PETERSON REVIEWS
space
-
‘Popcorn’: An Underappreciated Horror Satire
In a 2017 interview with The A.V. Club, Dee Wallace described the making of ‘Popcorn’ as a ‘true adventure’ — chaotic because of ever-shifting producers, directors, and questionable shooting conditions. But you can’t feel any of the bedlam in the finished product.
-
On ‘Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice’
The documentary is a testament to the singer’s greatness — and the extent to which she’s underrated.
-
‘Hustlers’ Reminds You How Great an Actress Jennifer Lopez Can Be
Although ‘Hustlers’ doesn’t tell a universal story, it might still strike a universal chord.
-
Fiascos
On ‘Daisy Miller’ and ‘At Long Last Love.’
-
Baubles
On ‘Glitter’ and ‘Xanadu.’
-
‘The Cell’ Gives New Meaning to the Psychological Thriller
Its dedication to its imagery is primed to feel masturbatory. But Singh, like the best of cinematic stylists, is always in command of his craft, never too indulgent in what he’s offering.
-
The Amiable Simplicity of ‘Coffee & Cigarettes’
Jarmusch, despite likely not having exerted too much energy in mapping out the movie, instills in the film a strange unity.
-
Doris Day is Fantastic in ‘Calamity Jane’
Day sings with her entire body in the movie.
-
Vibrations
On ‘Monterey Pop’ and ‘Woodstock.’
-
‘Starstruck’ Deserves More
‘Starstruck’ is a movie that might make some of us wonder, with a dash of resentment, where this find of a movie has been all these years.
-
Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur Give You More Than Enough Reasons to Watch ‘Poetic Justice’
On John Singleton’s followup to ‘Boyz n the Hood.’
-
‘Spice World’ is a Lot of Fun
These five had a good time with what they once had. The film allows us to dwell in that pocket of time once more.
OCTOBER 2026
The Theme is ‘Thrills and Chills’
ASDFJHGSD
Sin and Vice
On ‘The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh,’ ‘Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key,’ and ‘All the Colors of the Dark,’ an informal trilogy from Sergio Martino starring Edwige Fenech.
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
