Movie reviews of Eric Hillis

Sigismondi's visual style proved hugely influential on the American horror movies of the late '90s and early 2000s, but on the evidence of The Turning, a talent for creating a memorable four minute promo doesn't translate to an ability to craft a feature length story and keep an audience invested, engaged and on edge. Review

The Grudge is yet another example of a Hollywood studio hiring a filmmaker with a unique voice and then stifling them with commercial constraints. Review

As you might expect from what is essentially an Australian western, True History of the Kelly Gang boasts striking use of its landscape. Review

After holding back for so long, unfortunately Joon-ho gives into his baser instincts in the movie's climax, whose over the top, farcical nature jars with the restrained and observant satire we've thus far witnessed. It plays out like the ending you might expect from its inevitable Hollywood remake. Review

Such moral complexity is a breath of fresh air when compared to recent American movies that have attempted to tackle similar scenarios in a simplistic fashion. Review

In Pieces of a Woman, the pieces never quite fit together to form a satisfying picture. Review

What's all the more frustrating is the level of talent involved in front of, if not behind, the camera here. Review

Chuat and Reymond can't find anything interesting or insightful to do with Sven, who gradually fades into the background... Review

Uncut Gems is the most explicit trans-Atlantic companion to Hughes' film the Safdies have yet made. Review

The movie is resolutely unwilling to explore the notion that Ailes' entitled behaviour was propped up on a nightly basis by Kelly and Carlson's right wing rhetoric. Review

Stewart is excellent in the role, making up for some of the deficiencies of a script that concentrates more on showing us what Seberg did and said rather than what she felt. Review

Much like Mike Leigh, Eastwood has a gift for mining comedy from scenarios that have high personal and political stakes. Review

With its neon backdrops and constantly dancing and prancing cast, Cats often resembles a child-friendly companion to Gaspar Noe's Climax. Both movies are light on story and heavy on garish disco era inspired spectacle and funky footwork, and they're arguably the best screen musicals the modern era has produced. Review

Abrams plays it safe with a series of plot twists that mimic those of earlier films and the reintroduces some original trilogy characters, some from beyond the grave. His film chugs its way to a climax in which yet again the rebels are asked to take a one in a million shot. Review

As Queen & Slim descends into such clichés as a character hanging out of a car window to experience the simple joy of freedom, you begin to wonder how such a terrible script could have made it to the screen in its present form. Review

The film is incessantly talky, with so much dialogue that your mind begins to treat it like white noise, shutting it out to focus instead on the immaculate production and costume design. Review

Against the odds, Poots' performance adds a depth to her character that the thoughtless script is constantly attempting to undermine. Review

By its conclusion, Long Day's Journey Into Night has made it clear that memories are often false too, but as rendered by Gan and his ace cast and crew, Luo's false memories reveal a simple truth, that impactful, thoughtful, experimental, vital cinema hasn't faded away just yet. Cherish your memories, hold onto your dreams, but keep moving; exciting times lie ahead. Review

But as visually alluring as Atlantics is, it suffers from a script that struggles to pull its disparate elements together. Review

No movie can ever come close to relaying their experience, but 1917 gives it a damn good try. Review

Honey Boy cements LaBeouf as one of the most interesting actors we have today, while also introducing us to British singer FKA Twigs, making a striking debut in a largely mute performance that involves dancing as much as acting, and young actor Jupe, who is the equal of LaBeouf in their scenes together. Review

On the subject of music, Motherless Brooklyn boasts the year's most gorgeous score, a collaboration between Wynton Marsalis, Daniel Pemberton and Thom Yorke. Like Dick Pope's elegant cinematography and the stunning period recreation, it adds a layer of mahogany varnish that covers up the narrative balsa wood that Norton has constructed his flimsy yarn from. Review

The main issue with Matthias & Maxime is that neither of the title characters, nor the world they inhabit, feel remotely real. Review

The structure of Portrait of a Lady on Fire reflects that of many relationships. It begins with intrigue, leads to infatuation, followed by sated sensual desires, but thankfully this dalliance is cut short before it has time to grow stale. Review