Alan Siegel Movies

An ex-Special Forces operative and former presidential bodyguard must fight to take back the White House from terrorists who have kidnapped the Commander in Chief in this high-stakes action thriller directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, Shooter) and starring Gerard Butler. In the aftermath of a tragic accident involving the president (Aaron Eckhart) and the first lady (Ashley Judd), Secret Service agent Mike Banning (Butler) is handed his walking papers. When a powerful terrorist group seizes command of the White House and takes the president hostage, the entire nation watches as the Speaker of the House (Morgan Freeman) becomes the acting president, and plans his response. Meanwhile, Banning finds himself trapped in the White House as it comes under siege from all sides. With no choice but to fight back against the heavily-armed invaders, Banning must rely on his extensive knowledge of the building to rescue the president, and prevent the situation from spiraling into all-out war. Melissa Leo, Angela Bassett, Robert Forster, and Radha Mitchell co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A burnt-out soccer star tries to win back his family but gets distracted by his wandering eye in this romantic comedy starring Gerard Butler. His bank account drained and his libido fatigued, professional soccer player George (Butler) hangs up his cleats and heads back to Virginia. Determined to do right in the eyes of his ex-wife (Jessica Biel) and their lonely son (Noah Lomax), George takes a job coaching a local soccer team and begins working to form the young players into true athletes. But with every cougar in town eyeing him from the sidelines, George finds that staying focused on the job and keeping his prurient impulses in check are easier said than done. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Papua New Guinea is a nation that in many respects is still catching up to the present day: The country didn't gain its independence from Australia until 1975, subsistence farming remains the dominant trade, and most of the nation lives in poverty, without electricity or running water. One thing Papua New Guinea does have is a beautiful coastline, and while body surfing has been popular among the locals for a long time, surfboards were unknown there until 1980, when an Australian pilot mistakenly left his behind during a stop in the city of Vanimo. Since then, board surfing has become popular in Papua New Guinea, but while some pursue it as a pastime, many young men and women aspire to become professional surfers in order to escape the cycle of poverty as major surfing competitions have come to the country. Adam Pesce offers a look into the Papua New Guinea surfing scene and the high stakes of competition in the documentary Splinters. The film also profiles a number of aspiring surfing champions, including two sisters striving to make a name for themselves in a male-dominated sport and a pair of close friends who become fierce rivals on the waves. Splinters received its world premiere at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi