Movie reviews of Eric Hillis

Bloodshot fails because it believes it's better than the sort of movies it's condescendingly dismissing as inferior. Personally, I'll take a brain dead action movie with nothing but entertainment on its mind over one that thinks it's above such fare yet doesn't have any idea how to execute its lofty postmodern notions. Review

As played by the incredible Zengel, Benni is one of those characters who commands your attention. Review

It seems strange to say this about a film concerned with child neglect, but Rocks is one of the feelgood movies of the year. Review

A curious cross between Barry Lyndon and one of those old FIFA World Cup films, Martin Eden is for a long while, one of the most intoxicating films of the year. But after every rise must come a fall, and Martin Eden's downfall is unfortunately reflected in how hollow and empty Marcello's film eventually becomes. Review

The effectiveness of The County is dependent on your own political baggage and whether you view Inga vs the Co-op as a David vs Goliath battle or a case of a narcissistic farmer who refuses to stick to a communal agreement. Review

Banks Griffin gets value for his low budget, but without a compelling central performance it would all collapse. Review

Its scorched cinematography, courtesy of Sébastien Goepfert, captures the feel of a part of the world where the merest of movements can wear you out under its baking sun. Coupled with the measured pace of Abu Alala's storytelling, the result is one of those curious films that will have you yawning even though you're fully invested. Review

Koko-di Koko-da is an unsettling, profoundly sad, but ultimately uplifting exploration of grief and fate through a folk-horror lens. Review

Moran's story has the potential for an extremely interesting screen translation, an example of something that simply couldn't happen today for a variety of economic, cultural and societal reasons. But the movie never delves into her experience in any depth, and it particularly glosses over the fact that she was technically a child who was sleeping in the hotel rooms of adult male rockstars. Review

The Truth doesn't quite have the emotional heft of Kore-eda's best work but it's nonetheless a seamless shift to European filmmaking for a director whose work had seemed distinctly Japanese, if global in its themes. Review

The Most Dangerous Game entered the public domain in 2020, so expect a lost of opportunist reworkings of its premise over the next few years. The Hunt is a worthy standout addition to its canon, a movie for our time for those of us who are sick to death of movies for our time. Review

Unlike Anna's pupil, Weisse has the technique down pat, but in failing to bring her own personality through, she's simply hitting the notes in the right order. Review

As an actress, Mulligan continues to fulfil her promise of becoming one of the most talented performers of her generation, but on the evidence of this ramshackle debut, I'll need more convincing regarding her director's potential for greatness. Review

In the hands of a director more comfortable with action, VFW might become a modern cult classic. But for now it's worth a watch for the moments in between the action, when its cast of veteran supporting players grasp the opportunity to take centre stage. Review

Its main issue is that it never decides whether it's a horror movie or a Brady Bunch Movie/Starsky & Hutch style parody of the original show, and neither horror buffs nor Fantasy Island fans (if any of the latter even exist) will be satisfied by this mess. Review

The trouble is, Ditte & Louise struggles to find a way to mine humour from this dynamic, instead opting for a level of toilet humour that is little more than a gender reversal of those awful sex comedies that were so popular in the 1980s. Review

In Rose Plays Julie, revenge is a dish served cold indeed. Review

Like so many of these British comedy-dramas, Misbehaviour boasts some stellar performances, will provoke a few chortles, and offers the odd moment of pathos. But ultimately it leaves you yearning for another (documentary?) film that might better explore its subject and setting. Review

It's also a chronicle of the life of a ruthless man, following the tradition of such greats as Citizen Kane, Barry Lyndon and There Will be Blood, but it falls far short of such exalted company as it struggles to stake a claim of its own. Review

While Proxima is a lot more grounded that the likes of Gravity, Arrival and Ad Astra, but it's arguably more awe-inspiring because it reminds us that Sarahs really do exist. Review

You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll develop an ulcer, and you might grow to appreciate the sacrifices your parents made to keep you safe, if not happy. Review

So global are the themes highlighted by Spring Tide that I suspect for a large portion of its audience it will prove uncomfortable viewing, a scratching of the sort of societal and interpersonal itches we often leave untended. Review

To deliberate on Hope Gap's post-marital trial, this jury needs more substantial evidence. Review

The Jesus Rolls is desperate not to offend its audience, except for its Latin contingent. Review