This cookie has a cake-y consistency and holds together really well. It's not crumbly at all! They also lift off the pan easily.
Dry ingredients:
1 cup oat flour
1 cup coconut
1 cup quick oats
2/3 cup dark brown sugar (don't press it down)
1 tsp cinnamon or Dash of cinnamon to taste
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup arrowroot powder
Mix these dry ingredients together in a bowl.
Wet ingredients:
Lemon zest from one whole lemon
1/2 cup butter
1TB maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 TB water
Melt butter, lemon zest, syrup, vanilla in a pan. Add baking soda and stir. If and when it bubbles up the pan, remove from heat and mix in with the dry ingredients. Mix in the two eggs and the water until you have a dough.
Baking instructions:
Grease baking sheet, blob the dough onto the sheet into vaguely-cookie-esque dabs and bake in a 325-degree oven until top of cookies do not collapse when you touch them, about 15-20 min. Let cookies cool on pan a bit and then carefully remove.
Makes approximately 20-24 cookies.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Wheat-free carob-cointreau anzac cookies
I ran out of cocoa and I ran out of coconut, so I substituted carob and cointreau. The results are quite satisfying, and the cookies have the same consistency as anzac cookies made with wheat flour. You could substitute coconut oil for butter to make this a vegan cookie.
Dry ingredients:
1/3 cup oat flour
1/3 cup carob powder (although you couldn’t go amiss with cocoa either)
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup dark brown sugar (don't press it down)
1tsp cinnamon or Dash of cinnamon to taste
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup arrowroot powder
2 TB (or more to taste) Hemp seeds
Mix these dry ingredients together in a bowl.
Wet ingredients:
Lemon zest from one whole lemon
1/4 cup butter
1TB maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1tsp cointreau
1tsp lemon juice
1tsp baking soda
Melt butter, lemon zest, syrup, vanilla, cointreau, lemon juice in a pan. Add baking soda and stir. If and when it bubbles up the pan, remove from heat and mix in with the dry ingredients. Add up to 2TB water if dough is too dry.
Baking instructions:
Grease baking sheet, blob the dough onto the sheet into vaguely cookie-esque dabs and bake in a 325-degree oven for 12 min. Do not exceed 14 minutes. Let cookies cool on pan a bit and then carefully remove. Devour the broken cookies, as they don’t count.
If you are worried about broken cookies, use parchment paper but I don’t know how to use the stuff, myself.
Makes approximately 1 dozen cookies.
Dry ingredients:
1/3 cup oat flour
1/3 cup carob powder (although you couldn’t go amiss with cocoa either)
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup dark brown sugar (don't press it down)
1tsp cinnamon or Dash of cinnamon to taste
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup arrowroot powder
2 TB (or more to taste) Hemp seeds
Mix these dry ingredients together in a bowl.
Wet ingredients:
Lemon zest from one whole lemon
1/4 cup butter
1TB maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1tsp cointreau
1tsp lemon juice
1tsp baking soda
Melt butter, lemon zest, syrup, vanilla, cointreau, lemon juice in a pan. Add baking soda and stir. If and when it bubbles up the pan, remove from heat and mix in with the dry ingredients. Add up to 2TB water if dough is too dry.
Baking instructions:
Grease baking sheet, blob the dough onto the sheet into vaguely cookie-esque dabs and bake in a 325-degree oven for 12 min. Do not exceed 14 minutes. Let cookies cool on pan a bit and then carefully remove. Devour the broken cookies, as they don’t count.
If you are worried about broken cookies, use parchment paper but I don’t know how to use the stuff, myself.
Makes approximately 1 dozen cookies.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Amuse-gueule
I wrote this for a story challenge on a sci-fi blog called The World in a Satin Bag. The story challenge is as follows: write "A steampunk culinary cat mystery involving manga in 300 words or less."
I'm quite happy with the results, I think. (I hope.)
Amuse-gueule
The woman walked out of the steam billowing over the dirigible platform. Cradling an exotic shorthair cat in her muscular arms, she looked down after shyly meeting my gaze. The edges of her angularly-cut hair slid over her face in perfumed curtains.
Twin swords were laced into her striped corset. Her skirts looked more like petticoats than proper wear for a young lady. By God, she was half-naked, her legs and feet bare. I couldn’t stop looking.
She was perfect, my own personal manga heroine come to life.
I cleared my throat. "You know why you are here?" I asked.
She raised her eyebrow and the cat yawned. "It’s no mystery to me," she said.
"You’ll do it? Kill my wife?" I said, smoothing my cravat nervously, unable to quell my hands. "You do realize how evil she is?"
The assassin pulled out a lacquered keypad. Tiny puffs of steam huffed out of the device as she tapped the ivory keys. She held out the keypad and a stylus. "Please sign the screen," she said, biting her lip, for all the world as if anticipating some pleasure she wasn’t sure that she would receive.
I signed with a flourish. She grabbed my arm in a fierce pinch, dragging me up into the dirigible’s stateroom. "I say, my dear girl—" My words jammed in my soft palate.
I was facing my wife. She was, incongruously, carrying a spoon.
"I’m not sure I need to watch—" I said. The swords came down upon my skull, slicing my scalp, leaving my brain intact, if exposed.
"He consented?" my wife hissed.
"He signed the contract."
"Excellent. A willing victim increases the salutary effects for zombies such as ourselves."
My wife’s spoon dipped into my brains. She fed the assassin’s cat first.
I'm quite happy with the results, I think. (I hope.)
Amuse-gueule
The woman walked out of the steam billowing over the dirigible platform. Cradling an exotic shorthair cat in her muscular arms, she looked down after shyly meeting my gaze. The edges of her angularly-cut hair slid over her face in perfumed curtains.
Twin swords were laced into her striped corset. Her skirts looked more like petticoats than proper wear for a young lady. By God, she was half-naked, her legs and feet bare. I couldn’t stop looking.
She was perfect, my own personal manga heroine come to life.
I cleared my throat. "You know why you are here?" I asked.
She raised her eyebrow and the cat yawned. "It’s no mystery to me," she said.
"You’ll do it? Kill my wife?" I said, smoothing my cravat nervously, unable to quell my hands. "You do realize how evil she is?"
The assassin pulled out a lacquered keypad. Tiny puffs of steam huffed out of the device as she tapped the ivory keys. She held out the keypad and a stylus. "Please sign the screen," she said, biting her lip, for all the world as if anticipating some pleasure she wasn’t sure that she would receive.
I signed with a flourish. She grabbed my arm in a fierce pinch, dragging me up into the dirigible’s stateroom. "I say, my dear girl—" My words jammed in my soft palate.
I was facing my wife. She was, incongruously, carrying a spoon.
"I’m not sure I need to watch—" I said. The swords came down upon my skull, slicing my scalp, leaving my brain intact, if exposed.
"He consented?" my wife hissed.
"He signed the contract."
"Excellent. A willing victim increases the salutary effects for zombies such as ourselves."
My wife’s spoon dipped into my brains. She fed the assassin’s cat first.
Weeping for the Villain—The Season Finale of Legend of the Seeker
Well in the end the writers of Legend of the Seeker wrapped up the season ender in a way that captured the book in spirit, if not in the plot points.
WARNING! Here be spoilers! Arrrr! (For some reason that sounds better in a pirate voice.) Although I'm the only person I know watching this show, so probably no one but me cares.
For a plot that involved time travel and pregnancy, both of which I usually think of as jump-the-shark scenarios, it was pretty good.
Everything was fully resolved. You can tell that the writers didn't think this show would go to second season. Now that it has been picked up again, I guess they are going to mine the second book for plots.
