Movie Reviews: The Big Wedding, Pain & Gain, Mud

Editor's Note: All reviews and information aggregated from Moviefone and RottenTomatoes.

Want to catch a movie this weekend? Here's Patch's roundup of movies playing at the Mann St. Louis Park Cinema 6 and Kerasotes Showplace Icon Theatre at West End:

New Releases:

Pain & Gain

One sentence plot: Based on the unbelievable true story of a group of personal trainers in 1990s Miami who, in pursuit of the American Dream, get caught up in a criminal enterprise that goes horribly wrong.

Rotten Tomatoes viewer score: 69

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 47

Reviews:

"It may be the best movie Michael Bay's ever made. And suggests that, if you just kept his toys put away a little longer, someday he might even make a better one." Newark Star-Ledger Full Review

"It's official. Michael Bay, director of the Transformers clobberfests, knows how to make movies about humans, too. The problem is, he thinks humans are robots." Christian Science Monitor Full Review

"It's like a giant sculpture that is so strange and off-putting, it's instantly, intriguingly post-modern. Swept up in the film's pile-driving self-assurance, even Bay-haters may absorb the pain to enjoy the gain." TIME Magazine Full Review

The Big Wedding

One sentence plot: With an all-star cast led by Robert De Niro, Katherine Heigl, Diane Keaton, Amanda Seyfried, Topher Grace, with Susan Sarandon and Robin Williams, The Big Wedding is an uproarious romantic comedy about a charmingly modern family trying to survive a weekend wedding celebration that has the potential to become a full blown family fiasco.

Rotten Tomatoes viewer score: 80

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 7

Reviews:

"Sarandon, Keaton and De Niro mesh beautifully, fully convincing as a trio of old friends and carting in lots of characterization that would be otherwise lacking in Zackham's rote screenplay." The Wrap Full Review

"Many Hollywood films are founded on privilege, but few are as open and nasty about their racism, misogyny, and homophobia. It's a feel-good movie for people who only comfortable around people who look and act just like them." Village Voice Full Review

"The Big Wedding is a would-be screwball comedy that forgets to throw in the screws." Miami Herald Full Review

Mud

One sentence plot: Mud is an adventure about two boys, Ellis and his friend Neckbone, who find a man named Mud hiding out on an island in the Mississippi.

Rotten Tomatoes viewer score: 85

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 98

Reviews:

"The film is drenched in the humidity and salty air of a Delta summer, often recalling the musical, aphoristic cadences of Sam Shepard, who happens to appear in a supporting role." Washington Post Full Review

"One of the most creatively rich and emotionally rewarding movies to come along this year." Los Angeles Times Full Review

"Jeff Nichols' script for Mud is a lot like the Mississippi River that serves as a backdrop for the tale of unrequited love. There are times it is big and powerful and other times when it becomes so serene it's easy to forget the depths that hide below." Fresno Bee Full Review

Also in Theaters:

Oblivion

One sentence plot: On a spectacular future Earth that has evolved beyond recognition, one man's confrontation with the past will lead him on a journey of redemption and discovery as he battles to save mankind.

Rotten Tomatoes viewer score: 68

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 58

Reviews:

"When you go to a futuristic, dystopian, post-apocalyptic barn dance starring Tom Cruise and his space guns, you expect a little zap with your thoughtful pauses." Chicago Tribune Full Review

"For all the bells and whistles—an electronic score by M83, a screen-busting Imax presentation and Cruise going full throttle—Oblivion feels arid and antiseptic, untouched by human hands." Rolling Stone Full Review

"You start wondering whether director Joseph Kosinski and screenwriters Karl Gajdusek and Michael DeBruyn have any original ideas of their own. And then you realize they don't." Seattle Times Full Review

The Lords of Salem

One sentence plot: The Lords of Salem tells the tale of Heidi (Sheri Moon Zombie), a radio station DJ living in Salem, Massachusetts, who receives a strange wooden box containing a record, a "gift from the Lords."

Rotten Tomatoes viewer score: 58

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 43

Reviews:

"It's a credit to Zombie's interest in growing as an artist that he's drawing from more mature inspirations here, but it's also part of why the movie doesn't work." The Atlantic Full Review

"Considerable care goes into establishing the premise, but the film eventually abandons psychological subtlety for hallucinatory garishness, which is too bad." New York Times Full Review

"'The Lords of Salem' will make you feel bad. But it's supposed to." Los Angeles Times Full Review

The Place Beyond the Pines

One sentence plot: The highly anticipated new drama from director Derek Cianfrance ("Blue Valentine") powerfully explores the consequences of motorcycle rider Luke's (Academy Award nominee Ryan Gosling) fateful decision to commit a crime to support his child.

Rotten Tomatoes viewer score: 83

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 81

Reviews:

"This naturalistic drama is ambitious to the point of being unwieldy... But once the story has advanced from one generation to the next and its thematic sweep has become apparent, these flaws seem much more tolerable." Chicago Reader Full Review

"Cianfrance and his sterling cast keep it all together, vanquishing doubt and soap suds. There's a palpable sense of teamwork that brings out the best in all of these players." Toronto Star Full Review

"This is a story about legacy, the sins of the father, the restlessness in our souls. It's powerful, it's bold, it hits you hard." Philadelphia Inquirer Full Review

Scary Movie V

One sentence plot: The latest installment of the 'Scary Movie' franchise includes send ups of 'Paranormal Activity,' 'Mama,' 'Sinister,' 'The Evil Dead,' 'Inception,' 'Black Swan' and pop culture featuring Ashley Tisdale, Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Lohan, Snoop Dogg, Katt Williams, Molly Shannon, Terry Crews, Simon Rex, Jerry O'Connell, Sarah Hyland, Katrina Bowden, Tyler Posey, Shad Moss aka Bow Wow, Kate Walsh, Heather Locklear, Mac Miller and Mike Tyson.

