Every week at SiftPop.com, we challenge our writers to choose what they think is the best movie under a certain topic related to a recent release. So this week, with the release of Quiz Lady on Hulu, we’re counting down our favorite Hulu original movies! Let us know @SiftPop what your ranking is!
No One Will Save You is a wholly original take on the alien invasion genre. It’s a brilliant setup to have a social pariah, outcast, and complete loner as the protagonist. Brynn (Kaitlyn Dever) has nobody to turn to and no interest in turning to them anyway. When her home is broken into, she bravely prepares to take on the intruder. But when she realizes the intruder is not from this planet, her resilience and resourcefulness immediately kick up another few gears. The layered, tragic backstory brilliantly intertwines with the rapidly escalating events of the present, and adds depth to the intrigue of Brynn. It also adds significant weight to the only two words of dialogue spoken in the entire movie. I can see why executives would have limited a movie with virtually no dialogue to streaming, but it’s a shame, because this would have been a gripping theater experience. While it is more thriller than horror, No One Will Save You maintains its intensity throughout, and the creative design of the aliens is showcased well throughout the movie, rather than hidden in the shadows. Dever deserves a world of credit for accomplishing so much emoting through expression rather than dialogue. The ending is likely to be a divisive one, but there is so much fun to be had throughout that even those not on board with the conclusion should enjoy the journey getting there. (Jason Mack)
I’ve often said that I’ll eat up any competent, three-star romcom. When they’re funny, entertaining, and engaging all at once, and starring starring charismatic actors, you can get a lot of mileage out of it. Rosaline has all of that in spades — it stars Kaitlyn Dever as the titular character, who is the famous ex that Romeo left for Juliet. Forget the Shakespearean dialogue, though — this one is anachronistic, which just adds to its overall charm. And by the end, it even has a commentary on the types of stories that believe in love at first sight, like Romeo and Juliet, and all that just pushes it over the edge for me — it’s a whole lot of fun. (Robert Bouffard)
It’s never easy meeting the family of your significant other’s family for the first time. This can be compounded by the pressures of Christmas, and brought to a boiling point when you discover that your partner has yet to come out as lesbian to their family, who thinks that you are her actually roommate. Such is the case for Abby (Kristen Stewart) in Happiest Season, who’s planning to propose to her partner, Harper (Mackenzie Davis), until she meets her parents and discovers the life of secrets that Harper has led. The plot is fairly predictable from there on out, but it isn’t without its moments of charm and holiday cheer. Stewart in particular is great, as are the talented supporting cast, including Dan Levy, Audrey Plaza, Alison Brie, and Mary Steenburgen. If you haven’t seen it yet, maybe throw it on this holiday season as you decorate your house or bake some Christmas cookies. (Jake Hjort)
Run is a small-scale thriller in the vein of Misery that doesn’t break any new ground with its story, but hits all the beats of its genre with pitch-perfect precision. It seems probable that Run was inspired by the hard-to-believe true story of Gypsy Rose and Dee Dee Blanchard, given the similarities to be found with Sarah Paulson’s character, a mother of a wheelchair-bound daughter with a suspiciously high number of ailments. Kiera Allen’s performance as our protagonist perfectly endears you to her character, making it easy to get invested in the high-stakes scenes of tension that populate the second half of the film. Writer/director Aneesh Chaganty has a real knack for understanding his audience — every scene of the film feels perfectly devised to provoke a collective gasp or sigh of relief in its audience. Let down by a puzzling choice for its final scene, as well as its by-the-books thriller plot, Run is not going to crack many people’s all-time favorites list, but that should not stop them from giving the film a shot. It knows exactly the kind of film it is, and delivers upon its premise with entertainment and efficiency. (Foster Harlfinger)
Before I met my wife, I was disillusioned with online dating similar, to Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones). Fresh is an amazing look at why modern dating sucks, as well as a really unsettling horror movie. Steve (Sebastian Stan) will go down as one of modern horror’s most effective and ruthless killers. The scariest part of Fresh is how the elite and wealthy get whatever they want at the cost of other people’s lives. Noa is a fantastic final girl, and her friends make for a great crew. The performances are outstanding, and there are imagery and scenes that will stick with you for a really long time. (Mike Hilty)
The bones Fire Island are pretty standard in terms of the journey its characters go through — it’s one of self-discovery, eschewing of selfishness, and realizing how important their friends really are in their lives. But the meat on those bones has a group of queer best friends taking a trip, and being the ones to go through all of this. With a deep, lovable cast headlined by Joel Kim Booster (who also wrote the film), Bowen Yang, Conrad Ricamora, and thermal standout, Torian Miller, Fire Island pulls as the heartstrings all while being a total blast from minute one. (Robert Bouffard)
