one city, two different views

This week we've watched two very different stories set in London.

Luther is a dark, uncompromising fast paced crime story showing the seedier side of London. D doesn't usually watch crime drama with me, unless it's European and subtitled, but he was engrossed by this one too and made a point of watching the three hour long episodes. John Luther is the troubled cop played by Idris Elba, who is very smart, very energetic and totally focused on his job. We didn't see the first series so we're going to have to track it down. It was difficult to knit along to though as the plot moves so fast! Still, it was well worth watching if you have a strong stomach!

Then we watched Another Year a low key film by Mike Leigh. It charts the highs and lows of a group of middle-aged people. It is very understated and very moving. Geographically it's set about 5 miles away from the carnage in Luther, and emotionally it's on a different planet altogether.
This was better to knit along to and I didn't jump out of my seat either! I like Mike Leigh's films very much, the acting is always top notch (Jim Broadbent and Lesley Manville in particular) and I can relate to the characters.    Well worth watching, four stars ★★★★

There's been some top notch sprinting from Mark Cavendish in France this week as he won his second stage in Chateauroux today.
But his delight was tempered when he was told that Bradley Wiggins had crashed out of the race with a suspected fractured collarbone. Owwww!
The TdF is good to knit along to, the rhythm of the peloton can be really helpful as long as I put down my needles for the last km!
I've turned the heel on Viktor and am now working on the leg until I get fed up with it, or it reaches a suitable length! The premiere of HP7 part 2 was shown in London's Leicester Sq last night so I'd better crack on if I want to wear these when we go to see the final part at the cinema!