Eating Muffins

Halme Polvinen Family Collective. You will all be assillymated

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  • Octavus

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    Posted by jukkahoo

    Bejeezus! YLE Teema (the best channel on telly) had Snow Patrol (USA, 1940) on – and what a film it was! Winter War breaks out and little mountain village on the border is threathened by the invading Russians. The lofty border mountains are filled with battle after battle, when the pesky Soviets bombard the heroic Finns. Well, not necessarily that heroic, but nevertheless.

    Not only is this stunningly unrealistic in every imaginable way, the mountain dwelling Finns seem to be Swedish-speakers (Birger, Tyko, Viktor, Gustaf etc), which does explain the large and well-stocked cabins but this is apparently alternate history as well. No, not because there are mountains on the border. It's possible that most viewers won't even notice the historical inaccuracy in the beginning of the film, where Viktor and his Russian friend/competitor Ivan are battling it out with the 18 km crosscountry ski-race. 

    Now, 18km, not that often used distance. Nor are often tracks quite so… downhilly. But those are just mere details when one remembers that Soviet Union first participated Olympics in Helsinki, in 1952. And first Winter Olympics in 1956, in Cortina. Not so much in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 1936.

    Ski Patrol is mercifully short (64 min) and is very average b-movie in all respects, with silly dialogue and stilted acting. And some really nice winter footage from a German war movie (Berge in Flammen, 1932). It's lurid and unrealistic, but as a Finn I enjoyed it for what its worth. And a movie that ends with a line like: "The penalty for traitors is DEATH!", followed by a BIG BAD BOOM!, cannot possibly be all that bad.

    Yes, beer? Brakspear Triple is a… oh, 6,7%, so it's a strong ale. Doesn't taste all that alcoholic, but after few sips it is evident that this is potent stuff. Not bitter, sweet and mellow more like, and well drinkable. Hoppy, malty and tasty.

    I think I'm gonna skip the tv-series this time, since it'd be foolish to try to top Ski Patrol. Here's your arbitrary link though. I'm tired.

  • Septimus

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    Posted by jukkahoo

    There is no beer today, since I've been been at Tapsa Ranta-aho's place, where we few, we happy few, were given a treat of his very own whisky. I seem to recall that it was Bruichladdich distillery where Tapsa had had his barrel of rich, tasty Islay. Correct me if I'm wronk.

    "Poika", as it is apparently called (meaning "son" in Finnish, but it has multiple meanings, not the least among the wrong ice hockey team) is a very nice, spirited little whisky. Slightly peaty, smokyish, but not too strongly, "Poika" is very drinkable uisge baugh. I would've liked to imbibe more, but alas!, today is yet another work day… *sigh*

    I thought that something smoky and a bit dark, gritty and occasioanlly very peaty would be in order with the tv-series. Hence, Ripper Street. Keeping order in the blood-stained streets of London's East End is no easy feat, especially since in the background lurks the fear of the era's most evil killer, Jack the Ripper.

    Matthew Macfadyen is inspector Edmund Reid and with a bunch of (occasionally less than honest coppers) he fights in order to uphold justice and the rule of law. Clever writing and inspired characters cooked up with some really nice set pieces and characteristically well done period drama (just the way Auntie Beeb knows how) makes this really watchable crime series with a twist. And one should not forget Jerome Flynn. With that face, he has done it all: Top of the Pops (with Robson & Jerome), Game of Thrones (Bronn) and now Ripper street. Not to mention that through his mother he is a direct descendant of Oliver Cromwell.

    What could top that? Well, this arbitrary link, surely! Witness the awesomeness of THE MAN WITH THE POWER!

  • Hyvää itseppäisyyspäivää!

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    Posted by Sari

    Ja päivän kunniaksi ihan toisella kotimaisista.Tänään ei ollut ulkona siideri-ilma, ihan liian synkkää ja kovin tyypillistä itsenäisyyspäivän säätä on saanut ihailla. Koiralenkin ja saunan jälkeen valitsin siis juotavaksi epäisänmaallisesti englantilaisen vaalean alen, Sambrooks-panimon Pumphouse Pale Alen. Kauniin kullankeltainen väri, makeahko tuoksu ja kevyt hiukan sitrushedelmäinen maku jota seurasi sopivan karvas jälkimaku sopi vallan mainiosti saunan päälle parvekkeella nautittavaksi.

