Welcome movie students. Before we get into this week’s review let’s start with a little math warm up, shall we? True or false? “Die Hard” + 1600 Pennsylvania Ave = “White House Down”

If you said true, leave your name in the comments, because you get a gold star!

Any diligent student who has been following the class of 2013′s summer releases knows that “White House Down” has been marketed as a big action-thriller. But in my opinion, it’s more of an action-comedy…in the best way possible. Allow me to digress…

This movie reminds me of Schwarzenegger-style action movies of the 90′s, so those of you who can get into one-liners, ridiculous action sequences, and over the top heroic moments, will definitely appreciate “White House Down” for what it is.

As the title suggests, “White House Down” chronicles an inside attack on the White House, and what plays out between the President and his Cabinet, tour guide guests, and the domestic terrorists behind all of the chaos. Years ago, if you’d sent me this script and asked who I’d like to see direct this movie, I would have immediately said Roland Emmerich. His body of work behind movies like “Independence Day,” “The Day After Tomorrow,” and “The Patriot” easily made him a top candidate to helm “White House Down.” But although he had a great opportunity to show off this strengths with this flick, it was also riddled with tropes his movies are often criticized for. Cliche dialogue, formulaic plot lines, a couple of things that just don’t really make sense, you’ll see them all here in “White House Down.”

However, that being said, if it’s a summer-blockbuster, “popcorn movie” you’re looking for, Emmerich delivers…once again.

As for casting, it was pretty killer. I loved seeing Jamie Foxx as an American President, and we’ve seen Channing Tatum get better and better over the course of his career. Although his turn as Secret Service candidate, John Cale, is not his best work to date, I can’t deny that did a great job in that role. But truth be told, it’s Joey King who steals the show as Tatum’s character’s daughter, whose indelible acts of patriotism culminate in a heroic moment of flag-waving on the White House front lawn. This little girl is an exceptional young talent, who I’m confident we’ll be seeing a lot more of in the future.

To wrap things up, “White House Down” is fun, fast paced, and a little corn-tastic. But regardless, you guys are going to have a lot of fun when you go see this one in theaters June 28th. And, need I say it, it’s kind of the perfect movie to check out on 4th of July weekend.