Articles — Original Cin

Since 2017: Career film critics continuing the conversation

Dance First: Waiting for a Better Bio of Samuel Beckett

Dance First: Waiting for a Better Bio of Samuel Beckett

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekAugust 6, 2024Dance First, Samuel Beckett, Biopic, Irish, James Marsh, Neil Forsythe, Gabriel Byrne Comment

The Instigators: Damon and Affleck Are Imperfect… but Entertaining

The Instigators: Damon and Affleck Are Imperfect… but Entertaining

By Liz Braun

ReviewJim SlotekAugust 5, 2024The Instigators, Doug Liman, Casey Affleck, Chuck MacLean, Matt Damon, Hong Chau, AppleTV +Comment

The Death Tour: A Snowy Road Where Wrestlers Find Reasons to Live

The Death Tour: A Snowy Road Where Wrestlers Find Reasons to Live

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekAugust 3, 2024Pro wrestling minor leagues, The Death Tour, Documentaries about wrestling, Northern Indigenous communities, Stephan Peterson, Sonya Ballantyne, The Promoter: The Tony Condello Story, Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, Indigenous wrestlersComment

Trap: When There's No Film So Bad, You Wouldn't Make It For Your Daughter

Trap: When There's No Film So Bad, You Wouldn't Make It For Your Daughter

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekAugust 2, 2024M. Night Shyamalan, Nepo babies, Saleka Shyamalan, Movies about a serial killer, Josh Hartnett, Thriller set at a pop concert, Ariel Donoghue Comment

Dìdi: Filmmaker’s Delightful Coming-of-Age Story an Homage to Mothers, Family, and Art

Dìdi: Filmmaker’s Delightful Coming-of-Age Story an Homage to Mothers, Family, and Art

By Liz Braun

ReviewJim SlotekAugust 1, 2024Dìdi, Sean Wang, Izaac Wang, Joan Chen, Zhang Li Hua, Shirley Chen, coming of age, Asian AmericansComment

Starve Acre: Yet Another Rural British Village with an Evil Secret, What's New?

Starve Acre: Yet Another Rural British Village with an Evil Secret, What's New?

Chris Knight

ReviewJim SlotekAugust 1, 2024British movies with evil rural settings, Starve Acre, Daniel Kokotajlo, Novel by Andrew Michael Hurley, Matt Smith, Morfydd Clark, Church of England anti-demon Deliverance Ministry, Erin Richards, Sean Gilder, Animal cruelty sceneComment

Sing Sing: Caged Free Spirits Put on a Show in a Reality-Based Tale of Jailhouse Musical Theatre

Sing Sing: Caged Free Spirits Put on a Show in a Reality-Based Tale of Jailhouse Musical Theatre

By Chris Knight

ReviewJim SlotekAugust 1, 2024Movies set in prison, Sing Sing, Films about staging musicals, Rehabilitation Through the Arts, Colman Domingo, Director Greg Kwedar, Paul Raci, Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin, Convicts playing themselvesComment

Only the River Flows: Challenges of Pre-Digital Age 1990s Power Crafty Police Procedural

Only the River Flows: Challenges of Pre-Digital Age 1990s Power Crafty Police Procedural

By Chris Knight

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 31, 2024Only the River Flows, Chinese, Cannes, Shujun Wei, Chloe Maayan, Yilong Zhu, Police procedural Comment

Original-Cin Q&A: Kneecap Director Rich Peppiatt on Turning Gaelic Rappers into Stars of Their Story

Original-Cin Q&A: Kneecap Director Rich Peppiatt on Turning Gaelic Rappers into Stars of Their Story

By Bonnie Laufer

InterviewJim SlotekJuly 29, 2024Kneecap, Rich Peppiatt, DJ Próvai, Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, Josie Walker, Michael Fassbender, Simone Kirby, Music biopic, IrishComment