     TV-sarja on tällä kertaa brittiläinen Bletchley Circle jota brittiläiseen tyyliin tehdään lyhyinä muutaman jakson kausina. Sarjassa Bletchley Parkissa koodinmurtajien apuna työskennelleet naiset yrittävät palata 1950-luvun arkeen saatuaan maistaa itsenäisyyttä ja käytettyään matemaattisia kykyjään sotaponnisteluiden hyväksi. Kotiäidin tai kirjastonhoitajan hommat ymmärrettävästi maistuvat puulta koodinmurtamisen jälkeen ja kun naisten kyky löytää meluisan datan keskeltä toistuvia kaavoja johtaa sarjamurhaajan jäljille joutuu poliisikin kiinnittämään heidän ”puuhasteluunsa” huomiota.

    Brittiläiseen tapaan sarja on hyvin näytelty, mukavasti käsikirjoitettu ja vaikka välillä haluaisi kovasti motata hyväntahtoisia 50-luvun miehenpuolikkaita jotka ovat lähinnä lähettämässä sankareitamme takaisin keittiöön, on tässä maailmassa aivan liian vähän sarjoja joissa naiset ja naisten välinen ystävyys on keskiössä. Odotan innolla seuraavaa kautta.

    Kuva (2)

  • Quintus

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    Posted by jukkahoo

    Jeepers! It's nearly Independence Day! How time flies.

    Today was the St. Urho's Pub day, when the Helsinki-area SF-people meet for our so called mafias. There were schedules, so we stayed only for two hours, in which time I managed to sample two nice beers: Brew Dogs Santa Paws, which was indeed a very nice Scottish Ale, and Lump of Coal stout.

    Santa Paws is made with heather honey, which I reckon is the reason this nice beer tastes a bit herbal? Dark and roasty, very xmasy, which was what I asked from the bartender. Smells better than tastes, though it does taste really good, caramelly dark and complex.

    Lump of Coal is a very sweet and somewhat odd stout. I liked it, but it is not really that stouty, if I know what I say. More like a porter, perhaps? Good beer, will drink again. 

    I've been looking at some newer series lately, one of which is the new Karl Urban show, Almost Human. Were in the near future, but we have a number of scientifically advanced inventions, like robots. This is a bit like I, Robot meets Blade Runner (not really, but I'm drawing blank here, will have to think more appropriate comparison). Urban plays a cop, who has had a traumatic experience, losing his partner and leg on the job.

    He is partnered with a robot, Dorian, who is apparently some kind of a model that has reliability issues, as it is a lot more human-like than the other police robots. Well acted by Michael Ealy, at the same time human, but robotty, almost human…

    So far, four episodes have been shown on telly, but I've grown fond of the interplay between our main characters and there seems to be a decent understanding with the writing team where the show is going and what are the strengths of the show: strong characters and gritty scifi.

    And the arbitrary link of the day, s'il vous plait.

  • Quartus

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    Posted by jukkahoo

    Ah, barley wine! Just what I needed. Criminally Bad Elf is a strong ale, with lots of sweet and plummy flavour. Alcoholic and goes to head quite nicely. Slightly bitter, but only just. As all strong beers, it is best consumed after meal and time to spare. This one is perhaps not criminally good, but it ain't bad either. Very nice end of week drink, something to enjoy, sip and taste. Fruity, with a touch of sweet maltiness.

    Today our tv-show hails from the other side of the world. The Almighty Johnsons is a Kiwi-production, a slow-paced suburban comedy with a twist: the main characters are modern day personifications of old norse gods. In the first episode, young Axl learns that not only is he really a god, but in fact the great old one, Odin himself. And his life's destiny is to find Frigg and get his mojo running, so that the gods may once more be all powerful and rule over the lesser mortals. There is just one catch: unless Axl desn't manage to woo his soulmate, the powers of the gods remain minor.

