Foster (2011) Rating: 3 / 5 "It's all about Maurice Cole"

Copyright SC Films

Foster alone without Maurice Cole is not so good. Let me tell you, this kid is absolutely brilliantly amazing. Foster is about a grieving parents thinking of adopting a child after serious traumatic incident that prevent the wife from having a baby. Well, in fact the main attention of the movie is not really about those grieving parents. Unlike Rabbit Hole 2010 (Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart) that bring you along the grieving stage of parents, Foster is focusing on this special character called Eli which is portrayed by brilliant young actor Maurice Cole.  At first, I thought that this is going to be another Rabbit Hole movie that giving you a slow and sad 90 minutes ride, but I was undoubtedly wrong. In fact, Foster character 'Eli' is getting intriguingly interesting as it gets to the end.  However, there is lack of emotional connection of the couples between the audiences, Zooey (Collette)  and Alec (Gruffudd). Besides, the story plot is too simple that I could predict how it is going to end in the first 20 minutes.

Foster doesn't get you deeply into the couples, Zooey and Alec, as I said the main attention on that little character Eli. It is sometime confusing that the writer is trying to show you the sadness of the couple while at the same time having a fun Eli along the movie. At the end, the movie is all about drama comedy unlike Rabbit Hole. I think that Foster must be heavily inspired by Nanny McPhee. I would not tell you much more as it would be a spoiler. The plot of the movie is so simple and I bet that you would have guessed it half way of the movie. Despite the easily predicted ending, Foster gives you an amazing ending. They do know how to finish a story.

Eli requesting CNN Channel

In fact, the story just ordinary. The one that makes this movie different from any other movie is this character Eli. Eli is a boy with a very mature mind. It would be very difficult for a child to portrayed such character, however Cole makes it so easy like a snapped of a finger.  Having to wear a mini suit all the time and talked like an adult, Cole have done a good job for his age. Eli unexpectedly become the foster child of the couples do surely giving Alec a hard time in adjusting at the beginning. Despite the strange feeling, Alec learned a lot from the Eli. The interesting part is when the character Eli asking for a CNN channel and watched it while sipping a mug of milk.

I don't have much to say about Foster. All I can say is that Foster is a good movie for you to spend with your family. After all, it is not the couples you are following, it is Eli. So you won't have to prepare a box of tissue while watching the movie.

13 (2010; Genre: drama, thriller) Rating : " 0.5 / 5" A waste of time

Directed by Gela Babluani


Written by Gela Babluani


Starring Sam Riley
               Mickey Rourke
               Ray Winstone
               Jason Statham


Distributed by Paramount Vantage
                         Endeavor

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Premise

A naive young who stumbled into a complicated gambling game of Russian roulette. 

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Review

A complete waste of talent and time. Probably the next contender of the last air bender, but the only downside of this is the screenplay. Thirteen is lack of story and lack of character building. Bombarded with a major name  like Jason Statham and Mickey Rouke to star in it, surely nobody could think that this movie is going to be a big disappointment. However, Gela has successfully trick so many audiences, especially with those elegantly designed poster like above. Thirteen is just like throwing a flat story and make it looks like a blockbuster hit. Just can't believe that Jason Statham even considered signing in for the cast.  

What makes me want to see the movie at first is the cast and the poster which looks appealing. And now I want my whole 90 minutes back. The premise is interesting but the way it is being told is ridiculous. First 10 minutes really depicted how it is going down from there. There is lack of detail in the story. Barely a good explanation on how the winner is paid and how the players are being picked can be found in the movie. The main character is lacking of motive and it is executed poorly.

Well, some might find it interesting. But if you like thriller movie with a good story and greatly built character, this movie is worth a skip. 

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Trailer

Faster (2010) Genre: Action, drama ; Rating: 2.5 / 5 "Faster is too fast"

Wikipedia

Directed by              George Tillman, Jr.

Release date          24 November 2010

Studio           Castle Rock Entertainment

Starring                       Dwayne Johnson;

                                  Billy Bob Thornton     

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Brief Synopsis

Vengeful Mr. Driver "Dwayne Johnson" running rage through the town and interstate to avenge his brother death on a set up bank robbery 10 years ago.

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Review

Released four months ago and I just noticed it now. It seems like the movie doesn't exists at all and there is only one and only one explanation for it "A poor marketing campaign". 

Well got to be excited as Dwayne Johnson is back on action genre after the tooth fairy invasion. Despite the poor performance of the movie in financial term, Dwayne Johnson does surely lifted the movie a bit, pulling "Faster" out from garbage list of 2010 Movies. Dwayne Johnson has been perfecting the aggressive tough character through out movie like "The Walking Tall' and "Rundown". Again, he is pulling his magic out saving this half empty "Faster".

