Swiped

• Director: Rachel Lee Goldenberg
• Writer: Rachel Lee Goldenberg, Bill Parker, Kim Caramele
• Starring: Lily James, Ben Schnetzer, Myha’la, Jackson White, Dan Stevens

Grade: D+

For the past 15 years, Hollywood has been chasing what crystalized so perfectly in The Social Network, and Hulu’s Swiped represents yet another misguided attempt to capture lightning in a bottle. There have been some wins here and there: films and mini-series like Blackberry or The Dropout that have successfully mythologized the almost Shakespearean struggles between the geniuses who created the companies or tech we’re all familiar with and those who sought to bring them down. But for every one that breaks through, there are a thousand more imitators that are instantly forgotten – and that’s not including the countless documentaries made on the same subjects. Though, if you went into a straight-to-Hulu release written by Rachel Lee Goldenberg (who also directs), Bill Parker, and Kim Caramele, expecting quality comparable to David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin’s film, somebody lied to you along the way.

Twinless

• Director: James Sweeney
• Writer: James Sweeney
• Starring: Dylan O’Brien, James Sweeney, Lauren Graham, Aisling Franciosi, Tasha Smith, Chris Perfetti, Susan Park

Grade: A-

With so many films in recent years centered around grief and grieving, it seems impossible to believe that a film could find a new angle in approaching the subject. But Twinless feels fresh and original, thanks to the voice of writer-director-star James Sweeney by centering less on the death of a person and more on how a lack of closure can be just as difficult as the death itself. And beyond the film’s thematic weight, it provides excellent acting showcases for both Sweeney and Dylan O’Brien.

The Naked Gun

• Director: Akiva Schaffer
• Writer: Dan Gregor & Doug Mand & Akiva Schaffer
• Starring: Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Danny Huston, CCH Pounder

Grade: A-

So many comedies have tried to replicate what David and Jerry Zucker, and Jim Abrahams perfected with films like Airplane! and The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, but it takes a keen comedic mind to do it right. On paper, a reboot to The Naked Gun starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson sounds like one of the many legacy projects that comes and goes without any fanfare, but director Akiva Schaffer (who co-writes the screenplay with Dan Gregor and Doug Mand) has a clear affinity for what works so well with the franchise, and the result is one of the best comedies in years.