Levinson directed some terrible Hollywood cheese, in between he also found the time to make a handful of entertaining genre films. He's not one of the greats, still, worth checking out if you're looking for fun and easy filler.
Movies
It's at least 20 years since I last saw this one, way before I started tracking films I watched. I remembered it as a solid flick, but was in no real hurry to see it again, as I've since lost my interest in these types of elongated crime stories. It's certainly not as bad as some others, but it's not all that special either. 2.5 hours is a lot, then again the film covers a lot of ground. Performances are decent, and somehow I do like Levinson a tad more than most of his Hollywood contemporaries, even though his directorial style isn't all that defined. The plot is pretty standard though and the film has few surprises, nor does it dare to get very graphic. Just decent.Read all
A 90s Douglas/Moore thriller directed by chameleon Barry Levinson. This means a rather basic plot, some twists and turns, bland styling, and a runtime that far exceeds its welcome. The film is set in the tech industry, so clearly it didn't age too well, but at the same time, it gave the film a bit of goofy charm. Douglas is a perfect villain, but for some reason, he was often given the role of the hero. It's hard to root for him here, which sucks as the entire film revolves around him proving his innocence. The VR stuff was pretty hilarious and the film isn't exactly boring, but it's a pretty mediocre thriller that fails to stand out.Read all
There's this niche of 80s comedies, about angry middle-aged folk who are downright assholes and have the most fun trying to make each other's lives as miserable as possible. I can't say it's really my kind of comedy, but as they come, Tin Men certainly isn't the worst of the bunch. Danny DeVito seems to be popping up in many of these comedies, in Richard Dreyfuss he finds a worthy opponent. The bickering often goes on too long and the film never becomes hilarious, but the pacing is decent enough and there are some minor laughs spread throughout. Wouldn't really recommend it, unless you really like this type of thing.Read all
I think I've seen this film before as a kid, but that was so long ago that I can't remember for sure. I'm not a big Robin Williams fan though, which explains why it took me so long to give this another go. And sure enough, Williams' performance here is exactly why I can't really stand his work. Levinson has some fun bringing the factory to life, but he's no Burton. Still, the creative sets are the sole reason Toys isn't a complete failure. Williams' performance is irritating, the soundtrack is overly bombastic, and the comedy is simply horrendous. At just over two hours, it's also ridiculously long. Not great.Read all
An early Levinson, which got me to lower my expectations. And deservedly so. The film is marketed as a comedy, but it's really just a light-hearted coming-to-age drama about an era long gone. If you're into 50s (or 80s) nostalgia then this film may hold some appeal, but sadly, I have neither. A pretty familiar setup, the film itself doesn't have anything truly interesting to say either. It's about revisiting that 50s vibe, getting together in oldskool American diners and talking about galls and records, while starting to take on adult responsibilities. There are some familiar faces here, but it was too long and too pedestrian for me to truly care about any of it.Read all