Articles — Original Cin

Since 2017: Career film critics continuing the conversation

The White Crow: Director Ralph Fiennes' Nureyev bio-pic puts a rare bird in a cage

By Liam Lacey

POMS: Starry Comedy Set in Retirement Community a Fun if Fleeting Diversion

By Kim Hughes

ReviewMay 9, 2019POMS, comedy, Diane Keaton, Jacki Weaver, Pam Grier, Zara Hayes, Rhea Perlman, Celia WestonComment

Ordinary Days: Three different movie ideas sewn together into an ordinary film

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekMay 8, 2019Ordinary Days, Jacqueline Byers, Missing people, Crime procedurals, Canadian movies, Richard Clarkin, Torri Higginson, Michael Xavier, Kimberly Laferriere, Joris Karsky, Kris Booth, Jordan Canning, Mena Massoud, Aladdin Comments

PODCAST! Ep. 23: Avatar and Star Wars and Avatar and Star Wars (kill me now)

Your weekend roundup: What to see (and what to skip) in the theatres this weekend

ReviewJim SlotekMay 3, 2019Dennis Quaid, The Intruder, Hail Satan?, Long Shot, Charlize Theron, Seth Rogen, Dame Judi Dench, Penny Lane, UglyDolls, JT Leroy, Kristen Stewart, Laura Dern, Red Joan, Sophie CooksonComment

Red Joan: (Or, how I learned to stop worrying and love while smuggling bomb secrets)

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekMay 3, 2019Red Joan, Dame Judi Dench, Trevor Nunn, Royal Shakespeare Company, Atomic bomb secrets, Melita Norwood, Ben Miles, Sophie Cookson, Tereza Srbova, Tom Hughes, Stephen Campbell Moore, Kingsman: The Secret Service Comment

Long Shot: Seth Rogen/Charlize Theron Entry Raises the Rom-Com Bar

By Kim Hughes

PreviewMay 3, 2019Alexander Skarsgård, Andy Serkis, Seth Rogen, Charlize Theron, Jonathan Levine, Long Shot, Romantic comedy, O'Shea Jackson Jr, Bob Odenkirk, ComedyComment

JT Leroy: Fact-Based Switched-Identity Story Weirdly Shallow and Superficial

By Liam Lacey

ReviewMay 2, 2019JT Leroy, TIFF 2018, Justin Kelly, Laura Dern\, Kristen Stewart, Diane Kruger, Courtney Love, Madonna, fact based drama, Asia Argento, Kelvin Harrison, Jim SturgessComment

PODCAST! Ep. 22: Post-Avengers: Endgame, sobbing, clobbering spoiler-mongers and cheering Disney's windfall

By Jim Slotek, Liam Lacey, Karen Gordon, Bonnie Laufer

PodcastJim SlotekMay 2, 2019Movie podcasts, Avengers: Endgame, Spoilers, Disney, UglyDolls, Red Joan, The Intruder, Randy Quaid, Dennis Quaid, Stalker thrillersComment

Hail Satan?: Cheeky doc about separation of church and state forces the issue diabolically

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekMay 2, 2019Hail Satan?, Penny Lane, Our Nixon, Gov. Rick Scott, The Satanic Temple, Lucien Greaves, Church of Satan, Anton LaVey, Ayn Rand, Megyn Kelly, Fred Phelps, Jex Blackmore, Marc Randazza, Alex Jones, Arkansas Capitol, Ten CommandmentsComment

The Intruder: A real-estate thriller where the audience knows too much about the seller

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekMay 2, 2019The Intruder, Stalker thrillers, real estate, Napa Valley, San Francisco, Dennis Quaid, Meagan Good, Michael Ealy, Deon Taylor, David Loughery, African-American directorsComment

UglyDolls: They battle against perfection - for an audience that may be too young to get it

By Karen Gordon

ReviewJim SlotekMay 1, 2019UglyDolls, Movies based on toys, Children's movies, Game of Thrones, Battle of Winterfell, Nick Jonas, "Accept yourself" messages, Janelle Monáe, Blake SheltonComment

Hot Docs Preview: Lehman Brothers, Pinochet military goons and other unpunished criminals

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekApril 30, 2019Hot Docs, Jennifer Deschamps, 2008 financial meltdown, Lehman Brothers, whistleblowers, Haydee and the Flying Fish, Chile, Pinochet regime, Haydee Oberreuter Umazabal, Military crimesComment

Hot Docs Preview: Phenomenal Organs, Fearless Teen Activists Propel Fab Festival

Review, PreviewApril 29, 2019Pipe Dreams, The Infiltrators, Hot Docs 2019, Stacey TenenbaumComment

Hot Docs Preview: Mystify Michael Hutchence a Powerful Glimpse at the Price of Fame

Preview, ReviewApril 29, 2019Hot Docs 2019, Mystify: Michael Hutchence, INXS, Rock stars, Music documentaries, Paula Yates, Richard LowensteinComment

Original-Cin Q&A: At Hot Docs, how Ingrid Veninger's Masters thesis uncovered unsung Cuban dance phenoms

By Jim Slotek

Your Weekend Film Roundup: What to See (and Skip) in the Theatres

By Original-Cin Staff

Preview, Review, Interview, PodcastApril 26, 2019Avengers: Endgame, Weekly Roundup, Victoria Alonso, Hot Docs 2019, Capsule reviews, Diane, Mary Kay Place, The Public, E, Emilio Estevez, Valerie Buhagiar, Podcast, Movie podcastsComment

Original-Cin Q&A: Marvel's Victoria Alonso on "chewing an elephant" for Endgame, and why Black Panther/Captain Marvel are her legacies

By Bonnie Laufer

InterviewJim SlotekApril 26, 2019Avengers: Endgame, Marvel executives, Victoria Alonso, Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Visual Effects Society, Kingdom of Heaven, Iron Man, Captain AmericaComment

PODCAST! Ep. 21. Is Avengers: Endgame good for us or bad for us?

By Jim Slotek, Karen Gordon, Bonnie Laufer and Thom Ernst

PodcastJim SlotekApril 26, 2019Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Disney/Marvel, Corporate manipulation, Emotional manipulation, Genre films, Fandom, Superhero films, Critic-hating, Emilio Estevez, The Public, Mary Kay Place, Diane, Andrea MartinComment

Diane: The under-appreciated Mary Kay Place spreads her serious acting wings

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekApril 26, 2019Mary Kay Place, Diane, Kent Jones, New York Film Festival, Val Lewton, Elia Kazan, Francois Truffaut, Hitchcock/Truffaut, Robert Bresson, Jack Lacy, Deirdre O'Connell, Andrea Martin, Loretta Haggers, Mary HartmanComment