Eating Muffins

Posted by jukkahoo

Here in Finland, the Christmas Eve is the day when the Great Feast takes place, presents are given and most of things happen. The following day is quiet, comtemplative affair. Some might say solemn.

Since proper Xmas calendars have 24 windows and the traditionally crateful beginnings of a beer calendar have similar number of bottles, this is the last one. Here goes:

Mikkeller Red White Christmas beer is mix of Pale Ale and Belgian Wheat. And what a mix it is, too!HOPS ahoy and then some! Very citrusy flavour, caramelly and malty, explosive amount of details filling your mouth as you drink this one. I don't find really any witbier from this one, it's much too alcoholic (8%) for that, perhaps? Truly remarkable head that tastes delish itself! A bit gingery even, orange, spicy and malty. Very complex, no beer for casual drinking this one! Still looking for the xmasy though. Very good.

This usually the moment in time, when all the threads and pieces are collected together for some kind of a brilliant conclusion. This is perhaps the time to present the best book/film of the year. Or to have another one of those themes like, say, Xmas? Unfortunately I don't have anything of the sort. The only even remotely xmassy film I remember seeing this year is about half of Love Actually, when came from the telly. I have no recollection of any xmassy moments in any of the books I've read.

I voted for Jo Walton's Among Others at the Hugo Best Novel category, so I'm going to go with it as the best, or at least most intriguing and endearing book of the year for me. Excellent novel about growing up, finding SF and your place in the world. Read the book and then come to Swecon next year, and meet the author as well!

Was Avengers (2012) best film of this year? Probly not, but it was fun nevertheless. After the disappointing Ironman 2, interesting Thor and decently entertaining Captain America, I didn't know what to espect, but clearly something along the lines Joss Whedon had in mind: whedonesque dialogue, thrills, action galore and properly superhero-style banter and cameraderie. Best part? By far: "Puny god"

Was Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011) best film of this year? Again, not sure, but it was a great film. Brilliant ensemble cast, where everyone incites everyone else into even more excellent performance. Great stuff! Slow-paced, but rightly so, this is still Usain Bolt action compared to sadate Sunday stroll of the original tv-series with sir Alec Guinness. Both are excellent, as are the Le Carré booksies.

Most excellent and happy holidays to you all! Who knows, what next year brings to us all? Well, Le Docteur does!

Posted by jukkahoo

Oakham Ales makes todays beer: Inferno is a bitter Pale Ale. The pertinent bitter taste was perhaps not what I was expecting, but after the palate got used to it, this was a great tasting ale. Somewhat citrusy.

Heart of Iron is a steampunk novel with a divergence point in a succesful Dekabrist rebellion in Russia. With a cast of (real-life Dekabrist-rebellion leader's daughter) Sasha, her daunting aunt Evgenia, famed spymaster Florence Nightingale, a young man who could well be the notorious Spring-Heeled Jack and several more or less interesting suppporting role players, Ekaterina Sedia has created a YA alternate history that manages to bring 19th century tsarist Russia to life fantastic. Heart of Iron is fairly short, but requires somewhat careful reading as the society it depicts has its own peculiarities. The plot is fairly straightforward, but Sedia manages to lure readers into following various McGuffins, while the real gist of it all is going somewhere else completely.

I liked the way the author depicts the Russian psyche, there's definitely that melancholic feel to it, as well as that imperial self-awareness that went away during the Soviet-era. All in all, the society feels right, the clear class and race divides exist, and the way people portray their inherent superiority (real or not) feels real. This is a good book and if Sedia manages to write a sequel (as she is pondering), I'd be more than happy to  have a go at that too.

For a couple of crusaders who've been on the road of pillaging and wanton destruction for more than a decade, Kal-El Cage and Hellboy-Perlman sure do have a great set of dentures. Season of the Witch (2011) is a historical fantasy-film that moves our buddy couple from the Holy Lands to Wallachia, where bad stuff happens, because witch. Most reviewers hated the film and if we're being Frank and Ernest here, this isn't the Citizen Kane of historical nor fantasy films. It's fairly decent action flick, that has a fair budget, thus there are good effects and nice looking grime and filth in the 14th century Holy Roman Empire. Cage and Perlman are good enough as a couple of weary warriors. It's 90 minutes of "ihan kiva" entertainment. I'm sure I would've hated this one if I'd had any expectations. Without them I was able to enjoy this as it is, an Uwe Boll directed contemporary "version" of The Seventh Seal done with competence.

