50 Books Challenge

Ok, today is the last day of the year 2010. I read a lot of books, but I don't remember how many. So Tomorrow, the first day of the year 2011, I will start something I wanted to do for a long time. A 50 books challenge. In that challenge I have to read 50 books in one year. I don't know if I'm going to make it, but I'll give it a try. And I'll keep you updated.

Christmas gifts

It's Christmas time and I love it. Every year, but this year is a little bit more special. It is my first white Christmas. Technically last year was a white Christmas in The Netherlands too, but the part where I live didn't have snow at that time. So this is officialy my first white Christmas ever!!
We also exchanged gifts and I got a lot of stuff for my house, because I'm planning on moving out soon. So I got a lot of practical gifts, but I'm very happy with my gifts. Here are my Christmas presents:

A shower curtain and a bath mat:



Perfume and bodylotion of Anais Anais by Cacharel:



"Die Hard" and "Inception" on DVD:



Book "Digital Fortress" by Dan Brown (in Dutch):



A strainer and some kitchen tools:



A toiletbrush, trashcan, soappump, toothbrush holder and a cup. All fot the bathroom:



An ovenmitt and potholders:



A cutting board in the shape of a rabbit. Cute huh, looks like my bunny Oscar:

Pic Spam: Keira Knightley

One of my favorite actresses of all time: Keira Knightley. She's brilliant in "Pride & Prejudice" and I also love her in "Atonement", "Love Actually", "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Bend it Like Beckham". Here are some nice pictures of her:

Pride & Prejudice Wallpapers

I recently reread "Pride & Prejudice", my favorite novel! And I also saw the movie again, the 2005 version which is in my top 10 of favorite movies of all time. I love Jane Austen and I love "Pride & Prejudice". I made two wallpapers, one with Elizabeth Bennet and another one with Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Here they are and feel free to use 'em on your own computer.

Best of... Sandra Bullock

She has been one of my favorites for a very long time. Recently she was named "Woman of the Year 2010" so she deserves to be the subject of my 'Best of...' list. Here are my favorite Sandra Bullock movies.

"The Vanishing"
She doesn't have a big role, but her role is crucial because she's the one who vanishes. I think it's a very good film.

"Demolition Man"
You know those movies that you have seen like a hundred times, but you watch them every single they're on. Well, for some reason "Demolition Man" is one of those movies. I just like this so much. It's full of action and humor and I really like the combo Stallone-Bullock. Don't ask me why.

"Speed"
This is my favorite Bullock movie. I remember watching it for the first time. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. It's such an exciting film and she has perfect chemistry with Keanu Reeves. And Dennis Hopper is an awesome villain.

"The Net"
It seems kind of out dated now, the old computers and the disks they use in this movie. But still "The Net" is a very good movie and it's kinda scary when you come to think of it. When someone steals your identity. Bullocks performance was very strong.

"While You Were Sleeping"
Such a sweet love story. I seriously wanted to be her, when I saw it. I'm over that now by the way....

"A Time to Kill"
I'm normally not really a fan of court movies. I mostly loved this film because of Samuel L Jackson. His performance is the strongest. I saw this a lot of times back in the late 90's. I haven't seen it for a while now.

"Miss Congeniality"
Her funniest role ever. Gracie Hart is so awesome. I loved her in combination with Michael Caine. This was such a fun movie, so sad they had to make a second one. That one just wasn't as good.

"Crash"
Fantastic film. Her role is so much different from her other roles. I dont know if this would be my Oscar pick for that year, but it definitely is a very good film. Strong storylines even stronger performances.

"The Proposal"
It wasn't as funny as I expected, but maybe my expectations were very high when I heard this was going to be a movie with both Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds in it. I think they make a great duo and Betty White was just hilarious in this one.

I haven't seen "The Blind Side" yet. And I'm totally looking forward to seeing "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close". It also stars Tom Hanks.

Action Movie Clichés

I love a good action movie. Explosions, guns, fights, heroes and villains. But every action movie has its clichés. So here's a list of action movie clichés, as we often see them.

Cliché # 1: Badguys attack one by one
When the hero is surrounded by a group of badguys, they never seem to attack at the same time, when clearly that would work out better for them.

Cliché # 2: Female hostages
When someone is taking hostage in an action movie, it's a woman almost every time. Yeah, that's not sexist at all.

Cliché # 3: Badguys are lousy shots
Not the main villain, but his possy never seems to hit its target, even if it's 3 feet away and not moving.