Rotten Tomatoes viewer score: 79

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 6

Reviews:

"Like so much of this whole series, the mere mention of a familiar pop culture figure or title is supposed to be hilarious." New York Daily News Full Review

"A film composed almost entirely of jokes that were much funnier when you read them on Twitter years ago." Entertainment Weekly Full Review

"Scary Movie 5 must be some kind of psychological experiment. Perhaps the filmmakers sat in a lab, rubbing their temples while wondering aloud how awful they could make a movie and still score at the box office." Washington Post Full Review

42

One sentence plot: Jackie Robinson's story is told in this biopic from writer/director Brian Helgeland.

Rotten Tomatoes viewer score: 81

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 76

Reviews:

"Helgeland shows a deep respect for the game and for what Robinson accomplished by telling this baseball story through the human drama." Fresno Bee Full Review

"This story inspires and entertains with a vital chapter in this nation's history." Denver Post Full Review

"This is a competent but mostly unexceptional film about a most extraordinary man." RichardRoeper.com Full Review

Evil Dead

One sentence plot: In the much anticipated remake of the 1981 cult-hit horror film, five twenty-something friends become holed up in a remote cabin and discover a Book of the Dead, unwittingly summoning up dormant demons living in the nearby woods.

Rotten Tomatoes viewer score: 81

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 64

Reviews:

"Though it never channels the raw DIY energy of the original Evil Dead series -- what big-budget version could? -- this polished, clever remake remains true to the spirit of the original, which was at once viscerally terrifying and weirdly lighthearted." Slate Full Review

"Sure, this is a higher-budget re-tread. But a remake shouldn't exist simply to ramp up the graphic violence, even if special effects have improved immeasurably in the past 30 years." USA Today Full Review

"A stylish and worthy homage: inventive even as it is derivative, never quite jokey but never taking itself too seriously, and clocking in at an entirely appropriate 91 minutes. Any longer would be unmerciful; any shorter, ungenerous." The Atlantic Full Review

Jurassic Park in 3D

One sentence plot: Universal Pictures releases Steven Spielberg's groundbreaking masterpiece 'Jurassic Park in 3D'—a remastering of the epic into a state-of-the-art 3D format—on April 5, 2013

Rotten Tomatoes viewer score: 83

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 91

Reviews:

"The 3-D process adds not just dimension but depth - a technological extension of cinematographer Gregg Toland's deep-focus innovations in The Grapes of Wrath and Citizen Kane. The change in perspective creates greater intensity." TIME Magazine Full Review

"The enthralling man-vs.-nature parable based on the late Michael Crichton's best-selling novel hasn't aged one bit." Washington Post Full Review

"I'm a fan of this movie. It is thrilling, and the 3-D treatment is a nice enhancement." Boston Globe Full Review

G.I. Joe: Retaliation

One sentence plot: In this sequel, the G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence.

Rotten Tomatoes viewer score: 69

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 29

Reviews:

"Good luck recalling any other would-be set pieces a couple of days after you've seen Retaliation." Boston Globe Full Review

"A more sure-footed shoot-'em-up that finds some heart, wit and perhaps enough momentum to spawn a formidable action franchise." USA Today Full Review

"Movies like GI Joe: Retaliation want to give you the video-game equivalent of an itchy trigger-finger. It's an emotion-free zone." Orange County Register Full Review

The Croods

One sentence plot: The Croods tells the story of the world's first family road trip: When their cave is destroyed, the Crood family must embark on a comedy adventure into strange and spectacular territory in search of a new home.

Rotten Tomatoes viewer score: 86

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 65

Reviews:

"Despite a few too many mother-in-law jokes, 'The Croods' nicely makes it clear that even before they had fire, families understood how important it was to cherish and protect each other." Chicago Sun-Times Full Review

"'The Croods' is both brisk and beautiful, and should be sufficiently entertaining for family audiences for whom few such options exist these days." The Associated Press Full Review

"The familiarity of the characters and their dynamics do make the movie feel comfy. You'll probably go into the prehistoric animated comedy thinking you know what it's going to be, and you'll be right." The Pioneer Press Full Review

Olympus Has Fallen

One sentence plot: When the White House (Secret Service Code: "Olympus") is captured by a terrorist mastermind and the President is kidnapped, disgraced former Presidential guard Mike Banning finds himself trapped within the building.

Rotten Tomatoes viewer score: 79

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 51

Reviews:

"A typical slab of Hollywood action in which the White House crumbles under attack, the American flag is tattered and tossed aside by baddies, and clichés rise like gods." Los Angeles Times Full Review

"'Olympus Has Fallen' is just too much of a pale 'Die Hard' ripoff." Richard Roeper Full Review

"Olympus Has Fallen wants to be 'Die Hard in the White House' so much I half-expected Alexander Godunov to pop up at the end." Houston Press Full Review

Do you plan on seeing any of these movies? Have you seen them already? Leave a review of the films with a comment below.

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