Filmrecensies van Eric Hillis

For most of its running time we're witnessing a protagonist attempt to deconstruct and reassemble a narrative, and while this may test the patience of casual viewers, anyone with a passing interest in the mechanics of storytelling will find Fast's debut a fascinating and immersive watch. Recensie

English author Helen Walsh's filmmaking debut The Violators is not only one of the best movies made by a novelist, but one of 2016's best British movies, boasting one of the year's finest central performances to boot. Recensie

On paper, Gods of Egypt's conveyor belt of cinematic insanity should be a winner, but save for a few moments of respite courtesy of Yung and Boseman, the only actors who seem conscious that they're in a trainwreck, it's about as much fun as dragging a sphinx across the desert. Recensie

Swedish history buffs will likely face-palm at this glossy representation of one of their country's most important and iconic figures, but those less intimately invested will find The Girl King an entertaining, if often exasperating, period romp. Recensie

There's no doubt Garrone could do some interesting work with the larger canvas provided by English language cinema, but Tale of Tales is a waste of resources for all involved, and there's no fairy tale ending for the viewer. Recensie

Just as it seems Bang Gang is celebrating sexuality, the film takes a regressive, conservative turn in its final act. Were it not for the nudity, you could imagine Husson's film being shown in Catholic run schools - "And that's why you should never, ever have sex before marriage," a priest might remark to his class as he ejects the DVD. Recensie

There are no extended shootouts - this isn't an action movie by any means - but every time a bullet is fired the consequence is made explicit; this is a film more concerned with the gruesome aftermath of violence than the cinematic thrills of the act itself. Recensie

Despite a run-time of 135 minutes, the film somehow never manages to find time to develop any of its characters. Recensie

This just might be Elisabeth Moss's best performance to date. All snot and runny mascara, she resembles a clown hit by a car and left for dead in the rain. We'd give her a hug if we didn't believe she'd stab us in the back. Recensie

Yonebayashi's movie may not stand up to the classics of the studio, but if Ghibli is to carry on in some form or other, we're in safe hands on this evidence. Recensie

If you can accept the printing of a dubious legend and embrace your white privilege, Race has enough to keep you entertained, but this is a story that needed to be told from an African-American perspective with no concessions to the fragility of white guilt. Recensie

Go With Me is a movie that skillfully uses what could be dismissed as clichés and tropes in its narrative to allow for a subtle exploration of its characters' motivations, never bragging about its sly commentary on and deconstruction of its genre. It plays like a companion piece to Jeremy Saulnier's Blue Ruin, but it's ultimately the more rewarding of the two. Recensie

The problem with Me Before You's stance on euthanasia is that it constantly tells us how much pain Will is in, but never dares to back this up visually, making it all too easy for those who oppose the practice to dismiss the film as an offensive and demeaning take on life for the disabled. Recensie

Watching someone play the game itself would probably constitute a far more rewarding experience than having to endure the movie, and at least you could ask the gamer to explain what exactly it is you're watching; this isn't entertainment, it's homework. Recensie

Shane Black is back to doing what he does best, a buddy action comedy, with characters of his own imagining, and the result is one of the most deliriously enjoyable movies to come out of mainstream American cinema since... well, since Iron Man 3. Recensie

I've long been on the fence with regard to the validity of Beckinsale's talents as an actress - her filmography is loaded with stinkers - but her career-best performance here suggests the problem lies with her choice of roles. This almost feels like a debut, giving us a side of the English actress we've rarely seen before as she rampages through this film like a force of nature. Recensie

Watching talented movie stars embrace and enjoy their roles as much as the actors appear to here always provides a degree of entertainment, but there are far better movies out there you could invest your own savings in. Recensie

Steggall pulls out some clichéd imagery - none more so than Elliott's submersion under water, that most trite and over-used cinematic shorthand for depression - and a scene involving Elliott's experimentation with a carrot is unintentionally amusing. It's an unconvincing debut from its writer-director, but the performances of Lawther and Stevenson just about tip Departure over the line. Recensie

Lewis is truly awful here, but it's Riseborough's bewildering accent that really derails the film as we attempt to figure out where the hell her character is meant to be from. The script's stubborn refusal to clear this up makes her character the film's most infuriating element. Recensie

Rise is a bit like a prison sentence; at the start you’re unsure what to expect, but, very soon, you find yourself trapped within the solid narrative, and intimidated by the forceful characters. That’s as far as the metaphor goes though, as, in a complete contrast to the prison experience, Rise is never boring. Recensie

With a bunch of characters that could easily carry their own solo movies, it's a shame that X-Men: Apocalypse teases their potential early on, only to gradually turn them into indistinguishable figures duking it out in the ruins of yet another destroyed city. Recensie

It's the sort of movie in which websites concerning the paranormal all appear to have been designed on geocities in 1999. It's the sort of movie in which every TV set glimpsed is always playing a public domain horror movie. It's the sort of movie genre snobs use as a weapon to beat on horror fans. Recensie

Lindon is fantastic in a quiet role that requires him to act as an emotional punching bag as Thierry goes from one degrading scenario to the next. It's impossible not to root for this guy, but while you may be shouting "Give him a job!" during the film's first half, by the end you'll be pleading for him to quit his soul destroying position. Recensie

The Carroll estate may be counting the cash, but I suspect old Lewis is turning in his grave at the thoughts of his little book of wonder being transformed (oh, that reminds me, there are Transformers in this - no, seriously) into this soulless sequel. If Burton's film was a poor man's Wizard of Oz, this is a second rate Return to Oz. Recensie