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!