This edition of the weekend movie preview has quite the diversity in the mix. There is Gerard Butler getting back into action in Olympus Has Fallen, Tina Fey and Paul Rudd finding romance in Admission, a prehistoric family getting animated in The Croods and Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Benson causing havoc in Spring Breakers. Which one will you see? Let us help you fill in the blanks!
Olympus Has Fallen: Butler is a Secret Service agent, who after a tragedy we witness in the film's opening moments, decides to leave the White House detail behind and work over at the Treasury Department. When 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is attacked, taken over and the President held hostage, he swings into action to save the day. As our Olympus Has Fallen review states, this is Die Hard in the White House and for the first time in a long time, this is a film that warrants that comparison to the great Bruce Willis movie.
Spring Breakers: Harmony Korine, the writer behind Kids, amps up the controversy with his latest screenplay that he also directed -- Spring Breakers. Gomez, Hudgens and Benson shed their Disney and ABC Family personas, respectively, and produce a heart-stopping thrill ride through the debauchery of spring break in Florida. As we reported in our Spring Breakers review, James Franco is the real star here as his performance as a drug dealing rapper wanna-be is nothing short of brilliantly insane.
The Croods: Nicolas Cage leads a family of prehistoric cave-people who are the last of their kind. The world is changing with geological shifts and the evolution of man. The animated film is great for the whole family with kids adoring its humor and message, and parents sure to appreciate the action sequences that are jaw-dropping at times. The cast is top notch, led by Emma Stone and Ryan Reynolds. Our The Croods review finds the 3D film worthy of a sequel!
Admission: Tina Fey is an admissions counselor for Princeton who thinks that her life is moving along swimingly. Suddenly, her boyfriend of eight years (Michael Sheen) leaves her and what was once thought a slam dunk -- her promotion at work -- is now being challenged by an upstart admissions counselor.
Paul Rudd stars as a principal of a small, cutting edge high school who challenges Fey on many levels... not the least of which is romantically. Our Admission review wishes the film had been more succinct and delivered more laughs. But, in a movie universe filled with action and family flicks, this one should be right up adults' alley.
