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.

The Losers (2010; Genre: Action, Comedy) Rating : 1 / 5 "A Loser indeed"

Sources: Wikipedia

Studio                   DC Entertainment

                             Dark Castle

                             Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributed by      Warner Bros. Pictures

Directed by           Sylvain White

Release date        13 April 2010

Running time        103 minutes

Language              English

Starring                 Jeffrey Dean Morgan

                                                                                    Zoe Saldana

                                                                                    Chris Evans

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Quick Synopsis

Five members of special forces team led by Clay are sent for a mission in Bolivia. During an air strike call, they find that a truck load of children is coming in the danger zone. Calling to abort the mission, they are intercepted by "Max" which scrambled their signal and eventually blocked them from calling the mission control. Clay decides to save the children and bring them to extraction. Due to limited space on the chopper, the children are extracted first leaving the special forces behind. However, Max call for a strike on the chopper which kills all the passengers on board.  Realized that Clay is that actual target, they stay undercover on nearby village until a woman approach clay for a mission to kill Max. 

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Review

The movie is bad as it is. Filled with corny and junk dialog, the movie get even worse with ridiculous story line that won't even make audience to impress. Not until there, the fail twisting plot that suddenly pop up  in the middle of the nowhere with unclear motive makes the movie looks like a cheap revenge movie with no direction. All I can say, the movie get to worst from minute to minute. 

The characters are unique if I may say. The biggest disappointment of it is the screen play which I believe need more improvement in character building. The action element is already there. The biggest losers in the movie is the villain "Max" character which you will find it some what to be cool and well developed for the first few minutes but then after 40 minutes, the villain looks like a mentally ill person which the character is poorly executed with a poorly structured dialog which makes him "a  fail wannabe Godfather". 

The premise of the movie is similar to A TEAM but A TEAM is way better than The Losers.

Two words for this movie "Forget it".

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Trailer

Le Petit Nicolas (2009; Genre: Drama Comedy) Rating : 4 / 5

Le petit Nicolas or in English "Little Nicolas" is a film adaption from one of the famous french children book.

The film is about Little Nicolas who imagine funny weird things what will happen to him when his mother is pregnant. Taken away by his imaginations, Nicolas takes himself to various plans of kidnapping his coming sibling to prevent what he imagines that he will be abandoned once his sibling is born. This movie shows you how great is the child imaginations. For adult viewers, seeing this movie is just like remembering their old past adventures. The well developed character Nicolas make the movie loveable to watch. It may quite boring when you see the trailer but don't judge the book by the cover some says.

I haven't read the book yet but I am sure that the book is as good as the movie. I would have to say that the movie worth spending a dime in cinemas with your family on weekends or may be bring your grandpa or grandma for nostalgic. Received 6.6 in IMDB, well, it is up to you.