Arts & Entertainment
Movie Reviews: 'Pacific Rim', 'Grown-Ups 2', 'The Heat' and More
Movie reviews and movie times for Ankeny, including "White House Down," "Monsters University" and "World War Z". Let Patch help you decide what you're going to see this weekend.
By Stephen Schmidt
Pacific Rim
Run Time: 125min
Starring: Charlie Hunnam , Idris Elba , Charlie Day , Rinko Kikuchi , Rob Kazinsky
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Trailer: Watch
A massive, lumbering behemoth of a movie, Pacific Rim resurrects the 'kaiju,' or giant monster genre, by returning to its roots in Japanese science fiction. Fun enough during its pounding action scenes, Pacific Rim has less to offer when it comes to story and characters. — Daniel Eagan, Film Journal
After what seems like years of convoluted megamovies whose pretzel-like twists, turns, and double-crosses confound logic and confuse audiences, it’s incredibly refreshing to watch a film where the setup is simple, the mythology straightforward, and the execution consistently clear. — Todd Gilchrist, The Verge
In most ways, this paradoxically derivative yet imaginative sci-fi epic is everything every monster movie since the beginning of time might have wished it could be: In no way pinched budget-wise, it's got first-class special effects, crafty behemoths that calculate and react to circumstances in non-dumb ways, a smart director who injects a sense of fun and surprise whenever he can, a fair percentage of characters you don't mind watching, and a few decent plot twists. In this genre, that's saying something. — Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter
'Pacific Rim' very much lives in comic book/pulp science-fiction territory, complete with comic relief scientists (Charlie Day and Burn Gorman). But a number of factors combine to make it a deeper movie experience. — Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
Grown Ups 2
The all-star comedy cast from 'Grown Ups' returns (with some exciting new additions) for more summertime laughs. Lenny (Adam Sandler) has relocated his family back to the small town where he and his friends grew up. This time around, the grown ups are the ones learning lessons from their kids on a day notoriously full of surprises: the last day of school.
"A movie of fools, by fools, for fools" ~ Laremy Legal, Film.com
Pacific Rim
Run Time: 125min
Starring: Charlie Hunnam , Idris Elba , Charlie Day , Rinko Kikuchi , Rob Kazinsky
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Trailer: Watch
A massive, lumbering behemoth of a movie, Pacific Rim resurrects the 'kaiju,' or giant monster genre, by returning to its roots in Japanese science fiction. Fun enough during its pounding action scenes, Pacific Rim has less to offer when it comes to story and characters. — Daniel Eagan, Film Journal
After what seems like years of convoluted megamovies whose pretzel-like twists, turns, and double-crosses confound logic and confuse audiences, it’s incredibly refreshing to watch a film where the setup is simple, the mythology straightforward, and the execution consistently clear. — Todd Gilchrist, The Verge
In most ways, this paradoxically derivative yet imaginative sci-fi epic is everything every monster movie since the beginning of time might have wished it could be: In no way pinched budget-wise, it's got first-class special effects, crafty behemoths that calculate and react to circumstances in non-dumb ways, a smart director who injects a sense of fun and surprise whenever he can, a fair percentage of characters you don't mind watching, and a few decent plot twists. In this genre, that's saying something. — Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter
'Pacific Rim' very much lives in comic book/pulp science-fiction territory, complete with comic relief scientists (Charlie Day and Burn Gorman). But a number of factors combine to make it a deeper movie experience. — Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
Grown Ups 2
The all-star comedy cast from 'Grown Ups' returns (with some exciting new additions) for more summertime laughs. Lenny (Adam Sandler) has relocated his family back to the small town where he and his friends grew up. This time around, the grown ups are the ones learning lessons from their kids on a day notoriously full of surprises: the last day of school.
- Run Time: 101mins.
- Starring: Adam Sandler , Kevin James , Chris Rock , David Spade , Salma Hayek
- Director: Dennis Dugan
- Trailer
"A movie of fools, by fools, for fools" ~ Laremy Legal, Film.com
"Adam Sandler films tend to celebrate the same core ideals: friendship, small town values and women with very large breasts.
In that sense, “Grown Ups 2” may be the ultimate Adam Sandler film. It ain’t high art, as the running gag with the burpsnarts — better not to ask — deftly illustrates. But for what it is, gosh darn it, it works."
~ Adam Graham, The Detroit News
Find out what's happening in Ankenywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The Heat
- Run Time: 117mins.
- Starring: Sandra Bullock , Melissa McCarthy , Kaitlin Olson
- Director: Paul Feig
- Trailer
"Give it up for Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy. You’ll never see them work harder at a comedy than in The Heat, a stumbling, aggressively loud and profane cop buddy picture where they struggle to wring “funny” out of a script that isn’t." Roger Moore, Movie Nation.
Do you plan on seeing this movie? Leave a review when you get home and tell your neighbors how it was!
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World War Z
- Run Time: 116mins.
- Starring: Brad Pitt , Mireille Enos , Anthony Mackie , James Badge Dale , Bryan Cranston
- Director: Marc Forster
- Trailer
Go big or go home, they say; World War Z picks the wrong choice for its slow fade-out, and, instead of leaving you in fear of being chomped upon as you exit the theater, makes you feel enraged that you’ve been more than a little cheated. David Fear, Time Out New York. Full Review
Do you plan on seeing this movie? Leave a review when you get home and tell your neighbors how it was!
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Monsters University
- Run Time: 110mins.
- Starring: Voices of Billy Crystal , John Goodman , Steve Buscemi , Dave Foley , Julia Sweeney
- Director: Dan Scanlon
- Trailer
It’s easily the most enjoyable animated film so far this year, one that is visually stunning, wickedly subversive, incredibly funny (Day's character is a hoot), and (at times) lump-in-your-throat emotional. Drew Taylor, The Playlist. Full Review
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Man of Steel
- Run Time: 143 mins.
- Starring: Henry Cavill , Amy Adams , Michael Shannon , Russell Crowe , Diane Lane
- Director: Zack Snyder
- Trailer
"The local multiplex is lousy with celluloid crime fighters. So what turf is left for good old Clark Kent? That's the nagging question that director Zack Snyder's Man of Steel tries — and ultimately fails — to answer." Entertainment Weekly. Full Review
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This Is The End
- Run Time: N/A
- Starring: James Franco , Jonah Hill , Seth Rogen , Jay Baruchel , Danny McBride
- Director: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
- Trailer
"It's disheartening that, despite some half-hearted overtures toward shifting the comedy paradigm, the filmmakers make little attempt to expand their comedic palette." Jesse Cataldo, Slant Magazine. FullReview
Do you plan on seeing this movie? Leave a review when you get home and tell your neighbors how it was!
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Any of these spark your interest? Springwood 9 Theaters will be playing most of these flicks. Check out the Moviefone widget for showtimes.
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