Articles — Original Cin

Since 2017: Career film critics continuing the conversation

King of the Hill: Season 14 - Time Sure Flies, I Tell You What

King of the Hill: Season 14 - Time Sure Flies, I Tell You What

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekAugust 4, 2025Classic series rebooted to the present, King of the Hill: Season 14., Mike Judge, Hank Hill, Arlen, Texas, Adult formerly-child characters, Pamela Adlon, Kathy Najimy, Pamela Adlong, Stephen Root, White actors voicing Asian characters, Johnny Hardwick, Toby Huss, Writing around the deaths of onscreen talentComment

Original-Cin Chat: Romy Weltman of SyFy's Revival on Literally Bringing Someone to Life

Original-Cin Chat: Romy Weltman of SyFy's Revival on Literally Bringing Someone to Life

By John Kirk

InterviewJim SlotekAugust 1, 2025Sci-fi horror series based on comic books, Revival, SyFy-produced, CTV’s Sci-Fi channel, Melanie Scrofano, Series about characters returning from the dead, Romy Weltman, San Diego Comic Con, David James ElliottComment

Eyes of Wakanda: A Too Brief Animated History of Wakanda Through the Ages

Eyes of Wakanda: A Too Brief Animated History of Wakanda Through the Ages

By John Kirk

ReviewJim SlotekAugust 1, 2025The Eyes of Wakanda, Animated history of a fictional nation, Black Panther, Hatut Zaraze, Vibranium, Ryan Coogler, Medieval China, Iron Fist, Director Todd Harris, Winnie Harlow, Cress Williams, Lynn WhitfieldComment

An Honest Life: Swedish Thriller Meets a Coming-of-Age Drama

An Honest Life: Swedish Thriller Meets a Coming-of-Age Drama

By Karen Gordon

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 31, 2025An Honest Life, Sweden, Mikael Marcimain, Simon Lööf, Nora Rios, Peter Anderssson, DramaComment

The Naked Gun: Funnier Than the Original? Surely We Can't Be Serious!

The Naked Gun: Funnier Than the Original? Surely We Can't Be Serious!

By Chris Knight

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 31, 2025Remakes of beloved genre spoofs, The Naked Gun, Serious actors turned comedic, Liam Neeson, Leslie Nielsen, Director-writer Akiva Schaffer, The Lonely Island, Paul Walter Hauser, Pamela AndersonComment

Together: Spouses Have to Stick Together in This Ace Body-Horror

Together: Spouses Have to Stick Together in This Ace Body-Horror

By Chris Knight

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 30, 2025Together, Horror, Body horror, Michael Shanks, Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Damon Herriman, August openingComment

Happy Gilmore 2: Dumb Fun Redux, Drives For Show, Putts for Doh!

Happy Gilmore 2: Dumb Fun Redux, Drives For Show, Putts for Doh!

By Karen Gordon

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 29, 2025Adam Sandler comedies, Happy Gilmore 2, Movies made under Sandler's Netflix deal, Bad Bunny, Shooter McGavin, Christopher McDonald, Cameo filled movies, Professional golfers making movie appearances, John Daly, Jack Nicklaus, Huge guest appearance listsComment

The Home: Bad Storytelling is the Only True Horror Here

The Home: Bad Storytelling is the Only True Horror Here

By Liz Braun

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 24, 2025Pete Davidson, Horror movie set in a nursing home, The Home, Director James (The Purge) DeMonaco, Writer Adam Cantor, Mary Beth Peil, John Glover, Bruce Altman, Overlook Hotel from The ShiningComment

Oh, Hi!: Clever Comedy About Everything That Can Go Wrong on Today's Dating Scene

Oh, Hi!: Clever Comedy About Everything That Can Go Wrong on Today's Dating Scene

By Liz Braun

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 24, 2025Modern romance, Crossed sexual signals, Romantic comedies, Oh, Hi!, Molly Gordon, Logan Lerman, David Cross, Geraldine Viswanathan, John Reynolds, Writer-director Sophie BrooksComment

The Fantastic Four: First Steps - Rebooting Four-Lorn Franchise Requires More Clobbering Time

The Fantastic Four: First Steps - Rebooting Four-Lorn Franchise Requires More Clobbering Time