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    The Almighty Johnsons is a delightfully quirky and pleasant little series. It feels a lot like Buffy done with some of the charm and laidbackness of Flight of the Conchords. You know, a bit sedate and understated. And with an accent that occasionally loses me for a bit. There's a bunch of newzealanders (male) drinking beer and looking for action. And some newzealanders (female) trying to get rid of these said Johnsons and be all that they can be, goddesses without them bothersome gods. Good fun!

    Arbitrary link is seasonal. Make it so. Luvverly.

  • Kolmas luukku

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    Posted by Sari

    Um… Is this on? So hello! Apparently today is my turn to try to fill the Muffins Advent Calendar.

    I decided to be different and forego beers for a ciders. Be advised, however, that I am known in my corner of the world and interent as the person who can't differentiate between Lidl's sugarless budget cola and the real thing, so you know, a word of warning there. 

    I am currently imbibing a first for me, a Spanish cider. Mayador Rosée is made in Spain in Asturias. It has lovely red colour and smells strongly of apples. The taste is not quite as full of apple as one might have expected: there is some tartness but it is overwhelmed by the quite strong sweetness of the aftertaste. This is a nice, summery cider but really a bit too sweet for my taste. 

    My TV-series is Leverage, an American caper series somewhat simliar to the British Hustle. A team of con-artists go all robinhood on the rich, crooked and powerful of America. It is show that sticks to its format quite rigorously, there is a “job”, something seems to go wrong and in the end we are shown how the heroes managed again turn the tables on the bad guys. Even though the seasons do have arcs, marathoning Leverage does get a tad boring – believe me I have done it.

    What I like about the show are the characters, especially the adorable hacker Hardison, played by Aldis Hodge. I like the fact that the socially akward little crazy character (Parker) is a woman, and that the show clears Bechdel test easily as there is another woman in the team. (It takes a a while to see Gina Bellman as someone else than Jane from Coupling, though.) And even if the plots get a tad repetitive and overly complex, I love the banter. 

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    And as a grand finale, my arbitrary link

  • Secundus

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    Posted by jukkahoo

    Today we go Belgian with Blanche de Bruxelles. As wheat beers go, this is a very nice little witbeer. Definitely wheaty, tarty, light on the palate and easy to drink. Want to try out a witbeer? Check this one out. 

    As scifi television series go, getting oneself trapped on a strange world, time or space is a classic predicament. There's nothing really too original with Continuum, but the mix of timetravel, terrorists and sikrit conspiracy work really well this time around.

    The year is 2077. Or 2012. In any case, a number of terrorists-to-be-excecuted are transported back in time, with a single protector (ie. police) via some bizarre occurence. Kiera, the protector, with her amazing future bodysuit, manages to make connection with a teenager Alex, who will in 65 years time be the single most important, wealthiest and influential man alive, the mastermind behind his vast consortium and more or less responsible for the far-future oppressive Blade Runner reality gone astray. 

    The terrorists take action with an agendum of starting the revolution before the fact. Hijinks and police procedurals happen. And then some. The first season jumps between the now of 2012 and the previous lives of the time traveled people, mainly Kiera. Building up slowly, Continuum manages to introduce intrigue and character development in small, but meaty dosages. There are moments when it bends too much of the old "iron wire" (Finnish idiom, check it out), but with nice amount of good action and clever play with the future vs now, Continuum presents itself s a good sf-series with interesting themes and characters. Well worth your while.

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    Two seasons of this Canadian sf-series so far, with more to come.

    Arbitrary link: THIS ONE!

    Tomorrow, Sari will take over the blog, as she will do every third day. Expect the beer to change into cider. Otherwise, I have no idea what madness she will unleash!

  • Ostium primus

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    Posted by jukkahoo

    It is the season of opening doors (or in my case, the caps) from your advent calendar. Like last year, I thought that beer goes well with the wait for the Man in Red to make his appearance. Unlike last year, I won't be talking about films I've recently seen. No, this years calendar will focus on the world of television, since that is where most of the interesting stuff is happening.

