Video of the Week (1)

Every week I will share with you a video that I really loved. I will start with an actress that I absolutely adore: Emma Stone. She was a guest on Jimmy Fallon's show. Fallon has a lip sync battle and this time he challenges Emma. I think he wishes he hadn't, she's awesome at it!

Movie Moments: "The Lion King"

I remember the time when I saw it in theatres, it was for a kids party. I was speechless, it was a breathtaking experience. And still, after so many years, it’s one of the most amazing Disney animations I’ve ever seen. Here are my favorite moments.

Moment # 1: The Circle of Life
The sun rises in Africa and all the animals living there wake up. Lion king Mufasa is presenting his son Simba.

Moment # 2: Simba learns how to hunt
Mufasa is trying to teach Simba how to hunt and they use Zazou as prey. The talkative bird is giving the last news to Mufasa, without knowing that Simba is lurking him. All of a sudden Simba strikes, which leaves Zazou shocked and angry.

Moment # 3: I Just Can’t Wait to Be King
Simba and Nala are trying to go to the elephant graveyard, but they are stuck with Zazou. On theire way, Simba tells Nala how he’s going to be king someday. And he is very excited about that.

Moment # 4: Elephant graveyard
Simba and Nala have arrived at the elephant graveyard. Simba says he isn’t scared of anything, but then three hyena’s join them. They are after the two lion cubs. When Simba and Nala are both cornered, Mufasa is there to save them.

Moment # 5: Be Prepared
Scar is planning to take out the king, his brother Mufasa. He’s not doing it alone, he needs the help of all the hyenas.

Moment # 6: The stampede
Scar has lured Simba to a place where he’s supposed to get a surprise. What he doesn’t know is that a huge stampede is coming towards him.

Moment # 7: Mufasa dies
Mufasa is trying to save Simba, but dies. Scar makes Simba think it was his fault, but Scar killed his own brother so he can be king.

Moment # 8: Hakuna Matata
Simba meets Timon and Pumbaa, a meerkat and a warthog. They teach him the new life lesson “Hakuna Matata”, which means 'no worries'..

Moment # 9: Can You Feel the Love Tonight
Simba is attacked by a female lion. He realizes it’s Nala. She always thought Simba was dead.

Moment # 10: Simba meets Rafiki
Rafiki knows that Simba is still alive and tries to find him. When he does, Rafiki is trying to get Simba back to the Pride Lands, where Scar has ruined everything with his kingdom. Simba finds Rafiki very annoying.

Moment # 11: The final fight
Simba confronts Scar. He finds out that Scar killed his father and takes him down. Or actually his ‘friends’ the hyean’s do it for him.


Favorite Moment: Moment # 1 : The Circle of Life

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 56: Bachelorette

Director: Leslye Headland
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 94 minutes
Year: 2012
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Lizzy Caplan, Isla Fisher, Rebel Wilson, James Marsden, Adam Scott

Description: Three friends are asked to be bridesmaids at a wedding of a woman they used to ridicule back in high school.

Review: Three unstable, crazy bridesmaids and a lot of booze and drugs aren’t exactly the ingredients for a perfect wedding. That’s what bride Becky is dealing with in “Bachelorette”. Her maid of honor is Regan, an ambitious career woman who doesn’t want anything unless it’s perfect. Gena, the cynical and indifferent joker who does everything that God forbids. And then we have Katie, who isn’t very smart.
“Bachelorette” isn’t your sweet and cheesy chick flick, it manages to avoid clichés. But it turns into a slightly obscene comedy. Because the leading characters are very extreme, it makes them very unpleasant and highly unlikeable. It heads more in the direction of being caricatures instead of characters that you can relate too. They take it a bit too far, which makes it everything but funny. The only one I really liked was Clyde, played by Adam Scott, but maybe that’s because I genuinely like this actor.
“Bachelorette” didn’t succeed in what it was trying to achieve. I prefer “Bridesmaids”, a comedy that did get it right

Rating: 1,5/ 5

Pic Spam: Elizabeth Banks

Elizabeth Banks can be both serious and dramatic as funny and hilarious. I just love this woman, she is just an amazing actress.

