Captain America: The Winter Soldier:  

Chris Evans is excellent in what is arguably the best of the Marvel Comics movies of all time, better than Iron Man, better than Spidey.  Here the threat comes in the form of a Soviet agent with powers that rival those of our hero.  Scarlett Johansson is back as The Black Widow and Anthony Mackie is a new character, The Falcon.  This one has a strong story, which is part of its appeal, along, of course, with the special effects that are exceptional but are largely the real thing with minimal CGI. This is one of the best action movies of the decade.  Rated 14A.

Brick Mansions:   

The late Paul Walker is excellent in this story of a ghetto area of Detroit that has been taken over by a crime lord (RZA) who has created an almost impenetrable fortress and armed camp.  Frenchman David Belle stars as Lino, a character he played in the European version of this film.  He is an expert in the physical sport of Parkour, which uses the existing environment to propel a person in amazing ways, running up walls, leaping off of terraced rooftops, all without special effects.  A lot of stuff blows up here, and the action is non-stop.  Story doesn’t matter much, but there is enough for it all to hang together well.  A good choice for action buffs!  Rated 14A.   

Words and Pictures:   

Juliette Binoche is Dina, an art teacher, at odds with her English teacher colleague Jack (Clive Owen) as to whether it is pictures or words that are more important in communicating in the fine arts.  This romantic comedy has some nice moments, and it’s interesting to note that all the art on the walls in the classroom is a product of actress Binoche’s talent.  Jack’s conservatism and Dina’s flamboyance make them opposites that attract, although in true rom-com fashion, the more it looks like they are far apart, the more likely they are to come together.  Rated 14A.

Airplane VS Volcano (2014):  

Ever wonder what happens to “B” grade TV stars when work becomes scarce?  They show up here, in “B” grade action movies along with many of their former colleagues.  The title says it all here ... a commercial airliner trapped in a ring of fire of erupting volcanoes can’t land, and has to somehow manage to stay in the air and avoid the obvious dangers.  Dean Caine (Clark & Lois), Robin Givens (Head of the Class); Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs (Welcome Back, Cotter), and Jonathan Nation (Mega Shark VS Giant Octopus) are the stars.  Pretty cheesy!  Rated PG.

Prowl (2010):  

This is a bad horror film from the UK that puts just about every known stereotype into play ... but for a let’s-get-scared evening, it works.  A young woman (Perdita Weeks of As Above, So Below) and five of her friends decide to move to the big city, leaving their small town behind.  Within minutes their van breaks down, they hitch a ride with a semi-truck carrying a cargo of blood to a warehouse full of vampires, and that’s where the action begins, as they are picked off one by one.  Who will survive?  Who will care?  Rated 18A.