Articles — Original Cin

Since 2017: Career film critics continuing the conversation

Posts in Review

Causeway: Damaged-People-Find-Each-Other Drama Unrolls Slowly with Rich Performances

Causeway: Damaged-People-Find-Each-Other Drama Unrolls Slowly with Rich Performances

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekNovember 3, 2022Jennifer Lawrence, Damaged-people-find-each-other dramas, Causeway, Lila Neugebauer, Afghan war, New Orleans, Brian Tyree Henry, Linda EmondComment

Cinefranco at 25: French cinema for the rest of us

Cinefranco at 25: French cinema for the rest of us

By Liam Lacey

Review, PreviewJim SlotekNovember 3, 2022Cinefranco Film Festiva, Toronto film festivals, En Roue Libre (Freestyle), Mes Tres Cher Enfants (Price of Parenting), L’homme parfait (The Perfect Man), La Pièce rapportée (The Unsophisticated Lady), Claude Lelouch documentary, Maigret, Gérard DepardieuComment

The Return of Tanya Tucker: Featuring Brandi Carlile - A Straight-Ahead Celebration of Country's 'Outlaw' Women

The Return of Tanya Tucker: Featuring Brandi Carlile - A Straight-Ahead Celebration of Country's 'Outlaw' Women

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekNovember 2, 2022The Return of Tanya Tucker: Featuring Brandi Carlile, Kathlyn Horan, Kacey Musgraves, The Chicks, Glen Campbell, Joni Mitchell, Country music documentariesComment

Armageddon Time: James Gray's Tale of a Mixed-Race Friendship, a Child's Eye View of a Complex World

Armageddon Time: James Gray's Tale of a Mixed-Race Friendship, a Child's Eye View of a Complex World

By Karen Gordon

ReviewJim SlotekNovember 2, 2022James Gray, Armageddon Time, Coming of age movies, Issues of race and class, Anthony Hopkins, Jeremy Strong, Anne HathawayComment

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story - Daniel Radcliffe Brings Us Greetings from 'Planet Al'

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story - Daniel Radcliffe Brings Us Greetings from 'Planet Al'

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekNovember 1, 2022Spoofs of music biopics, Weird Al Yankovic, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, Daniel Radcliffe, Evan Rachel Wood, TIFF Midnight Madness movies, Funny or Die, Rainn Wilson, Dr. DementoComment

Wendell & Wild: Weird, Sure… But Not All That Wild

Wendell & Wild: Weird, Sure… But Not All That Wild

By John Kirk

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 28, 2022Wendell & Wild, TIFF 2022, Henry Selick, Jordan Peele, Kegan-Michael Key, Lyric Ross, Netflix, Angela Bassett, Ving Rhames, AnimationComment

Prey for the Devil: Who Knew There Was a Glass Ceiling for Women Exorcists?

Prey for the Devil: Who Knew There Was a Glass Ceiling for Women Exorcists?

By Thom Ernst

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 28, 2022Exorcism movies, Prey for the Devil, Daniel Stamm, The Last Exorcism, Jacqueline Byers, Colin Salmon, Movies with female exorcistsComment

Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues: A Fresh Look at Satchmo from His Home Tapes

Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues: A Fresh Look at Satchmo from His Home Tapes

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 28, 2022Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues, Louis Armstrong, Sacha Jenkins, TIFF 2022, documentary, Apple TV +, Racism, Music legend biopicsComment

Call Jane: Who Ya Gonna Call When You’re Pregnant in Pre-Roe v Wade America?

Call Jane: Who Ya Gonna Call When You’re Pregnant in Pre-Roe v Wade America?

