Movie reviews of Eric Hillis

As you might expect from a Danish production, Powder Keg is technically polished and exceptionally well acted. It has the feeling of a story that had to be told at some point, but in its present form it's a little too close to Paul Haggis's Crash with its crudely drawn, overlapping characters. It lacks the ticking clock energy of Paul Greengrass's depictions of similar events, or even Peter Berg's Patriots Day. Review

It's a movie that may make you think about how much time you spend in front of screens, but it's worth spending 97 minutes in front of any screen that's playing Come Play. Review

By the end, Hugo has inflicted such psychological torture on Tony and Susan that even the most bolshy of viewers will feel that Hugo has gone too far in his war against the higher classes. Review

Fans of Christensen's previous tight thrillers will be disappointed at how unfocussed the storytelling is here by comparison, and by the climax it all feels like a generic slasher that missed an opportunity for some satirical commentary on the lengths people are forced to go to make a buck in the gig economy. Review

Shorta is the sort of movie that might land its directors a Hollywood action gig. Ironically, they prove themselves far more comfortable with the nuanced character drama and distinctive Scandinavian grit of the movie's first half than with the all-action romp of the second half. Review

After...erm, hooking us in with some nice atmosphere and what initially seems like an interesting take on the Candyman lore, DaCosta's film falls apart in its final act. Review

What Bruckner does do well is construct a few atmospheric sequences in which Beth, and we the audience, are tricked into thinking the outlines of inanimate objects represent some humanoid spook lurking in the house. The film's strengths ultimately are mostly down to the commitment of Hall, who really brings a gravitas to a role that fails to match her talents. Review

Cage's prolific output of recent decades was initially due to his crushing financial debts, but in the last few years he seems to have been picking movies he actually cares about. Like the physically bedraggled but intellectually astute man he plays here, Cage appears to now be living and working on his own terms, to the great benefit of movie audiences. Review

Pellerin is back, and once again he's playing a mentally challenged character. He's toned things down from the Eric Roberts on steroids performance of his previous Dupuis collaboration, and he's quite brilliant. Review

For all of its progressive intentions, Prophecy is ultimately a monster movie, and a pretty hackneyed one at that. Review

Alvarez's film was a tight, confined thriller that made great use of its single location and cleverly reversed the setup of Wait Until Dark. Sayagues' sequel is an unfocussed mess that suffers from an anti-hero we just can't sympathise with, confusing direction, laughable dialogue and a scuzzy worldview that prevents us from even enjoying its flaws on an ironic level. Review

The director doesn't ape the look of '80s movies – visually Censor has more in common with recent horrors like It Follows and The Neon Demon – but rather recreates the time with ugly fashions, horrific domestic décor and a wonderfully convincing recreation of the carriage of a period tube train. Review

Minamata makes for a passable entry point for an education on the horrors committed by Chisso in the name of profit. Review

In parts Bleed with Me relies a little too heavily on Single White Female-esque tropes, but there's an interesting movie buried amid the genre conventions here. I look forward to seeing if Moses can bring her voice to the fore in future works. Review

If you can swallow the unconvincing slices of thriller bread, the meat of McCarthy's latest parable of the kindness of strangers makes for a satisfying sandwich. Review

It's commendable that Bravo has taken what is essentially a rambling thread of verbal exposition and transformed it into such a cinematic piece of storytelling. Review

While Teddy doesn't quite land, there's no doubt a lot of talent on display here. As directors, the Boukhermas have done a remarkable job of mining performances from a largely inexperienced cast. Review

With a moody score by Fulci regular Fabio Frizzi and some beautiful framing by Fulci's go-to cameraman Sergio Slavati, The Psychic makes for a dreamlike sensory experience. But unlike many Italian genre movies of the period, The Psychic is a rarity in boasting a plot that actually makes sense and is easy to keep track of. Review

There's something wonderfully transgressive about how Charbonier and Powell have their leads clad in a symbol of American innocence - the Little League baseball kit. With an ambiguous absence of modern technology, The Boy Behind the Door has a timeless quality. Review

Some characters don't quite live up to their billing, but the key crew members are as fun a bunch of sociopaths as you could hope to spend a Saturday night at the movies with. Review

The best movies leave us wondering what's next for their protagonists. Lorelei leaves us feeling that Wayland, Dolores and her kids are facing a long, hard road. But if they face it as a family, they just might make it. Review

It's frustrating that Jolt's action scenes can't match the energy of Beckinsale's witty repartee, because this is the sort of gloriously silly action movie we just don’t get enough of today. Review

Halfway through Old, I couldn't wait for the movie to be over, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited for Shyamalan's next movie. Review

There's enough material in the Maca to fuel an entire Oz-style TV show, so it's frustrating that so much of Night of the Kings' running time is spent stretching out a thin and barely interesting story. Review