Arts & Entertainment

Movie Reviews and New Releases: The Wolverine, The Conjuring, The To-Do List and More

Movie reviews and movie times for theaters in the Iowa City area, including "Pacific Rim" and "Grown Ups 2". Let Patch help you decide what you're going to see this weekend.

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Movie information aggregated from moviefone.com

The Wolverine

"Until a third act that collapses in a harebrained heap, the director largely succeeds in keeping the more cartoonish aspects at bay, roughing up the surface with organically staged fight scenes and, crucially, raising the stakes by stripping his hitherto indestructible hero of his self-healing powers." The Hollywood Reporter. Full Review

"The flat hammerblows of The Wolverine bear little relation to the zing and pop of Matthew Vaughn's colourful treatment. Inconsistency is inevitable in a world that's constantly being dug up and done over, but it leaves us no time to fall in love with anything being flung at us." Henry Barnes, The Guardian. 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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Red 2
"The best thing about RED 2, like its predecessor, is its lightness of tone. Too many movieswith comic-book roots come on too seriously, even when the comics themselves have a loose, fast, jocular wit about them." Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly.

"Not that it isn’t entertaining, but the film's premise is certainly well past its “use by” date, resulting in another passably palatable sequel distinguished by a lack of narrative and stylistic coherence that could potentially underpin a really viable franchise." Justin Lowe, The Hollywood Reporter.

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R.I.P.D.
No reviews are available at this time.

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The Conjuring
"Like the wood-grained farmhouse itself — a beautiful piece of production design by Julie Berghoff — The Conjuring has an analog solidity that makes the terror to come almost unbearable." Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York. Full Review

"Though The Conjuring claims to be based on a true story, in truth it's based on every horror film that's come before it." Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine. Full Review

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Pacific Rim
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

Have you seen this movie? Leave a review of it in the comments for your neighbors.

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Grown Ups 2

“The party’s over, fellas,” says Adam Sandler’s character, Lenny, to his buddies in “Grown Ups 2.” “We’re irrelevant.” And though the box office may disagree, his words aren’t far from the truth. The first “Grown Ups,” in 2010, grossed more than $271 million worldwide; the sequel will probably rival that amount, reaping lavish dividends for Mr. Sandler and his co-stars, many of them his fellow “Saturday Night Live” alumni. Once again Mr. Sandler milks middle age for lucre, nostalgia and clunky, ham-fisted humor. But he has cause for concern." ~ Andy Webster, New York Times

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

Have you seen this movie? Leave a review of it in the comments for your neighbors.

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Despicable Me 2
"The minions give good mayhem and the twig-armed animation’s lovely. Despite the coolest submarine-car since Bond’s Lotus Esprit, though, Despicable Me 2 is light on gadgets – and surprises, too." Total Film. Full Review

"It falters in the middle and hesitates unnecessarily in setting up the love story, but Gru still has charm and kids will adore the Minions." Helen O'Hara, Empire. Full Review
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The Heat
"A bawdy and belligerent comedy, meant mostly for folks looking for nothing more than to enjoy a few laughs." Jeremy Legel, Film.com

"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.

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World War ZThis nightmarish travelogue is coy about gore, but it’s still an effective thrill-ride. If the sequel happens, let’s hope it delivers some actual combat. Empire, Full Review
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

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Monsters UniversitySpeaking of second chances, Monsters University is exactly the rebound Pixar needed after 2011's "Cars 2" left some wondering if the studio had lost its magic. Entertainment Weekly, Full Review.

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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Any of these spark your interest? Wynnsong 16 in Johnston will be playing these and the following flicks:

The To-Do List

Turbo 3D

Fruitvale Station

The Way Way Back

The Lone Ranger

Man of Steel (2D)

Check out our Moviefone widget for showtimes and additional locations.

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