PETERSON REVIEWS
-
Fake Smiles: Two by Frank Perry
On ‘Diary of a Mad Housewife’ and ‘Play It As It Lays.’
-
‘Holiday Heart’ is a Feel-Bad Movie That Wants You to Feel Good
‘Holiday Heart’ positions its title character as an elementally angelic figure forgiving to the point of unbelievability.
-
‘Insiang’ is Not for the Faint of Heart
‘Insiang’ is a difficult watch, but a worthwhile one.
-
‘What Happened Was…’ Puts the Cringe in Cringe Comedy
This movie that hurts in a good way is worth seeking out.
-
‘Fresh’ is a Fun Canniball Thriller
If Fresh’s plot twist is a shot, then its opening credits are its chaser.
-
Peter Falk is the Best Thing About the Otherwise Terrible ‘Undisputed’
The only engaging thing about Walter Hill’s ‘Undisputed,’ an old-fashioned boxing movie, is the climactic fight the rest of the film kills time building up to.
-
‘The Batman’ is a Brooding, Stylish Detective Movie
‘The Batman’ is the first good superhero movie in what feels like forever.
-
‘Wake in Fright’ is a Terrifying Descent-Into-Madness-Style Horror Movie
This is a horror film mining its terrors purely from the plausible.
-
Lauren Bacall Deserves a Better Vehicle Than ‘The Fan’
The most lurid elements of the movie — which take up most of ‘The Fan’ — almost feel tacked-on.
-
‘I’ll Take You There’ is a Rom-Com That Avoids Convention
‘I’ll Take You There’ never feels less than empathetic.
-
‘France’ and ‘No Exit’ Keep You On Your Toes
Much of the fun of these new streaming releases is the unexpected turns they take.
-
‘Made in Hong Kong’: A Breakthrough for Fruit Chan
Made in Hong Kong’s absence of convincing emotional specificity makes it more admirable than truly affecting.
MARCH 2026
The Theme is ‘Acting’
ASDFJHGSD
‘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.
February 4, 2025
November 6, 2025
October 27, 2025
Disobedience
John Sayles’ groundbreaking ‘Lianna’ was a landmark — albeit a criminally underseen one — for lesbian representation in cinema.
February 25, 2026
Trouble in Paradise
On the screwball-comedy perfection of 1937’s ‘The Awful Truth.’
February 23, 2026
The Heart of the Matter
Asghar Farhadi’s ‘A Separation’ more than sidesteps divorce-movie expectations.
February 16, 2026
Peterson Reviews 