sense of taste to this mix of science fiction and horror, even as he blurs genre classifications like those of his prominent father in the paintings. A couple who are on vacation in a foreign country leave their vacation spot and break the law, only to be informed that, for a price, they can entrust punishment to clones of themselves.
These adaptations of Kenneth Branagh’s Poirot haven’t been for everyone (I’m an old-school Agatha Christie fan and enjoyed them all); Either way, this third party is almost the most productive of the bunch. As atmospheric as it is, it’s an absolutely terrifying murder story that takes place in a ruined Venetian palace on Halloween. Tina Fey joins the cast as Agatha Christie’s Ariadne Oliver, while recent Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh plays the middle rookie.
Towards the end of the Tokugawa shogunate, the utterly sadistic (not to say corrupt) Lord Naritsugu will be presented with a seat on the Shogunate Council, a promotion that will not only increase the ruthless lord’s power, but will likely spark a civil war. war between his followers and those who hate him. The Shogun’s Minister of Justice makes the decision that assassination is the only solution and hires a dozen samurai to carry out the execution. The kinetic and violent film reminds us that director Takashi Miike has made a call himself in several memorable visceral horror films.
A non-fiction painting adapted into an action thriller, How to Blow Up an Oil Pipeline, follows 8 Americans involved in the bombing of an oil pipeline in two separate locations. The film, like the book on which it is based, argues that damaged assets are the worst in an environmental disaster, but that the level of commitment involved in carrying out such an act has deeply private consequences.
A deeply, deeply silly premise, involving a divorced father who reconnects with his circle of relatives by disguising himself as an elderly British nanny, is enhanced by lead performances from Robin Williams and Sally Field. Williams is in his prime, but he and Field play. emotional rhythms for all they’re worth.
A tribute to summer camp and theater in general, wrapped in a Christopher Guest-style musical mockumentary, Theater Camp uncovers an organization of aspiring actors performing a play in tribute to the camp’s troubled, comatose founder. Array performed through Amy Sedaris. It’s a lot of fun, especially for the old theaterArray.
Technically, an episode of Hulu’s anthology series Into the Dark, the feature film Midnight Kiss, uncovers an organization of gay friends (and their direct friends) heading to a beautiful place in the desert for an annual tradition: each will choose someone. . randomly to kiss at midnight. Old resentments are coming to the surface, stoked (unbeknownst to most) by a serial killer. It’s not a spoiler to suggest that not everyone may show up on New Year’s Day.
Awkwafina and Sandra Oh play two sisters in this wild road trip comedy set in ’90s jewelry culture as Romy.
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are back together after at least 20 years and, surprisingly, this third film in the series not only holds its own: it surpasses its predecessors directed by Michael Bay. The directing team made up of Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah knows how to make the most of the chemistry between the film’s protagonists, without ever giving up on the action. It breathed new life into a probably dead franchise and spawned a sequel.
Former child star turned dog owner.