Dune Part Two: Villeneuve’s Elegant, Impactful Sequel Gets Herbert’s Tale Just Right
By Karen Gordon
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ReviewJim SlotekDune: Part Two, Sequel, Adaptation, Denis Villeneuve, Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautisa, Christopher Walken, Charlotte Rampling, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Sci-fi, Epic, Big budget
The Peasants: A Painted Polish Period Potboiler
ReviewJim SlotekThe Peasants, DK Welchman, Hugh Welchman, Adaptation, Wladyslaw Reymont, Kamila Urzędowska, Robert Gulaczyk, Miroslaw Baka, Sonia Mietielica, Ewa Kasprzyk, Andrzej Konopka, Polish films, 19th century, Period piece
The Promised Land: Sweeping Epic a Showcase for Mads Mikkelsen’s Talent
ReviewJim SlotekTIFF 23, The Captain and Ann Barbara, Ida Jessen, Adaptation, The Promised Land, Nicolaj Arcel, Anders Thomas Jensen, Mads Mikkelsen, Simon Bennebjerg, Amanda Collin, Historical drama, Danish movies, Danish filmmakers
Mean Girls: Surprise! Musical Remake of Classic Teen Comedy Fails to Best the Original
ReviewJim SlotekMean Girls, Musical, Adaptation, Samantha Jayne, Arturo Perez Jr, Tina Fey, Tim Meadows, Jon Hamm, Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Jaquel Spivey, Auliʻi Cravalho, Avantika, Bebe Wood
The Color Purple: Good, but Not Better Than the Book
ReviewJim SlotekThe Color Purple, Blitz Bazawule, Marcus Gardley, Fantasia Barrino, Danielle Brooks, Taraji P. Henson, Alan Grier, Colman Domingo, Adaptation, Based on a Broadway musical, African-American actors
The Zone of Interest: Jonathan Glazer’s Devastating Holocaust Tale Too Vital to Miss
By Karen Gordon
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American Fiction: Jeffrey Wright Shines In Publishing World Satire
ReviewJim SlotekAmerican Fiction, TIFF 23, Cord Jefferson, Adaptation, Jeffrey Wright, Sterling K Brown, Leslie Uggams, Erika Alexander, Tracee Ellis Ross, John Ortiz
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Nostalgia Propels Ace New Adaptation of Beloved Underdog Tale
ReviewJim SlotekPercy 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 adult
Killers of the Flower Moon: Scorsese at His Best Documents America at its Worst
By Karen Gordon
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ReviewJim SlotekKillers of The Flower Moon, Adaptation, David Grann, Eric Roth, Marin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tantoo Cardinal, Lily Gladstone, American, Based on a true story, Jesse Plemons, Brendan Fraser, John Lithgow
Lessons In Chemistry: Brie Larson Stars in Feminist Cooking Show Fable
ReviewJim SlotekLessons in Chemistry, Apple TV +, Lee Eisenberg, Bonnie Garmus, Brie Larson, Lewis Pullman, Aja Naomi King, Alice Halsey, Adaptation, Period piece
Original-Cin Q&A: Director Peter Berg on Documenting OxyContin Horrors in New Series
By Bonnie Laufer
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PreviewJim SlotekPainkiller, Netflix, Uzo Aduba, Matthew Broderick, Taylor Kitsch, Peter Berg, Series, Adaptation, Oxycontin, Films shot in Toronto
Barbie: Failed Dreamhouse Renovation
ReviewJim SlotekBarbie, Mattel, Adaptation, Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Will Ferrell, Kate McKinnon, Simu Liu
The Boogeyman: G-Rated Scares and Dreary Vibe Mar Stephen King Adaptation
Dungeons & Dragons: A Player’s Delight and a Gateway Drug for Non-Players
ReviewJim SlotekDungeons & Dragons, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Fantasy, Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Role-play, Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Hugh Grant, Daisy Head, Chloe Coleman, Sophia Lillis, Adaptation, CGI
Blueback: A Fish Tale That’s Easy on The Eyes
ReviewJim SlotekBlueback, Family films, Australian, Robert Connelly, Tim Winton, Adaptation, Mia Wasikowska, Eric Bana, Ariel Donaghue, Liz Alexander, Ilsa Fogg, Radha Mitchell
Daisy Jones & the Six: A 70s Rock ‘n’ Roll Soap Opera
ReviewJim SlotekPrime Video, Adaptation, Daisy Jones & The Six, Mini-series, Riley Keough, Sam Clafin, Camila Morrone, Will Harrison, Suki Waterhouse, Rock and roll, 1970s, Music, Mockumentary, Fleetwood Mac
Blonde: Much-Hyped Marilyn Monroe ‘Reimagining’ Stylish but Tawdry
ReviewJim SlotekBlonde, Marilyn Monroe, Andrew Dominik, Netflix, Biopic, Bobby Cannavale, Adrien Brody, Ana de Armas, Joyce Carol Oates, Adaptation
The Grave of St. Oran: Clever Adaptation of Neil Gaiman Story Rattles Notions of Faith
Where The Crawdads Sing: Adaptation of Bestseller Faithful to the Point of Redundancy
ReviewJim SlotekWhere The Crawdads Sing, Adaptation, Delia Owens, Olivia Newman, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor John Smith, Harris Dickinson, Michael Hyatt, David Strathairn, Sterling Macer, Jr., Drama, Murder mystery
Cyrano: Stirring Adaptation of Classic Love Triangle Sings Its Heart Out
ReviewJim SlotekCyrano, Adaptation, Love triangle, Joe Wright, Drama, Erica Schmidt, Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Ben Mendelsohn, Stage adaptation