Movie reviews of Eric Hillis

There's just about enough to amuse fans of this sort of stuff (of which I am most definitely one), but despite the gallons of blood on screen, you'll be left thirsty for genuinely great vampire thrills. Review

Hunt Her Kill Her is a minor masterclass in visual storytelling, with Swinson and Thiessen mining tension from every nook and cranny of their confined setting. Review

With Altman now associated primarily with his ensemble dramas, it's easy to forget how many great individual lead performances his early films featured. Review

The young Layla is quite a find. It's a difficult role as she's essentially playing a young woman who is herself putting on an act with almost everyone she interacts with and she's asked to simultaneously embody desperation and defiance. Review

With Jericho Ridge however Gilbey's made an action movie that will appeal just as much to a female audience as to the typical bloke seeking something heavy on gun play to watch while he polishes off a post-pub curry on a Friday night. Review

Thankfully Vanicek's unconvincing writing is balanced with some very convincing set-piece staging. Review

Alex Garland's Civil War is about how viewing tragedy through a screen makes us numb to it. Review

The Stolen Valley does have two things going for it. Its Utah setting means practically every shot is easy on the eye and adds a veneer of production value to a movie filmed in an unspectacular fashion. Despite how badly written the characters are, there are some compelling performances. Review

While Hood Witch lacks substance, it's not short of style. Review

This is a monster movie for people who actually like monster movies, made by a filmmaker who, unlike some of his peers, doesn't feel embarrassed about working in the horror genre. Review

For its first 20 minutes or so Kill Your Lover works moderately well as a relationship drama, but things fall apart when the body horror elements kick in. Review

In the pantheon of pointless prequels, The First Omen might be the most redundant of them all. Review

With Yannick, Dupieux wrestles with the uncertain crossroads the entertainment industry finds itself at. Is it more important to foster art or to entertain audiences? Review

Many viewers will be turned off by Birdeater's coked up visual hysterics, which is a shame as this is a car crash that reveals its true horrors when the storytelling slows down to observe its casualties. Review

Montpetit, who recently caught our attention with her turn in Charlotte LeBon's coming of age drama Falcon Lake, is excellent once again here, nailing the anxiety of a vegan vampire. Review

What kept me gripped throughout Things Will Be Different was the human relationship that provides it with as much heart as food for thought. Review

The best way I can describe it is oxymoronically, as grounded absurdism. It's often mystifying, but always gripping, and it's one of the most distinctive pieces of work to emerge from American indie cinema in recent years. Review

Compared to the average modern creature feature, Sting is a welcome return to the reverence shown for such films in the Amblin era. Review

In Sarr's resilient Seydou, Io Capitano certainly puts a face to a statistic. It's hard to think of anyone coming away from a viewing of Garrone's film without some empathy or at least grudging respect for the thousands like Sarr who risk all for a better life on a daily basis. Review

The Trouble with Jessica never fully leans into the darkness of its theme. There are some truly macabre moments but the film never allows itself to get into the weeds regarding the tragedy that sparks its comic premise... Review

Hamaguchi allows shots to go on for longer than is traditionally expected, only to abruptly cut just as composer Eiko Ishibashi's score is beginning to swell, a canny way to evoke the disruption the community is set to face. Review

The criminal subplot is so tightly rendered that the movie functions just as much as a suspense thriller as a comedy. Review

The Origin of Evil never quite elevates itself to the level of a classic Claude Chabrol thriller however, as Marnier fails to to structure his film in a way that generates the necessary tension and suspense. Review

With its focus on words and grounded storytelling over powerful images and supernatural subplots, Immaculate is a decidedly Protestant take on Catholic horror. Review