One other thing. On occasion it seems like historical films come in pairs. There were the various Robin Hood, Columbus and Highland heroes pairings, more recently the Ancient Roman age tales of Centurion and Eagle, and now Season of the Witch and Black Death (2010) starring Sean Bean. The last reason is itself a reason to see the film, but it is all good. Gripping, realistic and spellbinding 14th century rural Britain getting to know the bubonic plague. The film looks good, the dialogue is convincing and themes strong and interesting. Truly a Wicker Man for the Middle Ages. And the ending really packs a punch.

As music videos go, Just an Illusion is not among the top contenders for Best Ever. The song itself, however, was always a favourite of mine. I've never been particularily big on soul etc, but Imagination had that certain sönösekuu, what ever it was. Perhaps it's just the fact that they are English?

Merry Xmas everyone!

Posted by jukkahoo

Schmucker's Rosé Bock is a strong (8%) beer that warms them cold cuckolds that are well chilled when bracing the harsh Helsinki elements these days. I though the alcohol didn't taste too strongly when I drunk the bock, but it could've been a bit too cold as I did drink it straight from the fridge. There's a nice warm sensation making rounds in your belly after a pint of this and some nice nosh. Definitely something to try again. 

Mazarkis Williams is a newcomer in the field of fantastic fiction. His debut novel The Emperor’s Knife starts a series (Tower and Knife Trilogy) of non-western fantasy books. Like Saladin Ahmed's Throne of the Crescent Moon, this book takes its lead from the East, namely steppes and mountains of the central Asia. There's some Mongol influence, some Samarkandish/Silk Road feel to it, some 1000 and one night mysticism and your garden variety mad Ottoman empire stuff. I like the setting and expecially the lone figure of the ruler's brother in his lonely prison cell, very much in the vein of Kefes of the Ottoman habit of confinement of the heirs of the sultan.There are lots of necessary accoutrements like viziers, assassins and Wise Man on the Mountain -type of mystic Pattern Master.

The mysterious sickness called Pattern that threatens the well-being of the Cerani Empire. People are losing their minds and rumour is that the emperor himself is tainted. Hilarity ensues. Or not exactly. The Emperor's Knife is slow-going, interesting, but sligthly over-ambitious attempt to create a spellbinding setting, cool magic system and doom-laden characters. It succeeds in most parts, though this could've benefitted from tighter writing and some finetuning. Its ornateness suits it, yet there is a  relatively small cast of characters that populate the story, perhaps even a bit too sparse a number. There is also a smidgen of K. J. Parker -like brooding doom to it all, but I'll guess that the ending of this series is not going to be as gloom as Parker's novels tends to be. I will read more if sequels happen to be cheaply acquired.

Contemporary French action movies are pretty darn great, as are some of the few historical films I've seen (well, good more than great in case of historicals). Contemporary French science fiction movies are pretty great, too. I haven't watched contemporary French horror, but those that have, usually have good things to say about those. When you add these things together, you'll have Stranded (2010).

As a matter of fact, I dodn't know what to expect from this one. I had seen the impressive Algerian war depiction Intimate Enemies quite recently and was looking for something along that vein. Anthony Quinn starring Lost Command (based on the classic war novel The Centurions) was decent, but dearly aged. Stranded was French, set in 1960 and there were people trapped behind enemy lines. Gotta get.

Stranded is well acted, well directed, and well laid
out. There is relatively little dialogue, it is moody, atmospheric and surprising. At least I was, when I realized that we're not in Kansas anymore, which was a very pleasant surprise indeed. There is a lot of sand. A LOT of sand. And then some.

