Movie reviews of Eric Hillis

Like the films of Sofia Coppola, this is a portrait of average American teens drawn by a filmmaker who had a far from average upbringing. The kids are alright Jason, leave them be. Review

The fantastic location could be straight out of a movie starring Peter Cushing or Christopher Lee, but the film's noisy approach owes more to the crash bang wallop films of James Wan than the brooding gothic classics of James Carreras, polluted by poorly telegraphed cheap jump scares and sub Elm Street dream imagery. Review

If you want to learn about James Brown, buy one of his records. You'll get the man straight away. Despite its 2.5 hour running time, Get on Up provides little insight. Review

No Good Deed boasts a clever late plot twist and more interracial interactions than 10 average Hollywood movies, even if those interactions usually involve a neck snapping, but there's nothing here you haven't seen before. You just won't have seen it on a cinema screen lately. Review

Nawapol's previous movie ran for little more than an hour, and had he shown similar restraint here, we'd be hailing this as one of the most enjoyable films of 2014. As it stands, it's a fan edit waiting to happen. Review

If you're willing to throw yourself into Ceylan's hands for the extended running time, you might emerge mentally drained, but you'll have spent the time in the company of some of 2014's most intriguing and well drawn characters. Review

Wood is an actor who seems only capable of two emotions, distraught and confused, but this is a case of a stopped clock telling the right time twice a day, as that's enough to get him through his portrayal of the uptight Brinnin. He's playing Bud Abbott to Jones's Lou Costello, and the latter gives a breakout performance, portraying Thomas like the bastard son of John Belushi and Anthony Hopkins. Review

Taken on their own terms, two of the three stories work just fine, the New York strand being the one that feels the weakest. Thanks to the chemistry between Neeson and Wilde, and Brody and Atias, the other two stories maintain our attention just fine. Review

There are interesting ideas to be explored in this franchise, but thus far they've been decidedly wasted. Review

Like those Nordic shows, it's impeccably mounted and acted, but with its lack of cinematic scope, you do feel like you should be watching Zvyagintsev's movie curled up at home on the sofa on a Sunday afternoon. Review

It may feature too many concessions to mainstream comedy acceptance to fully mine its potential, but when The Skeleton Twins is allowed to stand on its own feet, it's a bittersweet dramedy with some beautifully subtle performances. Review

The film is stolen, despite the brevity of her screen time, by Kaitlyn Dever, who broke hearts last year as a troubled teen in Short Term 12. Here she plays Moretz' chilled out friend, and lights up the screen with an effortless energy. It might believe it's being innovative by subverting tropes, but Say When ultimately offers little new to the rom-com. Review

If you go into Nolan's film looking for an epic space adventure, the movie will likely play out as the sci-fi equivalent of watching a novice trucker attempt a u-turn in a cul-de-sac, but if you're willing to latch onto Cooper's familial plight, you'll find Interstellar a gripping human drama, grounded in a father's fear of missing out on the lives of his children. Review

This is a movie in which plot takes a backseat to its fascinating central character, given the treatment he deserves by an actor at the top of his game. Review

Radcliffe does his best with a weak script, but at this point it feels like he's trying too hard. Review

At 2.5 hours, a movie about a 19th century painter might sound like homework to many, but Leigh has made a biopic that's one of the most entertaining movies of the year. Review

The plot plays out like a poor man's Final Destination, but without the clever contrivance of its protagonists knowing the upcoming order of their impending deaths. Review

Jones proves a natural fit for this material, both as actor and director, and Swank seems born to play the strong on the outside, dying on the inside Cuddy. Rodrigo Prieto's cinematography will have you gasping for water as it captures the harshness of the arid terrain, and Marco Beltrami provides one of the year's best scores. Western fans will find The Homesman an intriguing addition to the genre, but it may prove a tad sombre... Review

Think August Osage County crossed with Meet the Parents and you'll have some idea what you're in for with this one, a combination of broad (literal) potty humour and ruminations on the meaning of family. There's nothing here you haven't seen before in the hometown return genre. Review

Australian cinema has always straddled a line between European arthouse and American commercialism. The Babadook is at its most effective when aiming for the former, and captures the essence of Polanski and Bava. Review

Coppola and her young cast make the best of a bad lot and Palo Alto may well be remembered as the movie in which we first took note of some of tomorrow's most interesting stars. Review

Maybe it will be released later down the line and we'll then reassess Bier's film, which is visually one of the most striking of the year, but in its current form, Serena is simply a disaster. Review

As a fan of soul music, I didn't think it could be possible to make a movie about Northern Soul that's so mind-numbingly dull. Review

Neither a great action movie or a particularly insightful look at the effects of war, Fury is at its most arresting in its early stages, exploring the gray areas of conflict. Sadly, it gradually all becomes very black and white, with a gung-ho third act that plays out like The Expendables in a can. Review