Articles — Original Cin

Since 2017: Career film critics continuing the conversation

Occupied City: Steve McQueen’s Original Take of Amsterdam Under the Nazis

Occupied City: Steve McQueen’s Original Take of Amsterdam Under the Nazis

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekApril 25, 2024Occupied City, Steve McQueen, Bianca Stigter, Melanie Hyams, documentary, WWII, Nazis, Amsterdam, The NetherlandsComment

Original-Cin Q&A: Humane Director Caitlin on Not Being Just Another Cronenberg

Original-Cin Q&A: Humane Director Caitlin on Not Being Just Another Cronenberg

By Karen Gordon

InterviewJim SlotekApril 25, 2024Caitlin Cronenberg, Humane, Ecological disaster, Deadly dysfunctional family, Writer Michael Sparaga, Peter Gallagher, Uni Park, Jay Baruchel, Emily Hampshire, Cronenberg clan horror traditionComment

I Don’t Know Who You Are: An Anxious, Empathetic Medical Odyssey

I Don’t Know Who You Are: An Anxious, Empathetic Medical Odyssey

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekApril 25, 2024Sexual assault aftermath, I Don’t Know Who You Are, Writer/filmmaker M.H.Murray, The Bicycle Thieves, Vittorio De Sica, Movies set in Toronto, Mark Clennon, Nat Patricia Manuel, Unreliable friends, Cinematographer Dmitry LopatinComment

Hot Docs Made In Spain Program: Powerful, Topical Films from a Vibrant Nation

Hot Docs Made In Spain Program: Powerful, Topical Films from a Vibrant Nation

By Liam Lacey

PreviewJim SlotekApril 25, 2024Hot Docs '24, Docuementary, Festival, documentaries, The Click Trap, Made in Spain, Wild Gleaming Space, Flying Hands, My Sextortion Diary, Eyes of the Soul-Cristian García Rodero, Salt Covers All, Aitana, Back to Riaño, Aqueronte, Spanish languageComment

Dead Boy Detectives: Spinoff (sort of) of Gaiman's Sandman Intros a New Supernatural Scooby Gang

Dead Boy Detectives: Spinoff (sort of) of Gaiman's Sandman Intros a New Supernatural Scooby Gang

By John Kirk

ReviewJim SlotekApril 25, 2024Neil Gaiman, Comics turned into TV series, Dead Boy Detectives, DC Comics of Magic, The Sandman universe, Kirby Jean Baptiste, Teen ghost detectives, George Rexstrew, Jayden Revri, NetflixComment

Hot Docs ’24: What to See at the Planet’s Biggest Documentary Film Festival, Pt. 2

Hot Docs ’24: What to See at the Planet’s Biggest Documentary Film Festival, Pt. 2

By Original-Cin Staff

Hot Docs ’24: What to See at the Planet’s Biggest Documentary Film Festival, Pt. 1

Hot Docs ’24: What to See at the Planet’s Biggest Documentary Film Festival, Pt. 1

By Original-Cin Staff

The Inventor: Stephen Fry Voices da Vinci in a Kid-Film About the Power of Questions

The Inventor: Stephen Fry Voices da Vinci in a Kid-Film About the Power of Questions

By John Kirk

ReviewJim SlotekApril 22, 2024Children's films about historical figures, Leonardo da Vinci, The Inventor, Stephen Fry, Cardinal De Medici, Pope Leo X, Matt Berry, Writer/co-director Jim Capobianco, Ratatouille, Rankin/Bass Christmas specialsComment

Wings Over Water: Gorgeous Nature Doc is Perfect Family Fare for Earth Day

Wings Over Water: Gorgeous Nature Doc is Perfect Family Fare for Earth Day

By Liz Braun

ReviewJim SlotekApril 22, 2024Documentary, Earth Day, Environmental messages, Environmental documentaries, Animals, Birds, Waterfowl, Conservation, NatureComment

Sasquatch Sunset: Absurdist, Sad, Gross - That's the Way They Became the Bigfoot Bunch

Sasquatch Sunset: Absurdist, Sad, Gross - That's the Way They Became the Bigfoot Bunch

By Karen Gordon

ReviewJim SlotekApril 22, 2024Sasquatch Sunset, Bigfoot family life, David Zellner, Nathan Zellner, Jesse Eisenberg, Riley Keough, Christophe Zajac-Denek, Sundance FIlm Festival, Crude humourComment