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # What to Expect When You're Expecting

Director: Kirk Jones
Genre: Comedy/ Romance/ Drama
Runtime: 110 minutes
Year: 2012
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Matthew Morrison, Elizabeth Banks, Ben Falcone, Jennifer Lopez, Rodrigo Santoro, Brooklyn Decker, Dennis Quaid, Anna Kendrick, Chace Crawford, Chris Rock, Joe Manganiello

Description: A look at love through the eyes of five interconnected couples experiencing the thrills and surprises of having a baby, and ultimately coming to understand the universal truth that no matter what you plan for, life doesn't always deliver what's expected.

Review: The title tells you everything: all the ins and out about pregnancies and babies. The movie follows five different stories about this subject. First we have Jules, the presenter of a weight loss program, who is having a baby with her partner Evan. There is Gary and his wife Wendy who have been trying to get pregnant for two years. But when it finally happens, it’s not as fantastic as she always thought. Gary’s father Ramsey and his very young new wife Skyler are also expecting, and she does have the glow that Wendy was always hoping for. The young Rosie gets pregnant after a one-night-stand with Marco, the guy who left her on prom night. And finally Holly and Alex who are trying to adopt a child. Holly is ready, but Alex clearly isn’t.
It’s very clever to make an ensemble film out of this concept, multiple storylines work well very often. And various genres are mixed as well. This makes it to an unbalanced film. Over-the-top slapsticks switch to dramatic moments that don’t really fit in here.
Although I love Cameron Diaz, she isn’t the real star in this film. Elizabeth Banks and Ben Falcone, who play Wendy and Gary, and Anna Kendrick and Chace Crawford, as Rosie and Marco, have the most interesting storylines and are the most convincing. I especially think that the last two actors where underused.
It’s definitely an entertaining movie, but it never really hits the mark.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

Movie Trailer Sunday (136)

Here are this weeks trailers.

Boyhood

Description: The life of a young man, Mason (Ellar Coltrane), from age 5 to age 18.

Director: RIchard Linklater

Starring: Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Lorelei Linklater

Trailer: Trailer "Boyhood"

Comment: This movie was actually filmed over 12 years, where the boy in the story actually grows up on the screen. That's amazing!

The Rover

Description: A loner tracks the gang who stole his car from a desolate town in the Australian outback with the forced assistance of a wounded guy left behind in the wake of the theft.

Director: David Michôd

Starring: Guy Pierce, Robert Pattinson

Trailer: Trailer "The Rover"

Comment: Looks exciting

 

If I Stay

Description:

Director: R.J. Cutler

Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, Mireille Enos, Jamie Blackley, Joshua Leonard, Liana Liberato, Aisha Hinds and Stacy Keach

Trailer: Trailer "If I Stay"

Comment: Chills...

 

Let's Be Cops

Description: Two struggling pals dress as police officers for a costume party and become neighborhood sensations. But when these newly-minted "heroes" get tangled in a real life web of mobsters and dirty detectives, they must put their fake badges on the line.

Director: Luke Greenfield

Starring: Damon Wayans, Jake Johnson, Rob Riggle, Nina Dobrev, James D'Arcy and Andy Garcia

Trailer: Trailer "Let's Be Cops"

Comment: It looks funny, but it's probably not any good.

The Wind Rises

Description: A look at the life of Jiro Horikoshi (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), the man who designed Japanese fighter planes during World War II.

Director:Hayao Miyazaki

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Martin Short, Stanley Tucci, Mandy Patinkin, William H. Macy, Werner Herzog, Mae Whitman, Jennifer Grey, Darren Criss, Elijah Wood, Ronan Farrow

Trailer: Trailer "The Wind Rises"

Comment: Not new in the US, but it comes out this may here in the Netherlands.

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 54: Warm Bodies

Director: Jonathan Levine
Genre: Comedy/ Romance/ Horror
Runtime: 98 minutes
Year: 2013
Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, John Malkovich, Analeigh Tipton, Rob Corrdry, Dave Franco

Description: After a highly unusual zombie (Nicholas Hoult) saves still-living girl Julie (Teresa Palmer) from an attack, the two form a relationship that sets in motion events that might transform the entire lifeless world.

