tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37609231127829728972011-12-21T13:15:04.310ZI blog about things I love, as well as providing my own response to modern culture, the "noise" we break down into parts and enjoy. I blog particularly on books and comics and things that inspire me. Often my reflections betray my Christian beliefs, and there's some creative writing here too. Bookmark me and check back often as I'd appreciate your views on my attempts at writing - let me know what works and what doesn't...Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.comBlogger1671100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-71704889387111173882011-10-19T23:32:00.000+01:002011-10-19T23:32:11.813+01:00

Snowdrops (Atlantic Books), a novel by A D Miller, is an intriguing tale about the modern Moscow, with all the wonder of young love and high-class establishments and the snow and the sense of making it through - plus the corruption and the excess and the smut and property crime. I quite liked it as a tale of a naive man becoming corrupted, and in an odd way seeing that he does not care what a

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-44729587825696998462011-10-19T23:02:00.000+01:002011-10-19T23:04:55.040+01:00

One thing I realy like about House is that the man himself (and the script-writers) realise we rarely just do something. There's more to us than that, we either want something out of it or we want to achieve things and succeed or we do it out of a desire for purpose - or with an ounce of care and compassion. But only an ounce. Sadly Dr Gregory House is often too right about the human heart. As

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-62802472332219520632011-09-28T21:39:00.001+01:002011-09-28T21:42:27.762+01:00

What makes a good whodunit? At the least, strong characters, clues and a clever twist. But also: interesting psychology, defective personalities or madness and multiple points of view, an ominous danger at large, and something that challenges justice itself, provoking us to speculate on wider societal issues or ills or the very human heart itself. On my recent holiday I finally got to read

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-58588146868691666072011-09-25T17:13:00.004+01:002011-09-25T17:24:55.593+01:00

If I've given you a lift in my car lately, chances are you might have heard some of the new Metronomy album I've been playing a lot: The English Riveria. Typically known for their remixes of other work (eg Goldfrapp's Happiness) this seems to be a kind of breakthrough album for the odd outfit, who use mostly electronic instruments and percussion but also use voice and other stuff (nice bit of

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-2960415154313295232011-09-25T16:40:00.001+01:002011-09-25T16:43:16.210+01:00

A poem I wrote a few months ago: The Sunflower We hold up and gaze at The head as big as our own, It scours the earth below, Magnificent; We cradle it in child’s arms. Let’s prise out seeds Over the earth to watch And listen to their flat sides bed down In secret; A molten dew-shower. Here lies our treasure, X marks the spot, Let the place not be forgot. Dreamily it

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-45494263417085106782011-08-27T23:38:00.000+01:002011-08-27T23:38:45.083+01:00

In the thirteenth and very funny Discworld novel Small Gods, Om says the difference between being a small god and human is that humans are uncertain about what lies beyond death, but gods really know that when they come to the end of their lives/reigns there is nothing more for them, that is the end of their real existence - all that's left is longing for what was. At the end of their magic and

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-41383051423635052582011-08-22T00:12:00.000+01:002011-08-22T00:12:37.862+01:00

There's been so much to enjoy this summer! Highlights have been: a holiday in Deal, seeing some action movies with friends, eating out (tapas) with some international students and attempting to teach them English phrases, catching up with my older brother and school-friends, and going to some great weddings, which have felt like big happy celebrations. With all this going on, it's no wonder this

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-47628307535716559792011-06-03T22:29:00.002+01:002011-06-03T22:32:25.915+01:00

Personally I found X-men: First Class a slightly more polished and enjoyable film, and an absolute blast, with good new characters and 1960s spy-film influenced plot, and action beating X2 – but I think Thor was more ambitious, and despite being a tad too silly and “summer blockbuster” in the bits set on Earth, it had more interesting themes. May his return in the Avengers film next year

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-44100758930936752052011-05-07T23:27:00.003+01:002011-05-07T23:43:51.345+01:00

If you haven't heard already, The Dark Knight Rises (the next Batman flick) is filming and all over the internet you can see a leaked photo of some green liquid on one of the sets. This isn't pointless slime - it's bright green so it can be picked up from footage easily and altered or animated somehow. So what? It suggests a Lazarus pit* could be involved. If you don't know the comics the

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-89606075723384383532011-04-01T20:57:00.001+01:002011-04-01T20:59:43.922+01:00

Friends, hear these brilliant words, which my soul also needs to hear. In the run-up to this passage John Stott has been talking about wrong ways to approach hard times and God, by self-accusing, self-pitying or self-asserting. But then he starts talking about the best way of all – to see Him afresh spiritually, and trust in Him: If it was reasonable for Job to trust in the God whose wisdom and

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-27868910620193649822011-03-24T10:30:00.005Z2011-03-24T10:30:00.456Z

On a completely different subject, how shall I blog about New Word Alive this year? I don't think I will be blogging there (although I could tweet there), but I will update this site when I get back. I've previously tried video interviews - shall I do more of these, and see if I can catch one of the speakers/some of the punters? Shall I try something creative and new? What do you want to hear

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-68953151544652775612011-03-22T23:22:00.003Z2011-03-22T23:29:29.494Z

A couple of months ago I had the chance to read part one of “Persepolis” an autobiographical tale of Marjane Satrapi growing up in Iran as a girl and a young teenager. It's worth a read, as we consider the price of freedom for the Libyans and others in the Middle East. Marjane's unique upbringing was a strange learning experience for a young girl and she clearly has many lively memories of her

