Movie reviews of Eric Hillis

As has become customary, Thor: Ragnarok is another overlong blockbuster that makes us wait until its climax for an action set-piece, and it's another bloated mess of CG. Review

Its effects are practical, its pacing is leisurely, and its politics are questionable. What's unquestionable is that it's an instant exploitation classic, and further evidence that Zahler might be the most important figure in American genre cinema since John Carpenter. Review

The resolution that ultimately follows however is unconventionally honest in its bleak implications, a reminder that while Super Dark Times is an old-fashioned piece of American screen storytelling, it's far from a generic piece of Hollywood product. Review

What's frustrating about The Snowman is that many of its niggling issues could easily be fixed by simply removing a couple of pointless sub-plots and a day or two of reshoots to fill in the remaining narrative blanks. Review

Through comedy, Nyoni has found an accessible way to highlight a social issue, one which few westerners would otherwise give a second thought to, and which many outside Africa might feel uncomfortable criticising. Review

Call Me by Your Name captures the thrills and uncertainty of that first romance, that special summer where you discover all the things that will later bring you despair and heartbreak, but enough joy to make it all worthwhile. Review

Thorne, likely cast for her willingness to spend most of the movie in her knickers, should be commended for giving the closest the film has to a committed performance, but her character is one-note and never seems half as perturbed by the events around her as she should be. Review

Breathe is rendered watchable by a pair of warm and loveable central performances. Review

Any longer and the lack of substance in Potter's drama might start to show, but the brevity gives it an anecdotal quality, and it doesn't make you wait too long for its punchline to knock you out. Review

As lifeless as a retired replicant, Blade Runner 2049 is as much fun as counting electric sheep. Review

I can't speak for every viewer, but I found it impossible to sympathise with a man who, by rights, should have served time in jail for child abuse. Review

Aside from an early animal attack, there's a lack of obstacles for the film's protagonists to overcome, and most of the movie simply consists of Alex and Ben trudging through the snow during the day, and engaging in tedious fireside chats at night in the caves and abandoned log cabins they conveniently stumble upon. Review

This reboot is undoubtedly awful, but when the source material is as uninspiring as the 1990 original, what can you really expect? This is one property that should never have been revived. Review

Had Bruckner taken advantage of Spall's comic talents and gone down the Dog Soldiers route, this could have been a future Friday night six-pack and pizza classic. In its current state, it's barely worth watching on a wet Wednesday. Review

There are times when Jolie's direction still feels rough around the edges, such as the distracting jump cuts of the opening act, but for the most part this is a giant artistic leap for the actress turned filmmaker. Review

Hardcore devotees of such Far East fantasy will likely embrace the madness, but everyone else will begin to suspect Sono is making all this up on the fly, and the film's ultimate explanation resembles the type of ending a schoolboy might slap on his short story assignment when he finally reaches the designated word count. Review

Let Goodbye Christopher Robin bring a little joy into your world for a couple of hours; it has a hundred acres of heart, but it will also make you think, think, think. Review

Thanks in no small part to an instant star-making turn from Beecham (perhaps the year's finest work on the acting front), Daphne is one of the most complex, intricate and fascinating characters to appear on a screen in recent years. If the only true love is the love of cinema, I'm head over heels for Daphne. Review

The cast assembled for TGC is quite staggering, but everyone is wasted here... Review

Offers two thoroughly charming protagonists... Review

Suffice to say the situation grows increasingly absurd until it reaches apocalyptic levels in the final act (think 8½ meets Children of Men). It's a Monty Python sketch stretched out to two hours, or a Eugene Ionesco play with too many actors. If you can tolerate it, good for you, but halfway through I began wishing cinema auditoriums came equipped with ejector seats. Review

What ultimately saves the film is its cast. It's refreshing to see a movie in which most of the performers are over the age of 60, and The Death of Stalin benefits significantly from the combined wealth of experience on display here. Review

While it's difficult for a neutral viewer to invest in Borg Vs McEnroe the way the film would like you to, it's the film's strong performances that will hold your attention. Review

Fans of the western genre, feminists and anti-clerics will all find just about enough to keep themselves amused by Brimstone, but much of it feels like a mishandled mis-opportunity. Review