Movie reviews of Eric Hillis

The film ends at the point where most noir thrillers are set to ramp up the tension, leaving us to fill in the blanks ourselves. It's a sign of how invested we've become in McKenzie's incredible performance that we feel cheated by this ending. Review

It often feels like we're simply watching plot beats rehashed from dozens of existing post-apocalyptic, disaster and zombie movies. It's the presence of the outstanding Byung-hun that gets us through such patches. Review

While it's as doleful and deadpan as any of his films, Fallen Leaves might be Kaurismaki's most accessible film to date. Review

As a story of one performer who discovers they can't live in the shadow of a fellow artist who burns too brightly, Maestro is a better version of A Star is Born than Cooper's actual take on that oft-told tale. Review

If you want to learn about Napoleon, pick up a book or watch a documentary. If you want a historical romp that's as bawdy as it is bloody, Scott's film is a pleasing diversion. Review

The performance of young Sentíes is astonishing. Review

As it is it's a merely serviceable horror-comedy that will probably function best as a means for horror fans to introduce their kids to the genre. Review

How this all ends is moot; it's about the time we get to spend with these two women, neither of whom are particularly remarkable, which makes their relationship all the more affecting. Like our mothers, Swinton and Hogg won’t be around forever. Cherish them while you can. Review

The trouble is, everything that's interesting about Saltburn, i.e. the subversion of the Servant/Teorema trope, is in our heads rather than on screen, as the movie's final act reveals that rather than subverting this convention it's simply repeating it. Review

Lost in the Night is never quite as tense or suspenseful as its premise might suggest, and Emiliano never really seems to be in any tangible jeopardy until very late on. Review

The catty frisson between Portman and Moore is enough to keep us superficially hooked, but we're left wondering if Haynes has bluffed an opportunity to interrogate one of the great taboos. Review

Thanksgiving does just enough to deliver on its premise, but despite some fun kills it feels like a missed opportunity to kick off a new slasher franchise. Review

Perhaps if he had been given more time to develop his script and figure out exactly what it is he wants to say here, Dream Scenario might have been more roundly satisfying. As it is, it's one of the year's most engaging and interesting movies for at least two thirds of its running time, but its lack of thematic precision feels like a missed opportunity to create a more lasting impression. Review

Despite that bleakness, The Killer is a surprisingly humorous movie from a director not exactly known for making laugh riots. Review

They Wait in the Dark suffers from a couple of subpar supporting performances, but McGuire and Winkel excel as the cat and mouse pairing of Amy and Judith. Review

For all its visual flair and imaginativeness, The Jester suffers from a weak script that struggles at times to communicate its ideas, relying on characters speaking the film's themes out loud. Review

Ultimately this tedious drama is for masochists only. Review

Mixing laughs with bloody set-pieces and some genuine pathos, It's a Wonderful Knife is ideal viewing for that period between Halloween and Christmas, which for horror fans is quickly becoming the most wonderful time of the year. Review

Hüller's enigmatic performance keeps us guessing as to the nature of Sandra's guilt. Review

Buckley and Ahmed are so magnetic that we forget about the film's flaws every time they're on screen, whether they're basking in each other's presence or withering in their absence. Review

Her films portray men as predatory, regardless of whether they possess the power of a Harvey Weinstein or are lowly blue collar grunts. But she also dares to explore female complicity and refreshingly, she doesn't care if we like her female protagonists or not. After all, victims come in all personality types. Review

With a bit more thought Bottoms might have stood alongside the likes of Clueless and Mean Girls rather than simply satisfying itself with aiming digs at such movies. Review

Despite its limited means it's one of the most realistic depictions of the horrific conditions of trench warfare. Review

This being a New Zealand production, the creatures are of course designed by WETA. It's refreshing to see old school rubbery monsters in this era of Sharknado knockoffs and their awful CG, but the creature design is disappointingly generic. Review