Movie reviews of Eric Hillis

Twister was no masterpiece but its sequel is so devoid of anything that might hold our attention that it plays as though a tornado has swept through the 1996 movie and laid waste to most of the elements that almost made it work. Review

Matthew Herbert's score swells with ethereal wonder in moments of horror, reminding us that while we may recoil from what we're seeing, for Richard and Juliette it's a spiritual rebirth. Review

I'm all for surrealism and ambiguity, but for both to work requires a focussed vision from a filmmaker, something Roy fails to demonstrate in her misformed and frustrating debut. Review

While McCarthy's films nod to clear influences, they're filled with moments of gob-smacking originality. Review

Unfortunately all of Perkins' good work in building this almost suffocating sense of dread is derailed when Cage's Longlegs eventually takes centre stage. The actor is horribly miscast it's disappointing to see him fall back once again on his over-the-top schtick. Review

It's a shame Maxxxine is such an empty experience as it's anchored by a tremendous performance by Goth as the sort of determined '80s woman who views Madonna's 'Material Girl' as a philosophical tract. Review

With its impenetrably murky picture and over-reliance on dialogue, The Last Breath might as well be an audio drama. Review

While there's a surprising amount of pathos here, it's interwoven organically with the action and comedy. Review

While The Sparrow lacks the depth of recent Irish dramas that have interrogated the soul of their nation (The Quiet Girl; Lakelands; That They May Face the Rising Sun), it's a worthwhile addition to this growing canon of films that attempt to get to the concealed heart of Ireland. Review

What makes The Conversation so gripping is how it readily pauses its thriller plot to allow us to spend time with Harry outside of his work. Review

For all its flaws, Kinds of Kindness is a reminder of why so many actors want to work with Lanthimos, as he offers the chance to inhabit the sort of bizarre roles that just aren't common in English language cinema today. Review

A Quiet Place: Day One benefits greatly from a pair of interesting and relatable protagonists, played engagingly by two fine actors, but it's let down by its lacklustre set-pieces. Review

What makes Rose so compelling is its ability to mine humour from the most fraught situations. Inger is very funny, but the movie is always laughing with her rather than at her. Review

This is a movie for old souls, for those of us who like nothing more than to plonk down on the sofa on a Sunday afternoon and watch what your dad would have referred to as "a good cowboy movie."... Review

As window dressing goes however, it's always visually appealing, as Nichols does a fine job of capturing the era without ever resorting to shortcut signifiers like news reports of Nam or race riots on background TVs. Review

For a significant portion of the film we're left watching a couple of characters bob up and down in the water as we wait for the shark to reappear, and it drags considerably in parts. Review

Gilford's photography background is evident in the gorgeous shots of fabulous people set against an even more fabulous SouthWest landscape, but you might come away wishing he had opted for a documentary exploration of this unique world. Review

There are moments of pathos that genuinely pay respectful tribute to the Blitz spirit. But to get to such moments you have to endure a lot of bad comedy and a whole lot of footage of buildings being hosed down. Review

Birthistle raises questions about how society deals with people like Kathleen, but she's wise enough to understand any answers can't be provided by a filmmaker alone. Review

It's difficult to describe the distinctively weird vibe created by the mixing of a capable if workmanlike cast and crew with a director whose bizarre vision they simply can't translate. Review

Of all the tributes filmmaking children have crafted for their parents, this is one of the more unusual, but the questions it raises regarding Miller's motivations in bringing this story to the screen only make it all the more fascinating. Review

With Sisterhood we're watching two films trip over one another. One is a drama about an Arab kid being told they're French while never feeling like that's really the case; the other an examination of how class, religion and culture shapes how young girls view their place in society. Both have so much potential that it's a shame El Hourch can't make them work in tandem. Review

The journey to that no doubt divisive ending is always engaging, if often unbearable in its unflinching look at how narcissism can make even the most good looking people seem ugly. Review

If Arcadian were a TV pilot it would be a perfectly serviceable set-up for a world to explore over several episodes. But as a movie it just doesn't get into the meat of its story quickly enough. Review