Movie reviews of Eric Hillis

While ultimately something of a misfire, Preparations... does introduce us to a fearsome new talent in Stork and a potentially great filmmaker in Horvát, though on the evidence here, the latter may be better suited to focusing on directing scripts by other writers. Review

Dreams on Fire will likely hold niche appeal for dance enthusiasts, but if it's worth seeking out for anyone else it's down to the performance of Naka. Aside from her moves, she delivers a striking debut performance. Review

With no rules established, Bertino's film feels like it's making up its mythology on the fly, and so it's difficult to get invested in a movie where anything can seemingly happen at any given time without rhyme or reason. Review

Jumbo looks great, is superbly performed and certainly means well. Review

Nikou was formerly the assistant director to Yorgos Lanthimos, and on the surface at least, Apples slots neatly into the movement known as the Greek Weird Wave. It's heavy on the absurdism we associate with the movement, but where it stands apart is in its lack of cynicism. Review

The true tragedy of Poppy Field is that men like this would rather not face such questions. Review

The main problem with I Care a Lot is that it gives us a protagonist whose actions are so unforgivably callous that it presents a real challenge to a filmmaker to get us on their side. Review

Imagine A Nightmare on Elm Street if Freddy Krueger never actually materialised but was rather alluded to and occasionally glimpsed through a digital haze on a bank of monitors. Review

Thanks to unconvincing plotting and characters we couldn't care less about, the movie loses our interest long before its climax. Review

Jack and Scarlet are two Millennials attempting to make a living through means that would have been unthinkable a generation earlier, and Hozie presents them without judgement. Review

Breeder has no story to tell and nothing to say; it simply attempts to provoke a reaction, as though it's the product of a neglected child. Review

The World to Come tells a familiar tale but it does so with a quartet of impressive actors against a visually stunning backdrop. Why anyone would think to drown out all the good work with such inane narration is baffling. Review

Even if the execution renders much of Willy's Wonderland a missed opportunity on the action front, you certainly get what you pay for here, and the filmmakers should thank their lucky stars they managed to get Cage onboard, as I can't think of another living actor who could make this work. Review

But most of the best horror movies take a very simple, even well-worn premise and enliven it with a combination of a creator's personal vision, a gripping central performance and an understanding of the technical tricks that make the genre tick. The Stylist checks all these boxes, and I'll certainly be booking an appointment with Gevargizian in the future. Review

Golding is certainly trying to say something about the era, but the message is muddled and ultimately lost in a mediocre piece of straight to video storytelling. Review

Wilson is a good everyman foil for this sort of thing, and he manages to somewhat keep the jargon grounded, but Hayek is badly miscast and can't sell the cod-philosophy the script asks of her. Review

As is often the case with movies about impending catastrophes, the impending is more intriguing than the catastrophe. Review

If you can look past the film's hypocritical politics, there's an engaging enough Sunday afternoon western romp to be enjoyed here. Review

As an exercise to keep the acting muscles of two performers in use at a difficult period for the film industry, Malcolm & Marie certainly gives Zendaya and Washington plenty to chew on, but it's not so easy for the audience to swallow. Review

Wilton Regan does her best in the lead role, but she's essentially playing a character who has been reduced to a hysterical stereotype. Review

Falling somewhere between the psychological thriller of Monkey Shines and the trashy fun of Shakma, Link is the ultimate mad monkey movie, a product of an era when no premise was considered too ridiculous for an audience desperate to feed our hungry VHS players. Review

It's a shame that the writing is so poor, as all other aspects of The Funeral Home are technically impressive. Review

If Stamboel and Anwar wish to demonstrate that they can compete with mainstream Hollywood despite their limited resources, then you have to take your hat off to them for producing such a polished film. But personally I'd happily take a more rough around the edges horror movie that demonstrated some personality over this glossy but rather soulless production. Review

Kawase's filmmaking is powerful in bursts, but those bursts are mired in a sprawling film that often feels like it's searching for its narrative centre. Review