zaterdag 7 januari 2012

In My Mailbox (29)

After a long time of waiting for a card, I got my favorite card so far. From Essen, Germany. This is such a cute card, I love orangutans, they're my favorite apes.


Sent on: january 4th 2012
Received on: january 7th 2012
Distance: 76 km (47 miles)
Travel time: 3 days

Movie Moments: "The 'Burbs"

This movie is so underrated, because it's hilarious even after watching it like a hundred times. It's definitely Tom Hanks' funniest movie ever made. here are the best scenes from "The 'Burbs".

Moment # 1: Opening scene
We enter Mayfield Place, a nice suburban street. Ray gets his paper thrown at him and he responds by emptying his coffee cup towards the paperboy. Ricky puts on some heavy metal before he starts to paint his house. Walters dog Queenie poops on Rumsfields lawn. Rumsfield and Bonnie raise the American flag. We meet the people in Mayfield Place.

Moment # 2: Bees
One of the mysterious Klopek men leaves the house and Ray and Art see him. When he gets back in the house, the guys decide to go over. When they step on their porch, Art’s legg falls through and makes a hole in the porch. When Ray knocks on the door, a hole in the wall releases a swarm of bees. Ray and Art start running and Rumsfield wants to save them with his hose. When he’s running towards them, the hose is to short and Rumsfield falls. He eventually saves Ray and Art from the bees by hosing them down with water.

Moment # 3: Walters house
Bonnie finds Queenie walking around on the street. When Walter isn’t opening the door Ray, Art, Rumsfield, Bonnie and Ricky break in to his house. Bonnie is looking for some food for Queenie, when she starts screaming. She claims it’s a dead rat, when Rumsfield tells her it’s Walters hair piece. Art, off course, goes through Walters food supplies and finds cookies. He holds up the plate, but than Ricky enters the kitchen and breaks the plate.

Moment # 4: Satan is our pal
Ray and Art are in the basement reading a book about demonology. Art thinks the Klopeks are Satanists and Ray doesn’t want to hear about it. He covers his ears and starts humming a song. Art tells him he’s chanting ‘I want to kill everyone, Satan is good, Satan is our pal’.

Moment # 5: Ray’s dream
Ray goes to bed and wakes up. He’s looking for Carol and all of a sudden a chainsaw comes through the wall. He sees Carol and she tells Ray how nice it was to invite the neighbors for a barbecue. Ray is on that barbecue and about to be sacrificed by the Klopeks. Right before one of them is about to run a knife through his heart, he wakes up.

Moment # 6: The bone
Ray wants some peace and is trying to get rest when Art is trying to talk to him about the Klopeks again. When Ray’s dog Vince finds a bone, they see that he got it near the fence that connects Ray’s yard with the Klopeks. Art realizes that the bone belongs to Walter and both men start screaming. When Ray wants to run inside, Carol opens the door and accidentaly smashes it in to Ray’s face. Out of frustration he crushes a soda can.

Moment # 7: Visiting the Klopeks
Carol is sick of the guys spying on the Klopeks. She and Bonnie decide it’s a better idea to visit the Klopeks and have a chat. Ray, Rumsfield, Carol and Bonnie go over to the Klopeks. They meet Hans, Rueben and Werner Klopek and everything goes wrong: Rumsfield falls through the porch just like Art did before, he rips wallpaper of the wall, Ray almost chokes on sardines and later spills coffee into his lap, the giant dog is released and attacks Art who’s investigating the perimeter.

Moment # 8: Rumsfield falls of the roof
When Art and Ray are investigating the Klopek house when they’re gone, Rumsfield is on the look out on his roof. When Ricky is trying to warn him, Rumsfield falls of the roof.

Moment # 9: The house explodes
Art is running back into the Klopek house to tell Ray Walter is back. Ray hit a gasline and they have to get out as fast as possible. Art gets out in time, but the house explodes with Ray still in it. when all the neighbour are watching the house burn, Ray gets out in shock.

Moment # 10: Ray attacks Art
After everything that happened and not finding any evidence of murder in the Klopek house, Art still tells Ray that they will find something Ray gets mad and attacks Art. (Sorry, no picture)

Moment: 11: Hey Pinocchio!
It turns out that the Klopeks are killers and Hans wants to escape. Rumsfield sees it and yells: “Hey Pinocchio, where do you think you’re going?” He runs after him and Hans falls down. So does Rumsfield, but he does get him.

Favorite Moment: Moment # 8: Visiting the Klopeks

vrijdag 6 januari 2012

Best of... Helena Bonham Carter

She might be a little weird, but maybe that's what makes her so good. She's made some great films and here are my favorites of Helena Bonham Carter.

