Articles — Original Cin

Since 2017: Career film critics continuing the conversation

Someone Like You: New Film Will Draw Christian Audience. Attention Lions

Someone Like You: New Film Will Draw Christian Audience. Attention Lions

By Liz Braun

ReviewJim SlotekApril 1, 2024Someone Like You, Karen Kingsbury, Romance, Christian, Tyler Russell, Jake Allyn, Sarah Fisher Comments

Renegade Nell: Series About 18th Century 'Highwaywoman' is a Supernaturally Imbued Hoot

Renegade Nell: Series About 18th Century 'Highwaywoman' is a Supernaturally Imbued Hoot

By Karen Gordon

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 29, 2024Period TV series, Women bandits, Renegade Nell, Disney+, Series creator Sally Wainwright, Gentleman Jack, Louisa Harland, Reign of Queen Anne, Frank Dillane, Nick Mohammed, Alice Kremelberg, Jake DunnComment

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire - Like the Old Empire, with More World Landmarks Punched and Smashed

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire - Like the Old Empire, with More World Landmarks Punched and Smashed

By Chris Knight

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 28, 2024Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, 91 years of Kong, Kong: Skull Island, Director Adam Wingard, Rebecca Hall, Kaylee Hottle, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, Hollow Earth, Movies that destroy world landmarksComment

Club Zero: Inky Black Satire More Disturbing Than Amusing

Club Zero: Inky Black Satire More Disturbing Than Amusing

By Liz Braun

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 28, 2024Club Zero, Jessica Hausner, Geraldine Bajard, Mia Wasikowska, Amanda Lawrence, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Cannes, Women filmmakersComment

Harried Hot Docs' 2024: Carrying on Regardless

Harried Hot Docs' 2024: Carrying on Regardless

By Liz Braun

PreviewJim SlotekMarch 27, 2024Hot Docs' 2024, Cash-poor arts organizations, Internal strife, Hot Docs President Marie Nelson, Luther: Never Too Much, Born Hungry, Shiori Ito’s Black Box Diaries, Raoul Peck, Cinematographer Iris Ing, Hot Docs lineup, Lucy Lawless’ Never Look Away, EnoComment

Original-Cin Q&A: X-Men '97's Rogue/Ex-Federal MP Lenore Zann Talks Social Justice Onscreen and Off

Original-Cin Q&A: X-Men '97's Rogue/Ex-Federal MP Lenore Zann Talks Social Justice Onscreen and Off

By John Kirk

InterviewJim SlotekMarch 22, 2024Canadian actors turned politician, Lenore Zann, X-Men animated series, Continuation sequel series, X-Men '97, Days of Future Past storyline, Disney+Comment

3 Body Problem: Game of Thrones Series Creators Turn to Dark, Conspiratorial ET Sci-Fi

3 Body Problem: Game of Thrones Series Creators Turn to Dark, Conspiratorial ET Sci-Fi

By Karen Gordon

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 21, 20243 Body Problem, Netflix, Alien invasion story, Chinese science fiction, Liu Cixin, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, Game of Thrones, Benedict Wong, Video games as plot device, Rosalind Chao, Jess Hong, Jonathan PryceComment

Problemista: Under the Laughs, Casting a Cold Eye on the America Dream

Problemista: Under the Laughs, Casting a Cold Eye on the America Dream

By Liz Braun

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 21, 2024Problemista, Julio Torres, Tilda Swinton, Laith Nakli, RZA, Comedy, Absurdist social comment, Immigration, American Dream, Art world, SatireComment

Immaculate: Yawn…. Another Nun-Beset-by-Evil Story with Excess Gore, Absent Pizzazz

By Chris Knight

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 21, 2024Immaculate, Michael Mohan, Sydney Sweeney, Alvero Morte, Nuns, Haunted nuns, Nuns beset by evil, Horror, Supernatural thrillerComment

Shayda: An Homage to The Resilience of Women

Shayda: An Homage to The Resilience of Women

By Liz Braun

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 21, 2024Shayda, Sundance films, TIFF 23, Noora Niasari, Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Selina Zahednia, Leah Purcell, Osamah Sami, DramaComment

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire - Who Knew? Bustin' Can Still Make Ya Feel Good

