Movie reviews of Eric Hillis

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

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