Articles — Original Cin

Since 2017: Career film critics continuing the conversation

WeCrashed: Leto and Hathaway as the Attractive, Insufferable Couple Behind a Multi-Billion Dollar Hustle

WeCrashed: Leto and Hathaway as the Attractive, Insufferable Couple Behind a Multi-Billion Dollar Hustle

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 17, 2022Millennial huckster miniseries, WeCrashed, Drew Crevello, Lee Eisenberg, Adam Neumann, Jared Leto, Anne Hathaway, WeWorkComment

The Outfit: Mark Rylance is note perfect in a tailor-made gangster film, more bespoke than violent

The Outfit: Mark Rylance is note perfect in a tailor-made gangster film, more bespoke than violent

By Karen Gordon

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 16, 2022Gangster films, Gangland tailors, The Outfit, Mark Rylance, Zoey Deutch, Dylan O'Brien, Graham MooreComment

The White Fortress: Valentine to Sarajevo a Gripping Blend of Romance and Social Realism

The White Fortress: Valentine to Sarajevo a Gripping Blend of Romance and Social Realism

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 15, 2022Bosnia, Sarajevo, TIFF 2021, The White Fortress, Igor Drljaca, Pavle Cemerikic, Irena Mulamuhic, Sumeja Dardagan, Jasmin Geljo, Kerim Cutuna, human trafficking, Oscar contender, best international pictureComment

Tollbooth: A Clever Welsh Black Comedy with A Familiar Ring

Tollbooth: A Clever Welsh Black Comedy with A Familiar Ring

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 14, 2022Welsh cineman, Black comedy, Gangsters, Tollbooth, Ryan Andrew Hopper, Matt Redd, Michael Smiley, Annes Elwy, Gwyneth Keyworth, Gary Beadle, Evelyn Mok, Iwan Rheon, Paul KayeComment

Alice: Slave-to-Black-Panther in a Day, Nonsense with a Powerful Performance

Alice: Slave-to-Black-Panther in a Day, Nonsense with a Powerful Performance

Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 14, 2022Slavery movies, Blaxploitation, Alice, Krystin Ver Linden, Keke Palmer, Gaius Charles, Jonny Lee Miller, CommonComment

Wildhood: Young Mi'kmaws on the Run Make For a Moving Road-Movie Experience

Wildhood: Young Mi'kmaws on the Run Make For a Moving Road-Movie Experience

By Thom Ernst

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 10, 2022Two-spirited Indigenous stories, Wildhood, Brennan Hannam, Road movies, Phillip Lewitski, Jordan Poole, Joel Thomas Hynes, Joshua OdjickComment

Turning Red: Disney’s Toronto-Set Coming-of-Age Story Sweet and Upbeat

Turning Red: Disney’s Toronto-Set Coming-of-Age Story Sweet and Upbeat

By Kim Hughes

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 10, 2022Disney, Pixar, Animated features, Turning Red, Domee Shi, Julia Cho, Rosalie Chiang, Sandra OhComment

The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey: Samuel L. Jackson’s Deep Acting Dive

The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey: Samuel L. Jackson’s Deep Acting Dive

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 10, 2022Sci-fi, Drama, Walter Mosley, adaptation, The Last Days of Ptolemy Gray, Rahmin Bahrani, Debbie Allen, Hanelle Culpepper, Guillermo Navarro, Samuel L. Jackson, Dominique Fishback, AppleTV+Comment

Moon Manor: A 'True-ish' FUNeral Party That Dies Before Our Eyes

Moon Manor: A 'True-ish' FUNeral Party That Dies Before Our Eyes

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 10, 2022Moon Manor, Living funeral parties, James “Jimmy” Carrozo, Erin Granat, Machete Bang Bang, Debra Wilson, Lou Taylor Pucci Comments

After Yang: Colin Farrell Shines in a Quiet Movie About Love, Memory and Self-Discovery

After Yang: Colin Farrell Shines in a Quiet Movie About Love, Memory and Self-Discovery

By Karen Gordon

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 9, 2022After Yang, Kogonada, Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Justin Lin, Drama, Sci-fi, Malea Emma TjandrawidjajaComment

Original-Cin Q&A: Turning Red director Domee Shi talks Toronto, Goth-Days and Real-Life Friend/Characters