Cool Zombie is a new single from my childhood hero Adam Ant. If the Golden Age of Science Fiction is 12, as Peter Graham famously said, the same goes with music. I was twelve when Kings of the Wild Frontier came out. Never recovered from that, thank you very much! Adam Ant Is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner's Daughter is the sixth solo studio album by the Man himself and is out in January. A bit mixed feelings about the single, as it does sound like a twangy bluegrass song sung by Bob Dylan impersonator, which are neither the highest compliment in my book. It has grown on me though. I have fairly high hopes for the album, all the bits and pieces I've heard so far are pure Antmusic! Yay!

Posted by jukkahoo

There was so much beer consumed yesterday (and today) that I don't really have one particular beer for today, so I'll make an arbitrary lottery here. Just a minute. (♫elevator music♬) And the winner is… Thornbridge Sequoia! This is an amber ale, smooth, very drinkable beer. Easy describes this ale very well.

Time to remind people of the awesomeness of Australian speculative fiction. Twelft Planet Press (an amazing Australian Small Press) has a wonderful, intriguing, mind-blowing, intelligent and ass-kicking series called Twelve Planets, a 12-part short story collections by twelve Australian women writers. Narrelle M. Harris' Showtime is one of these. Four horror stories of verious degree of scary and funny (mostly funny). I wasn't too thrilled by the first one (Stalemate), where the denouement is evident from the beginning. In hindsight, I appreciate it more. Thrall is a loving take on the age old vampire gag. The Truth About Brains gets zombie stories spot on and the title story mixes everything to a very satisfying conclusion. These stories are about families and subverting the readers preconceptions about familiar monsters. Highly recommended.

Valhalla Rising (2009) is really intensive, gritty viking adventure that travels a great deal from the grimy, violent beginning to the eerie, violent ending. There's toughness that is almost inpenetrable, bleak, barren landscapes and minimal visuals, and a lot of blood. This is almost a silent movie with very matter-of-fact dialogue and the acidity of the ending.

Valhalla Rising is a brutal, harsh and beautiful low-key (and budget) historical movie, that deals with ideas of faith, belief and the futility of it all. It is occasionally slow going, but nothing Tarkovskian or even Kaurismäki-like. Well, maybe the latter. In its heart this is a 70's film with contemporary visuals and as 70's movies go, Star Wars – A New Hope is an exception to the rule. 🙂

Who would've thought that this would turn into one of the most evocative, intriguing, elusive, exceptional pop music acts of the 80's? Five albums of sheer brialliance, from purest of pop, to melancholy masterpieces and finally the far-out soundscapes. Bliss.

Posted by jukkahoo

Dark from Brains Brewery. Rich, nutty, creamy ale. Vey quaffable. 🙂

For the longest time, I had problems with zombies, or more precisely, with fiction where zombies where depicted. Why should I really care about the written word, when the visual media presents the monsters that much more entertainingly? That all changed after reading Mira Grant's first Newsflash-novel Feed.

Feed was a fun romp of zombie-filled world, with bloggers, presidental race, betrayal, idealism, hope and ultimately disaster – as any genre-knowledgable zombie-story does. The writing in these books is very good, fast-paced, descriptive yet plot-moving, exciting and most importantly, FUN. Mira (Seanan McGuire) Grant has written fair number of romantically spiced urban fantasies and knows how to tell a story. I was therefore a bit vexed by the second Newsflesh-novel Deadline. It is fun, action-packed and all that, but also too long, too wordy and the terrible ending of the first book just gets mangled by the ending of this one. It all went from "How terrible, brave and gutsy thing to do as a writer" to "wait, wot?" Stil a good read, but several paces behind the first book. WIll the pace hold, will the Hugo-nominators choose the third part as well? If so, I will read Blackout. Otherwise, I'm afraid there are too many books I want to read before that one.

Now I like pirates. And pirate stories. I have a soft spot for Cutthroat Island, for goodness sake! I even like Pirates of the Caribbean. A bit at least. Thus I was bitterly disappointent with the pirate section in the middle of The Adventures of Tintin (2011), when the breakneck pace the movies had been running with suddenly just stalled and then pretty much just stopped. The movie itself is good-looking, action-packed, entertaining (albeit only just about), filled with stooopid humour (much in the vein of the original), but ultimately dull. There are moments that give hope for the viewer, but those moments are few and far between.

