In My Mailbox (124)

Fout officials and one private swap this week. The first came from Fayetteville, North Carolina, US. Although I'm not a fan of multiview cards, I do like this. I like waterfalls.

Sent: october 21st 2013
Received: november 24th 2013
Distance: 6,733 km (4,184 miles)
Travel Time: 34 days

A card from my own country the Netherlands. Oosterhout to be exact. This is a children's book character called "Floddertje". She has a very clean mom and every single time Floddertje manages to get dirty. Real fun for kids.... and adults, haha!

Sent: november 20th 2013
Received: november 24th 2013
Distance: 93 km (58 miles)
Travel Time: 4 days

A lovely dolphin card from Cologne, Germany. It has an Oscar Wilde quote on it. It says: "Life is to important to take seriously".

Sent: november 23rd 2013
Received: november 27th 2013
Distance: 74 km (46 miles)
Travel Time: 4 days

A very gorgeous card from Orenburg, Russia. I love ferriswheel. Not to be in them, but just the look of them.

Sent: november 17th 2013
Received: november 30th 2013br /> Distance: 3,345 km (2,078 miles)
Travel Time: 13 days

And two cards from my friend in Gatchina, Russia.

Thanks Wade, Chantal, Werner, Maria and Anton for your wonderful cards this week!

Pic Spam: Simon Pegg & Nick Frost

I wanted to dedicate this pic spam to either Nick Frost or Simon Pegg, two of the funniest men ever! And together they make hilarious and brilliant comedies. So why not put them both in the spotlights? Here are the pictures.

Top 5 Thursday: Masterchef Australia Contestants

I’m not a very good cook, I’m ok at it, although I love to bake. But I also really enjoy to watch “Masterchef”. To be more specific, the Australian version. It brought forward some great cooks and these five are my favorites over the five seasons.

5. Rishi Desai (4th place, series 5)
He was considered the favourite, so it was a shock when Rishi got eliminated. He had so many great dishes, that also looked stunning. And I loved Rishi’s sense of humour.

4. Justine Schofield (4th place, series 1)
I didn’t like it when she was eliminated, but everything turned out great for her. I love her TV-show, “Everday Gourmet”.

3. Dani Venn (4th place, series 3)
She was always very cheery, but could get flustered whenever the pressure got to her. Dani was very inventive and she knew a lot about Asian cuisine. Do you remember her rice burger?

2. Hayden Quinn (6th place, series 3)
He was the first one that year who won an immunity pin. Hayden was also the kindest contestant, who you didn’t think was such a gifted cook.

1. Lynton Tapp (2nd place, series 5)
When Lynton came to this competition, he wasn’t as experienced as the other contestants. He really grew and he made it to the final. I think he should have one, because he grew so much and he got three tens in that final!

They Almost Made the Top 5: Daniel Churchill (8th place, series 5), Poh Ling Yeoh (2nd place, series 1), Adam Liaw (winner, series 2), Emma Dean (winner, series 5), Ellie Paxton-Hall (5th place, series 3), Kumar Pereira (11th place, series 3)

Weekly Photo Challenge 2013 - Theme # 47: Brother

Here is this weeks theme.

I only have one sibling, my brother Frank. Although he's six years older then me, we always had a very strong bond. My brother isn't just my brother, he's my buddy, my friend. We love watching movies together or take trips to the zoo. But my favorite thing we did was travelling to Uganda, Africa last year. Such an amazing journey, unforgetable. And there is no one else I wanted to share that great trip with then my big brother! I love this picture by the way.

Movie Trailer Sunday (114)

Here are this weeks trailers.

Sabotage
Description: Members of an elite DEA task force find themselves being taken down one by one after they rob a drug cartel safe house.
Director: David Ayer
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Worthington, Terence Howard, Joe Manganiello, Josh Holloway, Harold Perrineau, Olivia Williams, Mireille Enos
Trailer: Trailer "Sabotage"
Comment: Arnie in action is always fun!

Nymphomaniac
Description: A self-diagnosed nymphomaniac recounts her erotic experiences to the man who saved her after a beating
Director: Lars von Trier
Starring: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgård, Stacy Martin, Shia LaBeouf, Jamie Bell, Christian Slater, Uma Thurman, Willem Dafoe, Connie Nielsen, Udo Kier,
Trailer: Trailer "Nymphomaniac"
Comment: I was never a fan of Lars von Trier and I probably would not go an see this one either...

Repentance
Description: An earnest life-coach/author, Thomas Carter, is mysteriously abducted by a deranged client, Angel Sanchez, who delves into Thomas' teachings and uses his spiritual messages of Karma - action and reaction (Vipaka), against him to terrorize him and his family for their past sins.
Director: Phillippe Caland
Starring: Forest Whitaker, Anthony Macki, Mike Epps, Sanaa Lathan, Nicole Ari Parker
Trailer: Trailer "Repentance"
Comment: Looks like nothing really special. If Whitaker wasn't in it, I probably would've ignored this trailer.

