Lucy: philosophical super-heroine adventure

This is a super-hero movie. And the super-heroine is way cooler than Batman, more powerful than Superman, and even all the X-Men and Avengers combine could not defeat her. And in one of the scene, she even imitate Venom, but not to destroy nor kill but to build a computer. What? She is that powerful? Yup.


Lucy can be as simple or as complex one made it to be. The basic story is so simple, she began as a drug mule. Following a mishap whereby the luggage in a abdomen was leaked, she began to develop super power following the overdose. Wow. This is the interesting way to gain super power. Not being vengeful following death of family, nor being born that way, nor being bitten by a radioactive insect, not wearing high tech armour, not even being a product of a science experiment. Just a simple overdose of experimental illicit substance. (bad message to people out there, in real life, people die from overdose. they DO NOT become powerful being) Following that, she gain access to more extensive part of the brain, of course, eventually 100%. In that process, she gain power of telekinesis, manipulate electrical items, fast reflex, and evetually power over time and space. Basically she became God-like. Of course throw in the Korean mafia who is hot on her heels to retrieve the original package which she is suppose to deliver. And basically that summarize the whole movie.


Scarlett Johansson plays the title character well enough. The whole movie is about her, and most of the screen time is with her in it. She looks perplexed and ambivalent most of her time up until the climax of the show. She would not earn a Oscar from this, but her performance is well enough. I still like her as Black Widow though. The rest are just accessories. Morgan Freeman plays a professor trying to guide Lucy while Choi Min-Sik plays the main bad guy. Too few chance for them to shine.

As a super hero movie, Lucy fails terribly. The main baddie is not powerful being trying to take over the world, but just some gangster, who look powerless in most scene. Even with all her power, and being not hesitant to kill in the movie, she has to let the villain live when she could have just kill him. That would save us lots of time. The action sequence is average, though the car chase sequence is one of the better ones. The main climax fight is a disappointment where by it is just gangster fight with lots and lots of guns. But, Lucy is not our usual super hero movie. This is a thinking movie. Even philosophical. So much so that I bet not many people understand the whole show. Before going into the cinema, a friend actually told me about the show. "it is not a bad movie...." and he began to narrate the whole movie. And after watching Lucy myself, I found the narration was all wrong. There are so many deep question roaming about. The existential theories. The concept of time in existence. The purpose of being. I would not even try to explain about it here, but do prepare to think while watching this show.



Overall, it was, as my friend put it, an average movie. Despite the deep meaning to the show, it did not make the impact I hope it did. I will still probably forget the movie a month later, but for a weekend without many other choice, this probably still above the rest.


ratings: 2 half poink!
comments: prepare to use more than 15% of our brain in this short 1 half hour.

Tandoor Grill: elegant way of Indian dining

There are many superb Indian eateries around, and probably I am not the best one to recommend any since I have limited dining experience with them in Ipoh. However, I assure you that Tandoor Grill is one of the more popular joint, even to those who do not frequent Indian cuisine.

Located near to Greentown business centre, this is the same vicinity as the old MP steamboat (currently the new OIC restaurant). One would not miss the stand alone amazing building, which I assume was renovated from one of the old Ipoh bungalow. There are ample carpark at the back of the building, therefore no worries about not able to find a place to stop by.

The ground floor of the building is the usual restaurant with a few private  rooms for individual functions. The place is spacious, with the darken lighting that suits fine dining. Upstairs consist of a ballroom, big enough even for a wedding reception.

On arrival, the staff would gladly show us to the entrance, and the service is definitely on par with any other expensive restaurant. The menu is the typical Indian fare, with a good range of choices, from the usual naan and tandoori to the dessert. I would not be the best person to review this as I have very limited knowledge on Indian cuisine, but to an usual customer as me, the food is rather good. I really enjoy the naan, though it is not the best ones I ever have, but certainly above average. The tandoori chicken is also up to expectation, with the juicy meat, without being too dry. The rest of the food is up to expectation, I really enjoy the briyani too. For the budget consious, one can come here for buffet lunch which would cost RM28.90 per person.