Cliché # 4: Confidential files and documents are easy to get
Somehow they always find the right documents and files, sometimes even in a library. Yeah right.

Cliché # 5: The villain's speech
The main villain finally got the hero and then decides to have a five minute speech, where he reveals his masterplan. Really, if you got the guy, just finish him off. It's much easier.

Cliché # 6: The ticking time bomb
Bombs are always on timers and they never seem to end. The hero cuts the right wire, at 00:01.

Cliché # 7: "Stay right there"
When te hero is accompanied by a child or a woman, he often tells them to 'stay right there'. Off course they never do and they mess up the entire plan.

Cliché # 8: Out of bullets
The hero never seems to be out of bullets, you hardly ever see them reload their gun. Only at the time he's about to shoot his enemy, he's out of amo.

Cliché # 9: Not dead?
Sometimes people get shot, but they get up anyway. Or they miraculously show up in the end scene. The villain resurrects at least three times before being dead.

Cliché # 10: No Scratch
Characters jump out of buildings, through windows, off bridges, out of a moving car. If we try this, we'd probably be dead. The hero gets up without a scratch on him.

Cliché # 11: Fireball in the background
When something explodes, just walk away very cool. Or run a little and hide behind a car.

Cliché # 12: Sliding doors
The hero's being chased and the garage door is about to close. They always seem to slight right under it. And they always make it.

Cliché # 13: Everyone can crack
Computers are secure? My ass! Everyone seems to be a computer cracker. Even kids!

Pic Spam: Brandon Flowers

I'm a huge fan of The Killers. They are very unique and you really can't put them in just one genre of music. Their lead singer, Brandon Flowers, now also has a solo album called "Flamingo". He already had two hits: "Crossfire" and "Only the Young". The first is my favorite, but I'm loving the second one also. So I decide to dedicate a pic spam to Mr. Flowers.

Unexpected movie deaths

People often die in movies. Most of the time you can see it coming from miles away, but sometimes it's a total surprise. Here's a list of unexpected movies deaths.

Russell Franklin (Samuel L. Jackson in "Deep Blue Sea")
Right in the middle of a motivational speech, he's bitten in half by a genetically manipulated shark. Totally unexpected, but also kinda hilarious every single time.

Danny Vinyard (Edward Furlong in "American History X")
Danny is a racist and I think he deserved it, but he was about to change his life. the irony of it all is that his killer doesn't know it.

Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey in "L.A. Confidential")
Killed before the final act, by the farmer from Babe. No wonder he looked so surprised.

Anonymous man (Brad Pitt in "Meet Joe Black")
We know that Pitt's character is dead, but still his death is a big surprise. He dies minutes after being introduced and gets hit by a car. A great scene for Brad Pitt haters!!

Ofelia (Ivana Baquero in "Pan's Labyrinth")
We all think Ofelia, who's the star of this film, will live. Oh wait, she has a fascist stepdad and he has a different thought.

Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio in "The Departed")
Costigan was shot at a point blank range, which totally surprised us all. Colin Sullivan got away with it, the bad guy wins (at least that's what he thinks).

Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt in "Burn After Reading")
The only meeting between Chad Feldheimer and George Clooney's character Harry Pfarrer, became fatal for Feldheimer. Harry shot him by surprise, when he found Chad hiding in his closet.

Billy and Wyatt (Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda in "Easy Rider")
At first it looks like the rednecks are just trying to scare Billy and Wyatt. , but when Billy hits the ground after being shot, it's looks serious. Then Wyatt and his bike blow up. Wham!

Movie Tip #43 - The Descent

Director: Neil Marshall

Starring: Shauna MacDonald, Natalie Jackson Mendoza, Karen Mulder, Alex Reid, MyAnna Buring, Nora-Jane Noone

Description: A woman (Shauna MacDonald) goes on vacation with her family and her husband and her daughter encounter a tragic accident. One year later she goes hiking with her friends and they get trapped in the cave. With a lack of supply, they struggle to survive and they meet strange blood thirsty creatures.

Review: I remember seeing this film for the first time. Not knowing what to expect. It later turned out to be one of the scariest movies I've ever seen. Being trapped in a cave is scary enough for me, but the fact that there are weird, creepy monsters in the cave makes it even more terrifying. A good horror movie builds up the tension, like "Halloween" and "Jaws". That's where most modern horror movies go wrong. But not "The Descent". You get a bit of a claustrophobic feeling once the girls enter the cave, but the real scare creeps up on you later in the film. Especially that one scene with the camera, where we get to see one of the creatures for the first time. An unexpected scare, you never see it coming. "The Descent" is an exceptional good film, especially on Halloween...

