Movie reviews of Eric Hillis

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

This mother and daughter may not know each other as well as they should, but by the end of Mehrel's film we feel like we've known them a long time, and we wish we could spend more time in the company of these beautiful women. Review

Byrne's performance is broad and hammy, but that's clearly how she's been directed, and she certainly disappears into the role, nailing the distinctive vocal inflection of a drug addict, though I've never seen a junkie/alcoholic who looks as good as Byrne. Review

This might be far from the first rodeo for both of Leads' leads, but it feels like we're watching Arnold and Kafka evolve from day players to movie stars in front of our eyes. Review

Rousselle is very good at portraying a woman struggling to maintain a tough exterior while she's crumbling inside. Cast against type, English actor Lawther is surprisingly convincing as the golly-gee-whiz Elijah. Review

As a writer and director, Hagen is even more impressive. Hagen's writing is exact and economic, with every scene expertly crafted to deliver a knockout punchline. Review

Lollipop is an intensely stressful and emotionally overwhelming watch as we witness a desperate mother make a series of ill-advised moves. Review

Re-Creation is a flawed but fascinating experiment, though as is the case with all true crime media there's an argument that its very existence is distasteful. Review

If you're expecting the sort of outlandish gore of George's films you'll be disappointed, as most of the few kills here take place offscreen. Queens of the Dead is more concerned with generating laughs, which it occasionally does. Review

All three leads deliver riveting performances. Review

Craig and co-writer Carter Blanchard manage to create well-rounded protagonists without ever getting bogged down in unnecessary backstory, and the movie zips along at a rapid pace. Review

Like the young Romina Bentancur in The Sharks, Passeggi is another star find by Garibaldi. In her first role the young actress delivers a confident performance that is always in tune with the film's uniquely odd vibe. Review

Lemonade Blessing is both bawdy and blasphemous, as upfront about teenage sexuality as a Porky's movie and taking its share of pot shots at the more ridiculous elements of Catholicism. But unlike typical teen sex comedies it doesn't shame or objectify its female characters. Review