Given the good food, and great environment, this would be a good place to dine. However, gathering the opinion of my friends who frequent Indian cuisine, the common thoughts were this is not the best Ipoh have to offer in term of taste. The rather costly price also would deter me to come here frequently, but probably only once in a blue moon. Still, this would be a good choice to pamper myself whenever I feel like going Indian.


ratings: 3 half poink!
comments: if lunch, do come earlier to avoid the crowd. for dinner, come later as the food tends to be slower at 7pm. (we waited rather long for food when we arrived for dinner one of the days)

Tandoor GRill
No 9, Jalan Chin Choon
Ipoh, Perak
05-2525995

Guardians of the Galaxy: sci-fi A team

Come on, what could you expect from a team that call themselves as Guardians of the Galaxy? The opening itself set the whole tone for the movie, with lots of reference to the 80's, this is not a movie to be taken seriously. Do not get me wrong, there is some merit not to take it seriously.

The whole story is rather simple. Peter Quill is a space adventurer (ravager to be exact) who manages to get hold of an infinity stone which a major villain Ronan wanted so badly (throw in Thanos in the picture since it is an infinity stone, anyway). Knowing that once the stone fall into the wrong hand, the world will be destroyed. So, a rag team of Quill, Gamora, Rocket, Groot and Drax forged a unlikely alliance and work together to save the universe. And of course in the process, defeated Ronan. It did remind me of A-team for those who lives in the 90's. Team of weirdos who manage to form a great team while remaining outlaw and accomplishing missions after missions. Except this round, we did not have Murdoch but other weirdos who are not... human. One human to be the leader, green step-daughter of Thanos who is an assasin, talking raccoon, walking tree and....a muscular guys who looks angry most of the time.


The acting has nothing to shout about. All of the carry their role as needed. The CGI were impressive for a summer blockbuster. Rocket the raccoon is darn cute and Groot has nothing more to say except his name. The action especially the last battle scene is nice, involving lots of flying but nothing to remember once I stepped out the cinema.


On paper, the whole movie really looks like an expensive B grade show. Or at least a TV show. Very cheesy lines. Some jokes throw in here and there. Plot with many holes that may not make sense. Cheesy alliance. And instead of falling apart, somehow the movie works well. Just for the fact, that it did not take itself seriously. Do not expect a movie that will touch my heart, or impress my mind. It is just a nice joy ride. Fun and more fun but probably some ride I will forget later.  Good enough for me to pay for the ticket. With the current batch of summer movies, probably this is one of those ovies which is above average. Good for Marvel Studio which managed to churn out rather consistent product. Looking forward for the next release by them, as long as its not Howard the Duck.

ratings: 3 poink!
comments: as usual, there are some teaser at the end of credit, but this round, do not bother to wait for the looooong credit to finish. It is just a scene to introduce Howard the Duck.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: a simian triad movie

I am old enough to watch a few of the original Planet of the Apes (those days, RTM loves to screen reruns and old movies.. hey, even today RTM does that!). All I could recall was the fake monkey mask and the human wearing next to nothing. Total role reversal. Similarly, I could not recall much from the remake by Tim Burton, which again, may not be that memorable at all. However, I was pleasantly taken aback by The Rise of the Planet of the Apes. It was one of the most memorable movies ever made. James Franco and Andy Serkis were in their top form, and it was such a touching movie.

Therefore, I had high expectation on the next sequel/ prequel/ reboot. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes continues where Rise left. Many of the earth population were wiped out from the simian flu, which basically originate from the lab in the first movie. Many years later, Caesar, the genetically enhanced ape, built his own colony of monkeys and were living peacefully. However, fate has it that a small human colony chanced upon  the ape settlement while searching for power source from a certain dam. The human side, desperate for power, send Malcolm (Jason Clarke) to negotiate with Caesar. There is initial distrust but after some time, both of them learn to trust and respect each other. However, there is always the villain. This time it was one of the apes who betray Caesar (not consider as spoiler, I guess, since from beginning everyone can sense that he will become the main villain), and carefully instigate a war between the human and apes.