Faster is a poorly written movie which is left half emptied. The movie doesn't has a clear direction either to go toward regular or darker and more serious action movie. Faster could have been better as it has interesting plot, good casting and directed beautifully. Unfortunately, the only let down of it is the story line that failed to focus on character building leaving the audience with a little clue of how it suppose to be. Or on the other words, Faster tells a fast story with a fast moving plot as a result Faster was kicked out from the top ten list just as fast as how it told the story.

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Trailer 

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Wall Street 2 (2010; Genre: Drama) Rating: 2.5 / 5 "Not strong enough"

Wikipedia

Studio             Edward R. Pressman Film

Distributed by       20th Century Fox

Directed by           Oliver Stone

Screenplay by       Allan Loeb ; Stephen Schiff      

Release date         24 September 2010

Running time        127 minutes

Starring                    Michael Douglas

                                                                                             Shia LaBeouf

                                                                                             Josh Brolin

                                                                                             Carey Mulligan

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Quick Synopsis

Gordon Gekko (M. Douglas) is back after almost eight years in prison which seven years later he finds out that his daughter "Winnie" (Mulligan) is dating Jake Moore (LaBeouf) and about to get married. Due to Winnie hasn't spoken to Gekko for a long time since Rudy death, Gekko is reluctant that Winnie will be willing to accept Gekko back. Jake working as broker is benefiting from Gekko intelligence and is struggling to look for investor to fund the fusion research project and to avenge the death of his role model Keller Zabel from suicide. Hence, both of them "Jake and Gecko" comes into agreement that Gecko will help Jake to avenge the death of Keller Zabel and in returns Jake must help Gekko to gain trust from his daughter again.

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Review

Gordon Gecko is back but fail to impress. Audiences might feel disappointed with Gecko is not the main plot for the whole story, magic finance trick that he pulled out to fool the stock market systems that is found on Wall Street 1 is barely executed on the sequel. However, in term of character execution,  both Shia and Douglas really pull it through with their performance to the limit.  

www.filmofilia.com

On the other side, the effect of financial crisis hardly depicted in this movie and unlike the first movie, the atmosphere of stock trading is not fully developed leaving the movie merely touching the outstanding line. However, the message of the writer is getting through quite easily to the audience that "Greed is not good, that Greed is going to slowly consume you, that Greed is going to harm your love one without you even know it". More, I find that the drama is not strong enough leaving it just like another romantic conflicts. Well, overall the movie is okay for a mere entertainment and stock market lover.

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Trailer

The Experiment (2010; Genre: drama, Thriller) Rating : 2.5 / 5 "Experimented but. . . . "

Studio                       Inferno Distribution

                               Magnet Media Productions

                               Natural Selection

                               Tax Credit Finance

Distributed by                   Stage 6 Films

                               Warner Bros.

Directed by                     Paul Scheuring

Release date          21 September 2010

Running time                        96 minutes

Language                                   English

Starring                            Adrien Brody

                                                                                          Forest Whitaker

                                                                                          Fisher Steven

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Brief Synopsis

Several men enrolled in psychological experiment with a reward of $1000 per day for two weeks. The study conducted involve in prisoners and guards scenario. The purpose of experiment is to study human behavior that will relatively change in corresponding to the roles given. However, in order to receive the money, each participants are warned to obey the given rules or the experiment will be stopped and no one will receive the money.

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Review

Character execution is great yet the story seems to be not excited as the title of the movie. I expected more out of the movie. The character building is there, yet the drama element is not fully evolved. It just like serving you a spaghetti without seasoning.  The movie started good but then the plot remains flat along the way without the intention to emphasize  the word "Experiment". Well, "The Experiment" is just another experimental movie with a same premise, same plot and same purpose, or in another words "Nothing excited about it". However, if you are curious, this movie is not bad for you as it adapted from the real experiment in one of the university in US.

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Trailer

The Ghost Writer (2010; Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller) Rating : 4.5 / 5 "Another Polanski masterpiece"

Studio France 2 Cinema

France Televisions

Canal+

Distributed by Summit Entertainment

Optimum Releasing

Pathe

Directed by Roman Polanski

Release date 16 April 2010 (UK)

Running time 128 minutes

Language English

Starring Ewan McGregor

Pierce Brosnan

Kim Cattrall

Olivia Williams

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Brief Synopsis

A ghost writer (Ewan McGregor) has been assigned to continue his predecessor work on British Prime Minister Adam Lang memoirs (Pierce Brosnan). A big pay and the ghost writer can't resist it. However, the ghost writer later finds out that the task has never been so easy which soon he finds out that his predecessor is murdered instead of suicide or accident.