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-82027000926000471252011-03-12T18:46:00.003Z2011-03-12T18:53:17.639Z

It’s rare to find a series of stories which manages to capture your imagination, stories that seem fresh even while working within a genre that has definite traditions, stories whose range of characters show a breadth and colour that seems to cover several levels of society. I’m happy to say that this first collection of stories about the lone wandering samurai called Miyamoto Usagi pulls off

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-47989675251429434122011-02-25T18:45:00.000Z2011-02-25T18:45:22.851Z

If you like poetry, here's treat - Simon Armitage at his most awfully sad and moving and then following this - in a more inventive and funny mode, touching on huge subjects of 20th/21st century life (I prefer the latter one).

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-1588279885294531762011-02-22T22:57:00.002Z2011-08-27T23:40:05.593+01:00

Since interning at Granta Books last year I’ve been enjoying articles and books that bring across the story of how people are living in tough places. One such book is Nothing to Envy: Real Lives in North Korea – which won the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction 2010 and which I highly recommend. Based on accounts of those who managed to escape North Korea, the book gives a sense of what it

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-57359584798513414792011-02-22T21:49:00.001Z2011-02-22T21:59:13.701Z

So this post is waaaay overdue as I finished this painting without much trouble in December. But anyway, finally here it is - so what do you think? It's ok I think, considering I haven't painted for a while. Keep tuned for more creative stuff later this year, once I've settled into my new job a bit.

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-86643525453061569642011-01-26T20:05:00.002Z2011-01-26T20:06:07.590Z

The story behind the following poem is that it is based on a wierd picture that I don't know the back-story to. Up until my recent move I'd been going to a writer's group in Gosport, and group organisers Jo and Marie brought some pictures to inspire us in the month ahead. The one I picked is below, photographed on my phone. I just don't know what to make of it. The poem came out of this idea of

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-74290044918873084062011-01-22T18:30:00.001Z2011-01-22T18:31:00.793Z

After a week of taking in lots of information from various staff at my new workplace, I spent part of the morning lying in, finally getting to making a lazy man’s breakfast, mainly involving toast – and picked up the Open Doors magazine I was sent recently. I was quickly struck by the gap between my relaxed Saturday morning existence and the people who are living in danger and difficulty because

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-70876025982332664112011-01-12T09:30:00.000Z2011-01-12T09:30:00.536Z

In this sad and telling passage from the quirky novel How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe we hear how Charles sees his position living inside a time machine as living “at the origin, at zero, neither present nor absent, a denial of self- and creature-hood to an arbitrarily small epsilon-delta limit.” Then we get this interesting passage as to why Charles’ missing father created

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-12178444599572724882011-01-10T21:03:00.005Z2011-03-12T19:08:23.698Z

An excellent purchase, this graphic novel seems to draw on a whole culture created by Stephen King in his fantasy series, including a specific Wild West-inspired dialect and weapon set, an interesting approach to honour, a sense of legacy and supernatural mystery about the evil John Farson’s men. It opens within some apprentices seeking to become “gunslingers” to follow their missing fathers

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-16658160645328073622011-01-10T20:52:00.001Z2011-01-10T20:52:40.734Z

On the right I have added a page with some evidence for God - adapted from a talk I heard back at New Word Alive 2010. Yes, this is long overdue! A snippet I liked is below. This is from a portion where we are talking about how the accounts of the New Testament of the Bible are good historical evidence to show us the amazing events of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, who came from God

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-87417125705914507342011-01-07T09:00:00.002Z2011-01-07T09:00:06.143Z

This Japanese animated film isn’t going to be for everyone, but you will probably like it if you liked the weirdness and the action of The Matrix or Akira and the colour of Slumdog Millionaire. Starring two brothers, Black and White, known as the Cats, who roam the streets and stamp their authority over the area, much of the drama comes from the fact that they are both children, making their way

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-70063032138281354422011-01-06T11:31:00.001Z2011-01-06T11:31:39.509Z

As I’ve been playing The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess on the Wii lately, I just want to share how awesome the Lakebed/Water Temple is. OK, the previous temple in the Goron Mines had some brilliant sections as you worked out how to magnetise parts of the wall to get to different areas. But the Water Temple I loved because the whole area was one big puzzle. There must be some Japanese

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-49935942723281498012011-01-05T18:21:00.001Z2011-01-05T18:27:47.623Z

Happy New Year! In the next week or so, expect a few posts from me on everything from anime film to reasons for believing in God's existence. But for today, here are some of the things I've been learning about God and his ways in the last few weeks and months. There are two paths in life, God's one and the way of fools, the latter of which will be attractive to the eye, but only the former both

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-18861477345398907792010-12-23T20:35:00.001Z2010-12-23T20:37:25.335Z

If the music industry is anything to go by, it seems that Christmas is the time of year for optimism, a kind of hope against the odds. We hear songs of peace and joy for those in need, songs proclaiming an end to war, songs about all our dreams coming true. Which, in the UK, is quite an odd thing for us. We are used to brushing off any news of new education or health schemes with a good dose of

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-9167846548462129932010-12-03T18:50:00.004Z2010-12-21T12:43:49.761Z

I had the pleasure of borrowing two more volumes of The Sandman recently from the library and I want to talk a bit about Sandman #25 (which is Episode 4 of the storyline “Season of Mists”). It's an interesting episode in a series that isn't afraid of tackling such subjects as what is really real and what is imaginary the various prisons we make for ourselves, especially through fear about our

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-49069074518471596352010-12-03T16:33:00.000Z2010-12-03T16:33:11.574Z

Here's a taster of a painting (in acrylics) I'm working on - I was determined to at least START something creative during the week I have given myself off "between jobs" (more on the publishing job search another time). What do you think so far? Below are some images I created for reference from a picture I took in a summer of mixed weather.

