PETERSON REVIEWS
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‘Waterworld’ Sinks Fast
This sopping-wet riff on the ‘Mad Max’ series has a couple of terrific action sequences and not a lot else.
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The Life-Affirming Melancholy of ‘Certain Women’
Kelly Reichardt’s sparse, elliptical drama finds power in what it doesn’t say.
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‘Young Soul Rebels’ Still Thrums with Urgency
Notes on Isaac Julien’s multifaceted thriller.
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‘Edge of Seventeen’: A Wonderful Coming-of-Age Movie with Few False Notes
Even when the narrative of the film itself isn’t always, it’s a joy to watch a gay coming-of-age movie that neither sugarcoats things nor emphasizes hardship.
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The Studied Allure of ‘The Bikeriders’
Plus: ‘Ghostlight’ is one of the best movies of the year so far.
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‘Bound’ is a Sexy, Dynamic Thriller
Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon have crackling chemistry in Lana and Lilly Wachowski’s fantastic first feature.
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‘Big Eden’ Leans Into the Fantasy
Though it doesn’t always work, this 2000 romantic comedy’s insistent sweetness is refreshing.
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Specters
On Kristen Stewart’s collaborations with Olivier Assayas.
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‘Polyester’ is a Delightful Douglas Sirk Parody
John Waters’ 1981 comedy is a lovably irreverent take on Sirk’s 1950s melodramas. It also marks a major transitional moment in his career.
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‘The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love’ is a Sharp, Sweet Romantic Comedy
Writer-director Maria Maggenti’s feature-length debut captures the us-against-the-world intensity of first love with a light, charming touch.
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‘Hit Man’ Could Make Glen Powell Happen
Plus: The bland Max dramedy ‘Am I OK?’ is lucky to have Dakota Johnson and Sonoya Mizuno.
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‘Speak’ Features a Great Early Performance from Kristen Stewart
The TV movie, made when Stewart was just 13, shows how distinctive a performer the actress was from an early age.
SEPTEMBER 2026
The Theme is ‘Based on an Article’
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The Harrowing, Empathetic ‘Streetwise’
Martin Bell’s landmark movie about teenage runaways and outcasts getting by in downtown Seattle is a haunting group portrait.
August 19, 2026
May 25, 2026
May 13, 2026
Strong, Stoic Types
Director-star Paul Newman’s 1971 treatment of Ken Kesey’s ‘Sometimes a Great Notion’ perceptively observes the corrosiveness of toxic masculinity.
August 7, 2026
Working Girls
‘Broken Mirrors,’ Marleen Gorris’ 1984 follow-up to her still-transcendent feminist drama ‘A Question of Silence,’ expands on its predecessor’s themes while dramatically improving on its writer-director’s aesthetic command.
July 9, 2026
Found Connections
Donna Deitch’s ‘Desert Hearts’ was a breakthrough for lesbian representation in cinema. It also achieves another rarified thing: Characters who feel like they exist outside a screenplay’s bounds.
June 30, 2026