Original-Cin Q&A: Turning Red director Domee Shi talks Toronto, Goth-Days and Real-Life Friend/Characters

By Bonnie Laufer

InterviewJim SlotekMarch 9, 2022Domee Shi, Pixar movies set in Toronto, Turning Red, Bao, Lindsey Collins, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Hyein Park, Tween girl traumasComment

Original-Cin Q&A: The Adam Project director Shawn Levy talks Ryan Reynolds and Time-Travels to his Bar Mitzvah

Original-Cin Q&A: The Adam Project director Shawn Levy talks Ryan Reynolds and Time-Travels to his Bar Mitzvah

By Bonnie Laufer

InterviewJim SlotekMarch 7, 2022Time travel movies, Meeting your young self, The Adam Project, Ryan Reynolds, Walker Scobell, Shawn Levy, Free GuyComment

The Dropout: Theranos, for the Grace of Jobs, Goes Amanda Seyfried in Elizabeth Holmes mini-series

The Dropout: Theranos, for the Grace of Jobs, Goes Amanda Seyfried in Elizabeth Holmes mini-series

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 3, 2022Billion dollar fraud, Theranos scandal, The Dropout, Elizabeth Holmes, Amanda Seyfried, Steve Jobs, Naveen AndrewsComment

Jockey: Moving Drama About Insular World of Pro Riders Soars Down the Stretch

Jockey: Moving Drama About Insular World of Pro Riders Soars Down the Stretch

By Kim Hughes

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 3, 2022Aaron Dessner and Bryce Dessner, The National, TIFF 2021, Drama, Jockey, Greg Kwedar, Clint Bentley, Clifton Collins Jr., Molly Parker, Moises AriasComment

Huda’s Salon: Betrayal and blackmail in informant-ridden Bethlehem

Huda’s Salon: Betrayal and blackmail in informant-ridden Bethlehem

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 3, 2022Films about Palestinians, The use of informants in occupied territories, Hany Abu-Assad, Huda’s Salon, Manal Awad, Maisa Abd Elhadi, Ali SulimanComment

Scarborough: Homegrown Drama Offers Powerful Portrait of Kids on the Edge

Scarborough: Homegrown Drama Offers Powerful Portrait of Kids on the Edge

By Thom Ernst

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 2, 2022Canadian movies, TIFF 2021, Drama, Scarborough, Sasha Nakai, Rich Williamson, Sasha Nakai and Rich Williamson, Anna Claire Beitel, Kristen MacCulloch, Conor Casey, Meykia Fox, Cherish Violet Blood, Felix Jedi Ingram Isaac, Liam Diaz, Aliya Kanani Comment

The Long Walk: Languid Laotian Time-Travelling Ghost Story Brings Quiet Thrills

The Long Walk: Languid Laotian Time-Travelling Ghost Story Brings Quiet Thrills

By Karen Gordon

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 2, 2022Drama, Laos, The Long Walk, Mattie Do, Yannawoutthi Chanthalungsy, Noutnapha Soydara, Por Silatsa, Chanthamone Inoudome, Ghost story, Time travel moviesComment

Original-Cin Q&A: Jockey's Clifton Collins Jr. and Molly Parker on how an aging rider's story affected them

Original-Cin Q&A: Jockey's Clifton Collins Jr. and Molly Parker on how an aging rider's story affected them

By Bonnie Laufer

InterviewJim SlotekMarch 1, 2022Jockey, Films about horse racing, Clifton Collins Jr., Molly Parker, Moises Arias, Clint Bentley, TranspecosComment

The Batman: An Even Darker Knight Doubles Down on the Dour

The Batman: An Even Darker Knight Doubles Down on the Dour

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekFebruary 28, 2022The Batman, Batman's Dark Knight persona, Matt Reeves, Robert Pattinson, Colin Farrell, Jeffrey Wright, Zoë KravitzComment

Carbon—The Unauthorized Biography: A Climate Crisis Doc That's, Um, Fun?

Carbon—The Unauthorized Biography: A Climate Crisis Doc That's, Um, Fun?

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekFebruary 26, 2022Climate change, The role of carbon, Carbon—The Unauthorized Biography, Niobe Thompson, Daniella Ortega, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Simplifying scienceComment