Movie reviews of Eric Hillis

For the most part, Star Trek Beyond is a character drama. This should be a good thing, but the characters here simply aren't engaging. If Shatner, Nimoy et al were the weathered marionettes you found at the bottom of a wardrobe in your grandparents' house, Pine, Quinto and co. are action figures fresh off the shelf and still in their packaging. Review

The BFG is a missed opportunity, a drab, lifeless affair, as fun as listening to your Dad read you a chapter from the Barney storybook when you've got a copy of Tales From the Crypt hidden under your pillow. Review

Given the sorry state of the comedy genre in Hollywood, Ghostbusters is about as good as can be expected, but while this is a movie I will never revisit, I'd happily kill another 90 minutes in the company of these characters should a sequel arrive. Review

Sadly, given the names involved, Men & Chicken, a Farrelly Brothers comedy for the arthouse set, has to rank as one of 2016's major disappointments. Review

French cinema has offered us plenty of drab dramas in which pragmatic men fall for hot but crazy women. Summertime may change the gender dynamic, but it's no more interesting. Review

The script is hackneyed, Willis is awful, and the action scenes are on the level of a Walker, Texas Ranger episode, but there's an undeniable innocent charm about this little underdog that makes it far more palatable than the majority of its bigger budgeted action cousins. Review

Darkest Africa has rarely been so dark, and summer blockbuster season has rarely been so dour. Review

The Colony treats its disturbing subject matter in such a superficial manner it often resembles a Women in Prison exploitation movie, albeit one in which none of the inmates ever take a shower. We learn nothing about the real Colonia Dignidad here, and we're left to fill in blanks throughout. Review

Watching Johnson in this role, it's impossible not to grin throughout Central Intelligence, even if it does run a good 20 minutes too long and features two endings too many. As buddy movies go, it's no The Nice Guys, but it's certainly not Ride Along 3. Review

The Neon Demon is pornography without the sex, designed to engorge or moisten the loins of arthouse fans. Refn's past work has merely hinted at his ability to produce something that combines this much substance, style and sleaze. Review

The father/son casting may seem a gimmick, but it adds an extra layer of discomfort to the tension between the two characters, and a late emotional breakdown by John Henry in his father's arms will have the toughest of male viewers reaching for the Kleenex. Review

The cast assembled here is one of the most impressive ensembles you'll see all year, but save for the bubbly Caplan and the always alive Radcliffe, there's a palpable lack of enthusiasm on display. The horsemen share no discernible chemistry, and Eisenberg delivers every line as though his director is pointing a gun at his head out of shot. Review

Independence Day: Resurgence is one of the laziest, most cynical blockbusters to arrive in a year that's had more than its share of such tiresome fare. No doubt this will be huge, and it's set up for an immediate sequel. Anyone know the Mandarin for "Save your money!"? Review

Cruz (and equally her director) makes such little effort to convincingly portray this unfortunate victim of statistics that it's impossible to view the film as anything other than exploitation of the most tasteless kind. Review

Combining the tough, violent crime thrillers of 1970s Italian exploitation cinema with the gloss and sophistication of modern day European TV, Suburra is intelligent but explosive, a feast for the synapses and the adrenaline. Decades after Coppola and Scorsese mined such territory, the Italian crime saga has made a triumphant return to the old country. Review

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. Review

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. Review

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. Review

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. Review

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. Review

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. Review

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. Review

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

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. Review