As someone who has read the comics only in Finnish it almost always took me a moment to "get" the characters and locations. Is Marlinspike Moulinsart? Why, of course it is! Snowy is Milou, of course. Who the heck is Sakharine? For a moment I thought it'd be Calculus. Then I thought Calculus must the bloody pickpocketer. Sigh. Anyway: Forgettable movie, unremarkable, unnecessary, uninteresting.

Slightly undeady episode this entry. Hence, therefore: Unborn living, living dead.

Posted by jukkahoo

Williams Alcoholic Ginger Beer is another ginger-infused beer, but unlike Red Girl, this is really good. This is really proper Ginger Ale! Somewhat gingery nose, which opens in tasting very wide. Spices come after that, with hints of citrus and perhaps even chilli? Lovely beer!

Zoo City is the second novel by South-African author Lauren Beukes (ilmeisestikin äännetään about "Bjukus"). This is one of the best books I read this year, easily among the top-three. Loved the language, that uses the Jo'burgian vernacular and afrikaans language, and simply adored the idea of killers being burdened with familiars. In the case of our protagonist, Zinzi December, the creature is a sloth. Not the best of things to carry around, but clearly not the worst (imagine a whale, or a hippo, or a butterfly) one. Zinzi is a smalltime crook, she scams people with elaborate Nigerian emails, but she also has this fantastical ability to find lost things.

Zinzi doesn't want to get involved with missing persons cases, but when the going gets tough, she is forced to halp an old lady. Which in turn gets killed. And then the shit really hits the fan. Great, fast read. Fantasy mixed with familiar/unfamiliar setting that oozes life. Funny dialogue and moving moments. Do yourself a favour and read this one ASAP.

Super 8 (2011) is a film that Steven Spielberg could've made, but didn't, but instead did produce. It's a lovely little movie that appeals to all age groups who have warm memories of certain 80's related films, bits of music, gadgets and gizmo's (taking liberties with the actual dates these were introduced to the wilds of Ohio, I'm sure, but then again – aliens…). It's basically E.T. meets Stand by Me. Which is nice and good and really sweet.

Hertz – doesn't it?

Posted by jukkahoo

Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted is one of those very drinkable and delish beers the people in Britain seem to brew all overe the place. It's a good bitter, with a twist. Go, buy, and drink. 

As ideas for fantasy novels go, an ex-avatar of goddess and later in life an ex-soldier and finally a brothel keeper, Gaie Sebold's Babylon Steele manages to sell itself to me as something fun and entertaining to spend a summer's day or two with. To which it perfectly fits the bill. Sebold writes well enough, the plot(s) are good enough and characters strong enough. And there's enough sex, all kinds of it and equally represented. A solid fantasy romp.

Le Serpent (2006) is a French noir based on Ted Lewis' novel Plender. Lewis is more known for his other novel-cum-movie, Get Carter. The plot is as follows: a father on the verge of divorce sees his life fall apart after a former
classmate brings murder, kidnap and blackmail into his life. Tough titty.

I don't know whether it is all that French spoken, but this packed a punch I wasn't expecting. Shit keeps hitting on the fan and the protagonist is in some serious trouble. Yves Attal is OK as the main character, but the king of the film is Clovis Cornillac as the titular Plender/Serpent. He's menacing and then some. I loved his performance in Eden Log, as the main character: silent, strong, fearless and oozing danger. He does all that, and a whole lot more here. Filled with anger, he leaps out from the screen as evil personified, but with a horrible shameful secret. That bastad Attal really deserved all of it. 

And then there's Minna Haapkylä, as the estranged wife in search of divorce. Mais oui.

Talking about the French (or in case of Mylène Farmer, French Canadians): they sometimes make fairly long musique videos for their popular chansons. Like in the case of Libertine, and it's sequel Pourvu qu'elles soient douces.

Posted by jukkahoo

Bottoms up! Wait, no. Entire Butt, a very nice English Porter by the Salopian Brewery. Smells nice, but the real gist is the taste: creamy, smooth, roasty, coffee-like buttery mix that melts in your mouth into one rich masala of flavours. Very interesting and recommendable porter indeedy.

