Movie reviews of Eric Hillis

Blood Quantum simply doesn't do enough to stand out in a genre that refuses to stay dead. Review

Z keeps us gripped with just the right mix of slowburn menace, occasional and effective jump scares, and an earnest performance by Tracy. Review

The dynamic between Paul and Mickey makes for a fascinating watch, but as Get In nears its explosive climax, it begins to switch tone into something closer to a horror movie, and it all gets a bit silly. Review

Hagazussa is merely a more highbrow variation of torture porn, asking us to passively observe a woman's emotional, psychological and ultimately physical destruction. Review

Those of us who can appreciate the thrill of watching a bad girl using her body and brains to pull off a deliciously destructive plan, Ema is a delight. Review

Writer/director Kitty Green and Garner's insular performance leave Jane's motivations for contacting HR ambiguous. Review

It's a shame that Cristofer's house of cards collapses so spectacularly with his pathetic attempt at a twist, as despite the blandness of his direction and the inconsistencies of his plot, I was still somewhat on board, thanks largely to Sheridan and de Armas' awkward but endearing chemistry. Review

Director Sun-dong struggles to establish any atmosphere, and the various stalking/kill sequences are rendered with little to no visual flair or imagination. There's literally nothing here that you haven't seen in countless low budget teen horrors. Review

A shame that the movie never quite makes the most of what should be a unique and fascinating antagonist. Review

Hen Sigurdsson is allowed take centre stage, and particularly in Ingimundur's sweet interactions with his precocious granddaughter, A White, White Day is a well observed, intimate human drama. But too often Pálmason takes us away from this duo, instead playing out wide shots for what can seem an interminable amount of time. Review

The Death and Life of John F. Donovan feels an awful lot like a doomed screen treatment of some acclaimed yet unfilmable novel. Review

Dreamland is just trying too damn hard, constantly poking us in the ribs and begging us to find it all so crazy. Review

The Sharks has its moments of humour too, often arising from the idea that Rosina is clearly functioning on an intellectual level unmatched by her family and friends. Review

The Room boasts the sort of intriguing hook that will lure in horror fans, but in this case you might want to be careful what you wish for. Review

There's just about enough here to engage b-movie fans, and it's certainly a level above its recent big budget Hollywood rival, the Kristen Stewart vehicle Underwater, but there's just not enough monster in its mash. Review

Its eventual audience will likely be small enough to fit in its protagonist's cramped apartment, but give yourself over to its grimy aesthetic and absurdist humour and you'll find it a charming piece of punk filmmaking. You might even find some of its lo-fi images quite beautiful, and if nothing else, its recreation of the Carrie prom scene with a bewildered tiara-clad tabby is worth the rental price alone. Review

Dogs Don't Wear Pants isn't in the same league as Johannes Nyholm's Koko-Di Koko-Da or Isabella Eklöf's Holiday, but it would slot in nicely to a double bill with either of those films, the ideal cinematic sub to their doms. Review

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