Movie Reviews: Red 2, Turbo, The Conjuring, The Way Way Back, Crystal Fairy

Are you a movie buff? Or maybe you just enjoy the occasional dinner and a movie date? Either way, Patch would be thrilled to have you on board as a movie blogger! All you have to do is shoot a quick email to Ryan Martin at ryan.martin@patch.com.

Red 2  

• Run Time: 116 mins. 
• Starring: Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Mary-Louise Parker, Lee Byung-hun
• Rated: PG-13

Stephanie Zacharek, The Riverfront Times: "The world is full of lackluster movies. But the world is not full of Helen Mirren in a Marlene Dietrich fedora, or Helen Mirren in full-tilt eveningwear disposing of a bothersome corpse in a marble bathroom, or Helen Mirren firing a massive rifle-type thingie while sprawled on a picnic blanket -- in her stocking feet, no less. We all know there are few great roles for "older" actresses, but perhaps worse than that, there are so few movies that will allow them to just be..." Full Review

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The Conjuring  

• Run Time: 112 mins. 
• Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Ron Livingston, Lili Taylor, Hayley McFarland
• Rated: R

Patch Blogger Mark Glass: **½ "Those who wax nostalgic about the tenor of horror films that pre-dated the splatterfests of recent years, subtly building tension and menace before the payoff mayhem erupts, will find this variation on genre entries like The Amityville Horror, The Exorcist or The Omen a welcome change of pace. Still scary, but more tingly than yucky. Beyond that, it features a battle between Amityville’s actual demonologists, Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga), and another set of occupying entities from beyond our mortal coil..." Full Review

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Crystal Fairy  

• Run Time: 100 mins. 
• Starring: Michael Cera, Gaby Hoffmann
• Rated: Not rated

Patch Blogger Mark Glass: ** "Michael Cera stars in this odd stoner-quest comedy, playing an annoying American who goes to Chile, where he meets some guys for a trek to the coastal desert region for a mescaline trip. Along the way, they pick up a latter-day hippie (Gaby Hoffman), whose character gives the film its title, and whatever heart my be found in its script. The Chilean lads guys are amazingly tolerant of Cera’s whiny pushiness. He’s the one who gets coked up at a party on the eve of their journey and invites Crystal to join them, then wakes up denying he did, and trying to get the others to ditch her. For a kid who has done so well with nice-guy roles, he’s surprisingly effective at playing a putz..." Full Review

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The Way Way Back 

• Run Time: 103 mins. 
• Starring: AnnaSophia Robb, Sam Rockwell, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Allison Janney
• Rated: PG-13

Patch Blogger Mark Glass: ***½ "When sitcom actors Nat Faxon and Jim Rash last collaborated on a movie, they bagged an Oscar for their adapted screenplay of The Descendants. Now they’re tackling a bigger challenge, sharing both writing and directing credits for this coming-of-age dramedy, with plenty of heart to hold hands with its humor. Duncan (Liam James) is a shy, angry 14-year-old, reluctantly joining his mom (Toni Collette) her jerky new boyfriend (Steve Carell) and his stuck-up daughter for a summer at Carell’s seaside cabin. Duncan hates Carell and the setting, wishing he could be with his dad, who has moved to San Diego with his new gal..." Full Review

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Turbo  

• Run Time: 100 mins. 
• Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Michael Pena, Luis Guzman, Bill Hader
• Rated: PG

Patch Blogger Mark Glass: ** "If there’s any medium that’s suited for suspending disbelief for an outrageous premise, it’s animation. That’s what allows us to enjoy talking animals, cars, etc.; that’s why after more than 20 years, it’s OK that Bart Simpson is still in grade school, and Maggie still can’t walk or talk. In that spirit, once you decide to swallow the idea of a speed-obsessed garden snail racing in the Indy 500, you can enjoy the way DreamWorks pulls out all the stops, milking considerable advantage from 3-D technology and a fine voice cast, to make the proceedings fun for all ages..." Full Review