What did they say about Peter Pan in 1924?
Preview the next Duck Soup Cinema screening with free access to vintage trade magazines at Lantern: The Media History Digital Library
Scroll down for Now Showing in Madison, February 9–16, 2026
Monday posts will now feature some short notes on various cinematic topics, followed by the Now Showing in Madison guide to commercial theaters and alternative venues.
The next Duck Soup Cinema silent film series screenings in the Capital Theater in the Overture Center are fast approaching, with Paramount Pictures’ 1924 version of Peter Pan on Saturday, February 21, at 2:00pm and 7:00pm.
For those of you who listened to my appearance on Jonathan Ytreberg’s The Oscar Project Podcast on January 9, you heard me mention that I looked for vintage movie magazine and trade coverage of The Big Pond just a few hours before the podcast recording. I regretted not thinking of it earlier, because the free online resource, Lantern: Media History Digital Library is a treasure trove of primary research materials initiated by Eric Hoyt and the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research.
After just a few minutes searching the Lantern database, I had access to more material than I could possibly discuss in this entry. One source in particular, the January 10, 2025 issue of Exhibitors Trade Review, conveniently surveyed critical responses to Peter Pan in “Nation’s Press Unanimous In Praise for Peter Pan”:
Mr. Edwin Schallert in Los Angeles Times: “A new highway to childhood land has been discovered. And this time it is motion pictures that have chartered the magic road. If you would venture into an enchanted domain you have only to behold Peter Pan. It points a path so remarkably new and promising that it is to be heralded as one of the screens most remarkable and brilliant achievements.”
Harriette Underbill in the New York Herald-Tribune.— “There is the inspiration of [J.M. Barrie] himself, there is the direction of Herbert Brenon amounting to positive genius. There is the fine acting, the perfect castmg, the splendid mechanism, the pictorial beauty. But there is a soul in Peter Pan which is a thing apart from all its tangible perfection.”
Quinn Martin in the New York Morning World.— “Peter Pan is one of the triumphs of the screen. And Famous Players-Lasky remind us once again that, although they also deal in quantity, quality is one of their specialties.” [Famous Players-Lasky eventually became Paramount Pictures.]
Keep in mind that a lot of trade coverage focused on positive reviews and publicizing the film industry rather that serving as a Rotten Tomatoes-style aggregate of critical responses. And you don’t have to look too deep in the archive to find dated (and cringy) commentary about gender roles when discussing the casting of Betty Bronson as Peter Pan (I won’t trouble you by including it here). But I encourage you to explore the Lantern archive materials on Peter Pan (or any film within its perview) with a simple search at the top of its home page.
Eric Hoyt and Kelley Conway recently earned the Best Edited Collection Award for their 2025 book, Global Movie Magazine Networks from the Society of Cinema and Media Studies. The book, published by University of California Press and accessible as an open access free download, includes an introduction by Hoyt and Conway in which they describe the process by which the periodicals were scanned and indexed for the Lantern collection. The database currently contains 3,004,013 pages of digitized books and magazines from the histories of film, broadcasting, and recorded sound.
Point Cinemas week-long engagement of A Road at Night, begins with benefit screening Thursday, February 12
A Road at Night, which won the Wisconsin’s Own Audience Favorite Award at the 2025 Wisconsin Film Festival, will have a return engagement in Madison at Marcus Point Theaters starting with a benefit screening on Thursday, February 12 at 5:30pm.
Madison-based filmmaker John Roach (ROACH Projects, and co-writer of The Straight Story) examines the tragedy that struck former Wisconsin Badgers player and coach Howard Moore. In 2019, drunk driver collided with Moore’s car, killing his wife and daughter, and leaving Moore severely disabled. The documentary features interviews with Moore’s family and with members of the University of Wisconsin athletics community.
As Roach explains on the Road at Night website, “The film looks at how our lives can change in an instant and the powerful bonds of family, faith, teammates and community. We see how the worst of times often can bring out the best in people. You’ll laugh, cry, think…and want to hug your family.”
In addition to Thursday’s benefit screening, there will be three Q & A screenings with different participants in the documentary during the film’s opening weekend.
Friday, February 13, 7:30pm: John Roach, Joe Feng (ROACH Projects), Jerell Moore (Howard Moore’s son), Doug Moe.
Saturday, February 14, 5:40pm: Matt Lepay (Badgers broadcaster), Stan Van Gundy (Moore’s Wisconsin coach), Andy Kilbride and Rashard Griffith (Moore’s Wisconsin teammates).
Sunday, February 15, 2:30pm: John Roach, Howard Moore, Sr., Pastor Matt Metzger (Blackhawk Church), Brad Davidson (Badgers player and current coach)
Screenings will continue at Marcus Point through Thursday, February 19.
Now Playing In Madison: February 9–16, 2026
Please confirm showtimes with the venues (follow venue links where provided). The commercial theaters update their weekend listings on Wednesdays. Another Now Playing source that posts on Wednesdays is The Horizon Line Madison.
