Movie reviews of Eric Hillis

A 1930s critic might call Sunset Song a handsomely mounted woman's picture, and it's certainly hard to find fault with the movie on a technical level. There's just not a whole to sink your teeth into here. In 1932 Gibbon's novel may have seemed fresh, but in 2015 Davies' film is all too lacking in originality and substance. Review

You know this story!" Those prophetic words open Victor Frankenstein, immediately alerting us to its lack of imagination. Save for a pointless origin story for Frankenstein's assistant, Igor (Radcliffe), Victor Frankenstein adds nothing to Mary Shelley's tale. Review

For a movie made by a 77 year old, 11 Minutes moves with an energy you might expect from some prodigious future auteur, and its Altman-on-uppers approach makes it one of the year's most fascinating watches. Review

Stories like this and Lincoln are an uncomfortable fit for Spielberg, a touchy-feely director making thinky-talky movies. That said, there's enough in Bridge of Spies to keep most viewers interested, but ultimately it's a waste of an entertainer. And in these troubled times, we could really use some of that old Spielberg magic. Review

The film spans roughly 20 years, but it seems the production and costume designers weren't privy to this fact, with characters sporting sideburns and mustaches in 1995, and displaying no signs of aging. So bored was I by Black Mass, I aged more over its two hours than its players did over its story's two decade timeline. Review

It's when the script injects a blunt plot contrivance that The Lesson veers from social realism to genre fare as Nade's predicament escalates rapidly but implausibly, and while the climax is said to be inspired by a real incident, it's simply too hard to swallow as presented here. Review

The meticulousness of his images leave you in no doubt that their director is in love with Carol and Therese, but you're ultimately left unconvinced of their feelings for each other. Review

If Noe could team himself with a writer to add some depth and nuance to his glorious visuals, we'd be talking about him in the same breath as Von Trier and Haneke, but the more he indulges himself, the more he becomes a caricature - the auteur as troll. Review

There are times in Steve Jobs when you stop to assess just what it is the characters are arguing about, and you realise there's not really much in the way of drama here, but Sorkin's words and the ensemble performance keep you so engrossed, it's difficult to quibble. Review

Cynicism runs through this production like a seaside town's name through a stick of rock. The filmmakers seem to have made their protagonists scouts purely for the sake of a catchy title. Review

Most great comedies contain a layer of melancholy, and without shoving it down our throats Tangerine never loses sight of the sad truth of its protagonists' dire situation. We grow so fond of Sin-Dee and Alexandra that by the end of the movie we have an almost paternal attachment to the pair, making a late incident of intolerance absolutely tear-jerking. Review

When the titular Nina isn't on screen, Ben and Chris Blaine's movie is a touching examination of grief and the healing process, with some great performances, particularly that of Hardingham, who plays the ungainly teen bit immaculately. Review

The horror anthology has given us some real gems - 1945's Dead of Night, the 1975 TV movie Trilogy of Terror, and a handful of productions from Amicus, whose name is now synonymous with the format - but most leave you unsatisfied, and Tales of Halloween is no exception. Review

Jeruzalem suffers from a lack of funds necessary to give this story the scale it deserves, and after a few fleetingly effective glances at the initial mayhem, the movie all too conveniently has its protagonists retreat to a darkened cave for the final act. Review

It's all too easy to groan at the idea of a remake, especially one that dares to take on material covered by an auteur like Bava, but this Rabid Dogs is a worthwhile reboot, one that establishes its director as a filmmaker we'll be keeping a close eye on. Review

The middle section, during which Bolger and Rush excel in their characters' psychological game of cat and mouse, elevates Emelie above Lifetime movie of the week territory, but it's ultimately a frustrating movie that could have greatly benefitted from another couple of passes at the script. Review

Like most of Roth's films, The Green Inferno is devoid of tension or suspense, its narrative simply taking the form of a series of gruesome deaths of protagonists we couldn't care less about, all blood and no build-up. Review

Spectre is like one of those boutique magazines you find in hotel rooms and on passenger planes. It's printed on glossy paper, immaculately designed and packed with appealing products, but devoid of engaging content. Review

The dinner party has proven a fertile setting for a host of great movies. Karyn Kusama's engrossing new psycho-drama, The Invitation, is in heady company, but holds its own at the table. If you're offered a chance to see it, accept that invite. Review

Stylistically, Kill Your Friends resembles a product of the era it's aping, all smartass voiceovers and redundant flashy visuals; make of that what you will, but I grew tired of this post-Trainspotting style of storytelling two decades ago. Review

Vin Diesel is a self-confessed Dungeons and Dragons fan, which may explain why he took on this role, as his character is a glorified Dungeon Master, making up rules and inventing his own mythology as the movie progresses through a series of tedious exposition dumps. Review

There's no doubt Beasts of No Nation would be improved with an increased budget and a more cinematic approach to its storytelling, but only the most stubborn cinephiles could dismiss it, as it's arguably the best war movie since Full Metal Jacket. Review

As gothic melodramas go, Crimson Peak is fine, but what mars the movie is its ghost story element, an unnecessary subplot that adds nothing and feels a bit too close to M Night Shyamalan at his most mediocre. Review

An awful lot of continental male filmmakers seem to have had their hearts broken while in college and hold the mistaken belief that torturing themselves over this makes for good cinema. All I can say to them is, "Get over it!"... Review