    Mind you, I may go with entertainment and the attainment of gratification over edumacation and edutainment. My opinions are my own and should not be seen as word of Dog. Although Mogens does have very strong opinions that one should take seriously. 

    Today's beer is Belfast Bay's McGovern's Oatmeal Stout. Very dark colour, almost pitch black and the flavour lingers along that same dark line. Very roasty, bitter (but not too much), smooth stout. Lovely drink. Aftertaste is dark, a bit musty but pleasant. And then it gets a bit coffee-like? Great start for the calendar. Belfast Bay also brews a very nice red Lobster Ale.

    The series of the day is Warehouse 13. It is one of the Syfy-series that have a tenuous connection with each others (Eureka, Alphas and W13). I like W13 (as I just started calling it for short) a LOT. It is fun, entertaining and galore of popular culture references. (Eureka is great too, but Alphas is a bore.)

    W13 is a mixture of Indiana Jones, X-Files and romantic comedy. It's light and fluffy, not the least because of its brilliant casting choices, but it packs a lot of punch with its gallery of interesting guest characters (H. G. Wells, I'm talking about you!). Highy recommended if you want to spend time taking it easy and without the ever present "long arch of the show" bogging down the flow of the episodes. This is mainly artifact of the episode -kind of a show, but the script includes a lot of backstory and character interaction that carries from episode to episode. Four full seasons so far, with a six-episode fifth miniseason coming is 2014.

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    The arbitrary recommendation of the day is Lonkeropiirakan joulukalenteri. Yes, in Finnish, but this is another great seasonal calendar with a theme of 30 Day Film Challenge. Looking forward to their various choices. As to their first day's question, I fully support Grandpa Cthulhu's pick of Shichinin no samurai. It is a truly great movie and what he says about it is spot on, other than the fact that to me the action scenes are *not* clear, but very chaotic and *realistic* in that sense. Korppisusi has a very interesting choice, Aeon Flux. I cannot for the life of me remember that much from the film, but I'd be hard to call it a masterpiece.

    My choice? Confidental Report (aka. Mr. Arkadin), surely.

  • NT Not So Live: Othello

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    Posted by Sari

    One of the drawbacks of living two hours ahead of Greenwich mean
    time is that when the National Theatre began streaming their shows in
    cinemas, the timing proved to be a problem for Finnkino. Now we get
    only a selection of the NT Live performances, and after the fact.
    Still, much better than nothing as this outing once again proved.

    Nicholas Hytner has made a name for himself for his modernised
    Shakespeare productions at National and his this years hit, Othello,
    continues the trend. Sometimes the modern dress can be a (tired)
    gimmick, sometimes a way to bridge the gap between modern audiences
    and the Shakespearean language, and sometimes, like here, it can
    bring the play into a focus in a way that a period production never
    could.

    This Othello emphasizes the military context of the play. After
    the first act on the streets of Venice and bunkered command centre
    the action takes place on a closed military base in Cyprus. The war
    against the Turk has ended before it really started, and we are left
    with a bunch of soldiers with nothing to do, confined inside their
    harsh modern compound. It is a perfect claustrophobic set for Iagos
    words to work their poison.

    The modern setting also allows an interpretation which is less
    about race and the ugly racist stereotype of bestial blackness that
    the play often enforces. Here Othello, masterfully played by Adrian
    Lester, is first and foremost – not to mention very self-consciously
    – a soldier. That is where his self-confidence comes from, that is
    what he is valued for. That is why he he believes his ”honest Iago”
    – a fellow soldier – and that is why loving Desdemona too well
    forces him out of his comfort zone and into a tailspin.

    The fact that Olivia Vinall's Desdemona is even more ethereal,
    young and naive than in some I have seen emphasizes the disconnect
    between Othello's military world and her civilian one. In a modern
    army base, Desdemona with her bad posture, flip-flops and sweatpants
    is even more of an anomaly: a disruption to the routines of the
    soldiers and distraction to the commander.

