Movie reviews of Eric Hillis

To be fair to AI, it probably could have written a better script than the one that made it to the screen here. Review

It's a eulogy for a moment in pop culture that took its last breath just over a decade ago, but which really died much earlier when cinephilia and choice gave way to soullessness and commercialism. Review

F1 may not take pole position in the canon of racing movies, but it's probably worthy of a spot on the podium. Review

Hot Milk is the more engaging of the two, thanks largely to an attention-grabbing performance from Fiona Shaw. Review

The first half succeeds as a low budget horror comedy, thanks to Robb's comic performance, which recalls early Ricky Gervais. But it's in the film's second half that things get more interesting, albeit also more challenging for the viewer. Review

It's ultimately held together by two actresses delivering synced-up performances that carry both the film's horror and humour while ensuring its core message is delivered in a very relatable manner. Review

Tonally, Dirty Boy is as schizophrenic as its young protagonist. it deals with some very dark material yet often resorts to broad comedy. Review

As a survival thriller that puts as much emphasis on its thriller elements as its survivalist narrative, Row is a gripping and gruelling experience, one kept on course by its promising first time director. Review

Saturnalia is a far too sober affair, a failed attempt to capture a specific type of lightning in a bottle. Review

As an action-horror hybrid, this third entry fails to replicate the better moments of its predecessors, neither of which were all that great to begin with. Review

The Invisible Half has all the thrills we expect of J-Horror, but there's also a deep sadness running through its centre. Review

It's a shame that Our Happy Place's languid pacing makes it such a challenge, as there is some impressive low budget filmmaking on display. Review

Jung's debut doesn't pull up any trees in terms of originality. We've seen this sort of narrative several times before, but her film is beautifully observed and boasts two outstanding central performances. Review

Shaman raises interesting ideas about religion and colonialism, but it's all ultimately rendered as window dressing for a horror movie that skirts around its more complex ideas and finally settles for schlock and jump scares. Review

Spending 90 minutes in the close company of a boxer as he awaits the moment that could define his life proves an intensely stressful experience. Review

That Train has chosen a bicycle as his film's macguffin is a nod to the enduring influence of Vittorio de Sica's Italian neo-realist classic Bicycle Thieves, but despite James' monochrome cinematography it veers closer to absurdism than realism. Review

Embry and Li's impressive work can't save this shaggy dog story. Review

Like any anthology, Pet Peeves is a mixed bag in terms of quality. If the first and last segments don't quite work, they sandwich a pair of enjoyably absurd tales anchored by the engaging performances of Sanz and Belenguer. Review

We come away from What Marielle Knows feeling that the movie has only scratched the surface of the cringe comedy it might have mined from this unique scenario. Review

The further into thriller territory Echo Valley ventures, the less interesting it becomes. It's far more successful as a drama about a mother coming to terms with the fact that her daughter has become an unrecognisable monster and may be past the point of salvation. Review

As with Slow West, MacLean has once again crafted a western that's simultaneously sparse in its storytelling yet loaded with small details that flesh out its unique world. Review

RZA does a fine job of building tension in his film's first half. He's so committed to evoking the grindhouse era however that some of his b-movie nods jar with the overall tone of the film. Review

Both actresses leave us in no doubt as to why Paula and Sloane are so consumed by one another... Review

Daddario and Park emerge from this fiasco with credit in the bank, but their performances deserve a film that knows what it wants to say. Review