Charlie St. Cloud

Yesterday i came home after a hard days work and I saw a package on the table. The package was for me. I didn't know what it was, because I didn't order anything. When I opened it, it had the book "Charlie St. Cloud" in it, by Ben Sherwood. And a note, that I won this book. I never won anything in my life, so I was super excited!!! I don't even remember entering a comeptition to win this book. Cool huh! The book's about a boy who survived a car accident, but lost his brother in that accident. While he tries to deal with his death, he meets this sailor girl. I'm really excited to read it.

Must-See Fall/Winter Movies

The fall is my favorite season. Especially when it's raining outside and I'm sitting in the house with my warm slippers on, candles burning, a cup of a tea and a good book or movie. This fall (and winter) promises us a lot of good films and these are the ones I'm most looking forward to see.

"The Town"
A movie written and directed by Ben Affleck. I'm usually not a fan of him as an actor, but as a director he's very good. Look at "Good Will Hunting" and "Gone Baby Gone". This movie seems very good.

"Buried"
It's about a guy who's trapped in a coffin with just a lighter and a phone. When I saw the trailer it kinda grabbed my attention. It's a bit like the CSI episode "Grave Danger" which was the best season finale ever. And with Ryan Reynolds playing the leading role it's even more appealing to me.

"Hereafter"
Clint Eastwood directed this movie, with three seperate storylines. Matt Damon plays a psychic who can contact the dead and this ruins his relationship with the character that Bryce Dallas Howard plays. The other storylines star Cecile de France as an anchorwoman who survived the 2004 tsunami and twin actors Frankie and George McLaren as Englisch boys in London around the 2005 subway bombing. Just like Ben Affleck, Eastwood is more appealing to me as a director.

"127 Hours"
James Franco stars as Aron Ralston, a hiker who find himself trapped in an isolated canyon after a fallen boulder crushes his arm while hiking in Utah. Danny Boyle directs this seemingly interesting movie based on true events.

"Due Date"
There is actually just one thing that drew my attention in the first place: Robert Downey Jr. I love that guy!!!! He plays an uptight businessman who has to make it home just in time his wife starts delivering their baby. A wannabe actor, played by Zach Galifianakis, acompanies him, wether he likes it or not. Just a pretty standard comedy, but with Downey Jr. you never know... so maybe not that standard after all.

"Unstoppable"
Denzel Washington (one of my favorites) and hottie Chris Pine star as engineers on a train with toxic chemicals. It's a bit like "Speed", because the train can't stop and stuff like that. The trailer looked kinda exciting and it's Washingtons fifth movie with director Tony Scott.

"Black Swan"
I think this is one of my favorites on this list. The one I'm looking forward to the most. Natalie Portman plays an ambitious dancer competing for the lead role in Swan Lake. Her goal is threatened when another dancer, played by Mila Kunis, joins the company. Their competitive relationship soons turns very dark.Darren Aronofsky directs this film.

"The Fighter"
Great cast in the first place: Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg and Amy Adams. It's about an Irisch boxer, Wahlberg, who returns after a long retirement. Bale plays his crack addicted half- brother and Adams is his girlfriend.

"True Grit"
Not a western fan at all, but the fact that the Coen Brothers directed it and it stars Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon, makes it interesting for me.

"Blue Valentine"
I think this will be one of those movies people are going to forget but it's so freakin' good. It stars Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams as Dean and Cindy. Their six year relationship is seen through a series of time-shifting scenes. Their early happiness quickly turns rocky when Cindy's ambition creates a rift between her and Dean, who is content and puts his focus on Cindy and their child.

Best of... Matt Damon

It's been a while, but I've been so busy. I decided to make another best of list, this time with Matt Damon. A very charming and succesful actor who I come to love over the years. Here are my favorites.

"Good Will Hunting"
His big break. He wrote it and starred in it. His character is so interesting and you like him right away. I love the story and I adore Will. Great film.

"Saving Private Ryan"
I always thought this movie was a little bit overrated, but it's still a great film. Matt plays Private Ryan, the guy they're looking for. Beautifully filmed and a very good story.

"The Talented Mr. Ripley"
Again a very brilliant character, but also a bit creepy. Matt Damon does a wonderfull job in this film.

