Adam White

I was blessed with an opportunity to go to Leeds with friends on Friday and see Simon Mayo and Mark Kermode perform their weekly film review show on BBC Radio 5 live at a beautiful old cinema called the Hyde Park Picture House.    

There was a catch though, the cinema only held 270 people and, to ensure a full house, the BBC issued 600 tickets. In order to make sure we got a place we travelled the four hour journey north on Thursday night and had the pleasure of staying overnight in a hotel in the centre or Leeds. This was so we could wake up fresh and head over to the cinema for 10.00 (4.5 hours before the advertised start time). We weren’t sure when the queue would start so when we arrived at 10.00 we were surprised to find no queue at all (although there were some BBC crew setting up). After spending an hour wandering around the streets of Leeds we came back to the cinema to find three people in the queue. It was time to start our wait.

I couldn’t believe it when by 1.00 there still was only around 50 people waiting. However, between 1.30 and 2.30 everyone else turned up. Some people even turned up dead-on 2.30! How they expected to get in while leaving it that late is beyond me!

Now while queuing 3 hours might sound like madness, it was a lovely sunny day, we got to chat to Mark Kermode early on in the afternoon as he arrived, we got interviewed for the Culture Show and, best of all, we got seats in the second row (the front row was saved for “special guests”).

The show itself was excellent. I find them so funny when I listen to their podcast and they didn’t disappoint live. It was so good that I would be very keen to go and watch again next year (if we can get tickets again of course).

The live show was followed by a special showing of one of Mark’s favourite films: Silent Running. I will post my review of the film shortly.

It was a great day and lots of fun. Definitely a day I will remember fondly.

Posted by Adam under Personal & Trips and Holidays | 1 Comment »

I remember seeing the remake of Dawn of the Dead at the cinema and being pleasantly surprised. Here was a film that took a classic and updated it effectively. When I heard a little while later that the director Zack Snyder was going to create a CG heavy take about Spartans wearing very little clothing I shuddered. The early pictures looked cringeworthy and I didn’t have high hopes… until the trailer arrived that is! When 300 finally hit our screens it was my favourite film of 2007. So I waited patiently to see what Zack would do next…

When it was announced that he would be making another comic book adaptation (300 was originally a Frank Miller comic) I was very excited to say the least. The more I found out about the Watchman comic though, the more excited I became. This was apparently no normal comic book but one of the most well loved and respected comic books of all time. But has Zack done it justice?

Watchmen is set in an alternate 1980s where “superheroes” had been around since the 1940s but are now all retired, Nixon is still the president and the world is on the brink of nuclear war. Out of this boils a tale of politics, love, deception, action, betrayal and sadness over a barely noticeable 160 minutes.

It is a trick of Zack’s to cast either relative unknowns or non-mainstream actors in his films. There are no really recognisable names in Watchmen however he has cast people who fit the roles without distracting from them. Sometimes I think it is better to not have a known face in a film as it is easier to take the actor as the character they are portraying.

Firstly there is Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the Comedian. A nasty hero who’s murder is the catalyst for the rest of the story. He takes pleasure in raping, killing and drinking. Not your typical superhero! Whenever he is on screen you can’t help but pay attention (if only to see what low he is going to stoop to next).

Then there is Billy Crudup as Dr Manhattan. The only true “super-being” in the film, he is a scientist who, through an experiment that went wrong, has been converted to a blue being of pure energy (or something) that can teleport, grow in size, manipulate matter and replicate himself. The character is meant to be void of emotion and all about science and fact but you can see (through some very subtle acting) the anguish behind the passive eyes. An amazing performance by Billy Crudup.

Ozymandias (Matthew Goode) is the super smart, super fast and now super rich ex-superhero who through revealing his true identity to the world has spawned a corporate empire and is now working with Dr Manhattan to create a method of sustainable energy in an attempt to end the war.

The only female super hero is the young and beautiful Silk Spectre played by Malin Akerman. She’s the daughter of a previous hero and you get the impression she didn’t get much chance to be a superhero before they were all called to retire. She’s in a relationship with Dr Manhattan (talk about an odd relationship!) but seems to want more from life.

Patrick Wilson is almost unrecognisable as the Nite Owl; a thoughtful ex-hero who doesn’t seem to fit with the rest. He is intelligent and the only true good-guy out of the lot. He seems happy in his retirement but, like the Silk Spectre, is longing and looking for more from life.

I’ve left the best until last though: Rorschach (played superbly by Jackie Earle Haley) is a detective of sorts and the old partner of the Nite Owl. He is our narrator for the story (based on excerpts from his journal) and is also the most riveting when he is on screen. It is an absolutely amazing performance and is the real life blood of the film.

So, enough background, how was the film? Every review I have read or heard has criticised it for missing some of the themes of the original comic. While it may have done this, as I have not read the comic I didn’t miss them and thought the film was ace! The story was original and gripping. The characters where definitely non-stereotypical and each one had their own story to intrigue you. The special effects were subtle but effective; I judge good CG but how much I don’t notice it and I don’t remember noticing it once. It had a great period-related soundtrack (although the 80s take on Hallelujah during a distracting sex scene was a bad point).