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-19091464210858519262010-10-31T15:44:00.002Z2011-02-22T21:40:11.460Z

It's a while since I have posted a poem, but I hope you enjoy it - please let me know how you found it. I As I look at the frightened creature sweltering in my hand I realise some would call it an insect. There are words to describe that kind of folly. As alive as I am, as on edge, as apprehensive, as difficult: As anxious for the other, we peer across a divide filled with nothing. II As

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-8233114349901091562010-10-27T11:38:00.001+01:002010-10-27T11:41:28.803+01:00

If you didn’t know already, comics involving Green Lantern are going to take over the world when the new film comes out next year, but if they are anything like Secret Origin and the rest of writer Geoff Johns’ series we are in for an exhilarating ride. This volume actually works well as a standalone story, catching us up with some defining moments in pilot Hal Jordan’s life: how he grew up

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-54544807932438311262010-10-11T15:25:00.000+01:002010-10-11T15:25:34.260+01:00

How can I describe what has been one of the most true-to-life, craziness-of-life-encompassing reading experiences I’ve read for a while in a short post like this? How can I describe this American disaster novel whose flavour of George Orwell’s 1984 is mixed with probable future medical elitism to create a world where the rich and young aim to live forever, to achieve nothing much, and death is

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-63428588360427673252010-09-30T22:08:00.004+01:002010-09-30T22:23:28.227+01:00

Here's a few films I've enjoyed recently. Also be sure to check out my review of Moon, one of the more thought-provoking films to come out last year. Scott Pilgrim vs the World: Awesomely silly. Brilliantly smile-inducing odd-ball characters in a crazy old-school-copmputer-game style situation, where Scott must overcome the sinister exes of his love Ramona Flowers in order to date her. Also, I

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-56003947061356631922010-09-29T21:56:00.002+01:002010-09-30T21:39:54.417+01:00

Sometimes I despair about communicating the serious message of the gospel in a world which loves and seeks out the flippant, the tearing down, the joke. Of course, we seek a joke to make a social situation more comfortable – and I understand this: There’s skill in making others feel at ease through humour. But what I’m talking about is the way we hear something serious and twist it into something

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-26154832826937396652010-09-14T16:08:00.003+01:002010-09-14T16:17:58.993+01:00

The US government places blame on the reckless behaviour of unlicensed individuals and groups, but tries to remedy this by empowering government-approved and sanctioned groups to combat the rest. Who is right? How do you best navigate or utilise the chaos that ensues? This is the situation created in the aftermath of Marvel's hugely popular Civil War storyline, which divided allied heroes such

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-75889258193187084412010-09-09T12:14:00.001+01:002010-09-09T12:16:42.352+01:00

Just read this fantastic outline of the message of the book of 1 Peter! Find the book towards the back of the Bible, and read below to get a sense of what it's about. Facing impending assaults on the gospel, Peter witnesses to the grace of God, the overwhelming reality of what God has done in Jesus Christ. The apostle knows that Jesus rose from the dead; he saw him ascend to heaven. He knows,

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-65318323199710117852010-09-07T11:53:00.002+01:002010-09-07T11:56:40.726+01:00

According to Philip Johnson, through school, college or university many in the West have been given “maps of understanding” where God has been “left off” the map. There is no place for the spiritual in academia (and little in the media). This is what Os Guinness found, who said his education “gave no place to the faith that was vital to him”. So today many, like Os Guinness, may be unsatisfied

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-59115815204562287542010-08-03T22:50:00.002+01:002010-09-14T13:20:29.387+01:00

A mixture of the unsettling and bizarre combined with the imaginative and philosophical make this classic manga (Japanese comic) a memorable read. It started running in 1973 and finished in 1983. What I liked: - The character of Black Jack – cold and mysterious, but able to save lives, Jack seems to always have a handle on the situation. He keeps people at arm’s length at times by charging the

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-48991593221580517352010-07-28T23:11:00.002+01:002010-08-03T21:34:24.714+01:00

Having started as an intern on Monday at Granta Books with Granta/Portobello I have been inspired by some of the great writing I've come across there, and surprised by the amount of poor or unsuitable manuscripts they are sent. If you want to check out some good writing, the Granta magazine on "Work" seemed really interesting, and the new one on the theme of "Going Back" has a moving piece about

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-29068307913222690422010-07-07T12:29:00.007+01:002010-07-18T22:54:23.031+01:00

Bad poetry: Here am I The monster in my own life Grace and art gone to the wind Because I am languishing The monster Good poetry, Showing signs of improvement: Where am I What rod can I branch off Making the angle required To support this tree, standing, And these people? Ties made or re-made, With terms of possibility: Weakness to weakness To strength that is vital. For music-lovers, here

