Movie reviews of Eric Hillis

Those flaws aside, for the most part Wonder Woman is a fun romp, at its best when evoking classic derring-do pulp fiction, less successful when it believes it has something profound to say about humanity. Review

After the Storm may not quite hit the peaks of the director's recent modern masterpieces, but even second tier Koreeda is essential cinema, and any opportunity to witness Kirin Kiki's wonderfully wrinkled face break into a smile is worth seizing. Review

Lay its narrative out in a beat by beat arrangement and Detour is a routine road thriller, but what elevates it above such low grade fare is its experimental execution. The story isn't important here; Detour is all about the storytelling, and like the director he pays tribute so explicitly to here, Smith displays an ability to create a minor work of art with restricted means. Review

It's also a half-assed thriller, and it fails to integrate any humour into its tedious action sequences; it's like watching two separate movies, neither of which justify their existence. Review

There's more visual invention in Salazar's Revenge than you'll probably see in the rest of this summer's would be blockbusters put together, but Ronning and Sandberg's inspired direction can't paper over the cracks of a lazy script that introduces a whole raft of new characters only to cast them aside in favour of the never more annoying antics of Depp's Sparrow, arguably the most irksome character to appear in a Hollywood franc... Review

A $175 million fiasco aimed squarely at the Men & Motors crowd, the experience of watching King Arthur: Legend of the Sword can be replicated at home by playing the audio of a random episode of Danny Dyer's The Real Football Factories over any of Uwe Boll's straight to video medieval romps. Review

The whole affair feels as though Vigalondo is more concerned with scoring feminist ally points than in spinning a plausible narrative, and even the staunchest misandrist will struggle to get on board with the film's final act. Review

I doubt we'll witness a more effective use of music in a movie this year. Review

There are also far too many protagonists, and it becomes difficult to keep track of who exactly is still alive at any given time. Review

Despite a committed performance from Chastain that elevates the weak material, our protagonist at best comes off as some Katherine Hepburn robot constructed by bored MIT students. Review

With some script adjustments to clear up such confusing details, and a more innovative director at the helm, Sleepless could have been an electrifying piece of action cinema in the mould of John Wick. As it is, it's a lazy adaptation that fails to elicit even the most minor of visceral thrills. Review

A shame then that it all falls apart in the home stretch when Without Name seems to simply run out of ideas and devolves into a generic 'bad trip' movie, all psychedelic editing, abrasive sound effects and actors screaming naked into the wind. Review

After an opening that offers little in the way of innovation yet provides mild amusement nonetheless, Mindhorn spends its final hour wading through comedic quicksand, and you'll be left wishing you could watch an episode of Mindhorn the TV show, which looks like a riot, rather than Mindhorn the movie. Review

Heal the Living wastes an impressively assembled cast by giving them a series of cardboard figures to essay. Quillevere seems more interested in constructing flashy visual sequences - some of which are admittedly arresting- which suggests commercials and music promos may be a better fit for this director. Review

GOTG2 is a new low for Marvel, a cynical venture that's best described as a product rather than a movie. Review

When Heigl and Dawson are on screen together, verbally or physically sparring, the movie receives an energy boost that's sorely lacking elsewhere. Review

It's testament to Diab's film that despite so many characters on screen, we get to know all of them to some degree, along with their level of political commitment. Review

As played by the American Isaac and Canadian Le Bon, it's impossible to think of Mikael and Ana as anything other than tourists in this tragedy. Review

As a backstage comedy, Their Finest has little new to offer, but as a historical drama it occasionally dares to explore the homefront horrors of war, underlining how important it is that the show must go on. Review

This should be like a fantasy movie co-directed by George Miller and Jackie Chan, but instead it's a cynical mish-mash of too many characters, too much CG and too few fucks given. Time for this franchise to pull into a lay-by; it's been asleep at the wheel for far too long. Review

For an adaptation of a work of 19th century literature, Oldroyd's film is commendably light on dialogue, as the director spins his story in a cinematic fashion, all subtle gestures, wicked smiles and nervous frowns. This combined with the unique milieu of its Northern English industrial revolution 'new money' setting (the characters here are gruff and coarse, a million miles away from the polite, tea drinking home counties prota... Review

Fukada's film is one you'll find yourself haunted by for a considerable time after viewing, as it refuses to wrap itself up neatly. Like its distraught protagonists, Harmonium cruelly leaves us seeking emotional closure. Review

For half of its running time, Shut In plays like your typical sub-standard haunted house thriller, but at the midway point a shocking yet highly improbable twist is unveiled. Review

As a story, The Sense of an Ending plays like an invitation to read Barnes' book and fill in its gaps, and I couldn't help wondering if it may have proved more fruitful to adapt the novel as a prestige TV mini-series rather than a feature, though far more complex tales have been spun in run-times shorter than this. Luckily the film's stellar performances, led by a mesmeric Broadbent, go a long way to papering over its narrative... Review