Clarke is no James Franco, his role seems to be secondary. It is Serkis and the motion capture that brought the film to another level. Every emotion was portrayed so well that the monkey can even contend for an Oscar. CG plays an important role here as I believe many of the apes were produced that way. However, compared to other summer blockbusters showing the same time, it is nothing to shout about.



It is a really enjoyable film. The first half was bit slow, but subsequently the story picks up. There are some poignant moment again, for those who had watched the first movie, there is a reference to the earlier work which brought back lots of memories. However, it is still not as great as the first movie. While the first movie works because of the poignant relationship between each characters, the bleak fate eventually  that destroy them, it was more on a personal and emotional level. Dawn, on the other hand, felt more like watching a good triad movie. The ape clan, with its own brand of "yihei" (ape do not kill other ape); the appearance of another human clan; the initial agreement that both clans should not cross each other path; the eventual trust; the betrayal of one the members which sparks an all out war..... all the good elements to make a good HongKong triad movie. That, is not a bad thing, since I also enjoy a good triad movie. But still, I prefer the first one. Personal preference, I guess



Still, I do believe that this is one of the better movies rolled out in this summer. Highly recommended! No regrets catching the whole movie here.

ratings: 3 half poink!
comments: still undecided whether should I root for the human or apes....

Ben's Burger@TSG: meals for giant burger lovers

Burger had evolved so far. The similar evolution that had taken over coffee drinker. From the humble road side coffee to the designer coffee nowadays which cost easily more than RM10 per cup. From the humble road side Ramly's to the multiple-choices-designer-own-produced patty's type of burger. That is how I felt when I step into Ben's Burger. Located on the ground of Ipoh Parade, one can easily locate this joint which can be reached by just exiting the complex via turning right after exiting the main entrance.

Being a new joint, the service is very tip-top and attentive. The workers are friendly and did not make us rush for choices. The setup are simplistic and practical. No old items hanging on the wall nor artistic graffiti here and there. It is to be sort of a fast food joint anyway. There is nothing else here but burgers.Yes, there are side dishes, but do not expect other food for main course except burgers. No pasta, not even sandwiches. I like the place for not being pretentious. If I wanted a healthy meal, I would not come to a burger joint in the first place. I am not sure though whether the menu will expand in the future but I really hope not.

shark attack

Looking at the menu, one would expect to spend more than RM20 per meal here. This is to be expected for any burger joint nowadays. No more cheap burger that I could get over in McD. There are a few choices, but expect variant of beef, chicken, shrimp, fish and vege burgers. Colleen ordered the Shark Attack (RM19.90) which basically is fish burger. The patty is rather nice, served with their dressing and 2 slices of deep fried onion in the middle. My order was Bacon Loaded (RM22.90). The beef patty is equally nice, though on the last few bite, it felt like Big Mac instead. The bacon is the highlight of the whole burger, and it did not disappoint. Similarly,it is served with deep fried onion in the middle. Seems like the whole set is nice, but there are few distracting issues at hand. If separated, the ingredients are really nice. The onion, the patty (beef or fish), the bacon, and even the bread is nicely done. However, once combined, they did not bring anything new. They just felt.... plainly nice. Not even great. Just nice. The other problem is the huge portion. Even for a big eater like me, I find it difficult to finish the whole set, which is served with lots of fries. There were another 2 tables having dinner at the same time as me and all of them could not finish each of their set. I should have heeded my friend's advice, 1 set to be shared among 2 rather than 1 set each. The last issue is the price. The setup would suggest designer style of burger, with their own self made patty, but the service and menu suggested more like fast food style of burger. The price would lean towards higher end of fine dining but the burgers, which supposedly to be the star, just felt short of expectation. It felt more like a huge portion of a slightly-better-fast-food burger.

bacon loaded

At the end of the dinner, both of us did finished our burgers, but none of us could finish the fries. It was nice, but I would still prefer the grilled chicken burger at McD or zinger at KFC. And the champion of all burgers, for me, is still the good old Ramly special with cheese. Then again, someone else may enjoy this so much that Ben would dethrone the good old Ramly. Worth trying, decent effort, especially on the patty.

ratings: 2 half poink~!
comments: it was stated that the idea of Ben's burger came from a young kid. Definitely not the size of the burger. It would last him a few days to finish the whole set.