    Iago is often played as an evil genius, a puppet-master expertly
    tugging the strings of other characters. Kinnear takes a different
    approach. He is angry and wants revenge, but the whole play feels
    more like a cunning plan slipping slowly out of control. He is inchoately goading reactions out of
    other characters, and when in the end he is left for a moment to
    stare his handiwork the look on his face is more baffled and
    incredulous than satisfied.

    The key scene in the play is the one where Othello eavesdrops on
    Cassio and Iago and then succumbs to an epileptic fit; after that
    there is a sort of sordid inevitability to the rest of the play. Here the
    scene is played under the sickly white light of a barrack's men's
    room. Othello is eavesdropping the conversation from a toilet
    cubicle, and the scene ends when the mocking Iago standing over the
    prostate form of his general, downs a glass of water we thought he
    meant for Othello. The callous, unexpected act forces an
    uncomfortable laughter out of the audience. It is difficult to imagine the scene better realized.

    For his credit, Hytner manages to keep the tension going even after the
    turning point and gives us a powerful last scene: Othello’s
    violence, Desdemona's desperate fright, Emilia's guilty, volcanic
    anger all make compelling viewing, and is made even more poignant by
    the Willow-song scene preceding it. The camaraderie between Emilia
    and Desdemona who are here sharing a beer on rickety lawn chairs is palpable, and
    both Vinall and Lyndsey Marshall act the hell out of the scene.

    As with Hytner's Hamlet, this is a great, contemporary
    interpretation of a classic, and in this case a truly problematic classic. The production made Othello more coherent than the text actually is, and wrought excellent performances
    form the cast. Extra thanks go to the director of the NT Live
    production, who kept the action all the time dynamic without visibly
    forcing an extra layer between the viewers in the cinema and the
    actors on the stage.

     

  • The Hugo Awards

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    Posted by Sari

    I have been following the Hugos with
    interest for over a decade now, before that I usually just tried to
    fit the winner to my reading schedule. From the turn of the millenium
    onwards I have been reading more and more of the nominees, and have
    made a point attending the Hugo panel in Finncon if at all possible.
    This year was first time I both nominated and voted in the awards.
    Very few of my nominations got to the short-list, and even fewer of
    my first place choices won – quite the opposite: about half of the
    winners were at or near the bottom of my ballot. This does not,
    however mean that I think that the awards are broken, or that the
    result was wrong by any reasonable standards. These are popular
    awards voted by the membrers of WSFS. As with all the popular
    awards, the results will never please everyone, people have different standards for voting, and very, very rarely
    the award goes to something that is edgy or controversial. Them's the
    breaks.

     And despite being in the minority, I
    loved the process. I had no problem conceptualising the fact that my
    supporting membership to this year's Worldcon made me a member of WSFS for that year
    and gave me right to vote, with other members, on Hugo awards. I like
    the fact that I was voting as a member of a community, adding my
    voice to the whole. I was plenty huffy about what terrible choices my
    fellow members made both in the awards and in the nominating stage,
    but that, too, was part of the fun. I fully reserve the right to rant
    how these philistines obviously would not know a good book if it bit
    them, but – as I said – that does not mean that there is
    something wrong with the process (humanity, maybe, but that is
    another post entirely).

    Everything could be better. It would be
    good if even more people nominated, voted, and felt the Hugos were for
    them. It would be nice that people to whom the supporting membership
    is serious money could be integrated to the process, it would be nice
    if Hugo voting could encompass a Campbell-like not-a-Hugo for YA, and
    it would be nice if we had jet packs and flying cars. Maybe unicorns.
    We are unlikely to get unicorns, but more people have been voting on
    Hugos during the last years, and there is ongoing discussion – be it
    sometimes acrimonious – about the directions the awards should be
    going. It is by large a good thing.

    Voting in the Hugos has made me a more
    informed reader in that I have read quite a lot of stuff I would
    never have read otherwise. It made me feel as a part of international
    SF community the way that voting for example in the Locus awards has
    never done. ”So, how about them Hugos?” has turned out to be a
    great conversations starter within fandom. The juried awards like
    Clarke or WFA continue to be better fit to my reading taste, but I
    will want to be part of the Hugos for years to come. Because Hugos
    are fun!