Articles — Original Cin

Since 2017: Career film critics continuing the conversation

Den of Thieves: 'Genius' bank robbers, rogue cops and implausible deniability

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekJanuary 18, 2018Crime, Heist movies, Gerard Butler, LAPD movies, Los Angeles, Bank robberies, O'Shea Jackson Jr.

Remember Obama's White House? The Final Year is a doc that makes us... sad

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekJanuary 17, 2018Political documentaries, Obama administration, Ben Rhodes, Samantha Power, John Kerry, Trump, Clinton

No white-hats, black-hats or cartoon savages in the brutally violent Hostiles

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekJanuary 17, 2018Westerns, Native-American portrayals, Christian Bale, Scott Cooper, Wes Studi, Cheyenne, Apaches

Proud Mary: Ain’t Nothing To Be Proud About

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJanuary 12, 2018Taraji P. Henson, Drama, crime drama, Danny Glover

Flashback Film Fest Brings Vintage Cyborgs, Bowlers, Aliens Back to Big Screen

By Kim Hughes

ViewsJanuary 12, 2018Flashback Film Fest, Film Festival, sci-fi, Comedy, Cult Classic, pop culture

Original-Cin Review/Q&A: Happy End's Michael Haneke is one twisted mister

By Liam Lacey

InterviewJim SlotekJanuary 11, 2018Jean-Louis Trintignant, Michael Haneke, Foreign language films, Disturbing filmmakers, social comment, Happy End, Amour, Isabelle Huppert

The Commuter: Liam Neeson Thriller Galls with What Might Have Been

By Kim Hughes

ReviewJanuary 11, 2018thriller, Liam Neeson, Vera Farmiga, Jonathan Banks, Jaume Collet-Serra, crime drama

Mountain: A doc to watch because it's there

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekJanuary 10, 2018Documentaries, Mountain climbing, Travelogue, Extreme sports, Willem Dafoe, Everest, Sherpas

Aida's Secrets: A 'displaced persons' camp baby-boom sparks a parent-search 60 years on

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekJanuary 10, 2018Documentary, Holocaust, Jewish cinema, Lost relatves, World War II, Bergen-Belsen Displaced Persons Camp, Alon Schwarz

Original-Cin Q&A: Christian Bale learns Cheyenne and life lessons on Hostiles

By Bonnie Laufer

InterviewJim SlotekJanuary 9, 2018Awards season movies, Native-American portrayals, Christian Bale, Wes Studi, Cheyenne, Scott Cooper, Westerns

Insidious: The Last Key's timid ghostbuster doesn't pass in-spectre

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekJanuary 5, 2018Horror, Blumhouse, Insidious, Lin Shaye, Haunted houses, demons

Phantom Thread: Day-Lewis' terrific swan-song disrobes the artistic process

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekJanuary 5, 2018Award season movies, Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Thomas Anderson, Dress designing, Psychological drama, Lesley Manville, Vicky Krieps

The Post: Spielberg's political flashback is Trump-comfort for Nixon survivors

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekJanuary 4, 2018Awards season movies, journalism, Vietnam War, Pentagon Papers, Donald Trump, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg

Original-Cin's bests and worsts of '17: The good, the bad & the fugly

By Jim Slotek, Kim Hughes, Liam Lacey, Karen Gordon and Bonnie Laufer

ReviewJim SlotekDecember 26, 2017Year end 2017, Best and worst movies 2017, Guillermo del Toro, Tom Cruise, The Emoji Movie, Matt Damon, Frances McDormand, Get OUt

Alexander Payne's Downsizing: Big ideas, little payoff

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekDecember 23, 2017Alexander Payne, Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, Hong Chau, Science fiction, Global warming

I, Tonya: A trailer-park Rashomon with stellar performances and bitter laughs

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekDecember 22, 2017Tonya Harding, Nancy Kerrigan, Awards season movies, Figure skating, Dark comedies

Molly's Game: High-stakes poker drowns in Sorkin's verbiage, but Chastain shines

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekDecember 22, 2017Aaron Sorkin, High stakes poker, Molly Bloom, Jessica Chastain, Michael Cera, Organized crime, Gambling

Pitch Perfect 3: Franchise Finale Hits Sour Note but Avoids Delete Bin

By Kim Hughes

ReviewDecember 21, 2017Musical, comedy, Anna Kendrick, Franchise, Rebel Wilson, DJ Khaled, John Lithgow

All The Money In The World: Christopher Plummer as Montgomery Burns?

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekDecember 21, 2017Sexual misconduct, Kevin Spacey, Christopher Plummer, Ridley Scott, Michelle Williams, J. Paul Getty, Kidnapping, drama

Jumanji 2: Jack Black and The Rock ham it up as video avatars in pointless sequel

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekDecember 20, 2017Kidflicks, Jumanji, Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, sequels, video game movies