Articles — Original Cin

Since 2017: Career film critics continuing the conversation

Howling Village: Overly Busy Wannabe Horror Aims High, Lands in the Outfield

Howling Village: Overly Busy Wannabe Horror Aims High, Lands in the Outfield

By Thom Ernst

ReviewJim SlotekAugust 12, 2021Howling Village, Horror, Japanese horror, Takashi Shimizu, Masanobu Takashima, Ayaka Miyoshi, Ryôta BandôComment

Respect: Aretha Explained... Just a Little Bit

Respect: Aretha Explained... Just a Little Bit

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekAugust 12, 2021Music legend biopics, Respect, Aretha Franklin, Jennifer Hudson, Amazing Grace, Sidney Pollack, Liesl Tommy, Tracey Scott Wilson, Forest WhitakerComment

Free Guy: Ryan Reynolds Comedy Glib Fun But No Game-Changer

Free Guy: Ryan Reynolds Comedy Glib Fun But No Game-Changer

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekAugust 11, 2021Free Guy, Ryan Reynolds, Taika Waititi, Video game movies, Shawn Levy, Comedy, Action, Sci-fiComment

Original-Cin Q&A: Co-Star/Writer of the Women's-Lives Anthology Materna Discusses Writing From Grief

Original-Cin Q&A: Co-Star/Writer of the Women's-Lives Anthology Materna Discusses Writing From Grief

By Bonnie Laufer

InterviewJim SlotekAugust 11, 2021Materna, New York anthology films, Women's lives, Assol Abdullina, David Gutnik, Jade Eshete, Tribeca Film FestivalComment

Materna: Four Stories Told Through a Motherhood Lens Feels Compelling but Underdone

Materna: Four Stories Told Through a Motherhood Lens Feels Compelling but Underdone

By Linda Barnard

ReviewJim SlotekAugust 11, 2021Materna, David Gutnik, Sturgill Simpson, Motherhood, Drama, Assol Abdullina, Jade Eshete, Lindsay Burdge, Rory Culkin, Kate Lyn Sheil, Cassandra Freeman, New York anthology films, Tribeca Film FestivalComment

Original-Cin Q&A: Marlee Matlin On Playing the Deaf Mom of a Hearing Teen in the Sundance Winner Coda

Original-Cin Q&A: Marlee Matlin On Playing the Deaf Mom of a Hearing Teen in the Sundance Winner Coda

By Bonnie Laufer

InterviewJim SlotekAugust 10, 2021Movies about deaf families, Coda, La Famille Bélier, Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin, Sundance FIlm Festival, Sian HederComment

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit: A Touching Child's-Eye Memoir, One Step Ahead of the War

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit: A Touching Child's-Eye Memoir, One Step Ahead of the War

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekAugust 9, 2021When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, Jews fleeing German ahead of the War, Judith Kerr, Caroline Link, Riva Krymalowski, Oliver Masucci, Child's-eye views of war Comments

Dream Horse: A Rousing, Galloping Britcom, with Toni Collette in the Lead

Dream Horse: A Rousing, Galloping Britcom, with Toni Collette in the Lead

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekAugust 6, 2021Uplifting working class British movies, The Full Monty, Dream Horse, Euros Lyn, Toni Collette, Cefn Fforest, Famous Welsh race horseComment

Rising Wolf: Silly Elevator Death-Trap Thriller (Yes, Really) Definitely Plummets Downward

Rising Wolf: Silly Elevator Death-Trap Thriller (Yes, Really) Definitely Plummets Downward

By Thom Ernst

ReviewJim SlotekAugust 5, 2021Rising Wolf, Antaine Furlong, Thriller, Charlotte Best, Alex Menglet, Jonny Pasvolsky, elevator, Boris Badenov, Imperilled woman Comment

Annette: Adam Driver Shines in Leo Carax’s Arthouse Musical, But Can’t Warm an Emotionally Detached Film

Annette: Adam Driver Shines in Leo Carax’s Arthouse Musical, But Can’t Warm an Emotionally Detached Film

