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Robert Levin
Tomatometer-approved critic
Publications:
Critics' Group:
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (2024) |
A powerful, life-affirming work. Don't miss it. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Nov 11, 2024
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Martha (2024) |
Martha Stewart is a very difficult subject and the filmmaker never really gets a handle on her. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Nov 05, 2024
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Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band (2024) |
It's a must-see for fans. But you knew that. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Oct 28, 2024
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Woman of the Hour (2023) |
This is an accomplished directorial debut, a movie made with smarts and vision. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Oct 22, 2024
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Lonely Planet (2024) |
It's more subtle and thoughtful than one might expect, and the actors bring it home. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Oct 15, 2024
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Hold Your Breath (2024) |
It's a fine example of slow-burn and character-driven horror storytelling.
- Newsday
Read More
| Posted Oct 09, 2024
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Wolfs (2024) |
It's a movie all about its star duo and they don't disappoint. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Oct 01, 2024
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Uglies (2024) |
Should have stayed on the page. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Sep 19, 2024
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The Deliverance (2024) |
It's yet another haunted house movie that barely distinguishes itself from the pack.
- Newsday
Read More
| Posted Sep 04, 2024
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The Union (2024) |
The Union" defies logic to such an extent that no amount of suspension of disbelief could ever justify it. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Aug 23, 2024
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The Instigators (2024) |
No matter how much heft the Actors Equity team brings to the project on both sides of the camera, there's simply no evading the fact that the movie plays as so inconsequential, so free of meaning and purpose, that it offers nothing to grab onto. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Aug 13, 2024
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A Family Affair (2024) |
The actors give it their all, but it's a movie you've seen a million times before. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jul 09, 2024
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Fancy Dance (2023) |
This one finds its heart in the gray areas. Tremblay and her actors show us characters compelled to do reckless and inexplicable things for painstakingly human reasons. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jul 09, 2024
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Trigger Warning (2024) |
Think of just about any way to spend a couple hours and it's better than this. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jun 27, 2024
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Brats (2024) |
It's a fascinating, personalized exploration of an iconic cultural moment and its continued fallout. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jun 17, 2024
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Hit Man (2023) |
“Hit Man” reveals itself in classic Linklater fashion. Below the shiny and accessible surface lies something more expansive, waiting for anyone that might be open to it. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jun 13, 2024
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Jim Henson Idea Man (2024) |
You leave the movie with a better understanding of this monumental figure, while also feeling like he's still something of an enigma. And that's as it should be. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted May 31, 2024
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Mother of the Bride (2024) |
It's an hour-and-a-half that feels like a decade, so you're left desperately searching for something to end the misery.
- Newsday
Read More
| Posted May 21, 2024
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The Idea of You (2024) |
This is a substantial movie with the veneer of a frothy romantic comedy.
- Newsday
Read More
| Posted May 21, 2024
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The Greatest Hits (2024) |
A run-of-the-mill romance. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted May 03, 2024
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Scoop (2024) |
The depiction of the hard, gritty work of journalism is believable, but it doesn't make for especially engaging drama. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted May 03, 2024
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Spaceman (2024) |
No matter how much Sandler makes the audience feel for Jakub, it can be hard to sustain an entire picture with nothing more than overarching sadness. And “Spaceman” never finds another register. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Apr 08, 2024
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Ricky Stanicky (2024) |
It's a good thing that this movie has been promoted as a comedy, because you wouldn't know it from watching. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Apr 08, 2024
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The Beautiful Game (2024) |
There's hardly anything in “The Beautiful Game” that audiences have not seen a thousand times before. And that's unfortunate, because the Homeless World Cup has dramatic potential that transcends the underdog story archetype. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Apr 08, 2024
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Girls State (2024) |
When thinking about the whole American experiment, nearly 250 years in, it can seem hard to find reasons for optimism. But “Girls State” offers a welcome and necessary helping of it. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Apr 08, 2024
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Candy Cane Lane (2023) |
It does stand out in one area, offering more product placement than any movie in recent memory. It's all very sad. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Feb 18, 2024
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Suncoast (2024) |
It's a compelling drama that relies on strong performances and an understated approach. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Feb 18, 2024
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Foe (2023) |
It's suffocating to the point where you're as desperate for an escape from this scorched Earth misery as these characters. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Feb 16, 2024
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Orion and the Dark (2024) |
This is a smart movie that addresses real and universal childhood fears in an original way. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Feb 06, 2024
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Fingernails (2023) |
This is an affecting romance and a work of compelling social commentary. That's a noteworthy achievement. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jan 31, 2024
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Rustin (2023) |
It's an important work of historical storytelling that functions just as well as a compelling character study. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jan 31, 2024
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The Mill (2023) |
It's first-rate genre filmmaking, suspenseful and thoughtful at the same time. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jan 31, 2024
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American Symphony (2023) |
It's not just for Batiste fans. There have been few better movies about the creative process. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jan 31, 2024
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Saltburn (2023) |
A weird, intense movie that has the courage of its convictions. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jan 31, 2024
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Leo (2023) |
"Leo" has a positive message and some first-rate Sandler voice work. For many viewers, that's probably enough. But honesty compels us to note that there's a much better movie in there somewhere. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jan 31, 2024
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May December (2023) |
This is a thoughtful and compassionate movie, beautifully portrayed, when it could have been something very different. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jan 31, 2024
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Eileen (2023) |
Finding the right ending remains one of the most difficult and persistent challenges in telling a story, so filmmakers deserve some latitude in carving one out, but they rarely miss this badly. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jan 31, 2024
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Rebel Moon: Part One - A Child of Fire (2023) |
An unfortunate “Star Wars” imitation. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jan 31, 2024
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The Archies (2023) |
The movie looks great, it's conceptually interesting, and it has several memorable moments. But it's also interminable. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jan 31, 2024
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Good Grief (2023) |
Levy the actor does not give Levy the director/screenwriter what he needed. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jan 31, 2024
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Lift (2024) |
It's another disappointing action movie from Netflix, which has a very spotty record in this space. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jan 31, 2024
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The Kitchen (2023) |
This is a compelling sci-fi movie, one that does not pander to the usual expectations. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jan 31, 2024
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The Underdoggs (2024) |
If you love Snoop's acting, you'll enjoy “The Underdoggs.” Otherwise, don't bother. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jan 31, 2024
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Fair Play (2023) |
It's one of the more incisive and powerfully made movies about relationship dynamics in a good long while. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Oct 13, 2023
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Heart of Stone (2023) |
This is a perfectly solid action movie, even if it offers nothing we haven't seen a million times before. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Oct 03, 2023
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You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2023) |
What sounds like an excruciating work of nepotism emerges as something far better: a frothy and lightweight comedy that ends up having something of a genuine heart. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Oct 03, 2023
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Love at First Sight (2023) |
Richardson almost makes it work. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Oct 03, 2023
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No One Will Save You (2023) |
Dever is simply exceptional. And the movie as a whole is about as high quality of a genre picture as you could hope to find while scrolling through Hulu. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Oct 03, 2023
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Spy Kids: Armageddon (2023) |
It's been 22 years since the original movie and whatever might have once seemed fresh and funny about the whole "Spy Kids" universe has long since rotted away. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Oct 03, 2023
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Sitting in Bars with Cake (2023) |
Better than it sounds, thanks to terrific performances and a perceptive screenplay. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Sep 13, 2023
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