Movie reviews of Eric Hillis

Ironically echoing its ultimate warning, The Surrender works best when it keeps itself grounded and focussed on issues of an earthly nature. Review

There are some truly inventive moments here. I'd love to see what Yerzhanov might achieve with a Hollywood budget but I doubt any American studio would greenlight a movie as nihilistic as Steppenwolf. Review

If 80% of The Final Reckoning is a chore to sit through, it's ultimately somewhat redeemed by a gripping climax that cuts between three distinctly fraught scenarios ala Return of the Jedi. Review

The production design gives It Feeds the appearance of a bigger budgeted production. Review

If The Severed Sun's narrative never quite offers enough to reel us in, folk-horror fans will be kept engaged by the atmosphere Puckett builds here. Review

It's by far the most knowing entry in the series, but it's never smug. Like its predecessor, it plays the scenario for laughs but the set-pieces don't lose any of their impact in spite of this. Review

Aïnouz's film makes up for its narrative deficiencies with a trio of fascinating characters, all of whom are simultaneously innocent and worldly in their own ways, and a superbly sleazy setting that will have you headed straight for the washroom after your screening. Review

Vikander delivers what might be a career best performance, creepy and sexy in the manner of the best unhinged female thriller villains. Olsen shines in her most rewarding role since her striking breakout in Martha, Marcy, May, Marlene. Review

Thankfully it functions as an engaging coming of age story regardless of its backdrop, with young Mrugalski excellent in the title role. Review

What Finnegan has made here is a sweat-soaked love letter to Ozploitation, that distinctive brand of Aussie genre cinema that thrived in the '70s and '80s. Review

Another Simple Favor doesn't work as a thriller because it relies on clichés and Feig is incapable of crafting tension or suspense. It doesn't work as a comedy because despite boasting a talented cast well capable of delivering comic performances, it's working from a script devoid of wit and overly reliant on tiresome stereotypes... Review

Cinema is an art form that rewards subtlety like no other, and there's nothing subtle about this sledgehammer satire. Review

While Parthenope doesn't hold together as an overall narrative, it does feature several arresting vignettes, all beautifully captured by cinematographer Daria D'Antonio... Review

Sure, the storytelling is sloppy, the pacing imbalanced, and the movie fails to give its women characters anything remotely interesting to do, but there will be few male viewers of a certain age who won't uncomfortably recognise something of themselves in Rickey and Glenn. Review

The second half of the movie suffers from first time screenwriter Sam Stefanak's clunky storytelling, resorting to flashbacks to explain something that is already clear and obvious. Review

Unlike the wall to wall mayhem of Evans' Indonesian movies, there's probably no more than 20 minutes of action here, leaving us to listen to an awful lot of bad dialogue in between the scraps and shootouts. Review

The characters in Until Dawn are so dumb that watching this movie is like watching a video game being played by someone who is terrible at playing video games. Review

There are brief glimpses of the satisfying big or small screen series this could have been, but in general The Accountant 2 is an unfocussed mess. It's hard to imagine this sequel will become this year's biggest rental, but there's no accounting for taste. Review

Butler's Big Nick is a bull in a china shop force of nature; it's just a shame the movie can't fashion Jackson's Donnie into a suitable sparring partner. Review

Plot holes and inconsistencies arise, leaving us asking questions regarding how certain characters come to certain conclusions. Review

Refusing to provide any easy answers, Julie Keeps Quiet has the honest messiness of those early Dardennes dramas. Review

Kurosawa's thriller is a disturbing contemplation of what might happen when an online mob breaks free of the cloud and assembles to enact their agenda in the real world. Review

It's an accomplished debut for Blanchart, who displays some visceral filmmaking without having to resort to quick cuts and shaky camera. Review

There was clearly something in the script that attracted Labaki, but it doesn't seem to have made it to the screen. Aside from Labed, who is exactly the combination of sexy and scary required of her character, the cast seem lost here, trashing about in waters as they wait for their director to throw them a buoy. Review