PETERSON REVIEWS
space
-
‘Dune: Part Two’ is a Thrilling, Towering Sequel
Denis Villeneuve’s much-anticipated follow-up to ‘Dune’ is an immersive, imaginative thrill.
-
‘Black Mama, White Mama’: An Exploitation-Movie Riff on ‘The Defiant Ones’
It’s worth watching just to see Pam Grier gearing up for the action-heroine roles for which she’d soon be famous.
-
Odds & Ends: February 2024
Notes from the last month.
-
‘Drive-Away Dolls’ is a Goofy Road Comedy
Plus: ‘Madame Web’ is not necessarily better than you’ve heard — but it might be more entertaining.
-
‘The Way He Looks’ is a Deeply Felt Teen Romance
Daniel Ribeiro’s rom-com is anchored by a moving lead performance from Ghilherme Lobo.
-
‘Something to Talk About’ Barely Gives You Anything
The movie flimsily approaches potentially rich material.
-
The Soul and Sensitivity of ‘The Blue Caftan’
Though driven by a narrative that sounds straight out of a melodrama, this romantic drama proves more emotionally subtle than sensational.
-
There’s Always Tomorrow
On ‘Sylvie’s Love’ and ‘One Night in Miami.’
-
‘Stepmom’ is a Maudlin, Sometimes Effective, Tearjerker
Chris Columbus’ 1998 melodrama has five credited writers — and it shows.
-
‘Millennium Mambo’ is a Haunting, Lyrical Study of a Life in Stasis
‘Millennium Mambo’ doesn’t need us to know too much about its characters’ inner lives; it’s more about capturing feelings and moods — the listlessness of a woman floating through life because she isn’t sure what else to do.
-
The Coming-of-Age Horrors of ‘Lisa Frankenstein’ and ‘How to Have Sex’
New movies from Zelda Williams and Molly Manning Walker, reviewed.
-
‘Notting Hill’: A Star-Crossed Romance
Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant do wonders to soften — but not completely distract from — the contrivances of Roger Michell’s romantic comedy.
OCTOBER 2026
The Theme is ‘Thrills and Chills’
ASDFJHGSD
The Surprising Sensitivity of ‘The Leopard Man’
This proto-slasher from 1943 takes pains to show that its victims are more than their fates.
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