By Jim Slotek

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 23, 2025The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Bringing Fox-Marvel into the Disney fold, Multiverse plots, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Silver Surfer, Julia Garner, Galactus the Devourer of Worlds, Ralph Ineson, Jack Kirby tribute, Avengers: DoomsdayComment

Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore Gives a Disability Trailblazer Her Due

Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore Gives a Disability Trailblazer Her Due

By Kim Hughes

Jim SlotekJuly 22, 2025Comment

Original-Cin Q&A: Actor Marlee Matlin and Her Documentarian Speak Up for the Deaf

Original-Cin Q&A: Actor Marlee Matlin and Her Documentarian Speak Up for the Deaf

By Bonnie Laufer

InterviewJim SlotekJuly 22, 2025Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore, Marlee Matlin, Documentary, Hot Docs, TIFF Lightbox, Shoshannah Stern, Deaf issues, Disability isses, Children of a Lesser GodComment

Washington Black: New Series Softens an Acclaimed Novel’s Edge for Popular Appeal

Washington Black: New Series Softens an Acclaimed Novel’s Edge for Popular Appeal

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 22, 2025Washington Black, Selwyn Seyfu Hinds, Esi Edugyan, Adaptation, Black experience, Ernest Kingsley Jr., Sterling K Brown, Disney+, Edward Bluemel, Rupert Graves, Iola Evans, Eddie Karanja, Tom Ellis, Halifax, Set in CanadaComment

Eddington: The Perils, Stalemates, and Traumas of the Pandemic, Unpacked

Eddington: The Perils, Stalemates, and Traumas of the Pandemic, Unpacked

By Karen Gordon

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 17, 2025Eddington, Cannes, COVID-19, Pandemic, Ari Aster, Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone, Austin Butler, Micheal Ward, Luke Grimes, Deirdre O’Connell, DramaComment

I Know What You Did Last Summer: And This Summer's Worse Than That

I Know What You Did Last Summer: And This Summer's Worse Than That

By Thom Ernst

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 17, 2025Horror reboots, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, Original novel by Lois Duncan, Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Gabbriette, Freddie Prinze Jr.., Jennifer Love HewittComment

Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An Intrigued Child's Eye View of a Colonial War

Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An Intrigued Child's Eye View of a Colonial War

By Chris Knight

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 17, 2025Zimbabwe War of Independence, Rhodesian colonial era, The lives of white farmers, Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight, A child's eye view of war, Lexi Venter, Director/actor Embeth Davidtz, Zikhona Bali, Author Alexandra FullerComment

Cloud: Japanese Thriller about the Perils of Capitalism Doesn’t Cash in on Its Premise

Cloud: Japanese Thriller about the Perils of Capitalism Doesn’t Cash in on Its Premise

By Liam Lacey

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 16, 2025Cloud, Oscar submission, Kioyshi Kurosawa, Masaki Suda, Kotone Furukawa, Japan, Japanese thriller, ThrillerComment

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds S.3 - Where Do We Boldly Go From Here?

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds S.3 - Where Do We Boldly Go From Here?

By John Kirk

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 14, 2025Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3, Connecting to The Original Series, Captain Pike, Lieut. Commander Kirk, Anson Mount, Paul Wesley, Series with predetermined endings, Babs Olusanmokun, Christina Chong, Director Jonathan FrakesComment

Hot Spring Shark Attack: Laughs Wear Fin Fast in Japanese Jaws Spoof

Hot Spring Shark Attack: Laughs Wear Fin Fast in Japanese Jaws Spoof

By Liz Braun

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 12, 2025Shark film spoof, Hot Spring Shark Attack, Japanese spoofs of Western pop culture, Written and directed by Morihito Inoue, Kiyobumi Kaneko, Sumiya Shiina, Tokyo International Shark Film Festival, JawsComment

Bang: So Bad It's (Almost) Brutally Watchable

Bang: So Bad It's (Almost) Brutally Watchable

By Thom Ernst

ReviewJim SlotekJuly 10, 2025Ultra violent B movies, Bang, Director Wych Kaosayananda, Movies about assassins with a conscience, Jack Kesy, Peter Weller, Straight-to-stream moviesComment