Barry Levinson is an actor but known mostly as an exceptional writer and director. He was nominated by the Academy for “Best Original Screenplay” for the film …And Justice for All (1979). He won an Academy Award for Best Director for Rain Man (1988). Some of his other film achievements were Tootsie, The Natural, Good Morning, Vietnam, Bugsy, and Wag the Dog. In 2010, Barry Levinson received the Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement from the Writers Guild of America.

But sentimentalists are most fond of Levinson’s four semi-autobiographical films  about his growing up in Baltimore. These films reflect the heart and soul of Levinson. They are wonderfully nostalgic, sometimes painful, filled with his emotional memories, and always compassionate.

Happily, all four are available on streaming platforms:

Coming Soon, Can’t Wait

News Briefs & Commentary

With theaters slowly opening again, I do hope theater owners take heed to the following:

Don’t gouge patrons with high ticket prices because you want to make up for the huge losses of the shutdown….And because you are now limiting sales to 50% of your seating capacity…Same goes for concession prices….Don’t require seat reservations if you know the theater is going to be half-empty….Cut down on the 20+ minutes of commercials and trailers before the start of each film…Fix all broken seats…Listen to patron complaints about faulty sound, picture, and, most importantly, poor ventilation…Take forceful action with patrons who remove masks in the darkened theater…When your employees return, pay them well. Many, also, suffered financially during the shutdown. Yes, your budget is tight, but high turnover and resentful employees will harm your operation.