Movie reviews of Eric Hillis

Murder on the Orient Express is an absolute mess, but a mess can still be entertaining. Branagh's film however is simply a bore. Review

While ultimately Thelma doesn't quite succeed as a slice of allegorical sci-fi in the manner intended, Trier's thoughtful approach, the stunning visuals that adorn the narrative, and an endearing central performance by Harboe, who does great work in communicating the confusion and frustration of her character, make it the most rewarding film of its type since Carrie. Review

Better Watch Out might be the blackest Xmas horror to date, and it's a more than welcome addition to a growing sub-genre. Review

Haaga's film is a misanthropic look at the American underclass; one whose ultimate message amounts to the sort of advice a drunken frat-boy might give to a love-lorn dorm-mate - Man up bro! A nuanced look at the battle of the sexes this ain't. Review

The Endless is that rare sequel that doesn't just best its predecessor, but adds more layers to it. If this does grow into an ongoing series, I'm fully onboard. Review

Stuertz seems so smugly obsessed with shocking his audience that he completely forgets the premise he set up, and no explanation is ever given for the supernatural events we witness throughout the tiresome narrative... Review

Tragedy Girls has enough material in its premise for two or three horror-comedies, as though MacIntyre is seizing a chance he may not be granted in the future. Review

If you're still on board with the Saw saga at this late stage then you'll no doubt find this one a mildly satisfying watch (though your bloodlust will go largely unsated) and leave the cinema whistling Charlie Clouser's iconic theme tune. If, like me, you bailed out after the second installment, Jigsaw certainly isn't going to tempt you back into the fold. Review

The Florida Project's controversial coda has divided critics, but by that point I had grown so frustrated with the direction Baker's film had taken that it failed to provoke any kind of reaction from me. Review

Perhaps the main problem with Suburbicon as a thriller is its lack of perspective. It can't seem to decide who its protagonist is, at times asking the audience to identify with the hapless Gardner, who is too despicable and frankly uninteresting for us to care about, while at other times it places Nicky front and centre, like an Invaders from Mars remake with the sci-fi element removed. Both characters are too thinly-sketched fo... Review

More so than a traditional disaster epic, Geostorm is really a half-baked political thriller, with most of the drama involving Sturgess and Cornish dashing around the corridors of power like a second-rate Mulder and Scully. Review

Happy Death Day is an example of old fashioned, airtight American storytelling at its best, and it's no surprise to find it was penned by a single writer. Review

As has become customary, Thor: Ragnarok is another overlong blockbuster that makes us wait until its climax for an action set-piece, and it's another bloated mess of CG. Review

Its effects are practical, its pacing is leisurely, and its politics are questionable. What's unquestionable is that it's an instant exploitation classic, and further evidence that Zahler might be the most important figure in American genre cinema since John Carpenter. Review

The resolution that ultimately follows however is unconventionally honest in its bleak implications, a reminder that while Super Dark Times is an old-fashioned piece of American screen storytelling, it's far from a generic piece of Hollywood product. Review

What's frustrating about The Snowman is that many of its niggling issues could easily be fixed by simply removing a couple of pointless sub-plots and a day or two of reshoots to fill in the remaining narrative blanks. Review

Through comedy, Nyoni has found an accessible way to highlight a social issue, one which few westerners would otherwise give a second thought to, and which many outside Africa might feel uncomfortable criticising. Review

Call Me by Your Name captures the thrills and uncertainty of that first romance, that special summer where you discover all the things that will later bring you despair and heartbreak, but enough joy to make it all worthwhile. Review

Thorne, likely cast for her willingness to spend most of the movie in her knickers, should be commended for giving the closest the film has to a committed performance, but her character is one-note and never seems half as perturbed by the events around her as she should be. Review

Breathe is rendered watchable by a pair of warm and loveable central performances. Review

Any longer and the lack of substance in Potter's drama might start to show, but the brevity gives it an anecdotal quality, and it doesn't make you wait too long for its punchline to knock you out. Review

As lifeless as a retired replicant, Blade Runner 2049 is as much fun as counting electric sheep. Review

I can't speak for every viewer, but I found it impossible to sympathise with a man who, by rights, should have served time in jail for child abuse. Review

Aside from an early animal attack, there's a lack of obstacles for the film's protagonists to overcome, and most of the movie simply consists of Alex and Ben trudging through the snow during the day, and engaging in tedious fireside chats at night in the caves and abandoned log cabins they conveniently stumble upon. Review