Movie reviews of Eric Hillis

If at its worst, Ad Astra is Tarkovsky for dummies, at its best it's a thrilling and thoughtful space adventure, one that features action set-pieces that are infinitely more exciting than anything found in the recent Star Wars films. Review

In her first ever screen appearance, Bjørkaas Thedin is commanding, her portrayal of a child forced to contend with the duties of adulthood truly affecting and heart-breaking. Review

The trouble with Hustlers is that while the strippers' victims are chiefly a collection of stereotypical stockmarket scuzzballs, the strippers aren't any better themselves. Review

Amping up the cheap laugh factor, It: Chapter Two often comes off like a parody of the first movie, the Scary Movie to the 2017 film's Scream. Review

Here Comes Hell certainly doesn't outstay its welcome, and the brief running time and its b-movie trappings make it a suitable candidate for the bottom half of your next Friday night horror double bill. Review

Personally, I was most struck by how tragic the nature of both relationships appeared. Review

If you're going to take this unique approach to repackaging a long dormant property, you really need to embrace the insanity of the idea, something The Banana Splits Movie never fully does. Review

Matthias Schoenaerts brings his well-honed strong, silent schtick to the role of Roman, an inmate 12 years into a long stretch for a crime left initially unmentioned. Review

Ultimately it's a heartfelt tribute to those who make it out the other side of toxic partnerships, and to those who succumb along the way. Review

If Critters began life as a cash-in on Gremlins (something original creator Herek has vehemently denied), perhaps it's fitting that the franchise will likely be killed off by this cheap nostalgic exploitation of its own brand. Review

Replace Hogg's Miller with a more believable villain and Pastoll's film might join the ranks of the great modern gritty thrillers. Review

What seems initially like a simple riff on the old Most Dangerous Game concept of humans hunting humans is gradually revealed to be something more complex... Review

What holds it all together is the interplay between the vampish Val and the klutzy but likeable Lou. Brayben and Roe share a cringey chemistry, the former's adorable sweetness a comic counterpoint to the latter's deadpan delivery. Review

Feedback's claustrophobic set-pieces are efficiently helmed, and along with cinematographer Ángel Iguácel, Alonso manages to keep a movie that is largely dialogue based visually interesting. Feedback boasts an intriguing premise, but its succession of head-scratching "why aren't the police kicking the doors in?" moments makes it impossible to invest in its defiantly daft narrative. Review

Despite spending so much time in their presence, and in spite of competent performances all around, none of the three leads ever really come off as anything more than archetypes. Review

Characters like these deserve to be both mocked and feared, but Extracurricular struggles to maintain such a fine balance. Review

Tension and suspense are largely absent, replaced by an incessant low bass rumble that seems intent on telling us we should find the movie a lot more ominous and brooding than it really is. Review

For a movie that keeps you gripped for so long, it's a shame that it will likely end with you glancing impatiently at your watch. Review

Angel Has Fallen is a lot more palatable, and a lot less mean-spirited and xenophobic than its predecessors, but as an action movie it's still pants. Review

Øvredal's set-pieces are diverting enough, and will no doubt please budding young fright fans, but you have to sit through an awful lot of dull exposition while you wait for the next creature to appear. Review

After hooking us in with its poisonous father-son dynamic, Come to Daddy opts for a level of zaniness that descends into mere silliness. Review

Now this is what summer movies should be all about! Give me a straightforward but well executed man/woman vs nature thriller and bring it in under 90 minutes and I'll emerge into the August sun a satisfied cinemagoer. Review

It's a film that transcends its misguided identity politics with electric performances and compelling if undeniably manipulative storytelling. Review

Despite such issues, I was never less than invested in Georg's story and the Kafkaesque machinations of Petzold's plot. Review