Relationships are hard, aren’t they? While you hope that you find a partner who makes the relationship feel a lot less like work, you still need to put in that effort. But the process to get to that partner can be quite an unfortunate series of events. A great romance film captures that relatable journey and struggle, and offers it up in a poignant and meaningful way. Throw in some good laughs, vibrant cinematic personality, and empathetic performances, and you have yourself a hit. That is what Hulu has in the form of Rye Lane, a vibrant film full of beautiful, rich colors, as well as characters who have plenty of personality and layers to boast. There is also an impressive flair to the cinematic voice of the film that allows for some engaging choices in the storytelling which feels both bold and effective. The camera certainly has an impactful presence, as we are plopped into a budding romance between heartbroken individuals. The winning combo of David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah in front of the camera, combined with Raine Allen-Miller’s care behind it, makes for a brisk and poignant experience. (Shane Conto)
Let’s go! Arnold led us in; he told us to get to the choppa’. Danny Glover took on the streets of L.A. But let’s be honest, since the first Predator, we’ve had pieces of the franchise that have been entertaining (in good and sometimes unintentional ways), but never recaptured the spirit of the original Predator. Until in 2022, when Hulu showed those three red dots lining up on an unlucky target and teased us with the trailer for Prey. Then Amber Midthunder and Dakota Beavers welcomed us to the plains and presented a thrilling prequel I didn’t know could be so great. Prey lives up its title and follows our protagonists as time and again they are the prey, but quickly show how to hunt when they are the hunted. Both leads bring absolutely stellar performances, highlighted by Taabe’s (Beaver) final moments on his horse, where he uttering the refrain of the film to Naru (Midthunder) for encouragement. Prey walks the fine line of paying homage to the original, while also carving out its own path. For anyone who has been waiting for the Predator franchise to bring us something fun and new, this is it! (Matt Lawson)
One of the few bright spots of 2020, Palm Springs took the premise introduced in Groundhog Day and perfected it. Dropping on Hulu at a point in time when we all felt trapped in an infinite time loop, it follows Nyles (Andy Samberg) and Sarah (Cristin Milioti), as the latter gets sucked into the same time loop that the former had been living in for quite some time. The chemistry between our two leads really makes it sing as their relationship develops over the course of the time they are trapped in the loop together. Add in a great supporting performance from J.K. Simmons, and you’ve got something really special. It’s got laughs and heart in spades, but what really sets it apart is how it deals with the reality of constantly reliving the same day over and over again. While the subgenre of time loop movies is surprisingly varied and quality-filled, no film has maxed out the potential quite like this Hulu original. (Jake Bourgeois)
Do you need a reminder that Emma Thompson is one hell of an actress? Do you crave a movie that talks openly and honestly about sex work without coming across as preachy or uninformed? And do you want to laugh one minute whilst pondering morality and sexuality the next minute? Well, do I have a movie for you! Good Luck to You, Leo Grande surprised me in all aspects, as I expected very little going into it, and it turned into one of those “little movies that could.” From Thompson bearing it all (both metaphysically to literally) and giving us another masterclass of performance to Daryl McCormack, who had to keep up with this legend (and does a stunning job too), this movie is as little as it gets, from the “action” being in mostly one hotel room to those two actors being the only ones in this film for the 99% of the runtime. And yet, it works; you are never bored, as both of their characters are complex and feel real, and their conversations are anything but boring. Leo Grande is one of those reminders that you don’t need to spend $100 million or have CGI fest in your movie to get something worth your time. I wish more people knew about it. (Luke Burian)
Not Okay
What lengths will someone go for internet fame? Well, the 2022 Hulu movie Not Okay answers that question. The film follows Danni (Zoey Deutch), who fakes a trip to Paris for Instagram — when disaster strikes in Paris and she continues the lie to appear as the hero, she gains the popularity and fame she so desperately wanted. The film is an interesting one, and it sparked a lot of talk about how far people will go. I could easily see someone doing this in today’s internet culture. From following the YouTube “pranks” to what people post on TikTok, the internet has become vital to our culture. Not Okay shines a light in an area that needs to be discussed, and helps educate people into knowing what is not okay to do on the internet. Writer/director Quinn Shephard does a fantastic job with this film — it is definitely one everyone needs to see. (Austen Terry)
Deep Water
If you want star power in early 2022, it gets hard to find a more interesting duo than Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas. One is riding high off a comeback in their career, including playing the Dark Knight, and the other is about to be nominated for an Oscar for playing Marilyn Monroe. Deep Water pins Affleck and de Armas against each other in a bizarre game of cat and mouse. Look, it’s not the greatest movie ever made, but if a movie studio can convince its two A-list stars to pretend to date for a few months for publicity, you have my attention. Affleck channels some of his Gone Girl energy as well, which is always a plus in my mind, and de Armas is so charming that it doesn’t matter to me that her character is written like a five-year-old who just wants a new toy every other day. Check it out. It’s a fun time. (Sam Nichols)