Ben's Burger @TSG
lot G26A, Ground Floor Ipoh Parade
No 105, Jalan Sultan Abdul Jalil,
Ipoh
open 10am -12am

Osaka: good mixture of everything Japanese

Philosopher's walk

This is my third trip to the land of sun. Yes, both me and Colleen love it so much that we decided to visit again. Of course, this time, we are going out from Tokyo and decided to visit the southern part of Japan, making Kansai as the base of our visit. The food is great, the public transport is so convenient, and the culture is eye opening. The Japanese is still as discipline as every, the place is safe for travelling alone, and the elderly generation, especially the ones we encountered in Kyoto is so welcoming. The Japanese working attitude is something that we is years away; they take pride in their job, including the elderly whose work is to trim moss. This is our itinerary, and this time, we have the opportunity to go with another couple, which is great experience as well.

Ginkakuji 

Day 1: arrival in Kansai Airport (KIX)
Arriving in the late afternoon at about 1600, we are still in time to catch the Haruka Express to Kyoto. (tips: get the ICOCA-Haruka deal in JR station for a very very much worth it price, inclusive of the train ride into Kyoto an hour away and also ICOCA card, which is the IC card used for most subway and public transport in Kansai region). We checked into Capsule Ryokan in Kyoto station area. The budget accomodation is small, but you have to see it to believe how good are the Japanese in use of space.
The remaining of the night is spent in Kyoto station. The station has many choices for food, and even an observatory for night view, all free of charge

Kiyomizudera temple

Day 2: Kyoto east
start of the day with Sansugendo hall, with the famous 1001 statue of Buddha and also the guardian diety. No photo allowed inside, but do not miss the place.
We proceeded to Ginkakuji, which is a nice view for the silver pavillion. Finish the visit with the walk along Philosopher's path, which is a approximately 2km walk along a small river  with a few small temple in between. There are still a few sakura trees remaining, making the walk not so tedious and dull.
We ended the walk with nanzenji, however, we did not enter to the main hall. The outside environment is impressive, but frankly, it is not so special after all.
For lunch, we visited Nishiki market. It is not the typical Tsukiji wet market but the usual dry and clean market in Kansai region. There are more street food kind of choice than proper restaurant but still, the food is great.
We continued to Kiyomizudera temple on top of the hill. Over rated, and so crowded, but still a sight not to be missed. Descending from the hill via the old street is a shopping experience for all things tourist related. We ended up in Yasaka park which is the usual Japanese public park (reminiscent of Ueno in Tokyo) and Gion area. Forget about hunting for geisha, as the place is crowded with tourist. We ended up eating dinner in Kyoto station instead.

Arashiyama bamboo forest

Day 3: Arashiyama/ Kyoto north
For our Arashiyama trip, we started with Togetsukyo bridge, which is, again, over rated. The significance is lost for foreigners compare to local. Tenryuji temple is a must for most itinerary, which is the typical Japanese shrine. The free bamboo groves is the highlight of the trip, which make a very nice photography moment.
Since we still feel fresh, we continued walking to Saga toriimoto (old street), Gioji temple (moss garden) and Adashino Nenbutsuji temple (small stones statues on ground). Given the far walking distance, I would probably just visit Gioji for the moss garden and give the rest a miss.
Lunch in Arashiyma is not easy to find, but concentrated on one side of the station.
Northern Kyoto trip started with Ryoanji temple, famous for zen rock garden. However, for most people, it is just a few rocks with pattern of pebbles/ sand. Only for those who know how to appreciate. Ginkakuji, the golden pavillion is worth visiting, solely to visit the golden structure, counterpart to the silver pavillion.
We still found enough time for a short visit to Nijo castle, which is a nice visit with a glimpse to how an actual Japanese castle looks like and function.
It is interesting to note that for both days, we used the one day bus pass which manage to cover all the above sites.

