Movie Review - Babylon AD

Movie Title
Babylon AD
Year
2008
Genre
Action, Sci-Fi

Immaculate Conception via Science?

Story
Set in a bleak (aren’t they always?) future, Toorop (Vin Diesel), some kind of mean & heartless mercenary guy (aren’t they always?), accepts a job from the Russian mob to deliver a girl named Aurora (Mélanie Thierry) from a convent in Eastern Europe to America. Of course, things are never that simple.

Aurora, we learn, is a special girl who always seemed to knew things she had never learned (like how to pilot a submarine or use guns). These abilities were triggered by a “doctor” at the convent, who had given her a pill (the selfsame “doctor” who told her to go to America) just several months before she met Toorop. Accompanied by her Noelite Convent “guardian” nun Sister Rebeka (Michelle Yeoh), they begin their journey from Russia to America, while fleeing from mercenaries. We eventually learn that 2 groups are after her – a Religious Sect and their scientific opponents. When the trio reached Russia, they boarded a submarine that carried them to Canada, all the while with hired goons chasing after them.

In the rendezvous drop-off point in America, the “doctor” met Aurora once more and confirms that she was “pregnant” while keeping in mind that she had been in a convent all her life and had never seen a man until Toorop. Toorop realizes that something was amiss when he sees goons with guns gathering outside the apartment, and decides to wax heroic. A massive shootout ensues and Sister Rebeka bites it (thankfully) with Toorop to follow suit as a homing missile was trained on him. Aurora saves Toorop by shooting him, rendering him technically “dead” so that the missile would not home in on him, until he was later revived by her presumed-dead scientist father, having been turned into a cyborg.

There is yet another showdown with the pursuers and there was a happy ending after all the confrontations were done and explanations given (hmmm, maybe I wasn’t paying attention).

Acting
Altho’ much effort had been infused into it, somehow the acting has a going by the numbers feel to it. So even though I quite like Vin Diesel (especially in the Riddick Movies and in xXx), this one didn’t really do it for me.

Michelle Yeoh, unfortunately, was a different story. I can’t, for the life of me, recall any Hollywood movie she acted in that I liked. (OK, I kind of liked Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon a little but that was not really a Hollywood movie but more like a Hollywood-made Chinese movie.)

Overall
This is one confusing movie that left a really unpleasant taste after watching. As a rule of thumb, if one has to go online to read discussions to understand the movie, I would consider it as badly executed. This is such a movie.

Why were the 2 children of different colors? What did they represent? How does the Yin-Yang allegory tie back to what the Neolites were trying to achieve with this? Why were there so many loose ends at the end of the movie (that has no apparent sequel planned)?


Order your DVD copy here:
http://astore.amazon.com/eareotbi-20/detail/B001KMB6X2

Rating: 5/10

Movie Review - Terminator Salvation

Movie Title
Terminator Salvation
Year
2009
Genre
Sci-Fi, Action

Story
The story takes place after Judgment Day (which happened at the end of Terminator 3) in the year 2018. John Connor (Christian Bale) is now a formidable and respected field leader of the Human Resistance against Skynet. In a field mission, the Resistance discovers a coded signal that is able to finally destroy Skynet and all the machines. However, this came at a price where all of the field operatives were killed, leaving John Connor the only survivor.

With the discovery of the coded signal, the Resistance finally has a weapon that could end the war. The Resistance Leaders plan for an immediate attack as they know that they have been targeted for termination by the machines within the week, but topping the list of people to be terminated was a name we are all too familiar with - Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin). John Connor knew then that Kyle had to be saved so that Mankind would have a chance against the machines because, as we all know, if Kyle dies before John has a chance to send him back to the past to protect Sarah Connor, he would not exist.

In the aftermath of the destruction from the very same mission where the code was found, Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a murderer on death row from the year 2003 who had offered his body to science as his final act of redemption, somehow crawls out of the wreckage unscathed, after John Connor had left the scene and stumbles upon the only survivors of the Resistance, LA Branch – a teenaged Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin) and another child named Star (Jadagrace).

Kyle and Star were captured while Marcus was left for dead when they were on the way to rendezvous with the rest of Resistance before the final attack on Skynet. Marcus was retrieved back to the Resistance base by pilot Blair Williams (Moon Bloodgood – who looks likely to be the next Sci-Fi action flick chick). However, we all (yes audiences included) soon learn that Marcus is not what he seems as he is more than half machine! It is Marcus that tells John Connor that Kyle had been captured & held by Skynet in San Francisco. John scrambles to rescue Kyle before the attacks against Skynet is executed. Acting
Well, Sam Worthington & Anton Yelchin aside (both turned in really credible performances) I really liked Christian Bale as John Connor so much more so than Nick Stahl in T3. I thought Bryce Dallas Howard (M. Night Shyamalan's muse?) as Kate Connor was underused as she is capable of meatier stuff (as evident in The Village & Lady in the Water). After all, she is Ron Howard’s little girl. Overall
Excellent 4th installment of the franchise! Great summer fare. I can’t wait for T5. Go watch, worth the time spent regardless if you are a fan of the Terminator franchise or not.

Order your DVD copy here: http://astore.amazon.com/eareotbi-20/detail/B001FB55HQ

Rating: 7/10

Additional Comments
Why, oh why, did they have to include a token Arnold Schwarzenegger scene in there? Also, the Aqua-Terminators looked too much like mini Scorponoks (Transformers). The Moto-Terminators on the other hand were way cool!

Food Review - Yoyo Snack (Mid Valley)

NameYoyo Snack @ Mid Valley
FoodJapanese-style Fusion
LocationMid Valley 2nd Floor

Getting there
Located on the 2nd floor (near the escalators) at the South Side (Metro Jaya side) of Mid Valley.

ParkingMid Valley or Gardens parking bays.

ServiceYou place your orders at the counter, make your payment and you will be given an order token. The food will be brought to your table.
AmbienceVery clean & well lit. Makes for a nice ambience for the price that diners pay. Nice tables and chairs in the open area with nice (made to look very Japanese-like) serving bowls for the food.

TastePretty decent and the fact that they also serve pork makes it a pleasant surprise in terms of food available in a mall.
We had:
- Super Bowl Rice
- Pork Chop Rice (Japanese-style)
The rice includes (depending on the variant ordered) items such as sausage, chicken wing, egg, pork chop, either in curry or soy sauce.
PresentationPresented in fine looking Oriental design serving bowls.

VarietyThey have quite a few items in their selection ranging from Rice to Noodles and burgers to local favorites like Coffee-Shop style toasted bread and coffees/teas.

Value for MoneyGood value. You can get all of the items for under RM10.
OverallNice no-frills alternative fast food in a cozy but open environment.