Articles — Original Cin

Since 2017: Career film critics continuing the conversation

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Knocking: Art-House Horror Mesmerizes While Paying Homage to Greats of the Genre

Knocking: Art-House Horror Mesmerizes While Paying Homage to Greats of the Genre

By Thom Ernst

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 18, 2021Knocking, Cecilia Milocco, Frida Kempff, Horror, Art house movies, homage, Films about solitude and madnessComment

Halloween Kills: Two really good Michael Myers movies in a row is a little much to axe for

Halloween Kills: Two really good Michael Myers movies in a row is a little much to axe for

By Thom Ernst

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 15, 2021Halloween slasher series, Halloween Kills, David Gordon Green, Rob Zombie, Jamie Lee Curtis, Anthony Michael Hall, Will Patton, John Carpenter Comment

The Old Ways: Offbeat Thriller About Exorcism Buoyed by Irreverent Humour

The Old Ways: Offbeat Thriller About Exorcism Buoyed by Irreverent Humour

By Thom Ernst

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 15, 2021The Old Ways, Christopher Alender, Brigitte Kali Canales, Sal Lopez, Julia Vera, Andrea Cortés, Thriller, Exorcism moviesComment

The Velvet Underground: Todd Haynes Doc Captures the NYC Cult Stars in Full Splendour

The Velvet Underground: Todd Haynes Doc Captures the NYC Cult Stars in Full Splendour

By Kim Hughes

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 15, 2021Todd Haynes, The Velvet Underground, Rock movies, documentary, Lou Reed, John Cale, Mo Tucker, New York City, The Sparks Brothers, Sterling Morrison, Cult Bands, Andy Warhol, The FactoryComment

Demigod: In Horror Movies At Least, There's a Reason Americans Shouldn't Travel

Demigod: In Horror Movies At Least, There's a Reason Americans Shouldn't Travel

By Thom Ernst

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 15, 2021Horror movies with Americans abroad, Demigod, Villages with pagan secrets, Miles Doleac, Rachel Nichols, The Wicker Man, MidsommarComment

Dear Future Children: Young women in Chile, Uganda and Hong Kong fight for a better tomorrow

Dear Future Children: Young women in Chile, Uganda and Hong Kong fight for a better tomorrow

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 14, 2021International youth activists, Franz Böhm, Dear Future Children, Hot Docs’ Audience Award, Chinese crackdown in Hong Kong, Greta Thunberg, Malala YousafzaiComment

Mass: Intense Drama Explores Horrors of School Shootings Through Parental Lens

Mass: Intense Drama Explores Horrors of School Shootings Through Parental Lens

By Kim Hughes

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 14, 2021Mass, Drama, Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton, Reed Birney, Ann Dowd, Mass shootingComment

Bergman Island: Ingmar's Spirit Hangs Over Lovely Film about Relationships, Creativity

Bergman Island: Ingmar's Spirit Hangs Over Lovely Film about Relationships, Creativity

By Karen Gordon

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 14, 2021Bergman Island, Mia Hansen-Løve, Vicky Krieps, Tim Roth, Mia Wasikowska, Ingmar Bergman, Film within a film, Anders Danielsen LieComment

The Last Duel: Ridley Scott's Medieval Tale of Elusive Truth Turns History into Riveting Filmmaking

The Last Duel: Ridley Scott's Medieval Tale of Elusive Truth Turns History into Riveting Filmmaking

By Thom Ernst

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 13, 2021Ridley Scott, The Last Duel, Medieval intrigue, Sir Jean de Carrouges, Jacques Le Gris, Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Pierre d'Alençon, Ben Affleck Comment

I'm Your Man: Danke Schön, Mister Roboto

I'm Your Man: Danke Schön, Mister Roboto

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 13, 2021Movies about android relationships, Germany's Oscar offering, I’m Your Man, Maren Eggert, Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens, Maria Schrader, Falilou SeckComment

Muppets Haunted Mansion: Beloved Characters Bring Gentle Chills, Big Life Lessons

Muppets Haunted Mansion: Beloved Characters Bring Gentle Chills, Big Life Lessons

By Karen Gordon

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 8, 2021Muppets Haunted Mansion, Taraji P. Henson, Will Arnett, Danny Trejo, Ed Asner, Children's movies, Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo the Great, HalloweenComment

Fever Dream: Moms, Kids, And Madness Under the Argentinian Sun

Fever Dream: Moms, Kids, And Madness Under the Argentinian Sun

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 8, 2021Fever Dream, Claudia Llosa, Argentina, Argentinian films, Spanish language, thriller, drama, mystery, Supernatural thriller, María Valverde, Dolores Fonzi, NetflixComment

The Rescue: How a Global Call to Action Made an Impossible Underwater Cave Mission Possible

The Rescue: How a Global Call to Action Made an Impossible Underwater Cave Mission Possible

By Karen Gordon

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 7, 2021Thai underwater cave rescue, Recreational cave diving, The Rescue, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Rich Stanton, John VolanthenComment

Night Raiders: First-Time Director Creates a Dystopian Future as Metaphor for a Horrific Past

Night Raiders: First-Time Director Creates a Dystopian Future as Metaphor for a Horrific Past

By Thom Ernst

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 6, 2021Sci-fi as metaphor for the present, Residential Schools, Danis Goulet, Night Raiders, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Brooklyn Letexier-Hart, Amanda Plummer, Dystopian fictionComment

Slasher: Flesh & Blood Like a Deranged Soap Opera with David Cronenberg to Boot

Slasher: Flesh & Blood Like a Deranged Soap Opera with David Cronenberg to Boot

By Thom Ernst

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 6, 2021Slasher: Flesh & Blood, Hollywood Suite, David Cronenberg, Horror, slasher flick, TVComment

Old Henry: Tim Blake Nelson and Stephen Dorff are note-perfect in an old-school Western reboot

Old Henry: Tim Blake Nelson and Stephen Dorff are note-perfect in an old-school Western reboot

By Karen Gordon

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 6, 2021Old school Westerns, Potsy Ponciroli, Old Henry, Tim Blake Nelson, Gavin Lewis, Stephen Dorff, Fast-guns hanging up their weapons, Trace Adkins Comment

Defining Moments: Check the Dictionary Under 'Cringe'

Defining Moments: Check the Dictionary Under 'Cringe'

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 6, 2021Burt Reynolds' last movie, Mental illness comedy, Defining Moments, Stephen Wallis, Polly Shannon, Eric Peterson, Tanya Blanchard, Canadian filmsComment

Summertime: And the Livin’ is Poesy

Summertime: And the Livin’ is Poesy

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 5, 2021Summertime, Carlos López Estrada, Blindspotting, Get Lit Collective, Los Angeles Comment

No Time to Die: Not your grandfather's Bond, but Craig's action-packed swan-song dials in the memories

No Time to Die: Not your grandfather's Bond, but Craig's action-packed swan-song dials in the memories

By Thom Ernst

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 4, 2021James Bond films, No Time to Die, Daniel Craig's final Bond, Lashana Lynch, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Christoph Waltz, Rami Malek, Naomie Harris Comment

The Many Saints of Newark: Pre-Sopranos Drama Short on Bada-Bing

The Many Saints of Newark: Pre-Sopranos Drama Short on Bada-Bing

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekSeptember 30, 2021The Many Saints of Newark, Sopranos prequel, David Chase, Michael Imperioli, Ray Liotta, Alessandro Nivola, Michael Gandolfini, James GandolfiniComment