50 Books Challenge 2011 - # 1: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Title: The Lovely Bones
Author: Alice Sebold
Story: Susie Salmon is a teenage girl who, after being raped and murdered, watches from Heaven as her family and friends struggle to move on with their lives while she comes to terms with her own death.
Start: january 1th 2011
End: january 3rd 2011
Comments: Beautiful story and very well written. Sebold really did a good job telling the story from Susie's point of view. Sometimes I had to put the book down, because it was a little too much. For instance the part where Susie gets murdered. Heavy stuff. I didn't like what happened to Mr. Harvey at the end. Too abrupt, but that's the only critical note. Overall it was a fantastic book.
Rating: 4,5/ 5

Movie Tip #44 - Shutter Island

Director: Martin Scorsese

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Patricia Clarkson, Emily Mortimer, Max von Sydow, Jackie Earle Haley

Description: 1954. U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) is investigating the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane and is presumed to be hiding on the remote Shutter Island.

Review: We all know that all the films Scorcese made with DiCaprio kinda turn into gold. So does this one. "Shutter Island" is one of those thrillers that literally messes with your head. It seems like a standard story, a crazy escapee that they have to track down. But nothing is as it seems. You don't know who to trust and what actually is going on on that creepy island. DiCaprio delivers a nice, strong performance and so does Ben Kingsley. His character surprised me the most, because he turned out to be someone completely different than I thought he would be. Emily Mortimer, Michelle Williams and Mark Ruffalo also know how to draw the attention of the audience. I think this is one of the best ensemble casts of the year. All in all this is a very intriguing psychological thriller, that actually gets you to think and I realize that there aren't a lot of movies like this anymore. A truly unique and well written story (a novel by Dennis Lehane) directed by a true genius and performed by a strong cast. Two thumbs up!

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.