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-92220044702953675512010-07-04T15:45:00.002+01:002010-07-04T15:45:00.710+01:00

Mr Whicher was a famous detective from the first stock of detectives ever produced, back in London in 1842. This non-fiction book mainly deals with a murder case he investigated, that of young Saville Kent, who was less than four, but it also covers most of his life with fascinating detail, especially the parts about his first successes. The details bring it alive. For instance, he tricked a

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-45721535632920966172010-07-03T15:20:00.006+01:002010-08-03T21:33:53.298+01:00

On Wednesday night I went to my house group (a Bible study group that meets in someone's house). As we were looking at John 9 it struck me how easy it easy to get everything totally wrong. Let me explain. The Jewish Pharisees were so sure their rules of religion were right that when God showed up among them, they discounted him - and worse, opposed him. His work amongst people did not fit into

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-77614994872834559792010-06-28T16:34:00.003+01:002010-08-14T21:51:33.245+01:00

Brutal and horrible, but totally compelling, I wanted to mention this film for a couple of reasons: 1. It's unusual to find a film that deals so convincingly with the human psyche. It shows how one man in American suburbia realises that the militant white power cause he's been living for is foolish and destructive. He sees that the movement has begun to manipulate him, making him a figure to

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-7293936866131811682010-06-27T17:35:00.003+01:002010-07-02T21:57:54.874+01:00

I happened to pick up this strange collection of stories from Woody Allen recently, and although I wasn't sure if I'd like it, I'm glad I checked it out. he has a knack for coming up with absurd situations (a little like some of Roald Dahl's adult stories) and they are very funny too! Particulary amusing was the hubris of one two-bit, no-good supporting actor who gets captured by terrorists in

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-81901884420111264592010-06-04T14:18:00.000+01:002010-06-04T14:18:19.495+01:00

Fans of this film at work got me to watch this 1980s classic. So here are some thoughts: Here is an adventure/horror film which transcends its simple storyline of “kill the vampires to rescue Michael and his family from an evil fate” to deliver something more. This is the birth of “cool” teen vampire, complete with the spirit of rebellious youth, recalling the anti-society and cult-like teen

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-79398815130057623442010-05-27T11:00:00.008+01:002010-09-14T13:24:44.388+01:00

Today I want to mention some great graphic novels I’ve read, such as the first massive Daredevil Omnibus by Alex Maleev and Brian Michael Bendis. (If I know you and you want to borrow this, just ask - you won’t be disappointed.) The first story in the volume, Wake Up, has to have some of the best, most emotional and expressionist comic art I have ever seen, and is very well suited to this

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-28303478979595124252010-05-25T23:25:00.002+01:002010-08-14T22:17:41.826+01:00

Why is this acclaimed graphic novel worthy of such high distinction? Perhaps it’s because it is one of the few *true* science fiction epics in that form, which has a beginning, middle and an end? Perhaps it’s the crazy concepts, from the haunting tale of the person whose gender has been erased, to the “forever” time-altered charge into battle in the Crush (on a planet with dangerously high

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-86916991313724900472010-05-22T13:50:00.001+01:002010-07-18T22:53:12.796+01:00

I've been reading a book called How to Write Poetry from Bloodaxe Books. I'm not clear how helpful it's been, but at least after a few weeks of having to get on with life stuff, I've had a chance to get writing again. Here's a poem I wrote last night called "How to handle it", though I'm not that happy with the title... Still in the bedroom Standing taut, Blinkers put paid to Anything much.

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-74292975473524565792010-05-11T10:07:00.002+01:002010-05-11T10:09:05.114+01:00

I seem to have some impressions still to post about New Word Alive this year. Here's a taster on the teaching from the Psalms, hope you find it useful to think through/pray through. You can order copies of the talks to listen to in various formats from NWA's website. From Nigel Stiles in one of the main meetings – we learned from Psalm 42 and 43 (all one poem/song really) that we will need to be

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-68537383634270710992010-05-10T10:13:00.001+01:002010-05-10T10:15:08.258+01:00

Recently I preached on Psalm 21 and was challenged to the heart to consider the power of God, and all the many benefits of knowing Him. He brings salvation to those who trust him. He deals with our greatest enemies for us - those of death and sin. He is our life. Out of his generosity he goes before us to bless us and gives us eternal life. Like the king in the psalm, God has won us incredible

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-90169566994613445362010-05-10T09:40:00.001+01:002010-05-22T13:51:36.083+01:00

So I went to see Iron Man 2. I really liked it, despite some obvious problems with the narrative, and over-reliance on CGI near the end. Here are some brief impressions:  - It's great fun I think, and I like how it picks up on some of the history of the character of Tony Stark. They have got an interesting mix of his large ego and self-destructive behaviour in there. - Some of the action is

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-41428861465204609472010-04-27T16:14:00.003+01:002010-04-27T16:14:00.678+01:00

Here's some more thoughts from sessions at New Word Alive. If you were there, how did it affect you? 4) An evening with David Robertson – author of “The Dawkins Letters” and who has developed a great outreach to atheists (and curious people of all kinds in the UK). He inspired me that although our message is a hard pill to swallow for many brought up to believe they are in charge of their lives

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-39177521317806613822010-04-26T22:34:00.000+01:002010-04-26T22:34:09.792+01:00

