Mario Kassar's Parsley Salvation

Well, I watched Terminator Salvation and it proved to be way better than expected. Many reviewers have poured vitriol onto T4 but loyal fans have been turning out in their droves and the film is currently in the number one slot. What is most ruinous however is the trailer, as it gives away a crucial part of the film ... why do so many trailers do this? That gripe aside, and forgiving an annoyingly convenient ending, what we have here is a great actioner and a plot that does enough to keep you guessing through to the near end. Salvation is also superbly filmed following in the realistic style of Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down, etc, and the acting is more than decent enough - Christian Bale's fake deep voice (a la Batman) quickly returns to normal after the first few scenes and he isn't at all bad in the role of John Conner. That said, Bale is outplayed by Sam Worthington in the excellent role of Marcus Wright. There is also a special guest appearance in the final battle scene - guess who's back (kind of).

I don't know where the franchise can go from here, but to me at least Salvation marks a revival in the brand - perhaps we will see a resurgence of scrap metal terminators joining the ranks of scrap metal Predators and Aliens that you find on the souvenir stands around the world, and Terminator vs Alien ... now there's an idea.

When the film started, I noted that Mario Kassar was the producer. I'd seen the name several times before, in a film close to my heart. Yes, he was executive producer on the Rambo trilogy!

I made a half jar of parsley oil later that evening by lightly heating some extra virgin olive oil and dropping some chopped parsley, chili and other herbs into the mix for about a minute or so. It ain't half bad with some crusty toast.

And the link between the parsley oil and Mario Kassar? Umm, I'm struggling here. How's about I give a four star rating to both Salvation and to the parsley oil (i.e. not quite amazing, but might make again).