By Karen Gordon

ReviewJim SlotekAugust 5, 2021Leos Carax, Annette, Sparks, Adam Driver, Musicals featuring non-singers, Cannes Film Festival, Simon HelbergComment

The Suicide Squad: James Gunn Recharges the DC Franchise as a Nihilistic Orgy of Brightly Coloured Gore and Violence

The Suicide Squad: James Gunn Recharges the DC Franchise as a Nihilistic Orgy of Brightly Coloured Gore and Violence

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekAugust 5, 2021The Suicide Squad, James Gunn, R-rated DC based film, Idris Elba, John Cena, Margot Robbie, Viola DavisComment

12 Mighty Orphans: If Success Has Many Parents, This Film Is the Opposite

12 Mighty Orphans: If Success Has Many Parents, This Film Is the Opposite

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekAugust 4, 202112 Mighty Orphans, fact-based drama, Luke Wilson, Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Ty Roberts, Texas, Sports movies, Wayne Knight, Depression-era Comments

Vivo: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Animated Kid-fest is Sparkly, Crafted… But Just Kind of OK

Vivo: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Animated Kid-fest is Sparkly, Crafted… But Just Kind of OK

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekAugust 3, 2021Vivo, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Gloria Estefan, Children's films, Kids, Animation, Netflix, Alex Lacamoire, Cuban, Buena Vista Social Club, DisneyComment

Here Today: Billy Crystal Directs Himself in a Blandly Good-hearted Manifesto About Aging, Dementia and Losing the Funny

Here Today: Billy Crystal Directs Himself in a Blandly Good-hearted Manifesto About Aging, Dementia and Losing the Funny

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekAugust 3, 2021Billy Crystal, Films about dementia, Here Today, Alan Zweibel, Films about comedy, Tiffany HaddishComment

Jungle Cruise: Dwayne Johnson Gives his All to Keep a Leaky Theme-Park Ride Afloat

Jungle Cruise: Dwayne Johnson Gives his All to Keep a Leaky Theme-Park Ride Afloat

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 31, 2021Movies based on theme park rides, Jungle Cruise, Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons, Films set during WWI, Amazon river Comment

Nemesis: Low-Grade British Gangster Saga Is a Cold and Tasteless Disappointment

Nemesis: Low-Grade British Gangster Saga Is a Cold and Tasteless Disappointment

By Thom Ernst

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 29, 2021Nemesis, Jonathan Sothcott, British, Thriller, Billy Murray, Nick Moran, Bruce Payne, James Crow, Gangsters, Twist ending, Jeanine Nerissa SothcottComment

The Green Knight: Dev Patel Delivers a Thinking-Person's Version of a Conflicted Medieval Hero

The Green Knight: Dev Patel Delivers a Thinking-Person's Version of a Conflicted Medieval Hero

By Karen Gordon

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 29, 2021Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, David Lowery, J.R.R. Tolkien, Dev Patel, Joel Edgerton, Alicia Vikander, Sarita ChoudhuryComment

Stillwater: Working-class Bill Goes to Marseilles and It’s No Emily in Paris

Stillwater: Working-class Bill Goes to Marseilles and It’s No Emily in Paris

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 29, 2021Stillwater, Drama, Amanda Knox case, Matt Damon, Tom McCarthy, Aligail Breslin, Set in France, American, JusticeComment

Lorelei: Tender Story of Reunited Lovers Compassionately Charts Tough Life Hurdles

Lorelei: Tender Story of Reunited Lovers Compassionately Charts Tough Life Hurdles

By Kim Hughes

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 29, 2021Lorelei, Drama, Family matters, Pablo Schreiber, Jena Malone, Trish Egan, Sabrina Doyle, Washington state, Pacific NorthwestComment

Del Close Doc Charts The Lord of Misrule Who Shaped Contemporary Comedy

Del Close Doc Charts The Lord of Misrule Who Shaped Contemporary Comedy

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 27, 2021For Madmen Only: The Del Close Story., Del Close, Sketch comedy, Second City, Saturday Night Live, Heather Ross, John Belushi, Bill Murray, Bob Odenkirk, Adam McKay, Harold Ramis, Amy Poehler, Chris Farley, Tina Fey, Mike MyersComment