Adam Lang who is currently being investigate for criminal wars cause the ghost writer to dig deeper inside it. As many said that the truth should have never been revealed, the ghost writer is bringing himself a danger when he starts revealing the truth. After all, he manages to finish the memoirs which later his curiosity bring him to the end of his journey.

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Review

You might have read the above brief synopsis that I specifically mentioned a ghost writer term over and over. Interestingly, the whole 200 minutes and I can't even find a single clue about the main character name on the movie. Well, no matter how silly it is that a main character without a name, you won't even notice it because the movie is excitingly intriguing and interesting that you won't even dare to get up from your seat. Polanski has really put very much effort bringing this novel story into a motion cinematic art of story telling. Thanks to him, politic movie has never been so interesting like ever before especially with the controversy element that he added to satisfy the audience hunger for more.

Ewan in the centre role of the movie executed the character brilliantly as well Pierce Brosnan supporting role really lift up the characters. Both acted really good, but I have to praise brilliant work of Pierce which I find he is really different from the usual James Bond.

Well, from all the good side, there must be something bad about it. Besides, a main character without a name, the movie has a really simple elegant but a bit disappointing ending. I wish that the ending could have been edited by getting rid of couple seconds of the movie exactly before ***SPOILER***** to feed the needs of audiences curiosity.

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Movie Trailer

Killers (2010; Genre: Action, Comedy, Romantic) Rating: 1 / 5 "Neither fun nor action""

Studio Katalyst Films

Distributed by Lionsgate

Directed by Robert Luketic

Release date 4 June 2010

Running time 100 minutes

Language English

Starring Katherine Heigl

Ashton Kutcher

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Brief Synopsis

Jen Kornfeldt (Katherince Heigl) has just recently broken up with his boyfriend and decides to go for a vacation with her parents. On the way to her hotel room, she meets a guy named Spencer (Ashton Kutcher). Then it cuts to the scene where Spencer as a spy is completing his tasks but before he managed to ask Jen out for dinner. Afterwards, both end up having a good holiday together and start to build up their relationships without Jen noticing that her soon coming husband in three years time is actually a spy that work with "bla bla bla" and given a license to "bla bla".

Three years later, Spencer is under a hit list with bounty of $20 million and afterwards the secret slowly evolving. Spencer will then try to run away and deal with those bounty hunter involving Jen which later in the scene announced that she is going to have a baby. Spencer regrettably keep his previous Job before marriage a secret and the drama emerge with happy ending.

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Review

The great premise of the movie if executed well in high level of cinematic art by getting rid of the comedy element and starts moving towards hardcore cinematic art could have been a fantastic movie. However, fact did not say so. Killers is neither funny nor intense with the drama is not fully developed, action is flat and romantic is dull. Killers is just like another TV movie to waste your time.

Getting inside the movie,

Killers has a 45 minutes of nonsense, boring and flat character building. Fortunately, for the audience the action starts to emerge after a long 45 minutes waiting. Yet, it doesn't help in rebuilding the audiences interest about the movie as Killers story line flows flat to the end of it. Moreover, the characters of the movie is not very well executed. It might seems that Kutcher is better staying in drama genre rather than in action genre.

Comparing previous movie with the similar plot "Knight and Day" and "Date Night", Killers is far below than any of those two movies. Perhaps, if Killers was out first before any similar plot movie like K n D and Date Night, it could have received some interest in the audience. However, with all those similar plot flooding the cinema from beginning of 2010, I guess audiences has quite fed up with similar story line.

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Movie trailer

Repo Men (2010; Genre: Sci-fi, Thriller, Drama, Action) Rating : 1.5 / 5 "Tricked by the cover of the movie"

Studio Relativity Media

Stuber Pictures

Distributed by Universal Pictures

Release date(s) March 19, 2010

Running time 111 min

Main actor Jude Law

Forest Whitaker

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Repo Men is a failure of great cinematography. Seems like the art of unknown has really been forgotten in the process of making this movie as it is filled with unnecessary disgusting scene of killing and ripping someone flesh.

Brief Synopsis

2025, where human health has been deteriorating and the demand of organ transplant has incredibly jump up. Therefore, here comes the union as usual acting as an organisation that is slowly consuming either innocents or sinners just to gain great sales of artificial organ transplant.

Due to the cost of the AI organ, repo-men is needed to collect the organ from people who can't afford to meet the monthly payment. No matter what is the reason, repo-men is a human without feeling will just ripped off the AI organ from anyone even though they are still alive.

Remy (Jude Law), is one of the best repo-men that the union have. One day, his best friend Jake (Forest Whitaker) is devastated with Remy plan to quit the repo-men position. Hence, Jake then set-up Remy to become one of the AI organ user itself.

Since then, Remy finally realizes what has he done and now living a live being hunted by the repo-men.