Tarzan
Description: Tarzan and Jane Porter face a mercenary army dispatched by the evil CEO of Greystoke Energies, a man who took over the company from Tarzan's parents, after they died in a plane crash.
Director: Reinhard Klooss
Starring: Kellan Lutz, Spencer Locke
Trailer: Trailer "Tarzan"
Comment: Do we really need this?

Raze
Description: Two abducted women & 50 other women are forced to fight each other using their bare hands.
Director: Josh Walter
Starring: Zoë Bell, Rachel Nichols, Doug Jones, Sherilyn Fenn, Tracie Thoms, Bailey Borders
Trailer: Trailer "Raze"
Comment: A bit like "The Hunger Games" meet "Saw".

In My Mailbox (123)

I received nine postcards this week. The first card came from Guelph, Canada. Wonderful view! I always wanted to visit Canada, just look at this beautiful nature.

Sent: october 26th 2013
Received: november 17th 2013
Distance: 6,184 km (3,843 miles)
Travel Time: 22 days

I'm so happy with this cute card, all those sweet rabbits and hares! It's from Tula, Russia.

Sent: november 7th 2013
Received: november 17th 2013
Distance: 2,139 km (1,329 miles)
Travel Time: 10 days

This children's character came from Leipzig, Germany.

Sent: november 14th 2013
Received: november 17th 2013
Distance: 447 km (278 miles)
Travel Time: 3 days

I love this postcard! How adorable this snowy, Christmas giraffe is! I got it from Villingen-Schwennigen, Germany.

 

Sent: november 14th 2013
Received: november 20th 2013
Distance: 391 km (243 miles)
Travel Time: 6 days

I really love kids, but these look a bit creepy (especially the boy)... It's from Lowicz, Poland and it looks very traditional.

Sent: november 14th 2013
Received: november 20th 2013
Distance: 968 km (601 miles)
Travel Time: 6 days

This card is just amazing. It's a drawing of two lions, so gorgeous! It's from Tianjin, China.

Sent: october 15th 2013
Received: november 20th 2013
Distance: 7,978 km (4,957 miles)
Travel Time: 36 days

I always liked those pretty Chinese lanterns. It looks so cosy, so warm. This postcard came from Shenzhen, China.

Sent: october 17th 2013
Received: november 20th 2013
Distance: 9,264 km (5,756 miles)
Travel Time: 34 days

A lovely vintage postcard from Meerhout, Belgium. Really nice. The sender also liked vintage, so I think she send me a card she also loves to receive.

Sent: november 11th 2013
Received: november 20th 2013
Distance: 64 km (40 miles)
Travel Time: 9 days

This card is just a lot of fun. It's from Sonomo, California, US.

Sent: november 13th 213
Received: noveber 20th 2013
Distance: 8,894 km (5,526 miles)
Travel Time: 7 days

Thanks Andi, Tanya, Louise, Wolfgang, Weronika, Liyuan, Sandy, Dorien and Emma for your postcards!!

Movie Battle: District 9 Vs. Elysium

Today I’m comparing two movie by director Neill Blomkamp. He hasn’t directed many movies, but these are his two most well-known and successful ones: District 9 Vs. Elysium.

CAST

District 9: There is only one actor in this movie worth mentioning, Sharlto Copley. Untill then an unknown South African actor. Copley’s performance is solid and believable.

Elysium: Matt Damon is the star and as always he does a great job. Since the Bourne-trilogy he’s a respectable action hero as well as the solid actor he already was. Jodie Foster is a convincing bitch, but her accent is a bit weird. I don’t know what it is, but it sound like something she made up herself. But again, like in “District 9”, Sharlto Copley steals the show. What a badass he is in this movie.

STORY

District 9: It’s a very original story, also written by Neill Blomkamp. I think it’s one of the better realistically looking sci-fi movies of the decade.

Elysium: Again a pretty original plot. Off course there are other versions of this, the poor world versus the rich world, but they way it was executed was very well done.

EFFECTS

District 9: The prawns look very realistic, though the effects are very subtle. I think that’s what’s so great about “District 9”, it’s never over the top.
Elysium: Bigger material used here, a lot of special effects, but it still has that gritty look. Blomkamp used the ‘shaky cam’ which is always a nice thing in action movies. It feels more real, like you’re really there. Again, it never looks like too much.

WINNER

They are both great, but I choose “District 9”. I think it’s the more original one of the two and this is a movie I could watch more than once.

Top 5 Thursday: Emma Stone Movies

As you might know I have a little bit of a girl crush on Emma Stone. She is fantastic, charming, funny, talented and sexy. Here are my favourite movies of Emma Stone.