There was a moment in the film where Dr Manhattan is talking about his ex-girlfriend…

She says I’m like a God now. I tell her I don’t think there is a God. And if there is, I’m nothing like him

This moment stood out for me. Here is a man (if you can even still call him a man) who is immortal, has powers beyond imagination, can be anywhere at once and who people are starting to think of as a god and yet he openly admits that if there is a God then he is nothing like Him. The rang true with me because the big thing that Dr Manhattan is missing is the thing the God has in abundance: Love. God is love. I thought this was a really insightful thing for the character to say and I wonder if the director/author knew the truth they were saying when they put it in the story.

I think Zack has done a great job and he still has a 100% directing record in my book. He never produces masterpieces but his films always entertain to a very high standard. Keep up the good work!

[8/10]

Posted by Adam under Films | No Comments »

When I used to live in Bath and commute to Swindon I would travel along the A4 and pass through Corsham every day. Today was the first time I turned off of the A4 and took a look at what Corsham was all about.

First on the agenda was a wander around the shops of Corsham. I wouldn’t say it had a lot to offer but there was a lovely little greengrocers (a rarity these days) and a nice deli.

Next came the main event: a trip into Corsham Court. The inside of the huge property was lined with numerous works of art. It was excellent to have a wander round and view all the beautiful pieces that had on display. Sadly no pictures were allowed so I couldn’t show you any of the huge paintings they had hanging on the walls.

After this a wander around the grounds was called for. This was more beautiful than the insides! The grounds were filled with peacocks and little nooks and crannies filled with all manor of beautiful trees and plants. I recommend you have a look at the pictures of the day in my gallery.

I do like my Saturday trips out to see some of the amazing things England has to offer.

Posted by Adam under Personal & Walks | No Comments »

I was looking at the traffic to my site the other day and I spotted that someone had found me on Google by typing in How to get baptised in Swindon. The page it led them to though wouldn’t have helped with their very important question so I thought I’d write this post in case anybody else goes looking!

I am a member of Gateway Church Swindon and we have around three baptism services a year. We would love to do more but we can only baptise those that God brings our way. We even have a special baptism pool for the job!

Being baptised is a big decision though and not something we take lightly. We make sure everyone we baptised is cared for by a small group and fully understands the commitment they are making.

So if you are interested in getting baptised or just want to hear more about God why don’t you come along on a Sunday morning at 10.30 and talk to us?

Posted by Adam under Faith | No Comments »

Just over a month ago I had a moan on my blog about about how I had no spare time and how I always felt under pressure. So how have I got on with freeing up some of my time?

Well, for a start I have made Saturday my day off. I try and get out and go somewhere if I can, recently I have visited Donnington Castle and many Swindon parks with my best friends. Last Saturday however I spent most of the time tidying my house but I didn’t count this as working as I felt good afterwards and it was a day well spent.

I have also now devoted my Sunday’s to my church. I didn’t want to call it my God day as every day is a God day really. By devoted to my church I mean I spend the morning ensuring everything visual is set up and working (I am regularly one of the first to arrive and last to leave). When I eventually get out of the building I try and do the minor church related jobs like the website or IT bits and bobs. And now Alpha has started again so from 4.30 until late I am back at the building doing what I think God wants me to do and leading a discussion group.

Another thing I am trying is I have always considered Sunday to be the last day of the week. This means I end the week with church and God and start it with my job. I’m trying to treat Sunday as the first day of my week now so that I kick off my weeks with church and serving God before I go and serve BCS on the Monday. It takes some getting used to though but it is a good mindset to be in.

Posted by Adam under Personal | No Comments »

I was ill recently and spent 5 days curled up in a blanket on my sofa watching films. Here are the results…

Jaws (1974) – A film of two halves. Each as astounding as the other. 10/10  

Babe (1995) – Simple and beautiful. The ending gets me every time. 9/10

Downfall (2004) – Bruno Ganz is Hitler. Terrifying! 8/10

Iron Man (2008) – Robert Downey Jr has found his dream role. Bring on the sequel! 8/10

Ocean’s Eleven (2001) – An ensemble of fun. Justifiable spawned two sequels. 8/10

Starship Troopers (1997) – Political sci-fi action. Paul Verhoven style. 8/10

Bad Boys (1994) – Will Smith and Martin Lawrence actually work well together. Michael Bay at his most reserved! 7/10

Dodgeball (2004) – Ben Stiller handing the lead over to Vince Vaughn. Funny without being annoying. 7/10

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) – Hopefully a glimpse of things to come. Could have been better though. 7/10

Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973) – Typical Peckinpah western. Thoughful and bloody. 7/10

Planet Terror (2007) – Gory and funny. A huge surprise. 7/10

Death Proof (2007) – Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, action, talk, talk, talk, talk, action. Typical Tarantino but not up to his usual standards. 6/10

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) – Lots of action. Very little point. 6/10

Posted by Adam under Films | No Comments »