At New Word Alive, as well as taking video interviews, worshiping God in meetings with around 4000 other people, and enjoying the amazing scenery, there was significant time for some great teaching from gifted teachers. Over the next couple of days I will post on some of the sessions and what lines of thought particularly affected me. 1) Hugh Palmer stirred us to action by preaching through 1

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-59900047766197295342010-04-23T23:27:00.000+01:002010-04-23T23:27:27.470+01:00

It's been a busy week since New Word Alive finished and we all trekked back from Pwhelli, North Wales, to our homes. But it's essential to learn from what God was teaching us during the week, and I hope to post on some of the things I learned in the next couple of days. Meanwhile, here's a second interview to get you thinking. This time, it's Jonny Joslin, who works for Christians Against

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-27469552513993011792010-04-19T23:41:00.001+01:002010-04-26T22:35:00.078+01:00

This year I wanted to use my new tiny HD camera to record some interviews with people at New Word Alive... and I will be posting the results here, so you get a taste of what was going on, and what was being taught or thought about over the week. Here's the first: the highly-respected Bible scholar, Wayne Grudem. Sorry for the shaky camera!

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-56097670338877451742010-04-12T23:58:00.003+01:002010-04-13T00:00:45.734+01:00

It's a while since I posted on any books, though I have just started A Short History Of Nearly Everything, which is bascially the most important discoveries/theories in science wonderfully explained and told in lots of brilliantly amusing asides about eccentric or exceptional human beings. On a different note I have been meaning to post about 1980 novel The Bourne Identity. Here are some quick

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-88564882572016205492010-04-03T10:30:00.002+01:002010-04-03T14:15:22.634+01:00

Just a quick post to point out 2 impressive films using science-fiction to explore aspects of 21st century life: Moon (2009)- which has been widely acclaimed - uses the isolated setting of a moon base to examine the effects of technology and big business on the individual. Sam Rockwell is brilliant in a physically demanding role, and the direction is very assured for Duncan Jones' debut film.

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-18083542791211138932010-03-31T12:30:00.005+01:002010-03-31T12:30:01.538+01:00

In the day pomp holds forth against my wind pipe. Shining walls, Tables set for twenty, Laughter, loud voices. Given into the hands of the gleaming walkers, assessing each gain. Exulting madly In the quiet moments, Floods and dreams. I bear no scars on my cheek. I carry no dead weight. I speak with friends alone. I keep up my own strength. This portrait (which is perhaps barely a poem!)

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-72447903260732519272010-03-30T22:17:00.000+01:002010-03-30T22:17:01.281+01:00

Here's an angry, sketchy poem I recently read out at a monthly writers' group I started going to. I think it was liked. Another poem will be posted tomorrow, so check back for more! Why shouldn't we Place our places well, Lay out sheets of space Amid expensive, precious rubble?    - oh go on, stand it up,    keep that lamp to,    pass those small crystal dolphins,    the paper fan can hang by it

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-80965701197617522012010-03-30T21:41:00.004+01:002010-03-30T22:00:57.707+01:00

As a fan of classics like V for Vendetta, I’ve been very impressed by the unorthodox and mysterious adventures of the Question in his comic series from the late 1980s. Our hero Vic Sage, who wonders if his greatest power is his curiosity, dresses up in a blank flesh-coloured mask and deals out kung-fu on those who try to stop him investigating crimes as "the Question". It’s all very Zen. The (

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-87378123080528173952010-03-14T16:49:00.001Z2010-03-14T16:50:50.189Z

I have been enjoying the way movies can play tricks on you or experiment with narrative, having recently seen two surprising films. The first, The Prestige (2006), was a drama that keeps you guessing all the way through. One or two brilliant moments towards the end really shine where the obsession of the two main characters, both stage magicians, breaks through, and we finally see what drives

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-7925967221078713942010-03-04T23:09:00.004Z2010-03-30T21:58:52.339+01:00

Just been looking at Matthew 11 in preparation for a talk. The end verses are well known and show Jesus' wide invitation to all people to hear him and "lean on" him (or trust in him) in their lives: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-61921921674233452512010-02-12T10:20:00.028Z2010-02-12T16:20:38.876Z

First, if you think Wolverine is all about mindless action, take a look at recent miniseries from acclaimed comics writer Brian K Vaughn and artist Eduardo Risso, simply titled Logan. After reading some confusing and unexciting solo Wolverine adventures, it was such a breath of fresh air to open the beautiful pages of this short miniseries and see the classic rogue hero battling to take care of

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-85877231371025237852010-02-10T21:02:00.001Z2010-02-10T21:03:17.848Z

For the Heroes faithful, things are going well. This fourth season, which BBC2 is currently showing, is focused on character and a plotline and not just getting characters to certain places in time to use their powers and move on to the next crisis (like some of season 2 and 3). Finally we have Peter Petrelli determining to use his power to help people, Claire is getting a new support cast (

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-83172077272220500842010-01-29T10:26:00.003Z2010-02-10T22:00:29.356Z

First of all, let’s get something out of the way - I really do enjoy big recent films: the thought-provoking crazy endurance film Blood Diamond, the excellently entertaining new Star Trek, the wonderful addictive Slumdog Millionaire (which brilliantly celebrates life and childhood whilst threatening this on every side with corruption and brutality, a wierd mixture of realism and modern fairy tale

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-6304487927306230322010-01-28T22:32:00.001Z2010-01-28T22:32:30.960Z

Go ahead Deny my need And trumpet about I can’t believe That you would say That to me Keep it up I don’t think You even care As if I would Ever spurn you Or leave you helpless Why should I Move at all Change for you If that’s the way You want to see it; You won’t enjoy it.