5. Gangster Squad
Although it wasn’t as what expected, I did like “Gangster Squad”. Emma’s role isn’t that big, but memorable.

4. Crazy Stupid Love
I knew I was going to like this when I saw its trailer. And I was right, because this movie is so much fun. And that’s not just Emma, it also has Steve Carrel, Ryan Gosling and Julianne Moore in it.

3. The Help
The most touching movie on the list. This touched me, heart and soul. “The Help” makes you go through all kinds of emotions, it makes you laugh, it warms your heart, it makes you cry. I love this movie.

2. Zombieland
This is so bad-ass! A bunch of people, who give themselves names of states, cities or regions, kill zombies for survival. “Zombieland” is such a cool movie.

1. Easy A
I didn’t think much of it when I read the synopsis, but I fell in love with it when I watched it for the first time. Emma is such a star in “Easy A”, not to mention her movie parents Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarckson, who are hilarious.

They Almost Made the Top 5: Superbad, he Amazing Spider-Man

Weekly Photo Challenge 2013 - Theme # 48: Pastry

Here is this weeks theme.

I really love to bake and this sunday I had the urge to bake something. I looked in my pantry to see what I had and I made these little chocolate cakes. They were very rich, but they tasted delicious.

Movie Trailer Sunday (113)

Here are this weeks trailers.

Maleficent
Description: The "Sleeping Beauty" tale is told from the perspective of the villainous Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) and looks at the events that hardened her heart and drove her to curse young Princess Aurora (Elle Fanning).
Director: RObert Stromberg
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, Lesly Manville
Trailer: Trailer "Maleficent"
Comment: Spooky...

Divergent
Description: Beatrice Prior (Shailene Woodley), a teenager with a special mind, finds her life threatened when an authoritarian leader seeks to exterminate her kind in her effort to seize control of their divided society.
Director: Neil Burger
Starring: Shailene Woodley, Kate Winslet, Theo James, Ray Stevenson, Mekhi Phifer, Maggie W, Jai Courtney, Miles Teller, Zoë Kravitz, Ashley Judd, Ansel Elgort, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, Ben Lamb, Christian Madsen, Amy Newbold, Tony Goldwyn
Trailer: Trailer "Divergent"
Comment: I think the book was fantastic, so I hope they do it justice. It looks pretty cool.

Noah
Description: The Biblical Noah (Russell Crowe) suffers visions of an apocalyptic deluge and takes measures to protect his family from the coming flood.
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson, Anthony Hopkins, Ray Winstone, Logan Lerman
Trailer: Trailer "Noah"
Comment: Darren Aronofsky is a great director and it's a wonderful cast.

Cuban Fury
Description: 1987, A 13 year old natural born dancer with fire in his heels and snakes in his hips is working himself up to explode all over the UK Junior Salsa Championships. But then a freakish bullying incident on the mean streets of London robs him of his confidence, and our young hero finds his life diverted down a very different path. So it is that 22 years later, an adult Bruce Garrett (Nick Frost) finds himself out-of-shape and unloved - trapped in a downward spiral of self-pity, repression and Nando's take-outs. Only Julia (Rashida Jones), his smart, funny, gorgeous new American boss, gives him reason to live. But she's untouchable. Out of his league, so he imagines, with her perfect smile and perfect life. Unknown to Bruce however, Julia has issues all of her own. Luckily for him, she also has a secret passion. Then there's Drew (Chris O'Dowd), his alpha male colleague and horny king-monkey of the office. With Drew making no secret of his desire to get (his words) "all up inside Julia",...
Director: James Griffiths
Starring: Nick Frost, Chris O'Dowd, Rashida Jones, Ian McShane
Trailer: Trailer "Cuban Fury"
Comment: It's fun to finally see Nick Frost as the leading man.

Heaven is for Real
Description: A small-town father (Greg Kinnear) must find the courage and conviction to share his son's extraordinary, life-changing experience with the world.
Director: Randall Wallace
Starring: Greg Kinnear, Kelly Reilly, Thomas Haden Church, Connor Corum
Trailer: Trailer "Heaven is for Real
Comment: The trailer gave me goosebumps...

Best & Worst: Kevin Costner

Back in the days he was actually one of my movie heroes. If you got him as your leading man, you got a solid movie. But nowadays he has to be happy with a supporting role. Here is my choice for best & worst Kevin Costner movie.

It’s very long, but anything but dull. It’s a fantastic movie, which Kevin Costner also directed. Here he show how great of an actor he actually is.
Honourable mentions: “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves”, “Field of Dreams”, “JFK”

This is the proof that Kevin Costner was on his way back. I can’t believe he agreed on participating in this movie. I mean, I love Jennifer Aniston, but it’s a weird combination. Costner is too good for this. Oh yeah, to make it even worse, his name in this movie was Beau. God…
Dishonorable mentions: “The Postman”