Jiu Jitsu: Say Hello to the First (Maybe Worst) Really Bad Film of The Year
Review, PreviewJim SlotekJiu Jitsu, Terrible, Bad film, Nicolas Cage, Alain Moussi, Marie Avgeropoulos, Science fiction, Alien, Alien invasion
The Dig: A pleasingly British period drama about the urge to make history by unearthing it
By Karen Gordon
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ReviewJim SlotekBritish archeology, Anglo Saxon artifacts at Sutton Hoo, The Dig, Netflix, Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, Ipswich Museum, British Museum, Ken Stott, Lily James, Ben Chaplin, John Preston, Johnny Flynn, Mike Eley, Director Simon Stone
The Little Things: Throwback Cop Drama Has Ample Star Power, Little Logic or Originality
Review, PreviewJim SlotekThe Little Things, John Lee Hancock, Denzel, Jared Leto, Rami Malek, The Blind Side, Police procedural, Police drama, Los Angeles, murder mystery
Penguin Bloom: After the emotional wallowing, a magpie steals what's left of the show
ReviewJim SlotekPenguin Bloom, Sam Bloom, Movies about overcoming physical disability, Glendyn Ivin, Naomi Watts, The Walking Dead’s Andrew Lincoln, Jacki Weaver, Magpies, Therapy animals, Griffin Murray-Johnston, Para-kayaking
Original-Cin Q&A: Director Fisher Stevens on snagging a world-touring Justin Timberlake for the drama Palmer
By Bonnie Laufer
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InterviewJim SlotekFisher Stevens, Actors turned director, Palmer, Justin Timberlake, Ex-convict redemption stories, Ryder Allen, Juno Temple, Apple TV+, June Squibb, Leonardo DiCaprio, Before the Flood
Acasă, My Home: Riveting Doc Follows Family Rejecting, Then Forcibly Accepting, Urban Life
By Linda Barnard
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The White Tiger: A caustic and cynical comic answer to Slumdog Millionaire
ReviewJim SlotekThe White Tiger, Ramin Bahrani], Novelist Aravind Adiga, Slumdog Millionaire, Laurence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy, Adarsh Gourav, Relationships between servants and employers, Rags to riches stories, Man Push Cart, Chop Shop, Goodbye Solo, Swaroop Sampat, Mahesh Manjrekar, Rajkummar Rao, Priyanka Chopra Jonas
CRAVE CORNER: Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic brings great woman's life into focus
ReviewJim SlotekCrave, On the Basis of Sex, Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer, Kathy Bates, Justin Theroux, Sam Waterson, Biopic, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Mimi Leder, U.S. politics
Identifying Features: Dark, Lyrical Mexican Film Brings Beauty and Horror to Bear
Psycho Goreman: Splatterfest with Midnight Madness DNA mocks galactic blockbusters with bratty kids and cheesy FX
ReviewJim SlotekToronto International Film Festival’s Midnight Madness series, Psycho Goreman, My Pet Monster, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Galaxy destroying super-villains, Steven Kostanski, The Void, Peter Kuplowsky, Colin Geddes, Gary Gygax), Nita-Josee Hanna, Owen Myre, Kristen MacCulloch
Baby Done: Kiwi Pregnancy Comedy Cradles the Genre’s Clichés
Review, PreviewJim SlotekBaby Done, Films abour pregnancy, Taika Waititi, Rose Matafeo, Matthew Lewis, Curtis Vowell, Sarah Henderson, New Zealand, Comedy, Dramedy
Make Up: Feminist Art Film Gussied Up as Ghoulish Thriller Packs Unexpected Wallop
The International Oscar submissions: Around the world in a thousand minutes
Preview, ReviewJim SlotekOscar-contending foreign films, Latvia's First World War drama, Blizzard of Souls, Russia's Dear Comrades, My Little Sister starring Nina Hoss, Sudan’s You Will Die At 20, Naomi Kawase’s True Mothers, Indonedia's Impetigore, Once Upon a Time in Venezuela, Preparations to Be Together For An Unknown Period of Time, Ron Mann
One Night In Miami: Four Black '60s Legends Bare Souls In Regina King's Stagey, Passionate Directorial Debut
Review, PreviewJim SlotekOne Night in Miami, Regina King, Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, Jim Brown, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Leslie Odom Jr, TIFF 2019, Drama, Black stories
WandaVision: Turns out, what Marvel needed all this time was a laugh-track
ReviewJim SlotekMarvel Cinematic Universe, WandaVision, Avengers: Endgame TV sequel, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Marvel series set in sitcom universe, The Twilight Zone, Pleasantville, I Love Lucy, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Bewitched, Kathryn Hahn, Debra Jo Rupp
Love Sarah: Charming Female-Led Dramedy Casts Dreamy London, Decadent Treats as Co-Stars
Review, PreviewJim SlotekLove Sarah, Eliza Schroeder, London, Romantic comedy, Coming of age, Celia Imrie, Shannon Tarbet, Shelley Conn, Rupert-Penry-Jones, Food films, Bakery
Climate of the Hunter: An arty vampire movie so unconcise, our reviewer watched it thrice
ReviewJim SlotekClimate of the Hunter, Mickey Reece, Arty vampire film, Samuel Fuller, Guy Maddin, Ginger Gilmartin, Mary Buss, Ben Hall, Sheridan McMichael, Danielle Evon Ploeger, Jacob Snovel, Bram Stoker's Renfield
Original-Cin Q&A: Kingsley Ben-Adir talks playing Malcolm X in One Night in Miami and Obama in The Comey Rule
By Bonnie Laufer
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InterviewJim SlotekOne Night in Miami, Regina King, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, Sam Cooke, Playwright Kemp Powers, Kingsley Ben-Adir, The Comey Rule, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr., Hamilton
CRAVE CORNER: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Biopic Brings Great Woman’s Life into Focus
Review, Preview, PromotionJim SlotekCrave, On the Basis of Sex, Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer, Kathy Bates, Justin Theroux, Sam Waterson, Biopic, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Mimi Leder, U.S. politics
The Reason I Jump: Living with Autism Reframed by Inspirational, Thoughtful Doc
