Movie reviews of Eric Hillis

If you grew up in Ireland listening to tales of Samhain, you'll be thrilled to see such mythology make its way onto the big screen, though you may ask why it's taken so long for an Irish filmmaker to exploit their rich culture in such a way. Review

Ultimately it all feels a little derivative, but in Vassilopoulos, who displays an ability to create a striking image, and her twin leads, we feel like we're seeing the emergence of a trio that will go on to great things. Review

At two and a half hours it's an oppressive experience, but just as you might begin to feel overwhelmed by drudgery, Serebrennikov pulls off another dazzling piece of filmmaking. Review

Moonfall is amusing for about 30 minutes for those of us who can appreciate so-bad-it's-good movies, but as it lumbers on it just becomes intolerable and you can feel yourself losing brain cells as the minutes tick by. Review

The Souvenir films might boast one of the most quietly fascinating protagonists of recent British cinema, but they're also packed with supporting characters so vividly realised that you may find yourself longing for a set of spinoff movies, a Souvenir cinematic universe. Review

The Eyes of Tammy Faye can't quite make up its mind how it wants its eponymous subject to be viewed. Review

Jockey's narrative is set in a brutal world where all that matters is how you cross the finish line. But in the peaceful poetry of Bentley's direction and the quiet contemplation of Collins Jr's performance, it feels like these two men have only just come out of their respective traps. Review

If its final act is a little generic and familiar, Slapface has done enough by that point in building its characters and the miserable world they inhabit to keep us invested. Review

Cruz gives arguably her finest performance in many a year here, and Parallel Mothers is a case of a director/star combo so in sync at this point that it makes the filmmaking invisible and organic. Review

Flag Day works best when it's simply conveying the love between a troubled parent and a child forced to grow up quickly to take care of them. Everything else falls between decoration and distraction. Review

With its slowburn, ambiguous storytelling, focus on trauma and icy aesthetic, A Banquet is ready made to be designated the latest example of elevated horror. Review

To some degree, Belfast gets by on its undeniable charm and the strength of its performances. Review

The slowburn atmosphere too often comes off as misjudged pacing for a story that could have easily been told as a 30 minute segment of an anthology show. Review

The first half of the movie, a sort of Truffles of Sierra Madre, leans knowingly into its genre tropes to create a sufficiently tense atmosphere. It's when the movie becomes a Revenant-esque survival thriller in the second half that the movie loses its energy. Review

While his film boasts a simple genre premise, Dayao seems to have higher, artier aspirations. It takes almost half the movie for the main plotline to kick in, and before that we're left watching its characters have a series of obtuse interactions that don’t seem to add a whole lot to the overall story. Review

A tedious series of soap opera level revelations about family histories and blandly staged stalk and slash sequences. Review

Despite its lengthy running time and the addition of several pointless new scenes, del Toro's Nightmare Alley feels like it's missing a few scenes necessary to detail Stan's moral disintegration... Review

Imagine if Pulp Fiction had been written by Todd Solondz and you'll have some idea of what's in store here. Review

Potente's film is partly salvaged by the strength of her cast. Even if the script is too superficial to convince us we're watching real people, McLaughlin, Franciosi and Bates do their darnedest to keep us engaged. Review

While a little too enamoured of the sub-genre, Appleton and Escott's film is certainly worth a watch for horror fans thanks to the insights provided by the featured filmmakers. Review

Had The 355 embraced its sillier aspects it could have been a fun romp, but it's misguided in believing it can compete with its bigger budgeted rivals in the spy movie game. Review

Dozens of movies have revolved around the premise of a protagonist landing in trouble after finding a bag of money and deciding to keep it for themselves. The celebrated Iranian auteur Asghar Farhadi gives us a novel twist on this notion with A Hero. Review

In both its storytelling technique, its disturbing images and irritating protagonist, from which there is no escape, Masking Threshold is as uncomfortable as a "movie" gets. Review

Titane proves that Ducournau is certainly confident behind the wheel. I just wish she had taken us on a more interesting journey this time. Review