Movie reviews of Eric Hillis

Eschewing any biting satire, Woszczynska struggles to fill her movie's silence with meaning. Silent Land has a very simple message, that even the most sociopathic and entitled among us may struggle with guilt, but she never explores that notion in a particularly interesting way. Review

Watching Olga battling the bars late at night in an empty gymnasium is as thrilling as the finale of any boxing movie, thanks to the combination of Budiashkina's physicality, Grappe's direction and Pedro's editing. All three combine to use a body in motion to express the frustration of young people growing up in an uncertain Eastern Europe. Review

Prior to that disappointing final act, Bass does enough to suggest that if she can hook up with a writer with a determined singular voice (as opposed to an entire football team of scripters), she could be a new talent to watch on the international horror scene. Review

It's all very slight and sunny, and the dramatic stakes are about as low as they get. But thanks to an effervescent performance from Demoustier, the film that bears her name is always watchable. Review

Shot with an objective distance, Mehdi Hoseinivand Aalipour’s debut feature Asteroid often feels like one of those stories, allowing the viewer to draw their own conclusions as to whether it's an inspiring film or one critical of the society it plays out in. Review

Her action is adrenalin pumping, but never thrilling or exciting, rather horrifying and deeply grim. La Civil is an anti-war movie set in an unrecognized warzone. Review

As a calling card for its leading ladies, The Seed certainly gives Martin, Edge and Vavasseur plenty of opportunity to display their comedic chops, but once the laughs run out the movie becomes as dry as the desert where its action plays out. Review

Had Andini balanced her message more evenly with her film's comic elements, she may have reached a more mainstream audience that needs to learn of the pain of girls like Yuni. Review

Chris's story is a snoozefest within a snoozefest. Review

The Girl and the Spider may warrant a return visit; this is a narrative web that requires a considerable amount of disentangling. Review

True Things isn't saying anything new or revolutionary, but a lot of viewers of its protagonist's generation may find it uncomfortably representative of their lot in life. Review

It features one of the best child performances I've ever witnessed, and it's made by a director who seems possessed by the spirit of John Ford, who knows that how people look at each other is more important than what they say to each other. Review

It's a shame, as with her debut, Nocturnal, Biancheri made a gripping film that tackles the subject of identity and accepting where you come from. In comparison, her follow-up plays like a lecture delivered in the sort of monotone voice that puts students to sleep on a Monday morning. Review

Bogarde and Mills are badly miscast. They're both two old for the roles, and certainly too English. Surrounding them with actual Irish actors only makes them stand out all the more, and there are moments where we forget which side they're meant to be representing. Review

Fortunately for Moretti, he's enlisted a knockout ensemble. Aside from miscasting himself, Moretti has populated his film with some wonderful performers. Despite the film's fluffing of her lines, Buy is outstanding, propping her half-baked storyline on her shoulders. Review

Ashgrove paradoxically feels improvised but also very thought out. Review

Here are two titans of Antipodean acting getting the chance to stare each other down. LaPaglia gives a heartbreaking turn as a heartbroken father, while the various supporting actors are convincingly uncomfortable in Nitram's presence. Review

There's nothing here we haven't seen before, with a few moments reworked from Christopher Nolan's trilogy in a manner that comes off as very expensive fan fiction. Review

Like the films of the Safdie brothers, Red Rocket has a manic energy matched by a sociopathic protagonist that makes for a highly captivating but somewhat draining viewing experience. Review

It's all insufferably twee to the degree that you're constantly on edge, anticipating James and Arabella to break out a ukulele at any moment. Review

Think of Carrie if young Carrie White's mother was fully supportive and sympathetic to her daughter's supernatural abilities rather than viewing them as the work of the devil. Review

With Blow-up and Blow-Out, Antonioni and De Palma found a way to make this sort of thing instensely cinematic by having their protagonists piece together images, but Soderbergh and screenwriter David Koepp fail to find a similar way to make their movie visually interesting. Review

What's most surprising about Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the quality of the cast that's been assembled, though nobody is given any material that's going to stretch their talents. Review

One of these involves a police officer killed in the line of duty who keeps asking Claire "What day is it?" After the two-plus hours of dreariness that is They Live in the Grey, it's a question you may well find yourself asking. Review