Movie reviews of Eric Hillis

Larrain, Knight and Jolie take us beyond the well manicured, stiff postured presentation of Callas to get to the heartbreaking turmoil that exists within her in these twilight days. Review

You get the sense Sharpe and Merlant are using their roles to audition for the next Bond movie - Sharpe flops but Merlant should have Barbara Broccoli sitting up and paying attention. Review

This comedy, with its sunny lighting and witty repartee, just might make you think about the Holocaust and its echoes in more profound ways than any well-intentioned black and white concentration camp drama. Review

Dickinson and Kidman have a scorching chemistry that sucks us into their thrilling relationship. Review

While the movie admittedly mostly features close-ups and wide shots of its players conversing, there is the occasional striking composition, most notably a late shot of a distraught Juno pleading with a statue of the Virgin Mary, an image that wouldn't be out of place in a Dreyer drama. Review

Eggers' Nosferatu is practically monochromatic in its lack of colour, as though its vampiric villain has sucked all the life from the print. Review

Even if we don't entirely believe the situations Almut and Tobias find themselves in, the palpable chemistry between Pugh and Garfield leaves us in no doubt that these two people belong together. Review

Murder! serves as an example of both Hitchcock's strengths and weaknesses, his interests and his dislikes. Review

With its patient storytelling, The Order resembles a product of a more mature era of Hollywood. Review

In its mix of two storytelling forms, Blackmail provides a fascinating look at how a top director negotiated what might have been a disastrous transition. Review

Carry-On ticks all the boxes of a Die Hard clone, but there's one key element that's disappointingly missing - the asshole. Review

What ensues is a cross between a 1930s screwball comedy and a "one crazy night" narrative in the manner of the Safdie brothers. Review

Much like the enigmatic young object of Lee's obsession, you may find Queer entrancing to gaze at, but you'll be frustrated by its emotional distance. Review

Though Hitchcock would really become the filmmaker we associate with his name in the sound era, there's enough in The Manxman to make you wonder what he might have delivered had the silent era carried on a little longer, as it clearly demonstrates that he had mastered the medium by that point. Review

Of course, even a bad Hitchcock movie has its moments of visual invention. Review

The cast seem to be having a blast here, with Blanchett an unsurprising standout, but after a while it becomes less fun for the audience as the movie struggles to make hay with its potentially great scenario. Review

The young cast members seem confused regarding what tone they're expected to register, and so their performances all come off as flat and monotone. Review

Though rare, there are moments where Hitchcock works his magic here. Review

It's a shame Kerr deploys her supporting characters largely as human props, as in Beth, Ben and Stacy she has created three of the most human and relatable leads you could hope to find. Review

The Girl with the Needle highlights how a society shifting through the rubble of a war allows evil to go unnoticed. Review

In a year that's given us a host of great performances from women in horror, Marks is up there with the best. Review

If the lack of nuance keeps us from becoming fully engaged with the overall narrative, Hitchcock's skill in crafting individual sequences means there is plenty to keep us gripped in The Ring. Review

As you would expect, Dupieux has once again come up with an arresting premise, but the French auteur takes what might have been a winning formula for a comedy of manners and derails it with the sort of meta elements that no longer feel fresh in 2024. Review

Between Bouzerau's penetrative analysis and Mitchell's vocal cheerleading, Becoming Hitchcock may well have you programming your own Hitchcock season when the credits roll. Review