hulu.sc
Finding the perfect movie for Taco Tuesday can be challenging. Going to the movie theater is out of the question, and you have already spent 30 minutes scrolling through Netflix, but nothing has caught your eye.
On Tuesday last, as far as I was concerned, that was what it looked like.
I found Hulu.sc when it had a modern look with a familiar feel to other search engines. I thought it was Google simple.
This site offers a variety of movies that you may have never heard of before. Additionally, there are some new films to check out as well.
A Design That Shines, But Isn?t Gold
I quickly looked through the catalog and noticed that the new car had a transmission that was not up to par.
The design is familiar, but I wanted some recommendations for a Taco-Tuesday movie. So, I headed over to the movie section.
The landing page for the movies does not seem to care about what I might like. Instead, the films are in no particular order and half of them do not have an image for me to judge the book by its cover. So, I am in a sea of meaningless movie titles with no direction on which way is up.
Thankfully, there is a filter option for the amoeba of movie titles.
You are able to search by genre and year. But those do not help much. Instead, I prefer to listen to users. And they make it easy by offering to filter based on most viewed links and top of IMDB.
Unfortunately, while these filter methods will get you a list of things people enjoy, it is limited to their library. Worse still, it is a randomized list.
When you click the ?most viewed? link, a different list is populated each time. For example, the cinematic masterpiece and Charles Band's 2005 magnum opus, The Gingerdead Man, first appeared on the most viewed tab. But when I refreshed the page, it was #7 despite its clever title and obviously compelling plotline. There seems to be a group of top recommendations that appear in no particular order.
The "Top IMDB" filter option has the same issue as the other filters.
Besides offering a group of movies that bears no resemblance to IMDB's actual top lists, it offers a group of movies that are not based on any pre-existing database?.
Naturally, there is no one "best" movie. Every individual has their own personal favorites, which vary depending on their own personal preferences.
But I think we can all agree that Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith should come before a Star Wars: Reviewed.
Yet, Hulu.sc's algorithm puts the masterpiece of a review by PlinkettReviews before the actual movie.
So while the layout of the website is easy to navigate, you will not be lost in a meaningless library.
Surprisingly Clean on Mobile
Many free streaming sites are difficult or impossible to use on phones without the built-in adblocker.
Any clicking might bring you down a rabbit hole of ads that may or may not be malware for your device.
But Hulu.sc was reasonable. I clicked around before landing on American Dad. When I selected the show, I was given two ads that I was able to exit. That's impressive compared to some sites that are almost unusable with ads on.
The mobile sites I use tend to have ads over the play button. And those ads will redirect a few times until you're on a landing page that tries to convince you that hot singles in your area are looking for you.
But this website didn't offer that. Instead, the link went straight to a landing page you're able to back out of. I had to do this twice before the show was playable.
The show started and did not pause to buffer through the entire episode within 20-30 seconds.
Overall, the mobile experience of this site should be the standard for free streaming services. They offer a mediocre library with minimal ads that are easy to avoid, and fast servers that start your show (or movie) without buffering multiple times.
Sometimes, Bad is Good
A potential Taco-Tuesday disaster could have been averted if there had been a randomized movie list that did not provide any real direction. However, I ended up watching a movie that was so bad, I couldn't stop laughing.
I have found this site to be very helpful.
The site looks good but the library is horrible; it is awful in the favorite-dive-bar-with-bad-service way.
I am not going to suggest you invite friends over to watch a movie on Hulu.sc. But if you find yourself bored on a weekday and want to watch a movie, keep an open mind and check out the library. You are not going to recognize most of the movies on the list, but most of them are so bad you will not be able to stop laughing after a few glasses of wine.
This website has the appeal of an unattractive dog.
If you decide to take a chance and find something on the site, you'll have a decent experience finding a mediocre (at best) movie.
The (not so) Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
I try to give the benefit of the doubt whenever I have an opportunity. But some things are inexcusable.
This site has a broken algorithm for suggesting the next title. Additionally, it may be inaccurate.
Assuming you choose to watch the movie, let?s say it starts off poorly. You find yourself groaning and rolling your eyes at every cheesy dialogue exchange between the characters. However, after a while you muster up the courage to continue watching and what happens next is truly shocking. The plot takes an unexpected turn and you find yourself on the edge of your seat as events unfold. In the end, you are left with an overwhelming sense of satisfaction - something rare in Hollywood movies these days.
You are under your favorite blanket with a big bowl of popcorn and your favorite fluffy socks.
You are asked to click the movie. After clicking the movie, you are asked to get past the ads.
But you, who are greeted by a much younger Jeff Goldblum in the 2001 movie Cats & Dogs, should leave aside that Jeff's performance is probably a better theatrical choice than the financial black hole that is the 2019 Cats.
You were promised a movie on the Hulu website. The website's description even listed the movie's poster, release date, and actor list. However, Hulu did not deliver on their promise and you are left without the movie.
This is not appropriate.
I am capable of handling the lack of good movies, the subpar algorithm, and possible malware-laden ads. However, I cannot handle a false advertisement. If you are going to be a library filled with bad movies, at least take the time to get the links right.
What Can Be Improved
Sometimes it is necessary to take things at face value.
This site offers free movies with minimal ads and a well-designed layout that makes it easy to check out their library.
But two things can be fixed to put glitter on their turd library: adding a glittery polish to their existing library, or commissioning a new turd library from a professional artist.
First and most importantly, make sure the links are accurate.
It can be a tough choice to find something to sink two hours of my life into. And when I finally make up my mind, it is frustrating to be redirected to another movie. For me, this seems like the most critical fix for the quality of life.
Make sure the filters are accurate before using them.
I am not the biggest tech guy, but it seems like there should be a way to get an accurate list of IMDB movies integrated into the site. At the very least, the most popular movies on the site itself should be easy to find - its data is what the site should already have.
Upon first inspection, the filters seemed useful. However, after refreshing the page I was offered a different list with the same movies.
It might be a hassle to verify each link points to the correct movie, but fixing the quality of the filter seems like a more straightforward fix that makes using the site much more user-friendly.
What?s the Verdict?
This website is not good, at best.
The layout of the library is easy to navigate, but the library lacks compelling movies, and the links might be incorrect.
I think that this site has some good features, but the downsides of it make it hard to recommend it to friends.
I will use Hulu if I need background noise while cleaning the house, but it would be difficult to put this site on a list of reliable resources.
This is the McDonalds of free streaming. It is usually disappointing, but when everything else is closed, it is an option to get by on.
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