Saladin Ahmed: Throne of the Crescent Moon There are plenty enough non-traditional fantasy around, but the sad fact is that the interesting stuff that defies the conventional pseudo-medieval pseudo-European faux-Tolkienesque High Fantasy formula gets the short end of the stick in the genre-reading circles. It's not that the readers are bad or indifferent, it's more likely that the publishers dare not take the risk. Hence I've been pleasantly surprised by some new authors that have been using non-traditional settings in their High Fantasies. There has always been Arabian Nights fantasies, but there's plenty room for more. Like Saladin Ahmed's novel Throne of the Crescent Moon. 

I'd like to say I loved the book, but I didn't. I like it, a fair amount in fact and will be reading the sequels, if and when. In the novel, a ghul hunter and his assistant are drawn into a pretty big conspiracy that threatens the well-being of the realm. Dark forces and mystic powers are conspiring against the legitimate ruler, but while the guy in charge is a tremendous asshole, would the usurper be any better, or even worse, much worse…

I liked the protagonist Doctor Adoulla Makhslood a great deal, he's too old for this shit and would really like to retire, but since he is pretty much the only ghul hunter around and his apprentice Raseed bas Raseed is still young, inexperienced and perhaps still looking for something else in his life, retiring doesn't seem likean option. There's good action, nice imaginaries and culture that hopefully gets a bit more deeply examined in the future books. And then there's the writing. Which isn't bad, really, it's just a bit formulaic, simplistic and perhaps the worst of all, unremarkable. I hope this is something that experience will rectify since there's definite promise here.

Ironclad (2011) is a bloody, muddy and ruddy film very loosely based on a historical siege of the Rochester Castle and the little known historical document of Magna Carta. James Purefoy is great as the grumbling Templar with some issues with his faith and life in general, Paul Giamatti phones in his King John, but does it well enough and who couldn't love a movie with Brian Cox and Charles Dance? A keeper, this one is.

Simply the best cover band in the Mundo! DMK with Enjoy the Silence.

Posted by jukkahoo

Beer Espresso Rich Coffee Beer by the Dark Star Brewing Company. This is the perfect bottle cup of morning java. The scent of coffee isn't that strong, but the taste is then something completely different: strong, pungent, bitter, even tobaccony. Definitely an acquired taste. As it says on the label: "A unique flavour and aroma". Can't argue that. Not bad per se, but I think I'll pass this one in the future.

Book David Tellerman's Giant Thief is yet another wisecracking conman with a heart of gold -story that isn't that clever, nor funny enough. It's a pleasant read, but as there ar emore than adequate number of good books to go and read, I can let you all on a secret: Giant Thief is not worth your while. Strangely off-putting protagonist does nothing to make you care for him (or if he does, it may be my Finnishness that thinks that Easie Damasco is a twat). There is some potential for a humorous caper, but Damasco is too annoying, the worldbuilding isn't that convincing and as a romp, this is far too single-minded for its own good. Did I say boring already? A bit.

Film Biggles: Adventures in Time (1986) is one ill-mixed bag of cheap laughs and queasy plotholes. I mean really: a New York advertising dude gets yanked to 1917 in a plane
fight during World War I. A mysterious bloke tells him, that he has a time-twin (Biggles) and must help him to destroy a German super weapon. Now, I was never really a fan of the original Biggles-stories, but this film must be among the very top-three travesties of "based on a novel" -movies of all time. Charisma-free romping thru the muddy moors whilst the musical genius of Stanislas Syrewicz's synthesizers fill our ears with tunes so beloved during the Great War. Or not.

The acting is very broad, Germans have a sort of a neutron bomb and most of the action take place in the same disused factory as the Full Metal Jacket. Spot the location! There is one redeeming quality to it all, the First World War biplanes are very nice looking and there is plenty of flying to go about. Other than that, drink a lot.

Song This cover version of Seona Dancing's Bitter Heart by the Super 8 Cynics is pretty good. You remember Seona Dancing? RIcky Gervais and the blacksmith dude. Brilliant.