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire - Who Knew? Bustin' Can Still Make Ya Feel Good

By John Kirk

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 21, 2024Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Ghostbusters sequels, Generational franchises, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Jason Reitman, Ivan ReitmanComment

Palm Royale: Kristen Wiig Stars as A Social Climbing Con Artist

Palm Royale: Kristen Wiig Stars as A Social Climbing Con Artist

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 20, 2024Palm Royale, Abe Sylvia, Kristen Wiig, Carol Burnett, Allison Janney, Josh Lucas, Ricky Martin, Series, 1960s, FloridaComment

The Queen of My Dreams: Mother-Daughter Conflict Reigns Across Eras and Cultures

The Queen of My Dreams: Mother-Daughter Conflict Reigns Across Eras and Cultures

By Kim Hughes

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 20, 2024The Queen of My Dreams, Canadian film, TIFF 23, Fawzia Mirza, Debut feature, Amrit Kaur, Nimra Bucha, Hamza Haq, Ayana Manji, Meher Jaffri, Ali A. Kazmi, Gul-e-RanaComment

X-Men '97: A Quarter-Century-Plus Later, the Series That Inspired the Movies Powers Up Again

X-Men '97: A Quarter-Century-Plus Later, the Series That Inspired the Movies Powers Up Again

By John Kirk

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 20, 2024X-Men animated series, Continuation sequel series, X-Men '97, Days of Future Past storyline, Disney+, Cal Dodd, Lenore Zann, George Buza, Chris Claremont, Rebooted Saturday morning cartoonsComment

Original-Cin Q&A: Palm Royale's Josh Lucas on Superstar Coworkers and Oscar Dreams

Original-Cin Q&A: Palm Royale's Josh Lucas on Superstar Coworkers and Oscar Dreams

By Bonnie Laufer

InterviewJim SlotekMarch 19, 2024Palm Royale, Series, Kristen Wiig, Carol Burnett, Allison Janney, Laura Dern, Bruce Dern, Josh Lucas, Ricky Martin, 1960sComment

William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill - Getting Metaphysical on the Record

William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill - Getting Metaphysical on the Record

By John Kirk

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 19, 2024William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill, Aged actor ponders life, Public perception of celebrities, Timothy Leary, Laurence Olivier, Marlon Brando, Christopher Plummer, Director Alexandre O. Philippe Comments

Photographer: Point, Shoot, Obsess

Photographer: Point, Shoot, Obsess

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 19, 2024Photographer, Series, National Geographic, Muhammed Muheisen, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Paul Nicklen, Cristina Mittermeier, Anand Varma, Dan Winters, Campbell Addy, Krystle Wright, documentaryComment

The Canadian Film Fest: Street Food, Westerns, Hearts, and Love in Reverse

The Canadian Film Fest: Street Food, Westerns, Hearts, and Love in Reverse

By Liam Lacey

PreviewJim SlotekMarch 18, 2024Canadian Film Fest, Ian Harnarine, Doubles, Place of Bones, Audrey Cummings, Heather Graham, Tom Hopper, With Love and a Major Organ, Kim Albright, The Burning Season, Jonas Chernick, Sean Garrity, Canadian cinemaComment

Re: Uniting - A Gen-X Big Chill? Sort of, But Maybe a More Inward Look at Midlife

Re: Uniting - A Gen-X Big Chill? Sort of, But Maybe a More Inward Look at Midlife

By Chris Knight

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 15, 2024Generational reunion films, Re:Uniting, The Big Chill, Old friends reconnect on a weekend, Michelle Harrison, Jesse L. Martin, Bronwen Smith, Carmen Moore, Roger Cross, Movies driven by generational soundtracks, Writer/director Laura AdkinComment

They Shot the Piano Player: Animated Docudrama of Late Samba Star Paints Grim Argentine History

They Shot the Piano Player: Animated Docudrama of Late Samba Star Paints Grim Argentine History

By Karen Gordon

ReviewJim SlotekMarch 14, 2024Resurrection of "lost" musical careers, Argentine political coups, They Shot the Piano Player, Tenório Cerqueira Junior, Spanish filmmaker Fernando Trueba, Javier Mariscal, Animation in docudrama genre, Jeff Goldblum, Musician and poet Vinicius de MoraesComment