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