Review: The love between a human and a different creature (vampires, werewolves, aliens) has been done a couple of times. In “Warm Bodies” we can add another one to the list: the zombie. But I’m not going to compare it too “Twilight”, because this movie is just too much fun and the vampire movie just isn’t.
In “Warm Bodies” we see a world where a zombie epidemic has taken over most of mankind. A small group of people stay hidden in the city, with a giant wall surrounding them. We meet zombie R, who has forgotten his name, can hardly talk but is sharing his thoughts with the audience. He falls for the beautiful Julie and wants to protect her from the other zombies. Julie doesn’t trust the situation, but sees that R is different.
“Warm Bodies” is based on a book by Isaac Marion and loosely based on “Romeo & Juliet”. With that the movie is filled with humor and romance and a bit of horror elements as well. Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer have great chemistry. I also love the soundtrack, every song is just chosen perfectly.
“Warm Bodies” is a romantic comedy, but then with zombies. There is a perfect balance between humor and romance. It’s original and fresh and a joy to watch!

Rating: 4/ 5

In My Mailbox (145)

I've received eleven postcards and one private swap this week. From Singapore, Singapore I got this postcard showing the national flower of the country.

Sent: april 10th 2014
Received: april 23rd 2014
Distance: 10,442 km (6,488 miles)
Travel Time: 13 days

A card that gives you warm feelings. It's from Altoona, Pennsylvania, US.

Sent: march 28th 2014
Received: april 23rd 2014
Distance: 6,221 km (3,866 miles)
Travel Time: 26 days

From Modrice, Czech Republic I got this cute card. It's another one from the cartoon of the mole.

Sent: april 14th 2014
Received: april 23rd 2014
Distance: 790 km (491 miles)
Travel Time: 9 days

I got this animal filled heart from Dali Village, Taiwan.

Sent: april 14th 2014
Received: april 23rd 2014
Distance: 9,501 km (5,904 miles)
Travel Time: 9 days

I got this awesome polar bear card from Sydney, Australia. I love this postcard!

Sent: april 12th 2014
Received: april 23rd 2014
Distance: 16,623 km (10,329 miles)
Travel Time: 11 days

A nice water color picture from Pavlovo, Russia.

Sent: april 10th 2014
Received: april 23rd 2014
Distance: 2,495 km (1,550 miles)
Travel Time: 13 days

From Jiangmén, China I received this amazing postcard. It's so beautiful. How a simple ferris wheel can be so pretty!

Sent: april 1st 2014
Received: april 23rd 2014
Distance: 9,181 km (5,705 miles)
Travel Time: 22 days

I got this great fox card from Rijswijk, Netherlands. It's from a famous illustrator and I love it!

Sent: april 19th 2014
Received: april 23rd 2014
Distance: 146 km (91 miles)
Travel Time: 4 days

From Montpellier, France I got a gorgeous horse.

Sent: april 7th 2014
Received: april 26th 2014
Distance: 858 km (533 miles)
Travel Time: 19 days

This amazing card came from Santa Fe, New Mexico, US.

Sent: april 14th 2014
Received: april 26th 2014
Distance: 8,302 km (5,159 miles)
Travel Time: 12 days

And this drawing came from Moscow, Russia.

Sent: april 10th 2014
Received: april 26th 2014
Distance: 2,133 km (1,325 miles)
Travel Time: 16 days

And a card from my friens in Mumbai, India.

Thanks Alvin, Amber, Eva, Nani, Laurent, Kate, Yunwah, Ellen, Jèrome, Barbara, Masha and Akshay for your beautiful postcards!!

Top 5 Thursday: Clint Eastwood Directed Movies

Clint Eastwood is a great actor, but an even better director. So this list only includes movies that Eastwood directed.

5. Invictus
It’s a very inspiring story and I just love Morgan Freeman in his role as Nelson Mandela. Eastwood did a great job telling this unbelievable story.

4. A Perfect World
I haven’t seen this movie in a while, but it’s a great film. Kevin Costner was a hero of mine back in the days.

3. Million Dollar Baby
I didn’t think this movie would make me cry in the end, it has a very dramatic twist.

2. Mystic River
This is a character study, with interesting people and fabulous acting. Such a gripping story.

1. Gran Torino
I absolutely love this movie, it’s his best. It’s really hard to direct a movie, but he also play its lead character. Such a fantastic film with a heartbreaking ending.

They Almost Made the Top 5: Changeling

Movie Battle: Sleepless in Seattle Vs. You've Got Mail

Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan where the romantic couple in the 90’s, they did three movies together and is there someone who wants to see them pair up again (me, me, me!) ? I’ve chosen two of the movies to go head to head in this movie battle: “Sleepless in Seattle” Vs. “You’ve Got Mail”.