"The Bourne Trilogy"
I love these movies. Super exciting. I can't really say which one is my favorite, but I guess it's the first one. Because he's still figuring out who he is and that's nerve wrecking!! The other two had more action in it and a lot of running. I love a running Matt Damon....

"The Brothers Grimm"
Maybe not a favorite of most people, but I've always loved fairytale like stories. Together with Heath Ledger, Damon forms a great duo. This movie is a visual treat, I liked it.

"The Departed"
AWESOME!!! Matt is the bad guy, sort of, but still you love him (I didn't root for him though, because I sympathized DiCaprio's character more). The story is intruiging and nothing is what it seems. Wonderfull film, one of the best movies of the decade.

"Syriana"
Beautiful!! Loved it. I only saw it once, but I could recommened this one.

I think this list would be longer if I saw: "The Informant", "Invictus" and "Green Zone". I really want to see them, I really have to actually. And the upcoming Coen Brothers film "True Grit" looks great as well. You probably miss the Ocean's films on my list. Other then Damon, Clooney and Pitt, there is nothing really interesting going on in those movies. Sorry.

CSI season 11 premiere

The 23th of September, CSI had an explosive season premiere. I think this is one of the best season starters CSI has ever had. It had it all: action, drama and excitement. Justin Bieber guest starred, but his role wasn't that big. Considering the ending of the episode I think he will be back some day. Here are some things I loved about this episode:

- Nick all emotional. I love it that he's not affraid to show emotions and it doesn't make him a wimp. I kinda melt;
- Catherine as the great leader of the pack. She proves again why she's the supervisor;
- Lou! His first name is Lou. I heard Greg call Detective Vartann Lou once, but I wasn't sure. Now I am;
- Kacey Monohan. I kinda liked her, nice accent. She and Nick made a g reat team and maybe even more....;
- Ray and Doc Robbins in the hospital, where Robbins gave Ray the cane. And then the bear hug, aaaw;
- The talk between Catherine and Nick about Warrick. Nice to hear his mention;
- Greg saving Vartann;
- Sara punching that lady. Kick ass Sara;
- The scene between Nick and Jason, he's so good with people;
- The open ending. It looks like we're gonna see more of that storyline. Interesting.

So all in all it was a great episode. I'm looking forward to the next three episodes, after seeing pictures. "Pool Shark", "Blood Moon" and "Sqweegel".

Lifehouse, finally!!!

I've been a fan of Lifehouse since day 1. Their first hit, "Hanging By a Moment", came out in 2001 here in The Netherlands. After that, they never had a hit in my country, but I followed them on the internet an bought their CD's (the second one "Stanley Climbfall", is my favorite). This year "Halfway Gone" came out here and now "All In" is a hit in The Netherlands. I never saw them live, but september 22th I finally did. It was AWESOME!! They opened with "All In". They did hits like "Spin", "Broken", "You and Me", "First Time" and "Hanging By a Moment". They played some new songs from "Smoke & Mirrors". They ended with "Everything", which gave me goosebumps. Sadly enough they didn't play "Blind", my favorite Lifehouse song, but it was still a great concert. My brother liked it too, I think he's a fan now. Here are some pictures. Not very good quality, because it was very dark, but I do have a good memory.

Pic Spam: Natalie Portman

I love Natalie Portman. Great actrice, natural beauty. My favorites are "V for Vendetta", "Closer" and "The Other Boleyn Girl". I haven't seen "Garden State" but I would like to see it one day. She's in two 2010 movies, "Hesher" and "Black Swan". Especially the last one looked great. The trailer really made me want to go see it. Here are some pictures of Natalie.

Yeah Joseph

Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I love that guy!! He was great in "The Lookout", "10 Things I Hate About You" "(500) Days of Summer" and "Inception". I still haven't seen "Brick" and it seems that "Hesher" is going to be very good as well. I decided to create a wallpaper of Joseph, because the last wallie I made was in July. Natalie Portman was my subject then. Well here is my Joseph Gordon-Levitt wallpaper.



Feel free to use it on your own desktop if you want.

Message from South Africa

My brother Frank is in South Africa right now. He's there for already three weeks and he will return september 13th. He's working there, at a shark project. He has to document the sharks, lure them with bait and he goes cage diving with the sharks. All really exciting. He already sent us some messages, but yesterday he also sent us an awesome, but scary, picture. This photo he made of a shark in action. Be prepared, it shocked me a little when I first saw it.




Cool huh! It's a beautiful picture. It actually surprised me how blue the water is in South Africa. And off course how huge the shark is.