Articles — Original Cin

Since 2017: Career film critics continuing the conversation

The Biggest Little Farm: Beautiful Doc Murmurs Its Strong Environmental Message

By Liam Lacey

ReviewMay 15, 2019The Biggest Little Farm, TIFF 2018, documentaries, John Chester, Farming, Environmental issues, AnimalsComment

This Is North Preston: Music Video Sensibility Undermines Documentary’s Thrust

By Liam Lacey

ReviewMay 15, 2019Jaren Hayman, This is North Preston, Canadian movies, Just Chase, documentaryComment

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum: All that extra plot, and many more shots to the cerebellum

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekMay 14, 2019John Wick, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, Keanu Reeves, Chad Stahelski, Anjelica Huston, Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne, Lance Reddick, Halle Berry, Mark Dacascos, Asia Kate DillonComment

Original-Cin Q&A: Doc subject Dr. Ruth talks about everything, including sex

Original-Cin Q&A: Doc subject Dr. Ruth talks about everything, including sex

By Bonnie Laufer

InterviewJim SlotekMay 13, 2019Ask Dr. Ruth, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Ryan White, Rafi Marmor, No Place on Earth, The Keepers, The Holocaust, Sex advice, Hugh Hefner, Hoarders, Sex educationComment

Your Weekend Roundup: What to See (And Skip) In The Theatres

By Original-Cin Staff

Review, PreviewMay 10, 2019Weekly Roundup, The Hustle, POMS, The White Crow, Tolkien, Ordinary Days, Pokemon Detective Pikachu, ShadowComment

The Hustle: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Remake Falls Short (Surprise!) of the Mark

By Kim Hughes

ReviewMay 10, 2019The Hustle, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Remake, Comedy, Anne Hathaway, Rebel Wilson, Michael Caine, Steve MartinComment

Shadow: Zhang Yimou regains his martial arts mojo after Matt Damon's not-so-Great Wall

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekMay 10, 2019Zhang Yimou, Shadow, Red Sorghum, Gong Li, Matt Damon, The Great Wall, Hero, House of Flying Daggers, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Deng Chao, Guan Xiaotong, Sun Li, Lao Zai, LoudboyComment

Pokémon Detective Pikachu : Catnip for fans, incoherent to the unindoctrinated

By Thom Ernst

ReviewJim SlotekMay 9, 2019Pokémon Detective Pikachu, Pokemon, Pikachu, Mr. Mime, Psychduck, Charmander, Squirtle, Ryme City, Justice Smith, Ryan Reynolds, Bill Nighy, Ken Watanabe, Rob LettermanComment

Tolkien: A superficial take sees the Lord of the Rings author as a nice chap who imagined dragons on the battlefield

By Karen Gordon

ReviewJim SlotekMay 9, 2019J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Literary biopics, Dome Karukoski, First World War, Nicholas Hoult, Colm Meaney, Lily Collins, Derek Jacobi, Battle of the Somme, David Gleeson, Stephen Beresford, Goodbye Christopher Robin Comment

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