Articles — Original Cin

Since 2017: Career film critics continuing the conversation

What If...? S2: Stan Lee’s Legacy of Dreams and Visions Realized for a Second Time

What If...? S2: Stan Lee’s Legacy of Dreams and Visions Realized for a Second Time

By John Kirk

ReviewJim SlotekDecember 22, 2023What If...?, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Animation, Bryan Andrews, Hayley Atwell, Chris Hemsworth, Lady Bell, Karen Gillen, Jeffrey Wright, Jon Favreau, Kurt Russell, Jeff Goldblum, Michael Douglas, Disney+, Season 2Comment

The Zone of Interest: Jonathan Glazer’s Devastating Holocaust Tale Too Vital to Miss

The Zone of Interest: Jonathan Glazer’s Devastating Holocaust Tale Too Vital to Miss

By Karen Gordon

ReviewJim SlotekDecember 21, 2023The Zone of Interest, Jonathan Glazer, TIFF 23, Christian Friedel, Sandra Hüller, Martin Amis, Adaptation, Holocaust drama, True StoryComment

Original-Cin Q&A: Fantasia Barrino on the Healing Properties of Playing Celie in The Color Purple

Original-Cin Q&A: Fantasia Barrino on the Healing Properties of Playing Celie in The Color Purple

By Bonnie Laufer

InterviewJim SlotekDecember 21, 2023The Color Purple, Fantasia Barrino, Actors dealing with childhood trauma, Alice Walker, Taraji P. Henson, Colman Domingo, H.E.R, Novel turned movie turned play turned movie, Director Blitz Bazawule, Celie, Fantasia's childhood traumasComment

Aquaman and the Schlock Kingdom

Aquaman and the Schlock Kingdom

By John Kirk

ReviewJim SlotekDecember 21, 2023Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Jokey superhero movies, Warner Brothers/ DC Comics, Predictable superhero plots, Jason Momoa, James Wan, Black Manta, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Martin Short, Amber HeardComment

Going In: Sharp New Crime Dramedy Plays Like an 1980s Classic Unearthed

Going In: Sharp New Crime Dramedy Plays Like an 1980s Classic Unearthed

By Chris Knight

ReviewJim SlotekDecember 21, 2023Going In, Evan Rissi, Ira Goldman, Victor D.S. Man, Canadian feature debut, Toronto, 1980s, Crime, Drama, ComedyComment

Anselm: Hope Remains for 3D as an Art Form, Especially When the Subject is Art

By Chris Knight

ReviewJim SlotekDecember 21, 2023Anselm, Wim Wenders, Anselm Kiefer, Documentary, 3D, Profile, German documentary, German cinemaComment

All of Us Strangers: The Past is Present in a Brilliant Allegorical Tale of Belatedly Faced Grief

All of Us Strangers: The Past is Present in a Brilliant Allegorical Tale of Belatedly Faced Grief

By Karen Gordon

ReviewJim SlotekDecember 20, 2023All of Us Strangers, Movies about grief, Movies where the past and present meet, riter/director Andrew HaighW, Strangers by novelist Taichi Yamada, Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Jamie Bell, Claire FoyComment

American Fiction: Jeffrey Wright Shines In Publishing World Satire

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekDecember 20, 2023American Fiction, TIFF 23, Cord Jefferson, Adaptation, Jeffrey Wright, Sterling K Brown, Leslie Uggams, Erika Alexander, Tracee Ellis Ross, John OrtizComment

A Disturbance in the Force: How the Star Wars Holiday Special Happened (and Became an Instant Anti-Classic)

By Chris Knight

ReviewJim SlotekDecember 20, 2023A Disturbance in the Force, A Disturbance in the Force: How the Star Wars Holiday Special Happened, The Star Wars Holiday Special, Jeremy Coon, Steve Kozak, Mark Hamill, Kevin Smith, Donny Osmond, Documentary, Weird Al Yankovic, Patton OswaltComment

Original-Cin Q&A: The Zone of Interest's Christian Friedel on Normalized Evil, and Where He Parts Ways With Meryl Streep

Original-Cin Q&A: The Zone of Interest's Christian Friedel on Normalized Evil, and Where He Parts Ways With Meryl Streep

By Karen Gordon

InterviewJim SlotekDecember 19, 2023The Zone of Interest, German films about the Holocaust, Jonathan Glazer, Auschwitz commandant Rudolph Höss, Cannes award winners, Sandra Hüller, Christian Friedel, The normal lives of Nazi war criminalsComment

