This side or the other...

Here we go again then. Monday morning and back on the train. I don't mind it too much but at 150 quid a pop it's not something I'd want to do everyday, even if it is being payed for by Starfleet. It still feels like daylight robbery.

There are aspects of it that make it very convenient. I can be in the center of London in 2 and half hours (if the trains all run to plan) and I can join laptop club on the way and get some work done. No decent Internet connection mind you, but for local based work it's do-able if cramped. However, to be properly productive it's far from adequate so in reality the process knocks a good 5 or 6 hours out of my day before anything is actually done.

There is a lot to be said for being face to face with your nemesis (sorry) customer so I guess it's this element alone that makes it truly worth the money, the time and the overall effort. This week is half term, so it's going to be a much quieter affair. Already the train is almost empty in comparison to last week, although far more kids around so day tripping is in abundance.

As it turns out Mr and Mrs Ball senior (being gainfully employed by the education system) are also both on holiday this week and spending a large proportion of it in the capital city. Sister ball organised a tickets for a trip to Lords cricket ground for them and I think they're wandering around doing touristy things which you can do when you're semi-retired apparently. I've planned to meet up with them after work for a quick drink before I catch the train home this evening, so that's likely to be the highlight of my day - but you never know whats around the corner.

Perhaps a bank robbery? Having crowbarred the subject of bank robberies into this post, let's talk about "The Town".

Ben Afleck directs, wrote a hefty chuck of and stars in this All-American heist movie with a heart. Set in Boston, it takes it's name from a suburb "Charlestown" where we're told most of the bank robbers in that part of world live. The story shows us, in it's simplest form what happens when a bad guy decides to turn good.



So far so good. A solid action thriller with some proper acting in it too, and in fact it holds a precious gem tucked away inside, in the form of three scenes featuring the late Pete Postlethwaite.

For my money, these three scenes make it worth the watch regardless of how well turned out the overall package is (and it is very well turned out). Hard to not sound like I'm jumping on the bandwagon of plaudits in saying what an amazing actor PP was, but it is true and luckily I don't have to explain it in great detail when there is a wealth of his material available for you to judge for yourself. I'd highly recommend "Brassed Off" if you haven't seen it (or even if you have). A truly awesome performance and you should also see him in the unforgettable "Usual Suspects".

Sadly, In the "the Town" you can see that he "looks" ill but there's no denying that there's plenty of energy there and he was clearly still fighting the good fight. A terribly sad loss to the film and acting world, his legacy will no doubt live on in the body of work he's left behind.

Overall 8/10, but you can expect to see this film pick up an Oscar for the "Best Supporting Actor" - Jeremy Renner next month. So there it is for another morning.

Until when I see you again...This side or the other.


This post originally appeared here: Posterous

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