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Review

Remy is a well executed character but not fully developed yet as it seems to be lacking of dark element inside this character. However, Jude Law seems to has done his best bringing this character alive if I may see. So do, Forest Whitaker, as usual always end up in a character that either good or bad.

The biggest disappointment is the movie is filled with unnecessary scene of violence that will put you down to know more about it. The movie will make you sick and finally for some will say "enough is enough" and turn of the TV or maybe walked out from the cinema.

Its too bad and sad to see a great actor in a badly directed movie. The movie would have been okay if they just omitted the bloody killing scene and especially the ending climax scene which I can't believe that the director really go through it.

However, in term of the story line, the movie has a similar plot with the movie "NEXT" starring Nicolas Cage, only repo-men has a different premise and storyline. Well, I might say the drama is not well developed as the audience is only left with only a bit story about his conflicts with his family and rather more focus on the Repo-men activity.

Overall, I would just say that the movie is disappointing as it is.

Inception (2010; Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller, Mystery, Sci-Fi) Rating: 5 / 5 "Stay on it, don't miss any scene and this movie will be amazing"

This latest Nolan works is incredibly exceptional from any other Sci-fi, Mystery movie that you have ever watched. This movie is not for casual movie lovers, it is for hardcore movie goers as it is amazingly complicated and interesting at once. If I may say, this is the best movie for this month and perhaps this year.

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio (Shutter Island) as Cobb and many other famous stars like Ellen Page (Juno). This movie is surely going to be good in term of character execution.

On the other side, Nolan is bringing audience into a higher level of story telling. This movie requires an extra focus, once a scene is missed, you surely going to regret it and even your spider sense will not help you understand this hardcore story. If you are casual movie goers, than be prepared for the surprise, the twist, the plot of various scene, or even more complicated story concept that you can't even believe that you are watching it right now.

I would like to write some part of the synopsis, but I guess it will be too complicated to read it rather than watch it. Well, all I can say is "good luck with it"

Casual movie goers might love to hate "Inception" while hardcore movie goers will love it and will never change their minds about it.

******SPOILER ALERT***********

Well, reaching the end of my review, I would like to explain the ending which I find very open ended. Beware for those who haven't watch it to ignore this part, otherwise, the movie won't be as good as it is.

Ending Scene Explanation

Cobb is still in the dream or in the "Limbo State". It was all Saito that make Cobb believe that he has come out from the dream.

What about the totem?

Remember that Saito did see what Cobb totem is? (The toilet scene, where Cobb dropped his totem and Saito was behind him?) Saito did an amazingly detailed dream for Cobb.

What about his son and daughter?

They are wearing the same clothes and they have grown older. Remember the phone that Cobb made where his daughter voice seems to be an adult voice?

The Karate Kid (2010; Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama, Family, Sport) Rating: 4 / 5 "Watch it or regret it"

The new karate kid is "the modern" version of the previous original version or in other words, Karate Kid is both interesting for young and adult to enjoy. Still keeping the original plot, Karate Kid bring the audience to a new level of story telling. Unlike, the original version that is enjoyable to many age, the new karate kid has the dark side of the story so do a bit violence for children under 10 to watch. Like in Australia, many critics claim that the movie is too violence for children. Well, I admit it in some part of the scene where the kid brutally beaten by his peers but then I would say screw the critics!!!.

Who is in "The Karate Kid"?

Jackie Chan as Mr. Han

Jackie Chan has been acting as good police in Police Story, the best detectives in Rush Hour and Luckiest spy in Tuxedo. Now, Jackie is back not to kick some a** but to teach how to kick some a** in the New Karate Kid. Jackie Chan executed his character "Mr.Han" very well and as usual, Jackie fighting choreography is interestingly fun and appealing to watch and I would love repeat the fighting scene until I am sick of it. 'The spy next door' might let you down, but you will definitely love this movie.

Jaden Smith as Dre Parker

You might have seen this great young actor in pursuit of happiness. His great acting skill is unquestionable, guess it is inherited from his father "Will Smith". Haven't seen him in any fighting movie, Jaden Smith surely surprises his audience with his kung fu skill in this karate kid.

The movie begins with Parker family moving to China in looking for a better life. Like any other foreign kids, Dre is a subject of inevitable bullying at school. One day, Dre faith brings him to a fighting tournament where Jackie is the one who is going to train Dre Parker from zero to a tremendous kungfu fighter.

Still keeping the original plot, the new karate kid is enjoyable to watch with a greater level of story telling. Unlike, classic karate kid, this remake include the dark element which makes the story much more interesting for today tastes. I would love the story dragged a bit longer, but unfortunately it has already running for 140 mins which kinda long for this movie genre. Well, this movie is a "spot on" for my entertainment this week.