Grudge Match

Grudge Match

Directed by: Peter Segal Starring: Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone, Kim Bassinger, Kevin Hart, Jon Bernthal, LL Cool J, Alan Arkin Rated: PG-13 for sports action violence, sexual content and language As the baby boomers age, both indie movies and Hollywood studios have started paying attention, creating out more projects about older characters, often with plots directly about aging. We’ve gotten “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,’ “It’s Complicated,” “Last Vegas,” and many more over the last few years, and “Grudge Match” follows the same trend. Its chief difference is that its two main characters are both boxers in their seventies, with a very old conflict between them. Sylvester Stallone has been refusing to age for some years now – witness his action appearances in the “Expendables” movies, for example — but it’s hard to ignore that the man is over seventy. All the Hollywood tricks in the makeup box and plastic surgeon’s domain can only

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Now You See Me

Now You See Me

If you like heist movies, sleight-of-hand magic, and snappy dialog, you are in for a treat: “Now You See Me” mixes elements of the traditional bank heist movie with the world of professional magic (both up-close street magic and big-stage Las Vegas magic). Add in some interesting conspiracy elements, a director who knows how to make a film with great economy of time and footage, and you are in for a treat.

Iron Man 3

Iron Man 3

Iron Man is back, this time in his own movie – but in an unusual move for an action flick, the events of his previous film (the record-setting “The Avengers”) are not only mentioned but having negative consequences for his mental health. He doesn’t have time to sit around and deal with his issues, though – there’s a new villain on the scene, and he makes things personal for Tony very, very quickly.

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters

Written and Directed by: Tommy Wirkola Starring: Gemma Arterton, Jeremy Renner, Famke Janssen, Peter Stormare Rated: R for strong fantasy horror violence and gore, brief sexuality/nudity, and language There’s something ever-appealing to me about fantasy-action films. The good ones don’t take themselves seriously and are pure fun, and the bad ones are so deliciously campy that it’s hard not to love them anyway. “Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters” is in the first group. It’s silly almost to the point of being deranged at some points (someone explain to me how they made insulin injections in the middle ages, please), but the leads are so engaging and the story so fast-paced that it’s easy to just sit back and take the ride. The film starts with the familiar story: a man wakes his small children in the middle of the night, takes them out in the woods, and abandons them. They find a witch’s cottage, are

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The Last Stand

The Last Stand

Directed by: Jee-woon Kim Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Eduardo Noriega, Jaime Alexander, Luis Guzman, Zach Gilford, Rodrigo Santoro, Johnny Knoxville Rated: R for strong bloody violence throughout, and language It’s been eight years since we’ve seen Arnold Schwarzenegger in any major role other than Governor of California, and he’s picked a perfect film for his comeback. “The Last Stand” is built from the same stock as the big action flicks he was making in the 80s. It’s got a simple setup, all the major tropes, and plenty of cartoonish, over-the-top gunplay. Even better, unlike a lot of recent homages to the action flicks of the 80s, it doesn’t bother trying to be gritty. This is the real deal: fun, explosions, and no thinking necessary. Ray Owens (Schwarzenegger) is the sheriff of a tiny border town in Arizona called Sommersville Junction. He’s been a lawman for a long time, and when a couple of truckers show up

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Premium Rush

Premium Rush

Directed by: David Koepp Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dania Ramirez, Wole Parks, Michael Shannon, Aasif Mandvi Rated: PG-13 for some violence, intense action sequences and language

Magic Mike

Magic Mike

If all you know about “Magic Mike” is that it’s a movie about male strippers, you are in for a surprise. Firstly, the film is loosely based on star Channing Tatum’s life as an exotic dancer before he became a model and then an actor. Secondly, at heart it’s a story about a man who has to choose between living an easy life following the path his mentor has laid out for him, or growing up and striking out on his own.

The Amazing Spider-Man

The Amazing Spider-Man

Once again, the Spider-Man story has been rebooted. Toby Maguire and the rest of the previous cast are gone, replaced by Andrew Garfield (aka the other guy from the Facebook movie) and a new crop of actors. It’s easy to approach this film with resentment — after all, why retell the Spider-Man origin story yet again, only ten years after the last time?

Thankfully, the team behind “The Amazing Spider-Man” seems to have gone all the way back to the drawing board, and started fresh.

Snow White & The Huntsman

Snow White & The Huntsman

There’s a lot to like about “Snow White and the Huntsman,” and a lot to dislike. This grittier take on the familiar fairy tale is likely to divide audiences into those who demand intelligence (or at least not willful stupidity) from movies and those who just want to be taken for a fun ride. If you’re in the latter group, you’re in for a good time.

Men in Black III

Men in Black III

The slogan of all sequels is “the same, but different,” and “Men in Black III” succeeds admirably in that department. Thankfully, it seems to have gone back to the 1997 original for inspiration rather than the lackluster “Men in Black II” from 2002. This is a fun, lighthearted, exciting movie fans will love and newcomers can still enjoy.