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-85992746420350305762010-01-11T22:06:00.005Z2010-01-11T22:37:23.268Z

Happy new year! I hope you have been faring well in the snow - currently still hard and icy where I am. As this week has been a battle to get in to work for most of us I thought I'd blog a little about my journey in to work. The roads being too icy for most, I've been setting out for the Gosport ferry on foot. The staff have shovelled out a path for us to the covered jetty. Below you can see

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-74295191092542840932009-12-16T10:42:00.000Z2009-12-16T10:42:00.946Z

Now collected in a big hardcover book, Infinite Crisis stars big names in DC's universe, from the Flash to Lex Luthor to Power Girl to Mongul (an enemy of Superman and Green Lantern who destroyed a whole city in the past) to Animal Man to the Spectre (the spirit of God's vengeance which has recently gone out of control for some unknown reason). And that is not to mention the three characters who

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-4227238290395836022009-12-15T19:50:00.025Z2009-12-16T19:05:13.724Z

Today I thought I'd talk a bit more about DC comics, including my own brief guide to the big comic book event DC ran in 2006-7: Infinite Crisis. I guess the problem with the DC Universe is that it's hard to know where to start. Major events aren't collected in subsequent volumes, like in Fables, which deals with the whole Fable world through telling stories chronologically. In DC a character

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-77502401610538709822009-12-09T10:00:00.002Z2009-12-09T22:45:07.047Z

It’s been a while since I have been excited by the breadth and scope of a comic, but that is exactly where I find myself now. After reading some quite full novels like The Book Thief – and a short controversial novel perhaps unfairly critiquing America called The Reluctant Fundamentalist (which was a good quick read), I have been ready to read something more light-hearted. So I finally started

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-52348409375606663782009-12-07T17:12:00.003Z2009-12-07T17:14:48.640Z

I'm heading up a book stall at our Christmas carol service, and here are reviews of two of the books on that stall, exploring the God of Christianity, and hopefully providing answers which help people understand him and see his goodness. What kind of God? (IVP) Having seen Michael Ots on the front line, speaking at lunchtime talks at some of our universities, answering questions from the floor

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-82260374725688040572009-12-02T12:10:00.009Z2009-12-03T10:20:20.792Z

As we start to think about filling in Christmas cards, and prepare for the Christmas period, here is the first of some books I've reviewed which should get you thinking about God at this time of year, - because I know He can get squeezed out of our thoughts all too easily but I believe it is actually immeasurably important to be moving towards a close, dependent relationship with Him. I hope

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-25038989712679010142009-12-02T11:57:00.001Z2009-12-02T11:58:18.868Z

Here's a new poem - exploring the contradictory desires of the self, and also perhaps looking at things which are temporary and pass from our lives. Seems to be a theme I often come back to. Let me know what you think. I Quisling one paddles towards graceful swan Just as my thoughts break waves, pressing on, Slapping them back, travelling directly through. As the echoes of a dream quake around

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-20136612817304111522009-11-17T19:44:00.000Z2009-11-17T19:44:09.272Z

So why am I reviewing a 3-year-old book that was huge and pretty much everyone already knows about? One reason is that Niffenegger's big novel touches on just about everything - fate, memory, happiness, fear, bereavement, illness, disability, religion, the future, hope, love, self-destructive anger, sex, jealousy, self-centredness and existential problems about the self, including that feeling

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-38982963225798063292009-11-14T20:29:00.001Z2009-11-17T10:52:45.452Z

This anime should be worth watching (over 18s only please)! There seem to be more and more of these kind of projects - fusing Eastern artistic talent with Western ideas (here Dante's Inferno, which is all about Hell). See Batman: Gotham Knight and (especially) The Animatrix, for other interesting examples. (I liked the Batman one, it was a mixture of one-note shorts which were brutal, mysterious,

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-73662998622801881162009-11-11T10:07:00.003Z2010-07-07T12:48:22.123+01:00

Here's a new playlist for your Spotify browser (because I enjoyed making the last one): November tunes. Discovering Vampire Weekend, White Lies (thanks Joe) and finding some classics from Goo Goo Dolls and Genesis have been the highlights this month. I must make more time for the Muse album, which sounds incredible. You will also find some Switchfoot, Killers and a track from Mark Ronson's album

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-78890947495364148872009-11-09T13:46:00.003Z2010-08-03T21:34:45.351+01:00

So last Thursday I travelled up to Penguin Books for a day called "Getting Into Publishing". As you can see, it wasn't hard to find the place :)I met some fantastic people: editors, publicists, publishers, sales and finance and marketing and book production people, assistants, and students and graduates looking for work. It was exciting to be amongst so many great people who were really

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-28256813856117604252009-11-04T12:09:00.001Z2009-11-04T12:10:18.657Z