The Iron Claw: Wrestling May Be 'Fake,' But This Emotionally Powerful Film Isn't

The Iron Claw: Wrestling May Be 'Fake,' But This Emotionally Powerful Film Isn't

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekDecember 19, 2023Wrestling movies, The Von Erich brothers, The Iron Claw, Zac Efron, Kevin Von Erich, Writer/director Sean Durkin, Jeremy Allen White, Ric “Nature Boy” Flair, Maura Tierney, Lily JamesComment

Rebel Moon: Part 1 - A Child of Fire Sharply Mimics Star Wars… If Star Wars Was Lame

Rebel Moon: Part 1 - A Child of Fire Sharply Mimics Star Wars… If Star Wars Was Lame

By Chris Knight

ReviewJim SlotekDecember 19, 2023Rebel Moon: Part 1 - A Child of Fire, Zack Snyder, Sofia Boutella, Charlie Hunnam, Netflix, Ed Skrein, Sci fi, Space drama, space opera, FranchiseComment

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Nostalgia Propels Ace New Adaptation of Beloved Underdog Tale

By John Kirk

ReviewJim SlotekDecember 18, 2023Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Adaptation, Rick Riordan, Walter Scobell, Leah Jeffries, Aryan Simhadri, Charles Bushnell, Adam Copeland, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Disney+, Fantasy, Family film, young adultComment

Wonka: A Miserable Concoction More Bitter Than Sweet

Wonka: A Miserable Concoction More Bitter Than Sweet

By Chris Knight

ReviewJim SlotekDecember 15, 2023Wonka, Timothée Chalamet, Gene Wilder, Prrequels of children's classics, Paul King of Paddington 2 fame, Roald Dahl, Tom Davis, Olivia Colman, Calah Lane, Rowan Atkinson, Keegan-Michael Key Comment

Poor Things: Darkly Comic, Disturbing Satire Like Nothing Else You've Seen This Year

Poor Things: Darkly Comic, Disturbing Satire Like Nothing Else You've Seen This Year

By Karen Gordon

ReviewJim SlotekDecember 14, 2023Poor Things, Yorgos Lanthimos, Darkly comic existential satire, Horrific experiments, Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef, Steampunk Victorian EnglandComment

Original-Cin Q&A: Chicken Run 2's Hero Zachary Levi Won't Give Up Eating Chicken

Original-Cin Q&A: Chicken Run 2's Hero Zachary Levi Won't Give Up Eating Chicken

By Bonnie Laufer

InterviewJim SlotekDecember 12, 2023Chicken Run:, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, Long delayed sequels, Aardman Animations, Chickens flee for their lives, Zachary Levi, Shazam!, Mel Gibson, Thandiwe Newton, Bella Ramsey, Director Sam FellComment

Immediate Family: Four Legendary Session Players Recall Their Roles in Rock History and Rock On

Immediate Family: Four Legendary Session Players Recall Their Roles in Rock History and Rock On

By Karen Gordon

ReviewJim SlotekDecember 12, 2023Rock documentaries, Documentaries about session players, Denny Tedesco, The Wrecking Crew, Immediate Family, Danny ”Kooch” Kortchmar, Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkel, Waddy WachtelComment

Eileen: Intense, noir-infused character study will leave you wanting more

Eileen: Intense, noir-infused character study will leave you wanting more

By Liz Braun

ReviewJim SlotekDecember 7, 2023Psychological thrillers, Dark friendships, Director William Oldroyd, Thomasin McKenzie, Anne Hathaway, Movies set in the '60s, Novelist Ottessa MoshfeghComment

The Boy and the Heron: Animation God Miyazaki Creates a Winged Wonderland and Asks Us to Ask

The Boy and the Heron: Animation God Miyazaki Creates a Winged Wonderland and Asks Us to Ask

By Chris Knight

ReviewJim SlotekDecember 6, 2023Japanese animation, The Boy and the Heron, Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli, Princess Mononoke, Fantastical creatures and flights of fancy, Composer Joe Hisaishi, Genzaburo Yoshino novel How Do You Live?Comment

The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan - It Took the French to Finally Get the Point (and Thrust and Parry)

The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan - It Took the French to Finally Get the Point (and Thrust and Parry)

By John Kirk

ReviewJim SlotekDecember 6, 2023The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan, French version of of the Dumas novel, Martin Bourboulon, François Civil, Vincent Cassel, Pio Marmaï, Romain Duris, Eva GreenComment