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 28, 2022U.S. Supreme Court’s Dodd decision, Abortion rights, The Janes documentary, Call Jane drama, Underground Chicago women’s abortion collective, Elizabeth Banks, Kate Mara, Sigourney Weaver, Phyllis NagyComment

The Banshees of Inisherin: Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson Shine in a 'Civil War' Over a Broken Friendship

The Banshees of Inisherin: Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson Shine in a 'Civil War' Over a Broken Friendship

By Karen Gordon

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 27, 2022Movies set in Ireland, Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin, Irish Civil War, Broken friendships, Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry KeoghanComment

Original-Cin Q&A: Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues Director Sacha Jenkins on the 'World's Most Famous' Jazzman

Original-Cin Q&A: Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues Director Sacha Jenkins on the 'World's Most Famous' Jazzman

By Bonnie Laufer

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 26, 2022Louis Armstrong, Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues, Documentary, Sacha Jenkins, Civil Rights Movement, Wynton Marsalis, The birth of jazz, Dan MorgensternComment

Decision to Leave: Park Chan-wook's Tale of Murder and Obsession Evokes a Coolly Noir Mood

Decision to Leave: Park Chan-wook's Tale of Murder and Obsession Evokes a Coolly Noir Mood

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 26, 2022Park Chan-wook, Vengeance Trilogy, Decision to Leave, Park Hae-il, Wei Tang, Noir, Obsession, Femmes fataleComment

Aftersun: Sparkling Debut Ponders Father-Daughter Love and the Essence of Memory

Aftersun: Sparkling Debut Ponders Father-Daughter Love and the Essence of Memory

By Karen Gordon

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 26, 2022Aftersun, Charlotte Wells, Paul Mescal, Frankie Corio, TIFF 2022, Family drama, Drama, Father and daughters, ScottishComment

Tales of the Jedi: Bite-Sized Back Stories Satisfy More Than You’d Expect

Tales of the Jedi: Bite-Sized Back Stories Satisfy More Than You’d Expect

By John Kirk

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 26, 2022Star Wars, Tales of the Jedi, Dave Filoni, Ashley Eckstein, Liam Neeson, Ian McDiarmid, Clancy Brown, Phil Lamarr, James Arnold Taylor, Disney, Animation, prequelsComment

Black Adam: D.C.'s New/Old Action Anti-Hero Brings Nothing New to a Noisy Party

Black Adam: D.C.'s New/Old Action Anti-Hero Brings Nothing New to a Noisy Party

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 20, 2022Super hero movies, Vintage DC characters, Black Adam, Dwayne Johnson, The Justice Society of America, Doctor Fate, HawkmanComment

And Still I Sing: A Victory for an Afghan Woman Singer, A Tragedy for a Country

And Still I Sing: A Victory for an Afghan Woman Singer, A Tragedy for a Country

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 20, 2022And Still I Sing, Documentary, Afghanistan, Singing competition, Fazila Amiri, Aryana Sayeed, Sadiq Madadgar, Zarah Elham, Hot Docs Comment

Ticket to Paradise: Starry Comedy is Sweet but Requires Substantial Suspension of Disbelief

Ticket to Paradise: Starry Comedy is Sweet but Requires Substantial Suspension of Disbelief

By Kim Hughes

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 20, 2022Ticket to Paradise, Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Kaitlyn Dever, Bali, Comedy, Drama, Romance Comment

The Good Nurse: Quietly Brilliant True-Crime Saga Hinges on Ace Performances

The Good Nurse: Quietly Brilliant True-Crime Saga Hinges on Ace Performances

By Karen Gordon

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 18, 2022The Good Nurse, TIFF 2022, Tobias Lindholm, Jessica Chastain, Eddie Redmayne, Drama, Netflix, True crimeComment

ImagineNATIVE Film Fest Turns 23 With Mysticism, Mascot-Busting and Makeshift Families

ImagineNATIVE Film Fest Turns 23 With Mysticism, Mascot-Busting and Makeshift Families

By Jim Slotek

Review, PreviewJim SlotekOctober 17, 2022The ImagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, Darlene Naponse, Indigenous films and filmmakers, Shelley Niro, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Braeden Clarke, Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting, Aviva Kempner and Cheyenne filmmaker Ben West, Rosie, Gail Maurice, Keris Hope HillComment

We're All In This Together: Katie Boland Soars in Deft Acting-Directing Dysfunctional Dramedy

We're All In This Together: Katie Boland Soars in Deft Acting-Directing Dysfunctional Dramedy

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekOctober 13, 2022Canadian feature debut, Canadian drama, We’re All In This Together, Katie Boland, Amy Jones, adaptation, Martha Burns, Adam Butcher, Alisha NewtonComment