Movie reviews of Eric Hillis

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

Such striking visuals, along with the quietly engaging performance of Sukhitashvili, keep us along for the ride, but this is a rollercoaster we've ridden a few too many times. Review

There's much to delight in here, but ultimately it's Price who is the film's MVP. Yes, by today's standards his performance might be considered hammy, but there's a time and place for ham, and the court of a wicked medieval prince proves the perfect stage for Price's unique delivery. Review

Hari doesn't break any new ground with his film, and some of its key elements are a little too derivative. That said, he knows how to play the notes, and even if The Night's terrors are somewhat generic, we're kept on the edge of our seat for most of its running time. Review

But for all the lush fields and pretty young actresses with quivering lips, it's the face of Fiennes that provides The Dig with its greatest visual splendour. The actor buries himself in the part of Basil Brown... Review

With immaculately framed widescreen imagery that often recalls Sergio Leone, A Dark, Dark Man plays out like a Film Noir transplanted to a western setting. Review

For all its political thriller trappings, it's the performances of the four women at its centre that make The Exception such a compelling watch. Review

Mouaness has achieved something of a marvel with his remarkably accomplished debut. He's crafted a story set in a part of the world synonymous with hardship, but from the first frame it's clear he's not interested in our pity. Review

Falling somewhere between the sombre, epic tone of Coppola's films and the manic action of the Italian Poliziotteschi movies of the era, Fleischer's film is an unfairly forgotten thriller that offers a chance to see some of the best actors of the fringes of New American Cinema step into the headlights, guns blazing. Review