Movie reviews of Eric Hillis

The Girl and the Spider may warrant a return visit; this is a narrative web that requires a considerable amount of disentangling. Review

True Things isn't saying anything new or revolutionary, but a lot of viewers of its protagonist's generation may find it uncomfortably representative of their lot in life. Review

It features one of the best child performances I've ever witnessed, and it's made by a director who seems possessed by the spirit of John Ford, who knows that how people look at each other is more important than what they say to each other. Review

It's a shame, as with her debut, Nocturnal, Biancheri made a gripping film that tackles the subject of identity and accepting where you come from. In comparison, her follow-up plays like a lecture delivered in the sort of monotone voice that puts students to sleep on a Monday morning. Review

Bogarde and Mills are badly miscast. They're both two old for the roles, and certainly too English. Surrounding them with actual Irish actors only makes them stand out all the more, and there are moments where we forget which side they're meant to be representing. Review

Fortunately for Moretti, he's enlisted a knockout ensemble. Aside from miscasting himself, Moretti has populated his film with some wonderful performers. Despite the film's fluffing of her lines, Buy is outstanding, propping her half-baked storyline on her shoulders. Review

Ashgrove paradoxically feels improvised but also very thought out. Review

Here are two titans of Antipodean acting getting the chance to stare each other down. LaPaglia gives a heartbreaking turn as a heartbroken father, while the various supporting actors are convincingly uncomfortable in Nitram's presence. Review

There's nothing here we haven't seen before, with a few moments reworked from Christopher Nolan's trilogy in a manner that comes off as very expensive fan fiction. Review

Like the films of the Safdie brothers, Red Rocket has a manic energy matched by a sociopathic protagonist that makes for a highly captivating but somewhat draining viewing experience. Review

It's all insufferably twee to the degree that you're constantly on edge, anticipating James and Arabella to break out a ukulele at any moment. Review

Think of Carrie if young Carrie White's mother was fully supportive and sympathetic to her daughter's supernatural abilities rather than viewing them as the work of the devil. Review

With Blow-up and Blow-Out, Antonioni and De Palma found a way to make this sort of thing instensely cinematic by having their protagonists piece together images, but Soderbergh and screenwriter David Koepp fail to find a similar way to make their movie visually interesting. Review

What's most surprising about Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the quality of the cast that's been assembled, though nobody is given any material that's going to stretch their talents. Review

One of these involves a police officer killed in the line of duty who keeps asking Claire "What day is it?" After the two-plus hours of dreariness that is They Live in the Grey, it's a question you may well find yourself asking. Review

If you grew up in Ireland listening to tales of Samhain, you'll be thrilled to see such mythology make its way onto the big screen, though you may ask why it's taken so long for an Irish filmmaker to exploit their rich culture in such a way. Review

Ultimately it all feels a little derivative, but in Vassilopoulos, who displays an ability to create a striking image, and her twin leads, we feel like we're seeing the emergence of a trio that will go on to great things. Review

At two and a half hours it's an oppressive experience, but just as you might begin to feel overwhelmed by drudgery, Serebrennikov pulls off another dazzling piece of filmmaking. Review

Moonfall is amusing for about 30 minutes for those of us who can appreciate so-bad-it's-good movies, but as it lumbers on it just becomes intolerable and you can feel yourself losing brain cells as the minutes tick by. Review

The Souvenir films might boast one of the most quietly fascinating protagonists of recent British cinema, but they're also packed with supporting characters so vividly realised that you may find yourself longing for a set of spinoff movies, a Souvenir cinematic universe. Review

The Eyes of Tammy Faye can't quite make up its mind how it wants its eponymous subject to be viewed. Review

Jockey's narrative is set in a brutal world where all that matters is how you cross the finish line. But in the peaceful poetry of Bentley's direction and the quiet contemplation of Collins Jr's performance, it feels like these two men have only just come out of their respective traps. Review

If its final act is a little generic and familiar, Slapface has done enough by that point in building its characters and the miserable world they inhabit to keep us invested. Review

Cruz gives arguably her finest performance in many a year here, and Parallel Mothers is a case of a director/star combo so in sync at this point that it makes the filmmaking invisible and organic. Review