Original-Cin Q&A: Sophie Nélisse on Playing a Holocaust Heroine in Irena's Vow

Original-Cin Q&A: Sophie Nélisse on Playing a Holocaust Heroine in Irena's Vow

By Bonnie Laufer

InterviewJim SlotekApril 19, 2024Holocaust heroine Irena Gut Opdyke, Irena’s Vow, Plays turned into movies, Sophie Nélisse, Playwright Dan Gordon, Director Louise Archambault, The Book Thief, The Boy in the Striped PajamasComment

Abigail: Dracula’s Daughter Makeover is Bloody Good Fun

Abigail: Dracula’s Daughter Makeover is Bloody Good Fun

By Thom Ernst

ReviewJim SlotekApril 18, 2024Child vampire movies, Abigail, Universal Classic Monsters, Dracula's Daughter remake, Alisha Weir, Radio Silence horror collective, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, Melissa Barrera, Kathryn Newton, Dan Stevens, Kevin DurandComment

Irena’s Vow: A Glimpse of Heroic Holocaust History Even as History Repeats Itself

Irena’s Vow: A Glimpse of Heroic Holocaust History Even as History Repeats Itself

By Liz Braun

ReviewJim SlotekApril 18, 2024Irena’s Vow, TIFF 23, WWII, Nazis, Nazi era Poland, Louise Archambault, Dan Gordon, Sophie Nélisse, Dougray Scott, Maciej NawrockiComment

Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World: Seriously Funny, Timely Romanian Journey into Night

Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World: Seriously Funny, Timely Romanian Journey into Night

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekApril 18, 2024Romanian films, Do No Expect Too Much From the End of the World, Radu Jude, Social comedy and comment, Uber driver, Movies interacting with other movies, Black and white filming, Ilinca Manolache, Uwe Boll, 1981 film Angela Moves On, Lucian Bratu, Nina Hoss, Films about exploitative film productionComment

The Beast: Brainy French Sci-Fi Romance Juggles Themes - Part Period Piece, Part Future Shock

The Beast: Brainy French Sci-Fi Romance Juggles Themes - Part Period Piece, Part Future Shock

By Karen Gordon

ReviewJim SlotekApril 18, 2024Era-spanning sci-fi, French films, The Beast (La Béte), Bertrand Bonello, Past lives, Artificial intelligence, Léa Seydoux, George MacKay, Xavier DolanComment

Before I Change My Mind: A Non-Binary 80s High School Musical

Before I Change My Mind: A Non-Binary 80s High School Musical

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekApril 18, 2024Canadian feature debut, Canadian drama, Before I Change My Mind, Trevor Anderson, Fish Griwkowsky, Vaughn Murrae, Dominic Lippa, Lacey Oake, Matthew Rankin, Kirstin Johnston, Shannon Blanchet, coming of age, 1980s, Non-binary, Teenagers, ComedyComment

Food, Inc. 2: You Are What You Eat (Gulp) in This Must-See Sequel

Food, Inc. 2: You Are What You Eat (Gulp) in This Must-See Sequel

By Liz Braun

ReviewJim SlotekApril 17, 2024Food, Inc. 2, Documentary, Food films, Robert Kenner, Melissa Robledo, Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser, Senator Jon Tester, Senator Cory Booker, Animals, Animal agriculture, Agricultute, FarmingComment

Our Living World: A Peek at a Magnificent Planet Humans Don’t Really Deserve

Our Living World: A Peek at a Magnificent Planet Humans Don’t Really Deserve

By Liz Braun

ReviewJim SlotekApril 16, 2024Our Living World, Docuementary, Cate Blachett, Netflix series, Climate change, Animals, Animal welfare, Environmental messages, Environmental issuesComment

National Canadian Film Day: The Movie Moose is Loose!

National Canadian Film Day: The Movie Moose is Loose!

By Jim Slotek and Liam Lacey

Interview, PreviewJim SlotekApril 16, 2024National Canadian Film Day, Reel Canada, Coast-to-coast Canadian movie screenings, Alanis Obomsawin, Sharon Corder, Jack Blum, Atom Egoyan, Ru., I Used To Be Funny, Caitlin Cronenberg’s Humane, Charles Officer, Norman Jewison, Don Shebib, RoadkillComment

Sting: Space Spiders Give Australian B-Movies an Upgrade

Sting: Space Spiders Give Australian B-Movies an Upgrade

By Thom Ernst

ReviewJim SlotekApril 15, 2024Sting, Horror, Spiders, Spiders from space, Australian, Kiah Roache-Turner, Ryan Corr, Alyla Browne, Noni Hazelhurst, Penelope Mitchell, Robyn Nevin, Jermaine Fowler, Danny Kim, Silvia Colloca, New York setting, Sci fiComment