Kneecap: If 'A Hard Days Night' had Drugs, Nudity, Anarchy and Gaelic Profanity

Kneecap: If 'A Hard Days Night' had Drugs, Nudity, Anarchy and Gaelic Profanity

By Thom Ernst

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 29, 2024Kneecap, Rich Peppiatt, DJ Próvai, Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, Josie Walker, Michael Fassbender, Simone Kirby, Music biopic, IrishComment

Crossing: Odd Couple Road Movie Celebrates the Joys of Ambiguity

Crossing: Odd Couple Road Movie Celebrates the Joys of Ambiguity

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 26, 2024Crossing, Drama, Georgian, Istanbul, Levan Akin, Mzia Arabuli, Lucas Kankava, Deniz Dumanli, Levan Bochorishvili, Ziya Sudancikmaz, LGBTQ+, LGBT issues Comments

The Fabulous Four: Definitely Not Fabulous, But Uplifting and Fun

The Fabulous Four: Definitely Not Fabulous, But Uplifting and Fun

By Kim Hughes

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 26, 2024The Fabulous Four, Comedy, Jocelyn Moorhouse, Bette Midler, Susan Sarandon, Megan Mullally, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Bruce GreenwoodComment

Deadpool & Wolverine: Marvel Actioner Brings Wolvie Home

Deadpool & Wolverine: Marvel Actioner Brings Wolvie Home

By John Kirk

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 24, 2024Deadpool & Wolverine, Disney, Shawn Levy, Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Superheroes, Action, Adventure, Marvel Cinematic UniverseComment

Charlie Hustle & The Matter of Pete Rose: Portrait of a Shame Icon

Charlie Hustle & The Matter of Pete Rose: Portrait of a Shame Icon

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 24, 2024Charlie Hustle & The Matter of Pete Rose, Sports documentaries, Baseball, Pete Rose, ControversyComment

Time Bandits: Taika Waititi Picks Terry Gilliam’s Pocket But It’s Still His Film

Time Bandits: Taika Waititi Picks Terry Gilliam’s Pocket But It’s Still His Film

By John Kirk

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 24, 2024Time Bandits, Remake, Reboot, Lisa Kudrow, Kal-El Tuck, Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, Apple TV, Streaming series, Sci fiComment

Original-Cin Chat: Wil Wheaton on Star Trek: Prodigy and the Return of Wesley Crusher

Original-Cin Chat: Wil Wheaton on Star Trek: Prodigy and the Return of Wesley Crusher

By John Kirk

InterviewJim SlotekJuly 23, 2024Wil Wheaton, Wesley Crusher, Star Trek: Prodigy, Season Two, Sci fi, SeriesComment

Exhuma: South Korean Ghost Story Out-Conjures The Conjuring

Exhuma: South Korean Ghost Story Out-Conjures The Conjuring

By Thom Ernst

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 21, 2024South Korean horror films, Supernatural investigators, Exhuma, Writer/director Jang Jae-hyun, Kim Go-eun, Lee Do-hyun, The Conjuring, Choi Min-sikComment

National Anthem: A Drag Rodeo Romance that Tenderly Bucks Expectations

By Chris Knight

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 18, 2024Movies about gay rodeos, Trans love stories, National Anthem, Writer/director Luke Gilford, Charlie Plummer, Robyn Lively, Eve Lindley, Rene Rosado, International Gay Rodeo AssociationComment

Original-Cin Chat: A Vampire, Alien and a Fish-Man Enter a Toronto Bar - And They're All Doug Jones

Original-Cin Chat: A Vampire, Alien and a Fish-Man Enter a Toronto Bar - And They're All Doug Jones

By John Kirk

InterviewJim SlotekJuly 18, 2024Actors specializing in playing non-humans, Doug Jones, Star Trek: Discovery, What We Do in The Shadows, The Shape of Water, Pan’s Labyrinth, Kelpian-Vulcan wedding, Baron Afanas, Tara RoslingComment

Twisters: Storm und Drag

Twisters: Storm und Drag

By Kim Hughes

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 18, 2024Twisters, Sequel, Action-adventure, Lee Isaac Chung, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos, Disaster moviesComment