I want to say it was resolved in a satisfying way, and it was, except that my favourite character is the villain Darken Rahl. I loved that the last few episodes had a lot of Rahl action but now he's very dead.
I'm curious to see what they are going to do with Cara, the Mord-Sith so I am looking forward to next season for that. And, well, at least we have the Seeker's chest to look at, which has enough screen presence that it is almost like a character in its own right.
WARNING! Here be spoilers! Arrrr! (For some reason that sounds better in a pirate voice.) Although I'm the only person I know watching this show, so probably no one but me cares.
For a plot that involved time travel and pregnancy, both of which I usually think of as jump-the-shark scenarios, it was pretty good.
Everything was fully resolved. You can tell that the writers didn't think this show would go to second season. Now that it has been picked up again, I guess they are going to mine the second book for plots.
I want to say it was resolved in a satisfying way, and it was, except that my favourite character is the villain Darken Rahl. I loved that the last few episodes had a lot of Rahl action but now he's very dead.
I'm curious to see what they are going to do with Cara, the Mord-Sith so I am looking forward to next season for that. And, well, at least we have the Seeker's chest to look at, which has enough screen presence that it is almost like a character in its own right.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
J.J. Abrams's Big Red Plot Device, Or 99 Luftballoons
Star Trek had more plot holes than black holes, but it didn't matter. I still went to see it twice this weekend, because of the extreme hotness of Spock. I haven't seen a movie twice in the theatres in probably over ten years, so that's saying something.
But so far I seem to be the only person I know who noticed that J.J. Abrams used a giant red sphere as plot device AGAIN. Abrams resolved season 4 of Alias with a giant red golf ball that floated over Russia and turned an entire town's populace into zombies. In Star Trek it's 99 luftballoons for a second time, with an orb of "red matter" that creates black holes. It didn't work the first time for Alias, and it doesn't work in Star Trek (2009).
All balls aside, I loved this movie. Not because it was good, but because it rawked. The action was great, the sets were pretty, the banter made me laugh, there were tons of Trek references and Zachary Quinto did an amazing job as Spock. He carries this movie. Really, all the actors caught their characters well. Plotting is not J.J. Abrams' strong point, but he's really good at creating compelling characters.
With Enterprise and this current movie and the death of Rodenberry, I feel that the Trek universe is becoming much more politically conservative and jingoistic. I loved the Vulcan/human relationships in Enterprise and in Star Trek (2009), but the way the characters solve problems through violence was something I had to actively look past to enjoy the show and this new movie.
The whole point of the original Trek universe was to imagine an essentially positive future where humans had got over the worst of their nature and were trying to live in the world ethically and peacefully. Not many sci-fi worlds are positive about humanity's fate so I really valued Trek's vision of a noble humanity. Sadly, but without giving away any plot points, Star Trek (2009) has lost this hope and lacks the some of the depth of the original. The new movie is shiny and fun, but, as one of my friends said, "It's like cotton candy."
Luckily, this cotton candy is pretty damn good.
But so far I seem to be the only person I know who noticed that J.J. Abrams used a giant red sphere as plot device AGAIN. Abrams resolved season 4 of Alias with a giant red golf ball that floated over Russia and turned an entire town's populace into zombies. In Star Trek it's 99 luftballoons for a second time, with an orb of "red matter" that creates black holes. It didn't work the first time for Alias, and it doesn't work in Star Trek (2009).
All balls aside, I loved this movie. Not because it was good, but because it rawked. The action was great, the sets were pretty, the banter made me laugh, there were tons of Trek references and Zachary Quinto did an amazing job as Spock. He carries this movie. Really, all the actors caught their characters well. Plotting is not J.J. Abrams' strong point, but he's really good at creating compelling characters.
With Enterprise and this current movie and the death of Rodenberry, I feel that the Trek universe is becoming much more politically conservative and jingoistic. I loved the Vulcan/human relationships in Enterprise and in Star Trek (2009), but the way the characters solve problems through violence was something I had to actively look past to enjoy the show and this new movie.
The whole point of the original Trek universe was to imagine an essentially positive future where humans had got over the worst of their nature and were trying to live in the world ethically and peacefully. Not many sci-fi worlds are positive about humanity's fate so I really valued Trek's vision of a noble humanity. Sadly, but without giving away any plot points, Star Trek (2009) has lost this hope and lacks the some of the depth of the original. The new movie is shiny and fun, but, as one of my friends said, "It's like cotton candy."
Luckily, this cotton candy is pretty damn good.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Caprica, BSG for the Young'uns
Here is where I catch up on yet another show. Caprica was certainly much better than the Doctor Who Easter special. I did feel like the creators of Caprica were repositioning Battlestar Galactica as a brand for the young adult market, which left a cynical taste in my mouth.
Caprica was a creation myth about the building of the first Cylon. It was set only 58 years before the events of BSG and I thought that the first Cylon war was longer than 18 years. Am I going crazy?
I felt that the club scenes were arresting in their concept and level of public nudity and violence, but it also tried very hard. But then they were the creation of teenagers and they do indeed try overly hard to be cool.
The acting was good, the casting and sets were good, and the twist at the end made the whole show. It's worth watching, especially for BSG fans. Of course, I'm so late in posting this that you've probably all seen it already.
What truly disappointed me is that this show reveals that the "one true god" of the Cylons was based on a human religion. I think this wrecks BSG a bit for me because I thought that having robots come up with their own monotheistic religion in contrast to their polytheistic creators was just so lovely. Now it's like a favourite toy has been broken, and I feel a bit sulky about it.
Caprica was a creation myth about the building of the first Cylon. It was set only 58 years before the events of BSG and I thought that the first Cylon war was longer than 18 years. Am I going crazy?
I felt that the club scenes were arresting in their concept and level of public nudity and violence, but it also tried very hard. But then they were the creation of teenagers and they do indeed try overly hard to be cool.
The acting was good, the casting and sets were good, and the twist at the end made the whole show. It's worth watching, especially for BSG fans. Of course, I'm so late in posting this that you've probably all seen it already.
What truly disappointed me is that this show reveals that the "one true god" of the Cylons was based on a human religion. I think this wrecks BSG a bit for me because I thought that having robots come up with their own monotheistic religion in contrast to their polytheistic creators was just so lovely. Now it's like a favourite toy has been broken, and I feel a bit sulky about it.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Found a Bad Egg: The Doctor Who Easter Special
I finally sat down to watch the Doctor Who Easter special, and I have to say it was a disappointment. I found that I had to keep rolling it back because my attention would wander, and that never happens to me when I'm watching something.
Russell T. Davies is like a British Joss Whedon. If I find a show by either writer, I'll watch it slavishly. But you can just tell that Davies is ready to move onto something new.
Even die-hard Doctor Who fans will find little to enjoy here, and the introduction of Michelle Ryan as companion does little to spice things up. I liked her in Jekyll and Bionic Woman, but despite trying hard, there is no chemistry between her and David Tennant.
Maybe they filmed this special to prepare us for the new doctor, because now I'm actually beginning to look forward to him.
Russell T. Davies is like a British Joss Whedon. If I find a show by either writer, I'll watch it slavishly. But you can just tell that Davies is ready to move onto something new.
Even die-hard Doctor Who fans will find little to enjoy here, and the introduction of Michelle Ryan as companion does little to spice things up. I liked her in Jekyll and Bionic Woman, but despite trying hard, there is no chemistry between her and David Tennant.
Maybe they filmed this special to prepare us for the new doctor, because now I'm actually beginning to look forward to him.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Hal and Dave on the "Moon"?
Just found an interesting movie trailer from one of my SF Twitter feeds. Thank you, TorBooks! Moon stars Sam Rockwell as a lone worker on a moon base. His only companion is a HAL-esque computer. He has two weeks of his three-year stint left when he discovers a body that looks exactly like him.
The trailer has a lot of clever pop-culture and SF references. It looks well-acted, tense and psychologically complex, but any SF fan will note the strong hints of the HAL/Dave dynamic. The look is different than Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyessy, but there are some strong parallels here. I will be interested to see if this movie can position itself in relation to 2001, or if it will be a knock-off.
I make HAL/Dave jokes at work all the time, so I will probably enjoy this movie a whole lot.
To view the trailer, click here.
The trailer has a lot of clever pop-culture and SF references. It looks well-acted, tense and psychologically complex, but any SF fan will note the strong hints of the HAL/Dave dynamic. The look is different than Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyessy, but there are some strong parallels here. I will be interested to see if this movie can position itself in relation to 2001, or if it will be a knock-off.
I make HAL/Dave jokes at work all the time, so I will probably enjoy this movie a whole lot.
To view the trailer, click here.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
New Harry Potter trailer
I found this new Harry Potter trailer on Twitter today from SciFi Wire. To view, click here.
I'm getting excited about this movie. The visuals look pretty amazing.
I'm getting excited about this movie. The visuals look pretty amazing.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Spacey/Spooky: The Clips Post
So after my 10-day "holiday" aka procrastination session/twitter discovery, it's time for a clips post. I'll quickly cover reviews of the episodes I've been enjoying over the past two weeks.
Supernatural, Episode 18
Up until now I've always said that shows or movies about the writing process are usually self-indulgent and twee, but I've had to eat my words. This is how writing about writing should be done. The latest Supernatural was the best episode in the series to date. It's up there with "Blink" from Doctor Who or "Hush" from Buffy. I'm not just gushing here.
This episode broke down the fourth wall and the man writing pulp novels about the boys discovers that he is "the great prophet, Chuck" and the boys are real. Hilarity ensues as the boys discover their own slash fiction, and try to rebel against Chuck's prophecies and fail.
The act of writing becomes the true source of horror in the episode, a theme that could easily fall into cliche, but the guest star does a great job as Chuck, and I found the ending sold me on the horror of the writer cursed only to observe and not influence events.
Kings, Episodes 3-5
Of all the shows I've been reviewing this week, Supernatural and Kings are the most well-written and well-acted. Like I predicted, Kings is not doing well, and has been moved into a new time slot. It's too bad because this is the best new show of this year, regardless of genre. It's intelligent and totally relevant to the politics of the moment, without being totally obvious about it. Fans of West Wing and Battlestar Galactica would love this show.
Over the past episodes, peace for Gath has been achieved and lost and regained again, but at a dire price for David's family, a price that becomes too great and tears them apart. Members of the royal family plot against each other and King Silas struggles with his double life.
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Episodes 2-4
This show has really picked up steam from the first episode. The actors seem more comfortable in their characters, and that pacing issue I noted for the first episode has resolved itself. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency is on my list of recommended shows, especially as a mental palate cleanser after watching some horror or sci-fi/horror.
Dollhouse, Episodes 7-9
Dollhouse is improving with each episode. Whedon is ramping up the tension between the main characters. Since he's not depending on humor in the same way that he did for Buffy, he has to play with tension and show concept to keep viewers tuning in. Luckily, that is exactly what he is doing. It's turning into a not half-bad show. I tune in and I enjoy it, but I don't watch each episode over and over, the way I do for Supernatural or Legend of the Seeker or Doctor Who.
The Listener, Episodes 4-5
The mystery surrounding the origin of Toby Logan is only hinted at, but it's one of the more interesting parts of the show. What is so refreshing is that the main character doesn't have any of the usual neuroses about attracting lovers or the "I'm too wrapped up in my job to date" pose that a lot of characters in TV seem to have.
Episode four has a trans character, and they handle it sensitively, as far as I can tell, although they say that FTMs take "steroids" rather than T, although I'd have to do a re-watch to confirm that for sure. I'm not sure that's actually correct, but I could be wrong. They treat the character with respect and don't have the "look at the wacky, unusual person" attitude that Law & Order falls into at times.
In episode five, a woman takes Toby home, they are interrupted by an ex and then she ends up dead by the next morning. So Toby has to eliminate himself as a suspect. It's not a huge twist, but it's hard to be fresh in the well-worn police procedural format, so I give them props for plotting this episode well.
Law & Order UK
It's just so crazy to see Jamie Bamber (Apollo from BSG) as a British DCI in this BBC localization of the venerable American show. It's pretty much exactly the same show, but with crown prosecutors, instead of DAs and assistant DAs.
Supernatural, Episode 18
Up until now I've always said that shows or movies about the writing process are usually self-indulgent and twee, but I've had to eat my words. This is how writing about writing should be done. The latest Supernatural was the best episode in the series to date. It's up there with "Blink" from Doctor Who or "Hush" from Buffy. I'm not just gushing here.
This episode broke down the fourth wall and the man writing pulp novels about the boys discovers that he is "the great prophet, Chuck" and the boys are real. Hilarity ensues as the boys discover their own slash fiction, and try to rebel against Chuck's prophecies and fail.
The act of writing becomes the true source of horror in the episode, a theme that could easily fall into cliche, but the guest star does a great job as Chuck, and I found the ending sold me on the horror of the writer cursed only to observe and not influence events.
Kings, Episodes 3-5
Of all the shows I've been reviewing this week, Supernatural and Kings are the most well-written and well-acted. Like I predicted, Kings is not doing well, and has been moved into a new time slot. It's too bad because this is the best new show of this year, regardless of genre. It's intelligent and totally relevant to the politics of the moment, without being totally obvious about it. Fans of West Wing and Battlestar Galactica would love this show.
Over the past episodes, peace for Gath has been achieved and lost and regained again, but at a dire price for David's family, a price that becomes too great and tears them apart. Members of the royal family plot against each other and King Silas struggles with his double life.
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Episodes 2-4
This show has really picked up steam from the first episode. The actors seem more comfortable in their characters, and that pacing issue I noted for the first episode has resolved itself. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency is on my list of recommended shows, especially as a mental palate cleanser after watching some horror or sci-fi/horror.
Dollhouse, Episodes 7-9
Dollhouse is improving with each episode. Whedon is ramping up the tension between the main characters. Since he's not depending on humor in the same way that he did for Buffy, he has to play with tension and show concept to keep viewers tuning in. Luckily, that is exactly what he is doing. It's turning into a not half-bad show. I tune in and I enjoy it, but I don't watch each episode over and over, the way I do for Supernatural or Legend of the Seeker or Doctor Who.
The Listener, Episodes 4-5
The mystery surrounding the origin of Toby Logan is only hinted at, but it's one of the more interesting parts of the show. What is so refreshing is that the main character doesn't have any of the usual neuroses about attracting lovers or the "I'm too wrapped up in my job to date" pose that a lot of characters in TV seem to have.
Episode four has a trans character, and they handle it sensitively, as far as I can tell, although they say that FTMs take "steroids" rather than T, although I'd have to do a re-watch to confirm that for sure. I'm not sure that's actually correct, but I could be wrong. They treat the character with respect and don't have the "look at the wacky, unusual person" attitude that Law & Order falls into at times.
In episode five, a woman takes Toby home, they are interrupted by an ex and then she ends up dead by the next morning. So Toby has to eliminate himself as a suspect. It's not a huge twist, but it's hard to be fresh in the well-worn police procedural format, so I give them props for plotting this episode well.
Law & Order UK
It's just so crazy to see Jamie Bamber (Apollo from BSG) as a British DCI in this BBC localization of the venerable American show. It's pretty much exactly the same show, but with crown prosecutors, instead of DAs and assistant DAs.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Healthy Pumpkin Pie Hot Cereal Recipe, or, the Totally Off-Topic Post
Sorry, but I'm obsessed with pumpkin pie, and this is my new favourite breakfast.
I've perfected my Healthy Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal/Hot Cereal recipe and I was so happy about it that I had to share it with the universe somehow. Vegan, sugar-free, and non-fat, but sooo good. We'll return to TV land by the next post, I promise.
I use a mix of steel-cut oats and amaranth, but you could also use seven-grain cereal or Sunny Boy. If I have only oats, I get hungry in an hour, but if I mix grains, I can last into the mid-afternoon, if I need to.
Healthy Pumpkin Pie Hot Cereal
Makes two servings.
Ingredients:
2/3 cup cereal grains of choice (seven grain, Sunny Boy, steel-cut oats/amaranth/millet, etc.)
1/2 ripe mango (pureed or diced into small pieces)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2/3 cup almond or soy or hemp milk
1 cup or so of water (or, brewed chai tea would work a treat if you don't have the spices on hand. Not the sugary crap from the tetra pak, BTW.).
2 TB flax seeds, or to taste
10 to 20 pecans, or to taste. I also mix in other nuts if I feel like it. I like nuts!
2 TB or so of hulled hemp seeds for an extra protein kick (optional)
1/4-1/2 tsp orange zest (a little goes a long way!)
cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and fresh ginger (amounts to vary based on whether you like your pumpkin pie spicy or not)
salt to taste
Instructions:
1) Before you go to bed, cover grains with plenty of water and throw it in the fridge. It will soak overnight and then it won't take so bloody long to cook in the morning. DO NOT do this with normal quick oats or other quickly-cooked grains.
2) In the morning drain the grain and put it in a pot. Mix in all the ingredients EXCEPT for the hemp seeds. Crumble the pecans in your fingers and add them to the pot. Cook over medium-high heat until bubbling, stirring occasionally, then turn down to just above minimum heat and cover, stirring occasionally until done. Add water as needed if it gets too dry or whatever.
Divide into two bowls, sprinkle the hemp seeds on top and serve.
If you soak the grains, your breakfast will be ready by the time you drink your first cup of coffee, maybe 5 to 10 minutes (I haven't really timed it).
I've perfected my Healthy Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal/Hot Cereal recipe and I was so happy about it that I had to share it with the universe somehow. Vegan, sugar-free, and non-fat, but sooo good. We'll return to TV land by the next post, I promise.
I use a mix of steel-cut oats and amaranth, but you could also use seven-grain cereal or Sunny Boy. If I have only oats, I get hungry in an hour, but if I mix grains, I can last into the mid-afternoon, if I need to.
Healthy Pumpkin Pie Hot Cereal
Makes two servings.
Ingredients:
2/3 cup cereal grains of choice (seven grain, Sunny Boy, steel-cut oats/amaranth/millet, etc.)
1/2 ripe mango (pureed or diced into small pieces)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2/3 cup almond or soy or hemp milk
1 cup or so of water (or, brewed chai tea would work a treat if you don't have the spices on hand. Not the sugary crap from the tetra pak, BTW.).
2 TB flax seeds, or to taste
10 to 20 pecans, or to taste. I also mix in other nuts if I feel like it. I like nuts!
2 TB or so of hulled hemp seeds for an extra protein kick (optional)
1/4-1/2 tsp orange zest (a little goes a long way!)
cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and fresh ginger (amounts to vary based on whether you like your pumpkin pie spicy or not)
salt to taste
Instructions:
1) Before you go to bed, cover grains with plenty of water and throw it in the fridge. It will soak overnight and then it won't take so bloody long to cook in the morning. DO NOT do this with normal quick oats or other quickly-cooked grains.
2) In the morning drain the grain and put it in a pot. Mix in all the ingredients EXCEPT for the hemp seeds. Crumble the pecans in your fingers and add them to the pot. Cook over medium-high heat until bubbling, stirring occasionally, then turn down to just above minimum heat and cover, stirring occasionally until done. Add water as needed if it gets too dry or whatever.
Divide into two bowls, sprinkle the hemp seeds on top and serve.
If you soak the grains, your breakfast will be ready by the time you drink your first cup of coffee, maybe 5 to 10 minutes (I haven't really timed it).
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Isn't it Bromantic? Or, Finally, a LOTS Post
As you can probably tell from my blog banner, I am a Legend of the Seeker fan. Because anyone who can pout while chopping wood has my respect. Don't laugh, wood chopping is hard!
The last time I chopped kindling was in Wells, BC in the Rockies (4000m elevation and 80km from the nearest bank or grocery store). I worked in an art galley/school heated with a wood-burning stove. As the gallery dogsbody, it was my job to chop the day's wood. Of course, I was a down-south city girl with noodle arms. The only way to get the axe through the kindling was to balance the piece of wood vertically and use the momentum of the axe to get through the wood in the direction of the grain. Every time I raised the axe, the piece of wood would fall over and I'd swear. The Buckley Pub's tabby cat stalked out into the backyard and would watch me chop. Yes, the pub is named after Buckley's cough syrup. Then the pub owner, who looked like a descendent of Rasputin, came out to watch, laughing helplessly at me. Even the cat was laughing. So, dear readers, when I say that looking good while chopping wood is hard, you can fully appreciate my private joke banner.
Oh yeah, LOTS. OK we're back in TV land now. I have an affection for popcorn fantasy/sci-fi. I own all but the last season of Stargate, for example. In tone/mood and level of writing Legend of the Seeker reminds me of Stargate. LOTS is popcorn high fantasy, and Stargate was popcorn sci-fi.
By popcorn, I mean that something is reminscient of the classic adventure serials from the first half of the 20th century — lots of action, a evil guy in a funny costume who is evil just because they are essentially evil, with emphasis on fun over content. I like popcorn, for the record.
What Legend of the Seeker (LOTS) has in its favour over Stargate is that the big baddie of LOTS, Darken Rahl, (the antagonist for my fellow English majors out there) is actually kinda smarter than the hero, and the hero doesn't always win. Most of the time Rahl uses his wits, brawn and magic to outwit the Seeker. I'm really enjoying this.
Off the top of my head, there haven't been a lot of high fantasy shows out in the past few years other than Merlin (BBC), Robin Hood (BBC) and, of course, Xena. I'm counting The Tudors as creative history more than fantasy. LOTS was created by the same people as Xena, and is based on Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. So I was pretty stoked about Legend of the Seeker, although the book is so porny I wasn't sure how they could make a TV show out of it, outside of HBO.
The first season has been up and down, but overall I quite like that the writers are creating their own universe and not strictly following the books. Up until this past week, I rated the quality of the episode on how porny it was. Hey, I'm just being honest here. Legend of the Seeker is a guilty pleasure for me. It's a show with an oddly inconsistent tone. Episode 8 had some rather kinky scenes I would never allow a child to see, but I quite enjoyed. The next episode lurches into the middle of YA-child-special-guest land, but again, I still liked it. That's actually part of LOTS's charm. You never know what you're getting when you tune in.
Episode #17 broke this trend. It was a good episode without bare chests! We were given a great fist fight, which wooed a D'Haran captain into a pretty great bromance with our Seeker. I have to say, that guest star can come back any time! Also, we had a former McLeod's Daugther's alumni as second guest star — it's always nice to see a familiar face. There were some really good character development scenes that complicated the Seeker's mission. No longer are the rebels wholly good and the D'Harans wholly evil. By the end of the episode the Seeker really is down the rabbit hole. He goes undercover in a D'Haran fort and ends up fighting both the rebels and the D'Harans and rescuing a D'Haran village.
I was quite happy about the quasi-political-lite plot twist about land mines. In the Terry Goodkind books, some of the anti-communist tone seems a bit dated. I felt that this episode's topic nicely updated the series for today's viewers without being too heavy-handed in the didactic department. I really enjoy fantasy that mixes magic and technology. The magical sonic land mines in this episode were a clever touch.
If you liked Merlin, you'll love LOTS. If you don't like popcorn genre TV, you probably won't get into it. But Craig Horner is my current workout inspiration, so I'll be tuning in each week!
The last time I chopped kindling was in Wells, BC in the Rockies (4000m elevation and 80km from the nearest bank or grocery store). I worked in an art galley/school heated with a wood-burning stove. As the gallery dogsbody, it was my job to chop the day's wood. Of course, I was a down-south city girl with noodle arms. The only way to get the axe through the kindling was to balance the piece of wood vertically and use the momentum of the axe to get through the wood in the direction of the grain. Every time I raised the axe, the piece of wood would fall over and I'd swear. The Buckley Pub's tabby cat stalked out into the backyard and would watch me chop. Yes, the pub is named after Buckley's cough syrup. Then the pub owner, who looked like a descendent of Rasputin, came out to watch, laughing helplessly at me. Even the cat was laughing. So, dear readers, when I say that looking good while chopping wood is hard, you can fully appreciate my private joke banner.
Oh yeah, LOTS. OK we're back in TV land now. I have an affection for popcorn fantasy/sci-fi. I own all but the last season of Stargate, for example. In tone/mood and level of writing Legend of the Seeker reminds me of Stargate. LOTS is popcorn high fantasy, and Stargate was popcorn sci-fi.
By popcorn, I mean that something is reminscient of the classic adventure serials from the first half of the 20th century — lots of action, a evil guy in a funny costume who is evil just because they are essentially evil, with emphasis on fun over content. I like popcorn, for the record.
What Legend of the Seeker (LOTS) has in its favour over Stargate is that the big baddie of LOTS, Darken Rahl, (the antagonist for my fellow English majors out there) is actually kinda smarter than the hero, and the hero doesn't always win. Most of the time Rahl uses his wits, brawn and magic to outwit the Seeker. I'm really enjoying this.
Off the top of my head, there haven't been a lot of high fantasy shows out in the past few years other than Merlin (BBC), Robin Hood (BBC) and, of course, Xena. I'm counting The Tudors as creative history more than fantasy. LOTS was created by the same people as Xena, and is based on Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. So I was pretty stoked about Legend of the Seeker, although the book is so porny I wasn't sure how they could make a TV show out of it, outside of HBO.
The first season has been up and down, but overall I quite like that the writers are creating their own universe and not strictly following the books. Up until this past week, I rated the quality of the episode on how porny it was. Hey, I'm just being honest here. Legend of the Seeker is a guilty pleasure for me. It's a show with an oddly inconsistent tone. Episode 8 had some rather kinky scenes I would never allow a child to see, but I quite enjoyed. The next episode lurches into the middle of YA-child-special-guest land, but again, I still liked it. That's actually part of LOTS's charm. You never know what you're getting when you tune in.
Episode #17 broke this trend. It was a good episode without bare chests! We were given a great fist fight, which wooed a D'Haran captain into a pretty great bromance with our Seeker. I have to say, that guest star can come back any time! Also, we had a former McLeod's Daugther's alumni as second guest star — it's always nice to see a familiar face. There were some really good character development scenes that complicated the Seeker's mission. No longer are the rebels wholly good and the D'Harans wholly evil. By the end of the episode the Seeker really is down the rabbit hole. He goes undercover in a D'Haran fort and ends up fighting both the rebels and the D'Harans and rescuing a D'Haran village.
I was quite happy about the quasi-political-lite plot twist about land mines. In the Terry Goodkind books, some of the anti-communist tone seems a bit dated. I felt that this episode's topic nicely updated the series for today's viewers without being too heavy-handed in the didactic department. I really enjoy fantasy that mixes magic and technology. The magical sonic land mines in this episode were a clever touch.
If you liked Merlin, you'll love LOTS. If you don't like popcorn genre TV, you probably won't get into it. But Craig Horner is my current workout inspiration, so I'll be tuning in each week!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
RIP, Lorne
Andy Hallet, the actor who played Lorne the demon night-club owner on Angel just passed away from heart failure. News story can be found here. I didn't realize that he was so young! For some reason, Lorne always seemed to be older than the other actors.
Friday, March 27, 2009
New Supernatural Trailer Does Genre-Crossing
I'm a fan of Supernatural on Facebook, and they just posted the trailer for next week's episode. To watch on YouTube, click here. It looks like it's going to be a pretty damn funny send up of the spin-off/pulp/genre fiction publishing industry. I can't freakin' wait.
Although, if the publishing PTBs came knocking on my door asking me to write a Supernatural spin-off book, I'd totally do it. And, really, who doesn't like a book cover with buff chests?
My housemate writes Supernatural fan fic and is our resident Supernatural expert, and both of us are not satisfied with the current Supernatural spin-off novels out there. They just aren't funny and the author doesn't catch the character's personalities at all, and the author(s) of these books don't appear to watch the show because there are continuity errors like crazy throughout the books. (OK, taking a deep breath now.)
But, despite my spin-off rant, I'm still "gonna need all the copies of Supernatural you've got", boys.
And, in a postscript to this post, I have to say that the one advantage to the new Facebook is that it does make it easier for TV fans to follow their favourite shows if they have Facebook groups (like Supernatural) because the groups post updates to your profile.
Although, if the publishing PTBs came knocking on my door asking me to write a Supernatural spin-off book, I'd totally do it. And, really, who doesn't like a book cover with buff chests?
My housemate writes Supernatural fan fic and is our resident Supernatural expert, and both of us are not satisfied with the current Supernatural spin-off novels out there. They just aren't funny and the author doesn't catch the character's personalities at all, and the author(s) of these books don't appear to watch the show because there are continuity errors like crazy throughout the books. (OK, taking a deep breath now.)
But, despite my spin-off rant, I'm still "gonna need all the copies of Supernatural you've got", boys.
And, in a postscript to this post, I have to say that the one advantage to the new Facebook is that it does make it easier for TV fans to follow their favourite shows if they have Facebook groups (like Supernatural) because the groups post updates to your profile.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Battlestar Galactica, Finis
Visions are a central trope of BSG. In the middle of the first season, I had a vision of what the show was really about and how the entire BSG universe worked and the broad strokes of its whole history. Every season has only confirmed my concept of the BSG universe. So I began to build up a weird resistance to the show. I'd ignore it, then months after the season DVDs would come out, I'd suddenly have to see it, and then devour it in a weekend, looking for signs. Was I right about everything? Would the show go downhill as the seasons passed? The only person I told my theory to, as far as I can remember, was my dad.
Since I started this blog, I realized that I would have to write about BSG in somewhat of a timely manner. But I don't like consuming BSG in tidbits. I like waiting for the DVDs and immersing myself in it and then coming out the other side of the season finale, hungover, slightly depressed and needing to get out in the sunshine, but, at the same time, usually I'm awed by its sheer intelligence and gripping tension.
Over the last two weeks I started frantically trying to catch up on the current season of BSG, while trying to keep up with all the new shows and trying to finish my first (probably crappy) genre novel. Finishing watching the series was like pushing out that novel — I just had to do it, without time to think or analyze, just let it happen.
OK, I'm getting way too flowery here, but the point is, is that for almost five years I had a theory that I thought was kind of, well (blush) epic, and I felt that right out of the gate I had totally second-guessed where the writers were going. I was quite pleased with myself. And, AND, this was the month I was going to finally find out if my view of the entire Battlestar Galactica universe was correct.
What was so spooky about the series finale was it was virtually scene for scene the exact match to my initial vision of the show's universe, right down to the fact that the whole thing took place in the past, and the people we were watching were our ancestors. I mean, by the last season or so, they were hinting pretty hard, but I'm very happy that I guessed it early in the first season when it was still pretty vague.
Well, I was right, so of course I'm happy about the series finale and felt it was about as good as could be. I wasn't sure about the quality of the colony centurions' CGI in the battle scenes, and I wanted more of the humanoid cylons in the battle. But overall, the battle scenes were still really intense and I thought in all other respects the episode was well acted, shot, written, etc. The magazine that Caprica and Gaius look at in the final scene was a magazine I actually bought and read a couple of years ago. I totally remember reading that exact article.
I just hope that we get more intelligent TV like BSG. TV execs! Shows can be tough and intelligent without losing viewers. Hello!
Since I started this blog, I realized that I would have to write about BSG in somewhat of a timely manner. But I don't like consuming BSG in tidbits. I like waiting for the DVDs and immersing myself in it and then coming out the other side of the season finale, hungover, slightly depressed and needing to get out in the sunshine, but, at the same time, usually I'm awed by its sheer intelligence and gripping tension.
Over the last two weeks I started frantically trying to catch up on the current season of BSG, while trying to keep up with all the new shows and trying to finish my first (probably crappy) genre novel. Finishing watching the series was like pushing out that novel — I just had to do it, without time to think or analyze, just let it happen.
OK, I'm getting way too flowery here, but the point is, is that for almost five years I had a theory that I thought was kind of, well (blush) epic, and I felt that right out of the gate I had totally second-guessed where the writers were going. I was quite pleased with myself. And, AND, this was the month I was going to finally find out if my view of the entire Battlestar Galactica universe was correct.
What was so spooky about the series finale was it was virtually scene for scene the exact match to my initial vision of the show's universe, right down to the fact that the whole thing took place in the past, and the people we were watching were our ancestors. I mean, by the last season or so, they were hinting pretty hard, but I'm very happy that I guessed it early in the first season when it was still pretty vague.
Well, I was right, so of course I'm happy about the series finale and felt it was about as good as could be. I wasn't sure about the quality of the colony centurions' CGI in the battle scenes, and I wanted more of the humanoid cylons in the battle. But overall, the battle scenes were still really intense and I thought in all other respects the episode was well acted, shot, written, etc. The magazine that Caprica and Gaius look at in the final scene was a magazine I actually bought and read a couple of years ago. I totally remember reading that exact article.
I just hope that we get more intelligent TV like BSG. TV execs! Shows can be tough and intelligent without losing viewers. Hello!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
So Long, Kyle XY
Gaaack! Where am I going to get my YA sci-fi hit? I should have known that just when Kyle XY was getting better, ABC Family would pull the plug.
I try not to read too much on the internets about the shows — I'm much more interested in whether the stories are good, does the show have an interesting premise, are the characters compelling, and, OK, are the stars cute (it's shallow, but I'm trying to be honest here). I'm not in the industry, so trying to be an news site about TV is less interesting than picking apart shows that I like or don't like.
But, I do have to say I'm annoyed that just when I get a moment to write about a show, just the day before I write about said show, it gets canceled. That's it. Poof.
For those of us who need it, I found an interview with Julie Plec, a Kyle XY writer/co-producer, who explains where the show would have gone past the abortive finale.
I try not to read too much on the internets about the shows — I'm much more interested in whether the stories are good, does the show have an interesting premise, are the characters compelling, and, OK, are the stars cute (it's shallow, but I'm trying to be honest here). I'm not in the industry, so trying to be an news site about TV is less interesting than picking apart shows that I like or don't like.
But, I do have to say I'm annoyed that just when I get a moment to write about a show, just the day before I write about said show, it gets canceled. That's it. Poof.
For those of us who need it, I found an interview with Julie Plec, a Kyle XY writer/co-producer, who explains where the show would have gone past the abortive finale.
Dollhouse Better Now That Network Took Their Grubby Paws Off of It (Episode Recap, Sci-fi, US)
I've been waiting until episode six to review Dollhouse, because, as all of us Joss Whedon fans knew, the network insisted on rewrites and various changes to the first few episodes. I faithfully watched the first five episodes, but they were like a low-rent version of Alias. It didn't full-on suck, but it was far from brilliant.
Episode six is much closer to what the Dollhouse pilot should have been. In fact, it really could have been the pilot. I felt like I would have fully understood the premise, based on this episode.
I'm a huge fan of the action genre. I've watched a lot of major and B action movies, both domestic and international. Buffy always had great action sequences, and this episode of Dollhouse brings it, and blows Buffy action out of the water. The cinematography and choreography of the fight between Echo and Paul Ballard equaled a great action movie sequence. Eliza Dushku and Tahmoh Penikett had a visceral energy in their fight sequences that Sarah Michelle Gellar didn't come close to achieving. This one action sequence surpassed the best of the Buffy fights in energy and technical prowess (sorry fellow Buffy fans).
You can definitely see how advances in filming and choreographing action have really improved in the years since Buffy.
The writing of this Dollhouse episode was on a whole other level from the first five episodes, which were the suck. The concept behind the show (the lack of free will in our lives, how much of our mental space is really our own, human trafficking, rape, etc.) was handled in a natural and more intelligent way. Unlike the pilot, which was grossly overwritten and stage-y, you got the idea of what Whedon was going to explore without feeling like the writer was reaching out of the screen and grabbing you and yelling in your ear, "Hey, this is my theme now. Did you get it? Are you sure?"
It was weird, but the show looked better too. The tech was waay cooler and much more visually dynamic. The way Topher (the science guy) used this new tech showed how the brain mapping worked in about 30 seconds of screen time. The other episodes spent a lot of time explaining it.
The Buffy we remember contains seven seasons of wit, so I think that holding Dollhouse up to Buffy on the humour front isn't a fair comparison this early in the series, especially since Buffy season one was not as strong as the other seasons. There were some clever bits of dialogue and scene in this Dollhouse episode that made me smile, but this was a pretty serious 40+ minutes. This has only been one episode, so I'm going be patient and trust that with Whedon now fully at he helm in the Dollhouse, humour will come with time.
Episode six is much closer to what the Dollhouse pilot should have been. In fact, it really could have been the pilot. I felt like I would have fully understood the premise, based on this episode.
I'm a huge fan of the action genre. I've watched a lot of major and B action movies, both domestic and international. Buffy always had great action sequences, and this episode of Dollhouse brings it, and blows Buffy action out of the water. The cinematography and choreography of the fight between Echo and Paul Ballard equaled a great action movie sequence. Eliza Dushku and Tahmoh Penikett had a visceral energy in their fight sequences that Sarah Michelle Gellar didn't come close to achieving. This one action sequence surpassed the best of the Buffy fights in energy and technical prowess (sorry fellow Buffy fans).
You can definitely see how advances in filming and choreographing action have really improved in the years since Buffy.
The writing of this Dollhouse episode was on a whole other level from the first five episodes, which were the suck. The concept behind the show (the lack of free will in our lives, how much of our mental space is really our own, human trafficking, rape, etc.) was handled in a natural and more intelligent way. Unlike the pilot, which was grossly overwritten and stage-y, you got the idea of what Whedon was going to explore without feeling like the writer was reaching out of the screen and grabbing you and yelling in your ear, "Hey, this is my theme now. Did you get it? Are you sure?"
It was weird, but the show looked better too. The tech was waay cooler and much more visually dynamic. The way Topher (the science guy) used this new tech showed how the brain mapping worked in about 30 seconds of screen time. The other episodes spent a lot of time explaining it.
The Buffy we remember contains seven seasons of wit, so I think that holding Dollhouse up to Buffy on the humour front isn't a fair comparison this early in the series, especially since Buffy season one was not as strong as the other seasons. There were some clever bits of dialogue and scene in this Dollhouse episode that made me smile, but this was a pretty serious 40+ minutes. This has only been one episode, so I'm going be patient and trust that with Whedon now fully at he helm in the Dollhouse, humour will come with time.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Castle for Hard-Core Nathan Fillion Fans? (New Series, Mystery/Police Procedural, ABC)
I want to love Castle. I was really excited to hear that Nathan Fillion, of Firefly fame, was getting another show.
The pilot was entertaining — the banter was more witty than in most police procedurals, and the dialogue in the mystery writer's poker game scene was the best scene in the premiere, and is worth tuning in to for that. My fellow watchers and I agreed that the writer's voice swung from the conventional older style of police procedural television to flashes of wit and sometimes it was even a little meta. Of course, we wanted it to push a lot farther.
Now that I've seen the second episode, I think that Castle is going to settle into a conventional mystery/police procedural, which is less than what I was hoping for. I think it has more depth than Mentalist, only because of Castle's relationship with his teenage daughter. His mother sets my teeth on edge, however.
Of course, the publishing industry is totally romanticized here, and the view of writing and book publishing is totally unconnected with reality. Hey, I've worked in Canadian publishing for a while now, and, trust me, book signings are rarely that glam, and most writers don't have the mayor on speed dial.
If the second episode is any indication, it seems like this show is going to move into the classic murder-per-week style of older shows, rather than having a larger season plot arc.
Basically, this is a show with Nathan Fillion doing Nathan Fillion with competent scripts from a seasoned TV writer. I like this show just fine. But I don't love it.
No More Navel-Gazing for Kyle XY — Is Season 3 Looking Up? (Episode 10 Recap, Sci-Fi, ABC Family)
I don't watch Kyle XY for the sci-fi. I watch because the teenagers act like actual teenagers, the parents are intelligent and human, and most of the teen's friends play with the usual high-school stereotypes and offer some pleasant surprises, like Josh's girlfriend, who has two mothers and is a teen cancer survivor. Or the blonde bombshell fashionista who is actually an amazing cook with all the area chefs on speed dial.
This show had the worst pilot I've ever seen. It was pure suckitude. I don't have words for how bad it was. But, over two seasons, it turned into a pretty good YA drama/family sitcom with sci-fi elements. Season two was on fiiire!
However, Season 3 has fallen into that trap in which many young adult (YA) shows fall — the angsty "I can't decide who I love" piss and moan that is sooo boring to watch. When the main focus of the season is just on whiny non-romance or conflict instead of also moving other plot points forward, all the tension goes out of the show.
Also, it was looking like Latnok, the antagonists, were doing that other annoying thing that sci-fi shows do — the old "really, they're not all bad, just misunderstood."
Thankfully, episode 10 has us back on track. Jesse and Amanda (Kyle's love interests, and the two hottest people on the show) teamed up Bad Boys-style to do some spying on Nate and Amanda proved that she can be tough too and not only a goody-girl band nerd. Nice!)
We got some action, the Latnok baddies are coming out of the woodwork again, and there was a really great reveal at the end of the episode that changes the whole direction of the season.
I'm relieved because I was about to give up on Kyle XY. Now I can't wait for next week.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Kings: Bizarre Ingredients, Brilliant Results (New Series, Alternate Universe, US, NBC)
Watching Kings is like seeing a world-class chef combine some grody ingredients and create an amazing gourmet feast.
I had to grit my teeth and force myself to sit and watch. I’m so glad I did.
An alternate universe set in a present-day version of the biblical Book of Kings with a butterfly as the central symbol seems like a kooky idea for a network television show. I would have loved to see how the creators of Kings successfully pitched this one. Of course, there are polygamists showing over on HBO, so maybe it's a religion-fest in show biz land.
On viewing the two-hour premiere, I have to say that Kings is sweeping in just as Battlestar Galactica is swooping out. While Battlestar Galactica was sci-fi thriller, and this is an alternate universe with touches of magic realism, both series combine intelligent and immersive world-building with excellent writing and compelling acting. I do think that BSG is the ever so slightly better series, but it's only a matter of a tiny difference the size of a butterfly wing. Pushing Daisies makes magic realism work as well as it can, but the butterfly symbolism in Kings felt tacked on. But that's a minor quibble in an otherwise frakkin' awesome feature-length series premiere.
The acting is really top-notch. I raved about Ian McShane in Deadwood when that was on. What that man can do with a facial expression! For the first few scenes of Ian McShane as King Silas Benjamin, I kept hoping that he would break out into a stream of eloquent cussing. But of course, he didn’t.
Chris Egan, who looks like the result of gene-crossing Paul Newman and Matt Damon, is David Shepherd (get it, get it? groan!), a young farmer and soldier who becomes the “David” of our set piece. Luckily, he has some of the best acting chops I’ve seen in new male TV actors this year. Acting opposite Ian McShane without having your scene stolen is a pretty impressive feat.
There are many other excellent character actors in the background, although I found the rest of King Silas’s family less compelling but still quite good. The son is gay, and there is an ambivalent scene between him and his father about his identity, which is one of the son’s more interesting scenes.
I was very leery about this one, because I'm leery about any show steeped in a religious concept. I think this show is going to fight and uphill battle. I think the religious right will tune in thinking it is something it’s totally not, and tune out just as quickly, believing that it's blasphemous. The rest of us will be hinky about it and have to make and effort to look past the premise.
Alternate universes are difficult to create, and, I think, are fairly rare in network television. They can be artificially conceptual and prone to visual and situational puns. Of course, I heart that sort of thing very much. If that makes your teeth ache, then be assured that those touches mostly kept to the background.
The alternate-reality shows that I can think of are usually set in a dystopian future/near-future. Doctor Who is set in contemporary London, but it's campiness undercuts any immersive quality. Doctor Who strikes me as a show that is uncomfortable with it's own world, like the writers don't really believe that their world could have real and scary aliens — "Look we have aliens, ha ha isn't that silly?"
Kings brings something that I think is totally unique — a present-day, urban world combined with an ancient world from a religious text. This world feels completely contemporary, and, more or less, takes itself seriously. It is both utterly familiar and remotely alien, which is the goal of most alternate universes.
One of the only parts of the world that gave me pause were the military tactics. The plot and dialogue hints that technology has been held back. The sets and personal tech are bang-up-to-the-minute. The war looks like Iraq-meets-Passchendaele. I'm guessing, and this is just a guess on my part, that this is a world where nukes have not been developed, and battles are primarily fought on the ground in a tank/trench configuration, with air mostly as support or for when the action heats up.
The other thing that drew me away from the world was the “we’re doing a modern version of Shakespeare here” feeling that some of the writing and dialogue gave me. Messengers run to the king with messages written on pieces of paper, just so the king can hit them and berate them as he would have in the olden days. However, in this day and age, most people would send the bad news through cell phone or e-mail, so that felt a little artificial.
I think it’s because I have that religious background (I'm not religious now), I heard the echoes of the biblical stories and texts that the writers drew upon. In the writers’ defence, they really know and understand these passages, and they do an intelligent, non-religious reinterpretation of the book of Kings as a character study and a set piece for backroom, high-level politics. I feel like they are treating the text like it’s Homer, and not the voice of god. I really liked this approach. The writing has a very, very similar voice and diction to Deadwood.
OK, this post is getting way too long, so I just want to say: please, please watch this show. You won’t regret it.
The Listener is Not All "Aww Shucks We're Canadian". Thank Freakin' Goodness. (New Series, Supernatural, CDN, CTV/NBC)
For once, we have a Canadian supernatural show that doesn't look like CTV scrounged under the sofa cushions for a budget. The Americans even like it! NBC has picked up The Listener for their spring lineup.
If you liked Roswell, Buffy/Angel, Kyle XY and Dark Angel, you'll like The Listener.
It's about a paramedic from Toronto (although they play refreshingly coy about the setting) who can hear people's thoughts, à la Sookie Stackhouse. But this show is more like Medium (soft police procedural), and Kyle XY (soft sci-fi/YA). It's all about a young man trying to figure out how his special gift works while helping others, placing this show firmly outside the horror genre and separating it in tone, structure and subject from True Blood.
The Listener is an interesting mix of bilsdungroman, scooby doo'ing, and ESP, especially since I haven't seen Canadians do YA without trying to be all after school special meets Degrassi High. There is a pleasant lack of the irritating moral lessons lodged into most Canadian shows like an axe into a corpse. The Listener is just straight up drama-lite, attractively shot with bright colours and warm lighting. There is no Vancouver look here! Plus, did I mention Colm Feore plays his mentor?
Of course, our hero Toby Logan (no, not Colm Feore) also has a mysterious and tortured past and doesn't know much about where his powers came from, but he is going to use his powers to help the people he encounters as a paramedic. The show creators aren't pushing the boundaries of this type of story at all, but I'm just happy that CTV has done a good job of doing a straight up eye-candy-does-supernatural show. Also positive is that the lead is not a private detective, journalist, cop or boy genius.
I didn't know anything about The Listener when I started watching. I didn't even know it was Canadian until, of course, the lead said "eh" and the lead and sidekick took a break from their paramedic duties to go for a double-double (is there a hospital in Canada that doesn't have a Timmy Ho's?). So that part was a bit obvs., but you'd never guess this was Canadian from the production values, or more importantly, the casting.
This is a show with a early-twenty-something lead, Craig Olejnik, who has quirky, arty-boy good looks. My beef with most Canadian shows is that most of the male actors look like they're from small-town Ontario and have played amateur hockey since they were three. It's a perfectly fine look, but it's always the same look for every show. All you Canadians know what I'm talking about. My only other beef is that the CTV website has very little information about this show, so you'll have to troll for local listings.
I'm definitely adding this show to my regular watching lineup.
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Brings Fresher Take to BBC Mystery Shows (New Series, Brit, Mystery)
It's unusual to find a mystery show that is not a police procedural or placed firmly in the murder mystery genre, especially when we're talking BBC mysteries. I started watching the pilot of the six-episode series of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency while building a lasagna, and almost turned the show off in the first five minutes. The pacing of the first act was a bit slow, but I'm very glad I just kept on cooking and watching because I was rewarded, both gastronomically and visually.
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is a new BBC show based on the series of books of the same title by Alexander McCall Smith. The books are about a woman who starts a detective agency in Botswana. Basically, it's one of those "first woman to do_____" story arcs. This premise feels a bit 1980s feminist, and due to the male writer, and the fact that it's an African story produced for the BBC, I was a little worried. I'm from the Pacific Northwest and I haven't been to Africa, so I can't vouch for the authenticity of the voice or setting, but I found nothing to offend in a light viewing. It was refreshing to watch a BBC mystery show that wasn't about London or Scotland Yard — or even about murder.
This detective agency is all about cases that are grounded in the mundane details of daily life. Yet these tiny cases do lead us to surprising or quirky ends. I think that is why patience is needed with this series: the introduction seems a bit dull, but the threads of the different cases weave together into a pleasing and competently-written conclusion.
As a former woman of generous proportions, it's good to see that the lead, Jill Scott, is a queen-sized actor instead of the idealized anoxeria-sized actors who seem to have crept back into television this year. Her character is stripped of most of the personality stereotypes TV shows give larger women as loud, brash and joke-y. Both Jill Scott, the detective, and Anika Noni Rose, the slightly geeky secretary/sidekick, play their roles with an understated air, and there were many moments for good character development, both on the comedic and dramatic fronts. The male characters were not quite as good at avoiding the masculine stereotypes found in chick lit — yes, there is a gay hairdresser — but the writing for these characters was better than a lot of chick lit comedy I've encountered, so I was able to get past it fairly easily.
I confess that I've never read the books on which this series is based. Well, the truth is that I picked up one of the books when they first came out and started to read it, but my tastes run darker. I don't read a lot of chick lit, and this book seemed like a blend of the mystery and chick lit genres. I can see that type of mash-up being very popular, and the two genres seem very compatible for style and audience. However, this show did win me over. Now that I'm going to go on to watch the second episode, I will be running out to find the book again and give it a second chance.
I think this series definitely has some potential for the patient viewer.
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is produced by some well-known names, among them, the Weinsteins, Anthony Minghella, and Sydney Pollack. This episode was written by Nicholas Wright and directed by Charles Sturridge. Apparently, this series is either a spin-off or a continuation of a movie-length version of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, directed by Anthony Minghella. Having not seen this project, I can't tell you how this pilot is connected to the plot of the movie, or be able to compare the two.
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is a new BBC show based on the series of books of the same title by Alexander McCall Smith. The books are about a woman who starts a detective agency in Botswana. Basically, it's one of those "first woman to do_____" story arcs. This premise feels a bit 1980s feminist, and due to the male writer, and the fact that it's an African story produced for the BBC, I was a little worried. I'm from the Pacific Northwest and I haven't been to Africa, so I can't vouch for the authenticity of the voice or setting, but I found nothing to offend in a light viewing. It was refreshing to watch a BBC mystery show that wasn't about London or Scotland Yard — or even about murder.
This detective agency is all about cases that are grounded in the mundane details of daily life. Yet these tiny cases do lead us to surprising or quirky ends. I think that is why patience is needed with this series: the introduction seems a bit dull, but the threads of the different cases weave together into a pleasing and competently-written conclusion.
As a former woman of generous proportions, it's good to see that the lead, Jill Scott, is a queen-sized actor instead of the idealized anoxeria-sized actors who seem to have crept back into television this year. Her character is stripped of most of the personality stereotypes TV shows give larger women as loud, brash and joke-y. Both Jill Scott, the detective, and Anika Noni Rose, the slightly geeky secretary/sidekick, play their roles with an understated air, and there were many moments for good character development, both on the comedic and dramatic fronts. The male characters were not quite as good at avoiding the masculine stereotypes found in chick lit — yes, there is a gay hairdresser — but the writing for these characters was better than a lot of chick lit comedy I've encountered, so I was able to get past it fairly easily.
I confess that I've never read the books on which this series is based. Well, the truth is that I picked up one of the books when they first came out and started to read it, but my tastes run darker. I don't read a lot of chick lit, and this book seemed like a blend of the mystery and chick lit genres. I can see that type of mash-up being very popular, and the two genres seem very compatible for style and audience. However, this show did win me over. Now that I'm going to go on to watch the second episode, I will be running out to find the book again and give it a second chance.
I think this series definitely has some potential for the patient viewer.
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is produced by some well-known names, among them, the Weinsteins, Anthony Minghella, and Sydney Pollack. This episode was written by Nicholas Wright and directed by Charles Sturridge. Apparently, this series is either a spin-off or a continuation of a movie-length version of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, directed by Anthony Minghella. Having not seen this project, I can't tell you how this pilot is connected to the plot of the movie, or be able to compare the two.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
