Kurt Loder Reviews Olympus Has Fallen and Admission
When last seen on Hollywood soil, in the 2012 Red Dawn remake, evil North Korean invaders had touched down in Spokane, Washington, where they were quickly butt-kicked by a bunch of teenagers. Having learned nothing from that experience, writes Kurt Loder, the Norks are now back, and in Olympus Has Fallen, starring Gerald Butler and Morgan Freeman, they've targeted the White House, into which they manage to blast their way in just 13 minutes.
Admission, on the other hand, is a smarter movie than the average romantic comedy, and while chugging along on the way to its inexorable happy wrapup, it passes through some interesting social territory, touching on issues of parenting, academic priorities, and professional ethics. It's also very funny in parts, with bright performances by Tina Fey and Lily Tomlin. But the comedy and the social observation don't quite meld, and when the movie's over, you're left feeling somewhat under-gratified.