Comments here are not reviews of the films, they are usually a response to the trailer, a summary of the buzz I have heard, or just snark. They are not always particularly accurate, according to reader feedback. I add trailers to new films of interest that you might not know about (American indies, international features, etc.).
UW Cinematheque
A USEFUL GHOST, 4070 Vilas Hall, Thursday, February 12, 7 p.m.
Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, Thailand, France, Singapore, Germany, 2025, 130 min. Winner of the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival’s Critics’ Week. The purchase of a vacuum cleaner leads to an elaborate ghost story with ties to a haunted factory.
CONFESSIONS OF A CONGRESSMAN, 4070 Vilas Hall, Friday, February 13, 7 p.m.
Eloy de la Iglesia, Spain, 1978, 107 min.
MARK OF THE RENEGADE, 4070 Vilas Hall, Saturday, February 14, 7 p.m.
Hugo Fregonese, USA, 1951, 81 min.
Wisconsin Union Directorate Film
WILD & SCENIC FILM FESTIVAL (2025), Union South Marquee Theater, Monday, 2/9, 6:30 p.m.
MR. NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN (2025), Union South Marquee Theater, Thursday, 2/12, 6:30p.m.
IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (2000), Union South Marquee Theater, Friday, 2/13, 6:30 p.m.
PRIDE & PREJUDICE (2005) [OPEN CAPTION SCREENING], Union South Marquee Theater, Friday, 2/13, 9 p.m.
THE WEDDING BANQUET (2025) [OPEN CAPTION SCREENING], Union South Marquee Theater, Saturday, 2/14, 6:30 p.m.
ROMEO + JULIET (1996) [OPEN CAPTION SCREENING], Union South Marquee Theater, Saturday, 2/14, 9 p.m.
Commercial Theaters
AMC Theatres
Flix Brewhouse
Marcus Theatres (Palace and Point)
Note: At the time this list was assembled (Sunday, February 8), the posted schedule for films at Flix Brewhouse was missing or incomplete Monday, February 9.
ALI at AMC.
APOCALYPSE OF ST. JOHN, THE at AMC.
Faith-based documentary feature presented by Fathom Entertainment.
ARCO at AMC.
French feature-length animated feature, co-produced by Natalie Portman, nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar this year
AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH at AMC, Palace, or Point.
BEST MAN, THE (1999) at AMC.
Valentine’s Day related repertory programming (I guess?)
BLUE ANGELS, THE at AMC.
IMAX documentary
BUFFALO KIDS at AMC.
This week’s sketchy mid-tier animated feature for children.
COLD STORAGE at AMC or Point.
A dangerous, contagious fungus escapes a sealed facility. Joe Keery (Stranger Things; and I liked him in Pavements) and Liam Neeson (who has a particular set of skills) must save the day.
CRIME 101: LIVESTREAM Q&A at Palace or Point.
This Chris Hemsworth actioner actually opens on February 13, but this advance screening with a livestream Q & A is Monday, February 9 at 7:00pm.
DRACULA at AMC, Palace, or Point.
Luc Besson’s take on the old legend is generally getting negative reviews. See what Rob Thomas had to say here.
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND at Flix.
F1 THE MOVIE at AMC.
FRUITS BASKET: PRELUDE at Point.
One-night only anime feature presented by Crunchyroll on Monday, February 16, 7pm.
GALE: YELLOW BRICK ROAD at Palace.
One-night only Fathom Entertainment presentation. Horror film riffing on the public domain elements of The Wizard of Oz.
GOAT at AMC, Flix, Palace, or Point.
GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE at AMC, Palace or Point.
New feature film from Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean; his first feature since A Cure for Wellness, 2017). Early access screenings Thursday, February 12.
HAMNET at AMC, Flix, Palace, or Point.
HOUSEMAID, THE at AMC, Flix, Palace, or Point.
I CAN ONLY IMAGINE 2 EARLY ACCESS at AMC.
Faith-based backstage drama about the challenges of being a pop-country superstar.
IRON LUNG at AMC, Flix, Palace, or Point.
German thriller directed by Jan-Ole Gerster in which a tennis coach at a tropical resort gets caught up in a missing persons mystery. Premiered at the 2025 Berlin Film Festival.
LOVE & BASKETBALL at AMC.
I actually saw this during my one trip to the Sundance Film Festival in 2000. Not bad.
MARCUS MYSTERY MOVIE (2/16) at Palace or Point.
MARTY SUPREME at AMC, Flix, Palace, or Point.
MELANIA at AMC, Flix, or Palace.
The film that launched a thousand think pieces. I actually do want to see this at some point, for the same reason I have watched Citizens United and Loose Change: it is important to understand what some people believe.
MERCY at AMC, Flix, Palace, or Point.
I feel bad for Rebecca Ferguson every time I see an ad or trailer for Mercy. I hope she got a big check for this one, at least.
MOMENT, THE at AMC or Point.
Mockumentary-style film about pop star Charli XCX (starring as a fictional version of herself) who begins to object to the more cringy aspects of her publicity commitments for an ongoing arena tour. An A24 release, if that helps.