CAST

Sleepless in Seattle: Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are a magical duo, they have perfect chemistry. Even if they are not in the same scene. It also has Bill Pullman and Rosie O’Donnell in it, but who cares.

You’ve Got Mail: Also Tom and Meg, but the other characters are also easy to forget about. For some reason I do remember Steve Zahn in it. And Jean Stapleton and Greg Kinnear.

STORY

Sleepless in Seattle: Annie is about to get married, but is missing something in her life. When she hears young Jonah on the radio, talking about his widowed father Sam, she falls in love. This is perfect material for the hopeless romantic who believe in true love.

You’ve Got Mail: This story isn’t timeless, although it’s about the internet. Technology grows so fast and when you watch this movie now, you think it’s really outdated. Kathleen and Joe both own a bookstore, she a little children’s bookstore, he a giant megastore. They can’t stand each other, but what they don’t know is that online they are e-mail friends. “Sleepless in Seattle” had letters and here it’s e-mail. Again great for the ones who think love will always find a way.

EFFECTS

Sleepless in Seattle: This movie isn’t about the effects. The movie is well filmed and told and it’s just one of the most romantic movies ever made.

You’ve Got Mail: Very similar to “Sleepless in Seattle”. It does show New York at its best, especially when it’s autumn. Like Meg Ryan’s character says: “Don’t you just love New York in the fall”?

WINNER

Surprise! Most people would go for the classic, but my heart goes out to “You’ve Got Mail”. For some reason I’ve always liked it more and I can watch it over and over again. And now I feel like rewatching it.

Best & Worst: Keira Knightley

Keira Knightley is a fantastic actress, very pure and solid. She hasn’t starred in anything memorable for a while, but she is in “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” which came out earlier this year. Here is my choice of best & worst of Keira Knightley.

As you might know it’s based on my favourite book and there are many versions of this story. But this is my favourite one of them all. Keira Knightley is the perfect Elizabeth Bennet, just like I imagined her in my head while reading the novel.
Honorable Mentions: “Atonement”

It sounded good, just the movie for Keira. But instead it was one of the most boring stories ever. Everything that happened in this movie, happened a couple of times, like I was in “Groundhog Day”. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t Keira to blame. Just simply the story, it was one giant snooze fest.
Dishonorable Mentions: “The Hole”

DVD Collection Update (14)

A very big DVD update this time! Eight new ones in my collection. So lets get started!

I also own the first film, which I prefer a bit over this one, but "Thor: The Dark World" is also a great movie experience. And off course Chris Hemsworth.... just perfect.

I waited a long time to get this, but I finally bought it. Season 3 of "The Walking Dead". It's one of my favorite shows of the moment and it's just awesome. In this season they find the prison.

I got this on the day it was released. "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" is just a must have. Like the first DVD, it's a special edition with a lot of extras and five cool postcards. I think this movie is better then the first, and I already loved that one!

Okay, I can already see you roling your eyes. "Jaws" is awesome, directed by Steven Spielberg and the best shark movie ever made. Any other shark movie is just crap. Just watch this video from Cinemassacre.com: Top 40 Shitty Shark Movies. That's true, but I just felt like watching "Jaws 2" so I thought I would look nice on my shelve next to "Jaws". I know it's not that great, but it's still entertaining.

Back to more serious stuff. Nelson Mandela is a man I have idolized for as long as I know him. I just had to see this. It wasn't perfect, but it shows how great of a man he was, so "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" is worth your time.

There are many films about time travelling, but this is just such a heart-warming tale. "About Time" was just great, I immediately wanted to rewatch it. I just love this movie, to me it was perfect. The subtle humor and the great acting by Rachel McAdams, Domhnall Gleeson and especially Bill Nighy.

I just realized I bought a lot of sequels. "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" is another sequel. Again this was better then the first. I especially loved the moment where Bilbo first meets Smaug, who was perfectly voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch. I like Hobbits, there are adorable! Martin Freeman is adorable!

Finding "Pulp Fiction" for only 3 euro's was just damn luck. I always wanted this in my collection and I just bumped into it. I didn't even plan to buy a DVD that day. I don't have many lucky moments, but I treasure it when I do! For a movie nerd like me, this is a happy moment!