Movie reviews of Eric Hillis

If you fancy a great but brief family drama, check it out up until a certain twist. You'll know it when you see it. Review

If you're a horror fan, you know what you're getting with an anthology movie. There's usually a couple of standout stories, a couple of mediocre segments, and one genuine stinker. Nightmare Cinema continues the trend. Review

The Devil's Doorway is strongest in its opening half when we're getting to know the two priests and their disparate attitudes to their chosen profession, and when the supernatural nature of the institution is kept ambiguous. In the movie's back end things take a turn toward Conjuring/Insidious style histrionics, and it becomes indistinguishable from its rivals in the crowded found footage horror market. Review

To the film's benefit, things take a twist and What Keeps You Alive becomes more of a psychological game of cat and mouse between the two women, with Sarah and her husband also finding themselves unwittingly drawn into this fraught domestic drama during a decidedly awkward dinner party in the film's standout sequence. Review

Avery's direction is muscular and keeps things moving at a rapid pace, though he never again replicates the thrills of the opening sequence, which captures the chaos of parachuting through a barrage of ground to air fire in intense fashion. Review

If you're like me and were ignorant of Callahan prior to viewing, you may well find yourself googling his cartoons after watching Don't Worry, so I guess in that sense it's achieved its aim of showcasing the artist's talent. For anyone who is already a fan of the cartoonist, Van Sant's film will be a major disappointment. Review

Shooting in black and white may sound like a pretentious indie cinema gimmick but it serves a valuable purpose in this case. By removing the garish day-glo colours that defined the '80s, filming in monochrome gives 1985 a timeless quality, meaning we never get distracted by any period detail and can focus solely on the human drama rather than the ghastly wallpaper it plays out in front of. Review

All of Good Favour's issues emanate from its superficial script, but it's one of the most skillfully directed movies of the year, offering enough in the way of escalating atmosphere to keep more visually oriented viewers engaged. Review

Utøya-July 22 isn't an easy watch, but I believe it's an essential one. Review

Compared to the visual extravagance of the Raid films, Apostle is disappointingly low on memorable images. For the most part it resembles a higher budgeted British TV production, and when in some short bursts, Evans falls back on his raison d'être of elaborate fight choreography, it jars with the movie's slow pace and Gothic aura. Review

All this would collapse without a strong enough actor in the central role, and as Asger, Cedergren offers a compelling portrayal of a man whose soul has been hollowed out by a job that has exposed him to humanity at its worst. Review

There's nothing approaching such ingenious filmmaking on display here, with Green failing to even exploit scenarios that are teed up for a filmmaker to knock out of the park, such as a room full of mannequins and a garden equipped with a motion sensor lamp - just think what Carpenter would have done with such situations! Review

As you might expect from a man of his generation, Armstrong is an emotionally withdrawn figure, which makes him a prime subject for a cinematic biopic. Chazelle and screenwriter Josh Singer never take the easy route of emotional monologues or verbal sparring, entrusting Gosling with the task of illustrating Armstrong's state of mind visually. The result might be the Canadian star's finest performance. Review

There's a head in the sand quality to how Greengrass fails to acknowledge that while very few people would condone Breivik's methods, a sizeable swath of the population of every western nation shares his xenophobic views on immigration and multi-culturalism. And for a movie that argues in favour of acceptance of foreign cultures, isn't it a little odd that Greengrass forces his actors to perform in English rather than their own... Review

Perhaps Leigh should have collaborated on the script with a writer more versed in threading such a complex narrative together, but as a director, Peterloo sees the veteran filmmaker on top form. Review

Marcello may be a likeable figure, and the droopy-eyed Fonte plays him like a sad-eyed mongrel, but it's difficult to fully sympathise with his predicament. Review

Lynskey continues to prove herself one of the most under-rated actresses working today, while the supporting cast is rounded out by equally impressive performances that help flesh out the film's trailer park world, with Orange is the New Black star Danielle Brooks particularly noteworthy as the owner of a local bar. Review

While it's largely an overwritten and underwhelming slog, El Royale does boast one subplot that enlivens the drama every time it takes centre stage. Review

Venom collapses as soon as the eponymous alien shows up, as the film doesn't seem to know what to do with its concept. Review

While it's perhaps a bit too artistic and self-conscious to compete with the best examples of the sort of down and dirty genre cinema Cosmatos is aping, Mandy offers patient viewers two hours of darkly sensual delights, not the least of which is the late Jóhann Jóhannsson's ominous score. It's an experience as akin to soaking in a bath as to watching a movie, but with its extreme violence and dark world view, you may feel like... Review

Another of Operation Finale's stumbling blocks comes in its use of language. Review

Tehran Taboo often resembles a hipper, more streetwise cousin of the work of Iran's rebellious filmmaking figurehead, Jafar Panahi. It tells a story that will and should induce outrage from any liberal minded viewer, but it does so in a wry and often witty fashion, and some of the sexual double standards on display are so ludicrous that you simply have to laugh. Review

While the narrative is too sloppy and indecisive to hold the film together, what keeps us engaged is Saulnier's deft ability to construct a thrilling set-piece. Review

For most of us, regardless of our position on the social food chain, life is a series of little somethings that keep us moving forward, and Sink is a little something to put a smile on your face. Review