Robert Levin
Tomatometer-approved critic
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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Sharper (2023) |
A fun thriller with lots of twists. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Feb 18, 2023
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Your Place or Mine (2023) |
The movie seems almost purposefully inconsequential. - Newsday
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| Posted Feb 13, 2023
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You People (2023) |
Here's a recipe for success: great actors, including Eddie Murphy and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, plus an affecting story and lots of droll, awkward comedy. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Feb 02, 2023
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Dog Gone (2023) |
The movie offers what it promises. But it could have been more. - Newsday
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| Posted Jan 21, 2023
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The Pale Blue Eye (2022) |
A serious disappointment. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jan 10, 2023
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M3GAN (2022) |
A cautionary tale about a deranged, dancing doll. Sign us up. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jan 04, 2023
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White Noise (2022) |
Kudos to Baumbach for trying something new, but White Noise is an endurance test. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Dec 30, 2022
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Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical (2022) |
"Matilda the Musical" serves as a textbook example of how to adapt a stage production adapted from a book to the screen without sacrificing the spirit of its author. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Dec 29, 2022
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Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022) |
Del Toro's re-imagining of the Pinocchio story is not for the youngest kids, but anyone interested in what happens when a brilliant filmmaker takes on classic material will find a lot to admire. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Dec 19, 2022
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Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (2022) |
This is a tough sit, albeit one with a lot of beautiful imagery. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Dec 19, 2022
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Empire of Light (2022) |
There's a thin line between affection and myopia; "Empire of Light" skews too heavily toward the latter. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Dec 08, 2022
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Disenchanted (2022) |
The abundant charm that elevated "Enchanted" to the status of a minor Disney classic has been excised from this sequel - Newsday
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| Posted Dec 08, 2022
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"Sr." (2022) |
This is one of the best movies of the year, unmissable even if you've never seen a Downey Sr. movie. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Dec 05, 2022
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The People We Hate at the Wedding (2022) |
If your happiness or well-being absolutely depends on seeing every last romantic comedy, give it a shot. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Nov 22, 2022
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Spirited (2022) |
At a certain point, you just wish they'd get on with it already. But it delivers the Christmas movie goods. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Nov 17, 2022
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The Good Nurse (2022) |
Chastain... gives such a compelling and deeply human performance, so effortlessly charismatic, that you wish she had been the center of a completely different movie. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Nov 13, 2022
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Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022) |
It plays like a long-gestating work of fan fiction, as if Yankovic and Appel dusted off a script dreamed up by a bunch of die-hards in the '80s. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Nov 06, 2022
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Raymond & Ray (2022) |
Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke are outstanding in "Raymond & Ray," a movie that gives them the chance to focus on developing their characters rather than serving the whims of a plot. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Oct 21, 2022
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Blonde (2022) |
In its resolute focus on just one aspect of what being Marilyn Monroe must have been like, the movie simply caricatures her once again. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Oct 02, 2022
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Sidney (2022) |
With clarity and purpose, the documentary offers a full portrait of its subject and shows us how he became a touchstone for a generation of people who finally saw a reflection of themselves when they went to the movies. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Sep 25, 2022
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Goodnight Mommy (2022) |
This is not a bad movie but it's so relentlessly grim that it's hard to recommend. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Sep 19, 2022
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Samaritan (2022) |
Somehow all these strange pieces add up to a movie that's watchable, if totally inessential. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Aug 30, 2022
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Secret Headquarters (2022) |
There's probably enough going on in "Secret Headquarters" for some young audiences to have a good time, but parents, please: Have your kids' best interests at heart and steer them elsewhere. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Aug 17, 2022
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Not Okay (2022) |
This is a smart satire that gets at something fundamental about how the omnipotence of social media has impacted our values. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Aug 01, 2022
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The Gray Man (2022) |
All that effort and all that money should have paid for a better screenplay. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jul 26, 2022
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Persuasion (2022) |
If you're a Jane Austen completist, don't miss "Persuasion." Otherwise, there are many better options out there. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jul 18, 2022
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Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022) |
The world needs a comedy about bar mitzvahs. This is not it. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jun 20, 2022
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Hustle (2022) |
"Hustle" is worth seeing even if you don't like basketball. That says it all. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jun 11, 2022
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Interceptor (2022) |
Please, please do not waste your time. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jun 05, 2022
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Chip 'n' Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022) |
This movie is clever and fun, a perfect venue for parents who grew up on these characters to introduce them to their kids. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted May 24, 2022
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White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch (2022) |
Only people with a serious interest in the recent history of Abercrombie & Fitch, or mall retail in general, should bother with this movie. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Apr 29, 2022
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The Bubble (2022) |
There's an undercurrent of desperation in the frenzied dialogue readings and hamming for the camera, as if the skilled people assembled here somehow implicitly felt the need to compensate for the writing by forcing things. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Apr 24, 2022
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The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022) |
A fitting tribute to a Hollywood icon. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Apr 21, 2022
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All the Old Knives (2022) |
Shimmering visuals cannot change the reality that there's not much happening here other than people sitting in rooms and talking. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Apr 17, 2022
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Metal Lords (2022) |
Play your favorite Rage Against the Machine album instead. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Apr 11, 2022
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Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood (2022) |
In its unhurried fashion, amid its nostalgic staples, Linklater's movie finds its way toward something that for Stan is even more consequential than a journey to another world: the beginning of the rest of his life. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Apr 03, 2022
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Turning Red (2022) |
This is a movie for anyone who has experienced the turmoil Mei experiences, which is to say just about everyone. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Apr 03, 2022
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Master (2022) |
"Master" is a genre picture that works as well as it does because it's rooted in everyday horrors. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Mar 28, 2022
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Deep Water (2022) |
Even if you're intrigued by the thought of a new erotic thriller in 2022, stay far away from "Deep Water." - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Mar 21, 2022
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Lucy and Desi (2022) |
This is a first-rate documentary that tells the story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in a way that allows for new insights into who they were and why they had the impact they did. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Mar 08, 2022
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I Want You Back (2022) |
It's easy to overlook just how predictable and obvious all of it is, because the stars are so perfectly cast. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Feb 13, 2022
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The Fallout (2021) |
The filmmaker takes on a wrenching subject and shapes it into a movie that never looks away, even as it remains painstakingly focused on communicating the impact of those horrors in moments that might otherwise seem ordinary. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Feb 13, 2022
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A Hero (2021) |
A Hero is not the most essential Asghar Farhadi movie, but its best qualities exemplify what makes him such an important filmmaker. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jan 29, 2022
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Hotel Transylvania: Transformania (2022) |
The conceit still works well enough to mostly distract from the tired adventure movie plot. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jan 29, 2022
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The Hand of God (2021) |
This is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that doubles as a movie about the movies themselves. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jan 06, 2022
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Bruised (2020) |
Halle Berry shows real filmmaking talent, but there's too much going on throughout the movie, when the story demands a more consistently minimalist treatment. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Dec 31, 2021
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Swan Song (2021) |
Mahershala Ali crafts two clearly defined characters, allowing for the movie to ask its familiar questions about how we define our humanity in a new way. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Dec 31, 2021
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Don't Look Up (2021) |
There's nothing more excruciating than watching very famous people work entirely too hard to be funny. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Dec 23, 2021
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The Unforgivable (2021) |
There's a good reason this story was once told as a miniseries: that's a lot of plot for a movie that clocks in at just under two hours. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Dec 14, 2021
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No Sudden Move (2021) |
This is a crime thriller with great acting that once again illustrates Steven Soderbergh's mastery of the genre. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Dec 07, 2021
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