Fushimi Inari shrine

Day 4: End of Kyoto visit, Hello Osaka.
Ended the Kyoto leg with Fushimi Inari shrine. Famous for its endless torii gates, this is probably one of the must-see place for Kyoto, although bit out of the way for most tourist spot.
We travel to Osaka, started using our 2 days amazing Osaka pass for our subway and also entrance fee for most of our tourist spots.
We visited the museum of history, and also Osaka castle museum which is within walking distance from our hotel Keihan Temmabashi. Both are good for the history buff, but Osaka castle being a museum in a castle, is more impressive.
The night is the visit to Kita/ Umeda area, with visit to HEP 5 shopping complex, the ferris wheel on top, Sega joypolis (nothing great) and finally the Umeda sky building floating garden observatory. Although requiring some walking distance, the observatory is rather nice. However, the Umeda/Nishi Umeda/ HIgashi Umeda station complex is rather confusing, is the one single place that we actually got lost.

Day 5: Osaka proper.
The morning is spent at the Bay area with visit to Kaiyukan aquarium, which is worth the expensive entrance. Since the boat ride is free with our pass, we took the Santa Maria boat ride to rest after a good lunch.
We made a quick stop at Museum of housing and living which is very very convenient since it is located in a building joint together with the subway station. The rest of the afternoon is spent at Den Den town for manga/ figurine shopping.
The night we made a quick stop at Minami/ Namba area, complete with Tombori river cruise. I would not pay for the cruise but since it was covered by our pass, why not.

Osaka Kaiyukan

Day 6:  Nara
This is the only place we engage the help of goodwill guide from YMCA, which is highly recommended. The short one day trip open our eyes to many things culture related that we saw for the past few days. There are plenty of deers around, and yes, they may be intimidating at times, but not to worries, they are rather tame. We visited Kofukuji temple which is the normal Japanese shrine, Nara park, Todaiji temple (for the big bronze Buddha), Nigatudo, Kasuga Taisha (many stone, and metal lantern). Remember not to miss the local kai no hazushi which is sushi wrapped in persimmon leaves.


Day 7: Kobe
Everyone is rather tired by the time we hit Kobe, so we had to cross out many of the place we intended to visit. Nunobiki Herb park is a nice place to wind down with pleasant walk around nature. Coming downhill, we made a quick stop at Kintano area, but the European influened sturctures and houses are much smaller than what I expected. We ended up not going into any of it. We made use of the loop bus to go to nankinmachi, which is Kobe's chinatown. Being from Malaysia, DO NOT try the chinese food here as most are highly price and not that tasty compare what we can find here. However, some of the street food here is good. In fact, we had one of the best Kobe beef steak beside the road. Of course we know it is not the famous Kobe wagyu strain, but still, it is one of the best beef I had ever tasted ever.
We spent the afternoon going to sake brewery, the easiset to find being Hakutsuru sake museum. Even though after a week of visiting museum, this trip is still worth the walk. Just concentrate on the free sake tasting at the end of the tour. Yes, we ended buying some sake for the night.

outside Osaka castle

Day 8: goodbye Osaka
the last morning, we visited Kuromon ichiba market. Although it is a small street for local food related shopping, there are so many choices of freshly cooked stuff here, including sea food. Of course, I chose to eat the Kobe beef again. Being an otaku, we walk to Den Den town after that for some final shopping.

Overall, this trip has more cultural taste compare to our Tokyo outing last year. Kyoto is more expensive, but the people are friendlier and warm. Osaka is a good mixture of everything, which has a piece of pie for everyone. A good note is Den Den town still pale in comparison to AKB in Tokyo but good enough to make me wait until my next visit to AKB. The whole trip is cheaper than my expectation, but still relatively more expensive compare to trips to Indo- China. The whole trip, inclusive of airfare, souveniours shopping, taxi ride back to our house from Aman Jaya costs us RM7k for two. The bulk of the epxenditure is on admissions and transport. There are wys to cut down on transport using bus pass for Kyoto and also Osaka Amazing pass for Osaka and Hanshin pass for Kobe. A fast food cheap meal (rice, noodle, not burgers) in the area cost around 500 yen, but a decent restaurant meal would cost 700-1000 yen.

ratings: 4 poink!
comments: next stop, Hokkaido.