Shadow in the Cloud: Airborne Chloë Grace Moretz fights misogyny and a murderous monster in this gonzo WW2-set Midnight Madness fave
ReviewJim SlotekShadow in the Cloud, WWII era gremlins, Toronto International Film Festival’s Midnight Madness series, People’s Choice winner, Twilight Zone episode Nightmare at 20, 000 Feet, Chloë Grace Moretz, Kick-Ass, Roseanne Liang, Max Landis, 1943 Bugs Bunny cartoon, Falling Hare, Callan Mulvey, Taylor John Smith
Once Upon a Time in Venezuela: The country's Oscar nom is a years-long portrait of a toxified village divided by faith in Chavistas
ReviewJim SlotekVenezuelan poverty, Toxic environments, Congo Mirador, Once Upon a Time in Venezuela, Oscar International Film Award, Anabel Rodriguez Rios, Hugo Chavez loyalists, Nicolás Maduro, Margarita Cadenas, Women of the Venezuelan Chaos
Original-Cin Year In Review: 2020’s Best and Worst Movies
By Original-Cin Staff
Read More
Views, Review, PreviewJim SlotekBest of 2020, Worst of 2020, Nomadland, Frances McDormand, Chloe Zhao, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Martin Eden, Luca Marinell, Donbass, David Byrne’s American Utopia, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Bacurau, Lovers Rock, Mangrove, Steve McQueen, Minari, I'm Thinking of Ending Things, Charlie Kaufman, Mank, David Fincher, The Kid Detective, Color Out Of Space, Rocks, Another Round, Hope Gap, Collective, Beanpole, Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal, Critic's Picks, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, The Personal History of David Copperfield
Pixar's Soul: Life, death, jazz, joy and other deep themes say, 'This is not a kid-flick'
By Karen Gordon
Read More
ReviewJim SlotekDisney Pixar, Soul, Kids movies with adult themese, Movies about the afterlife, Movies about jazz, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Angela Bassett, Tina Fey, Toy Story, Inside Out, Jon Batiste, Pete Docter, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Mike Jones, Kemp Powers, One Night in Miami
Wonder Woman 1984: Final Superhero Movie of 2020 Big on Budget, Small on Impact
Review, PreviewJim SlotekWonder Woman 1984, superheroes, Gal Gadot, Kristen Wiig, Chris Pine, Patty Jenkins, '80s nostalgia, action, Action-adventure
The Witches: Edgeless, CGI-laden remake of Roald Dahl story brings nothing new to the cauldron
ReviewJim SlotekRoald Dahl’s The Witches, Robert Zemeckis, Anne Hathaway, Nicolas Roeg’s 1990 version, The Joker, Venom, Guillermo del Toro, Jahzir Bruno, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci, Chris Rock, Everybody Hates Chris, Codie-Lei Eastick, Augustus Gloop, Kristin Chenoweth, Kenya Barris
News of the World: Poignant Tom Hanks Western an Astute Mirror of Current Times
Wild Mountain Thyme: Starry Misfire from Oscar Winner Marred by Silliness, Bad Accents
By Linda Barnard
Read More
Review, PreviewJim SlotekWild Mountain Thyme, John Patrick Shanley, Emily Blunt, Jon Hamm, Jamie Dornan, Christopher Walken, Irish films, Drama, Rural setting, Adaptation
Monster Hunter: Video Game Adaptation Is Tons of Fun and Raised (Of Course) by Milla Jovovich
Review, PreviewJim SlotekMonster Hunter, Video game movies, Milla Jovovich, Paul W.S. Anderson, Action, Adventure, Monsters, Tony Jaa, Female Leads, Female action movies, Female action heroes
The Midnight Sky: Muddled George Clooney Space Actioner Never Achieves Liftoff
Review, PreviewJim SlotekThe Midnight Sky, Adaptation, Space drama, George Clooney, Felicity Jones, Kyle Chandler, David Oyelowo, Mark L. Smith, Caoilinn Springall
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom: Rumours of Chadwick Boseman's superb final act are bittersweetly true
By Karen Gordon
Read More
ReviewJim SlotekMa Rainey’s Black Bottom, Plays by August Wilson, Actors' final performances, Chadwick Boseman, Viola Davis, Movies about blues legends, Mother of the Blues, Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman, Michael Potts, Pittsburgh Cycle, Denzel Washington, Fences, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, George C. Wolfe
Another Round: Thomas Vinterberg and Mads Mikkelsen ask the darkly comic question, 'Do I think better when I drink?'
ReviewJim SlotekDanish director Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round, Mads Mikkelsen, The Hunt, Dark comedy drama about alcohol, Finn Skårderud, Magnus Millang, Lars Ranthe, Thomas Bo Larsen, Maria Bonnevie, Magnus Sjørup, Theory about alcohol and creativity
Let Them All Talk: Streep, Bergen and Wiest rehash the past aboard ship in Soderbergh's deceptively breezy film
By Karen Gordon
Read More
ReviewJim SlotekSteven Soderbergh, Let Them All Talk, Old friends with old grudges, Meryl Streep, Gemma Chan, Movies that take place aboard cruise ships, Queen Mary 2, Lucas Hedges, Candice Bergen, Dianne Wiest, Deborah Eisenberg
The Forbidden Reel: Award-Winning Doc Explores Film’s Starring Role in Afghan Culture
Review, PreviewJim SlotekThe Forbidden Reel, NFB Documentary, National Film Board, Ariel Nasr, Hot Docs Festival, Afghanistan, Rogers Audience Choice, Kabul, Afghanistan Documentary, cultural preservation
The Prom: Star-studded adaptation of an LGBTQ-themed Broadway hit bounces from laid-on-thick to thin
ReviewJim SlotekRyan Murphy, Glee, Hollywood, The Prom, Netflix adaptation of a Broadway musical, Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, James Corden, Andrew Rannells, Kerry Washington, Jo Ellen Pellman, Ariana DeBose, Keegan-Michael Key, Same-sex prom date controversies, Bob Martin, The Drowsy Chaperone
Wander Darkly: Sienna Miller and Diego Luna in a near-death experience, and an emotional journey without a false note
By Karen Gordon
Read More
Queer Japan: Doc on Japan’s Meek Acceptance of LGBTQ Culture a Delightful Rallying Cry
But I’m A Cheerleader: Director’s Cut of Cult Comedy Still Campy If Dated on Gay Themes
Review, PreviewJim SlotekBut I'm A Cheerleader, Natasha Lyonne, Clea DuVall, Jamie Babbit, Julie Delpy, Michelle Williams, RuPaul, Movies about gay teens, Comedy, Camp classics, Cult Classic, Lesbians, Christian Gay Conversion Therapy, Bud Cort, Mink Stole
The Legend of Baron To’a: Fun Kiwi Dramedy-Slash-Throwdown Offers Blood-Free Charms
Review, PreviewJim SlotekThe Legend of Baron To’a, Dramedy, Comedy, Wrestling, Kiel McNaughton, indigenous films, imagineNATIVE, Uli Latukefu, Nathaniel Lees, John Tui
Billie: Doc on Jazz Great Billie Holiday Elevated by Newly Unearthed Audio Archive
