Sugar Daddy: A budding musician joins the gig economy as a sex worker in this idiosyncratic-yet-familiar film
ReviewJim SlotekSugar Daddy, Movies about sex workers, Kelly McCormack, Wendy Morgan, Shiva Baby, Hilary McCormack, Maria Callas, Ishan Davé, Nicholas Campbell, Colm Feore, Stephan Littger, Her Composition, Rachmaninov, Mozart, The Roches, Marie-Helene L. Delorme, aka Foxtrott, Kaniehtiio Horn
French Exit: Michelle Pfieffer Riches-to-Rags Drama Leaves a Bitter Taste and Impression
Review, PreviewJim SlotekFrench Exit, Azazel Jacobs, Patrick deWitt, Michelle Pfeiffer, Lucas Hedges, Into the Wild, The Marksman, Riches to rags stories, Paris, Imogen Poots
Shoplifters of the World: Tribute to Alt-Rock Icons The Smiths Tender But Trite
The Marksman: Liam Neeson’s Latest Average-Guy-Cum-Hero Actioner True to Form… Sigh
Review, PreviewJim SlotekThe Marksman, Liam Neeson, Robert Lorenz, Clint Eastwood, Action movies, Mexico, Drug cartels, Juan Pablo Raba, Jacob Perez, Mexican border
Godzilla vs. Kong: Like the WWE, enjoyably cartoonish with bigger behemoths and a serviceable story
ReviewJim SlotekGodzilla vs. Kong, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, King Ghidorah, King Kong, Rebecca Hall, Batman vs. Superman, Adam Wingard, Alexander Skarsgård, Brian Tyree Henry, Millie Bobby Brown, Stranger Things, Kaiju
Original-Cin Q&A: Ingrid Veninger on Creating the Ultimate Female Pandemic Collaboration
Review, Preview, InterviewJim SlotekOne (nine), Ingrid Veninger, Female Eye Film Festival, pandemic, Pandemic movies, Female filmmakers, female directors, 2020
Six Minutes to Midnight: Eddie Izzard-Guided WWII Drama Intriguing but Unfulfilling
Nobody: Bob Odenkirk makes a surprising action hero in a trope-filled tale of a milquetoast who fights back
ReviewJim SlotekVigilante violence, Bob Odenkirk, Nobody, High Noon, Falling Down, Death Wish, Ilya Naishuller, Michael Ironside, Characters rediscovering their masculinity, Aleksey Serebryakov, Christopher Lloyd, A History of Violence, Home invasions
Shiva Baby: Sex, Death and A Buffet Table in Strong Debut Feature
By Linda Barnard
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Review, PreviewJim SlotekShiva Baby, Emma Seligman, TIFF 2020, Rachel Sennott, Polly Draper, Fred Melamed, Dianna Agron, Comedy, Jewish funereal tradition, Coming of age, Generation Z, Sex and death
SLAXX: Killer jeans, demonic denim, the sinister-hood of the traveling pants - whatever you call it, it's a hoot
ReviewJim SlotekNovelty horror films, Demonic blue jeans, SLAXX, Elza Kephart, Possessed inanimate objects, Peter Strickland, In Fabric, Romane Denis, Sehar Bhojani, Brett Donahue
Enhanced: Familiar Mutants Among Us… But Duller Than Ever
I Am Lisa: Mean girls discover karma is a howling b--tch in this low-rent/low-expectations lycanthropic revenge tale
ReviewJim SlotekWerewolf movies, Female revenge films, I Am Lisa, Mean Girls, Ginger Snaps, Kristen Vaganos, Carmen Anello, Manon Halliburton, Frances McDormand, Shawn Eric Jones, Wolf, Patrick Rea, Eric Winkler
Iron Mask: Jumbled Schwarzenegger/Jackie Chan Period Piece May Watch Better While High
Review, PreviewJim SlotekIron Mask, Jackie Chan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Actioner, Period piece films, Oleg Stepchenko, Fantasy, Yuri Kolokolnikov, Jason Flemyng, Yao Xington, CGI
Doors: Weird End-of-Days Sci-Fi Thriller Nods to Stanley Kubrick… and Breakfast Club
Review, PreviewJim SlotekDoors, Sci-fi, Saman Kesh, Jeff Desom, Dugan O'Neal, Breakfast Club, Stanley Kubrick, 2001: A Space Odyssey, David Hemphill, Darius Levantè, Kyp Malone.
Rose Plays Julie: Revenge Thriller Tackles Adoption/Identity Issue with Powerful Results
Wojnarowicz: Remembering a Voice of Protest and the New York AIDS-Generation Art Scene
Review, PreviewJim SlotekWojnarowicz, documentary, New York, New York art scene, 1980s, '80s AIDS epidemic, Chris McKim, Keith Haring, Fran Lebowitz, David Wojnarowicz
The Father: Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman in a multi-layered masterpiece about aging
ReviewJim SlotekFilms about aging and dementia, The Father, French play La Pere, Florian Zeller, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, Christopher Hampton, On Golden Pond, Make Way for Tomorrow, Brad Anderson, Christopher Nolan, Awards season, Oscar Best Picture nominees
Food Club: Danish dramedy about seniors rediscovering life via Italian cooking has heart despite Hallmark moments
By Karen Gordon
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ReviewJim SlotekMovies about senior women's lives, Danish movies, Movies about Italian cooking, Food Club, Kirsten Olesen, Stina Ekblad, Kirsten Lehfeldt, Michele Venitucci, Anne-Marie Olesen, Barbara Topsøe-Rothenborg
Enforcement: Muddled but Forceful Danish Cop Drama Echoes Current Issues in Throwback Style
Review, PreviewJim SlotekAnders Ølholm, Jacob Møller, Enforcement, Danish films, Cop drama, Immigrant experience, Police violence, Simon Sears, Jacob Lohmann, Tarek Zayat
Violation: Canadian thriller replaces the tawdry in the rape-revenge genre with bleak, arty atmosphere
ReviewJim SlotekRape-revenge thrillers, Promising Young Woman, Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Violation, Best Canadian Feature Vancouver Film Critics Circle, Lars von Trier, Dusty Mancinelli, Obi Abili, Jesse LaVercombe, Roseanne Liang, Shadow in the Cloud, Digital TIFF Bell Lightbox