Now I am not a big fan of horror, although I do enjoy some of the darker and more violent crime thrillers in Hollywood, such as Kiss the Girls or even the classic, The Fugitive. Here's another exception. In this black-and-white graphic novel, we are taken on a movie-like journey through Hitchcock suspicion and mystery, through the tension of the "serial-killer-is-lurking" territory, to a

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-16710279743654331222009-10-29T23:52:00.006Z2009-11-09T12:57:11.064Z

One book I'm enjoying at the moment is The Book Thief - a rich, warm but at times uncomfortable novel about the life of a girl Liesel and how she lives through many adventures in Nazi Germany, suffering after her mother leaves her and her brother dies, growing up with a new family, fighting, living in poverty, having to march along with the Hitler Youth, learning how to read and steal and keep

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-81287587522625771242009-10-28T16:55:00.003Z2009-10-29T22:41:30.228Z

Check out this interview with a fellow worker from my time with UCCF. It's pretty encouraging - and one of several things which have been reminding me how little I do for God and how I must not try to approach him on the basis that I am "so good" - because I'm really not! He is the one who rules and is good - and He is the one who provides a way wide open for us to know Him - through Jesus. This

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-2574195422522304562009-10-28T15:16:00.002Z2009-10-28T15:47:25.708Z

With all that's going on with everyone looking for work, finding the best deals, hearing the latest blame game on the news and keeping up with the latest entertainment releases, it can be easy to totally miss the bigger questions in life that are actually the important ones. What kind of politics do we want? What would make things better? Or, bigger than that, what am I living for? This is one

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-63382613518394185362009-10-26T12:11:00.001Z2009-10-28T16:56:16.126Z

As I continue my quest to track down (and capture) that most elusive of phenomenon: a job in publishing, I occasionally come across an author's website that is so wildly different, you want to share it around. Try this weird one, from Colin Cotterill, a well-travelled writer and cartoonist, now living in Thailand - and evidently enjoying riding his bike up the Doi Suthep mountain. He has some

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-34943480219512293692009-10-19T15:32:00.001+01:002009-10-19T15:37:43.553+01:00

Here's the thing about Up: It is, I think, a fantasy-slash-drama, rather than a kid's film - and its subject? Moving on after a bereavement, escaping into the clouds and finding true freedom in the process. The main two characters, brilliantly animated, are put in situations which somehow show us emotions which people struggle with every day. Loss, bitterness, bewilderment, a sense of being

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-14423912379082116142009-10-19T15:05:00.002+01:002009-10-19T15:09:51.415+01:00

I picked up an Observer on the train yesterday which had an intriguing article discussing some newly published letters from van Gogh, who apparently was concerned not only with the beauty he found in ordinary and plain scenery and people, and how to represent this in new ways, but who was also very religious. The article maintains this was a factor in making him a great artist, and argues that

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-30609933214243642932009-10-11T17:56:00.002+01:002009-10-14T12:48:22.809+01:00

Been meaning to post this insightful exploration of John chapter 13. (Not entirely sure about the points made after the creative "story" bit, but still...) I've been finding it more and more helpful to read or hear creative pieces like this - which imagine what it was like to be with the historical figures in the Bible, to hear what was said and feel what was felt, and particularly to focus on

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-30818115300683815652009-10-08T22:42:00.011+01:002009-11-09T13:59:46.952Z

Check out this artist who is doing some really detailed and crazy comics and graphics for various websites, promotional material and actual published work too. I love the layout of this one. Also, having tried playing Dungeons & Dragons at uni, and in the end not really having the patience, this image is fun too. Without going into much detail, I wanted to give Joss Whedon and John Cassaday's

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-30423112666719840572009-09-29T22:44:00.000+01:002009-10-01T00:05:47.404+01:00

3 weeks ago I went to Rhiw, North-west Wales, to spend a week in a cottage with three guys, playing games and enjoying a break from normal life. The scenery was beautiful, the conversation was good, the games of Rainbow 6 Vegas 2 and Halo 3 were welcome, and on a visit to Caenarfon Castle I enjoyed going up the towers far too much, frankly. I took lots of photos!Basically a great break before

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-27781649195681325402009-09-24T10:10:00.000+01:002009-09-30T15:06:08.084+01:00

This was an excellent cinema-going experience, which my friend and I both found thought-provoking some time after the movie ended. How on earth can we treat people like we do? The early part of the film unfolds, documentary-style, how the film's aliens have come to be living in the South African slum area known as District 9 (based on an infamous white-only area of Cape Town, from which 60,000

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-67377335230831748072009-09-24T10:04:00.000+01:002009-09-24T10:10:12.520+01:00

Ah, the joys of using Spotify. I've been discovering great album tracks from artists I knew little about, including Ray La Montagne, Amy MacDonald, Athlete (they have 4 albums now?) and someone called Tommy Sparks. Excellent stuff. It's also been a good way to listen to U2's new album... Check out my fairly random playlist:http://open.spotify.com/user/rdtownro/playlist/0EZwS3yCH5zFTV8KTEbDgh

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-30421726731495989472009-09-15T16:37:00.003+01:002010-08-03T21:23:29.601+01:00

I must admit I had a hard time accepting this novel, The Road (2006), for what it is. Often harrowing, it is basically a slow and subtle character-piece masquerading as an apocalyptic survival horror. A father and son travel south through a hostile, ash-covered land that was once America. They don’t have any real destination, they don’t have a hope, they just look for food – and ways to avoid the