MORTUARY ASSISTANT, THE at AMC.
Horror film. Newbie at the River Fields Mortuary must face sinister forces.
MY LORD at AMC
Indian Tamil-language drama.
NIRVANNA THE BAND THE SHOW THE MOVIE at AMC.
A theatrical engagement after the sneak peek at the UW-Cinematheque last month. I’ve only heard good things about this.
NO OTHER CHOICE at AMC.
I’m running out of opportunities to finally see this, hopefully I will this week. Meanwhile, read Rob Thomas’s review.
O’ROMEO at AMC
Indian Hindi-language action thriller.
OBSERVANCE, THE at AMC
Horror film.
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER at AMC.
PRETTY IN PINK 40th ANNIVERSARY at AMC, Flix, Palace, or Point.
ROAD AT NIGHT, A at Point.
Documentary by John Roach, about the tragedy that struck the family of University of Wisconsin men’s basketball assistant coach Howard Moore when a drunk driver collided with their car. Q & A session with Roach and other participants at Marcus Point, Friday, February 13, 7:30pm. (See notes and trailer above.)
ROSE: COME BACK TO ME, THE at AMC or Point.
Documentary about South Korean indie band.
ROTTEN MOVIES, FRESH BEER: BAD BOYS at Flix.
SCARLET at AMC.
Anime feature from Academy Award-nominated director Mamoru Hosoda (Mirai, 2018). Mixture of medieval-era and modern-day adventure about a sword-fighting princess avenging the death of her father. Interesting mix of cel-shaded charater animation and more textured backgrounds and details.
SCREEN UNSEEN: FEBRUARY 16, AMC at AMC.
SCREEN UNSEEN: FEBRUARY 9, AMC at AMC.
SECRET FLIX at Flix.
SEND HELP at AMC, Flix, Palace, or Point.
The latest thriller from Sam Raimi appears to be a variation on Swept Away (1974 and 2002), downplaying the sexual tension angle in favor of class and office politics in contemporary corporate capitalism. Raimi’s input and star Rachel McAdams might make this worth a look.
SENTIMENTAL VALUE at AMC.
SHELTER at AMC, Flix, Palace, or Point.
The latest action vehicle for Jason Statham. Former assassin something something must protect girl something something.
SMURFS (2025) at Palace or Point.
SOLO MIO at AMC, Flix, Palace, or Point.
Kevin James vehicle about an American groom who is left at the altar on his wedding day in Italy. Distributed by faith-based Angel Studios.
SONG SUNG BLUE at Palace or Point.
You can see the original documentary titled Song Song Blue on YouTube. Meanwhile, people seem to really enjoy this fictionalization of the story of Lightning and Thunder starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson.
STILL HOPE at Point.
Fathom Entertainment presentation. Sixteen-year-old Hope is forced into sex trafficking for several years, but eventually escapes and returns to her family. This appears to be a faith-based production, described as “a testament of resilience and faith.”
STRANGERS: CHAPTER 3, THE at AMC, Flix, Palace, or Point.
Final chapter (?) in a standalone trilogy in the horror franchise (so actually the fifth film overall). I was today years old when I discovered that this has been what Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2; Deep Blue Sea) has been doing for the last few years.
STRAY KIDS: THE dominATE EXPERIENCE at AMC, Palace, or Point.
K-Pop concert film.
WHISTLE at AMC or Point.
Horror film. Dumb high school kids mess with a cursed Aztec Death Whistle.
WINTER OLYMPICS ON NBC, MILAN CORTINA at AMC.
WITH LOVE at AMC.
Indian Tamil-language teen romantic comedy. Notable in a week with barely any Indian popular cinema in Madison’s theaters.
WUTHERING HEIGHTS at AMC, Flix, Palace, or Point.
Or, “Wuthering Heights,” as it is stylized on the posters. A loose adaptation of Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel, starring Margot Robbie (also a producer of the film) and Jacob Elordi (who shows his range by following up playing the monster in Frankenstein to playing Heathcliff here).
ZOOTOPIA 2 at AMC, Flix, Palace, or Point.
Have you used the Now Showing in Madison listings at least once to find something interesting to see? Have you discovered a film that you didn’t realize was playing in town? Please consider supporting these efforts directly by clicking the “Buy Me a Popcorn” button and making a modest donation on those occasions when you find this resource valuable to your moviegoing in Madison.
Looking Ahead:
Local filmmaker Michael Doyle Olson has started what he hopes to be a comprehensive, collaborative public calendar of alternative film screenings in Madison. It is still a work in progress, but check it out at www.mdo.me/film.
Cinesthesia Series at Madison Public Library Central Branch
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH (2021), Tuesday, 02/17, 6:30pm
Duck Soup Cinema
PETER PAN (1928), Saturday, February 21, 2pm & 7pm.
Side Room Cinematheque
Consult Instagram @sideroomcinematic for screening details, second Thursday of the month, and last Monday of the month.
Thanks for the links! You gotta catch NO OTHER CHOICE before it goes!