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-61497903604324223572009-09-13T18:51:00.000+01:002009-09-13T18:51:00.388+01:00

Having been away in Wales the past week, with no internet, I'm getting round to blogging on bits and bobs I've been thinking about over summer.But first, for all those movie fans, I just saw a trio of thought-provoking dramas. Thirteen Days was an excellent political drama, focusing on the Cuban missile crisis, an example of how a film can draw you in to make you imagine what a real-life event

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-58075690634484203662009-09-12T23:03:00.001+01:002010-10-27T11:40:43.432+01:00

Enter another world of fantasy with me a second. Hal Jordan is a US pilot who was chosen by a dying alien to become part of and intergalactic police force known as the Green Lantern Corps. Each member has a glowing green ring which converts their will-power into any physical construct they wish; a brace to steady a jet that's crash-landing, a small vehicle, a wide variety of guns and projectiles,

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-71308840433949391422009-08-24T11:25:00.004+01:002010-08-14T22:44:45.295+01:00

The other day I got to speak at a local church about how Jesus can bring salvation to people who are lost (from Luke 19:1-10). This was a big part of what Jesus came to do, by his own admission: When people ask why he has gone to spend time with Zacchaeus (who had been, basically, a sneaky, selfish swindler, a loser, who everyone hated), Jesus says he has brought salvation to this man then and

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-25738550691154587332009-08-07T16:14:00.000+01:002009-08-07T16:14:00.218+01:00

You got to pick this one up. A bold album of upbeat alternative pop and RnB, it relies on some excellent drums, jazzy trumpet, brash or soothing synth (even some saxophone), and of course guest vocals (everyone from Amy Winehouse to Kasabian), to bring great energy to an exciting mix of cover tracks. Impeccable production by Mark Ronson throughout keeps things moving, and although many tracks are

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-67907418449055211452009-08-06T17:28:00.000+01:002009-08-06T17:28:00.119+01:00

Here's the best comic you've never heard of. It's an experimental weekly comic book called “52” which I always loved the concept for, and have been enjoying in the past few months (- it's collected in four large volumes, which I had some trouble tracking down).Over the course of a year, which included events like Hallowe'en and Christmas as they happened in real life, the comic book, published

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-10763069110065447932009-08-05T17:00:00.000+01:002009-08-05T17:00:01.620+01:00

So Marvel is working on 4 new anime series with Japanese studios. And here are the first two - they definitely went for the obvious (and coolest) choices first then!OK at this stage, who knows if this will be any good, but the animation is so exciting that I reckon the action may put the first Iron Man movie in the shade, even where that was such a fun film. Just look at it!

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-42364246871848807522009-08-04T21:00:00.000+01:002009-08-04T21:00:00.515+01:00

Here's that poem I've been working on - please let me know what you think!At this rockswell,Crowned with jagged brambles,The earth secretly breathes.You can hear sighs from stacked rockWhile creaking ferns point backTo worn beaten track.The earth is thin here. Creature-calls and rustles mark timeFor the bandits peering at us from the sky;A mosaic in green, Where birds stand, hiding, Hoping to

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-51493779795432792072009-08-03T21:05:00.000+01:002009-08-03T21:45:30.745+01:00

Here’s something else I learned from my holiday in Norfolk: I really love to seek out good design, or art, or things to look at – and often this can absorb me more than meeting new people. Not sure if this is good or bad, really…Either way, I’ve decided to include some shots of the beach at Winterton, which was so sandy and had so much space, we went there twice. Check out the old-world seafront

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-58677273383801664852009-08-01T22:02:00.000+01:002009-08-02T15:05:21.150+01:00

Without any airs or graces, my parents, on holiday in Norfolk, rented a longboat to sail on for a day. It was a fun time of just being “me” and taking time out with my family.There were plenty of moments of fun piloting, working out routes and enjoying the feel of cruising along. We saw the houses of the rich, and admired the buildings, and saw herons standing stock still in the water, and ducks

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-18347836306990427232009-07-18T21:42:00.000+01:002009-07-18T22:02:36.262+01:00

Wolverine, in some of his significant early solo stories, tells us "I'm the best there is at what I do, bub, and what I do isn't very pretty". Cue Deadpool, assassin and anti-hero wreaking havoc on the Marvel universe, telling us in the thick of his latest “job”: "And now I'm better at whatever it is Wolverine does." And that is just typical of the way Deadpool in his comics makes quips which

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-77558097095990809562009-07-14T16:58:00.000+01:002009-07-14T16:58:00.088+01:00

Check this trailer out: http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi843186969/. I love how it looks like it is using an interesting concept to examine character, in a place where there is basically no escape from yourself! I guess you have to have some mental strength to be in space for a long time. Do you think it could be too predictable though (ie. he goes mad?) Is it just Castaway in space?

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760923112782972897.post-56133544648851427392009-07-13T21:54:00.001+01:002010-08-14T21:54:20.413+01:00

With director Michael Mann’s new film Public Enemies in cinemas, and because of my interest in Batman, here’s a brief introduction to how the latest (and greatest) Batman film picks up on lots of elements from Heat, Mann’s adult crime drama. You can see it even from the DVD back cover of Heat, where we see Al Pacino standing with shotgun ready, resembling a moment where Gary Oldman’s character

Richard Townrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079471857178165599noreply@blogger.com0