"A Room with a View"
Beautiful cinematography, an awesome adapted script, and a tale of oppressed desire during the paradigm shift from the repressive Victorian age to the more liberal Edwardian time.

"Howards End"
Practically every actor in this movie gives away an almost perfect performance. I never read the novel though.

"Fight Club"
This is a fantastic film and probably one of the best ever made. Again great performances and a brilliant ending. I like all three characters, not because they are so nice. Becaise they where perfectly executed.

"Big Fish"
This movie is just a picture book coming to life. I love the storytelling and how Tim Burton brought it all to life. It's beautiful and heartwarming and I love everything about it.

"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"
Most people don't like this remake, but I do. I miss the original Oompa Loompa's though, but that's all. I really loved how Burton recreated the factory and the casting was very well done.

"Corpse Bride"
The story is very macabre, a man getting married to a corpse. But it is so entertaining and shot like "A Nightmare Before Christmas" was also shot. Fantastic, great atmosphere.

"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"
She plays Bellatrix Lestrange and with that my favorite villain from the series, if you don't count Voldemort off course. I like this film because Harry and his friends are making their own plans, but I found it so sad that Sirius Black died.

"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber on Fleet Street"
I like musicals and I think this was different from most, because it was so dark and grim. Mostly because of its theme: a serial killer. Helena fits right in.

"Terminator Salvation"
Not the best one in the series, but I really loved the addition of Christian Bale as John Connor and I liked Sam Worthington. Helena's part is really small, so it's no specificaly good because of her.

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"
Again a great performance as Bellatrix Lestrange. This role was made for her.

"Alice in Wonderland"
I think it's a bit like "Big Fish": This whole fantasy world comes to life. It's not favorited as much, but I really do like it. It's all so colorfull and amazing.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 & 2"
The final battle. It wasn't the end of an era for me, because I do have a life. But it was kinda sad knowing that the series ended and we couldn't expect another book or movie. A lot of questions where answered and a lot happened in the last two movies.

I haven't seen "The King's Speech" yet. I'm not sure if I ever will, because I'm still mad that Colin Firth got the Academy Award and not James Franco.

donderdag 5 januari 2012

50 Books Challenge 2012 - # 1: Dances with Wolves by Michael Blake

Title: Dances with Wolves
Author: Michael Blake
Story: Ordered to hold an abandoned army post, John Dunbar found himself alone, beyond the edge of civilization. Thievery and survival soon forced him into the Indian camp, where he began a dangerous adventure that changed his life forever.
Start: january 1st 2012
End: januari 5th 2012
Comment: Off course I saw the movie and it's one of my favorites of all-time. I had this book on my shelve for a while and with the theme I have this month I finally had the perfect reason to read it. We follow John Dunbar in his journey to discovering the Comache. The great thing about this book is that the American soldiers aren't depicted as heroes and the Comache as bad guys. I got a lot of respect for the Comache and disrespect for the American soldiers. They acted really cowardly and it really broke my heart when they killed Two Sox. The strenght of this books is that it isn't very spectacular but it doesn't bore you for one minute. And I love the change that Dunbar goes through, from being a Settler to joining a Native American tribe and eventually becoming Dances with Wolves. And the lovestory between him and Stands with a Fist doesn't dominate. There is a good balance between drama and romance. A fantastic start for my challenge of 2012.
Rating: 5/ 5

Top 5 Thursday: Rain Scenes in Movies

A new year, new top fives. Here's the first of the year. Because it's raining almost constantly right now, I decided to share with you my favorite rain scenes in movies.

5. Singin' in the Rain
This has to be on the list. The moment where Gene Kelly literally starts to sing in the rain. Even for a non musical lover it's a classic scene.


4. V for Vendetta
De scene where Evy stands on the rooftop of a building, spreads her arms and starts crying. beautiful scene.


3. The Notebook
We all know this scene. Allie and Noah just took a boat ride when Allie asks him why he never wrote her back, because it wasn't over for her. Noah tells her he wrote her a letter every day for a year. Than they kiss each other in the poring rain. Probably also the most romantic scene ever.


2. Jurassic Park
T-Rex escapes from his facility and two of the tour-cars are standing still in front of his cage. He starts to investigates the cars and when Lex and Tim turn on the flashlights they draw T-Rex' attention. This scene is so exciting, the rain makes it even more scary.


1. The Shawshank Redemption
After Andy Dufresne crawled through a sewer, he takes of his shirt, spreads his arms an just stands in the rain. Finally, freedom! This is a classic scene and it gives me goosebumps everytime.


They almost made the top 5: "Spider-Man", "Road to Perdition", "Platoon", "Seven" and "Identity"

woensdag 4 januari 2012

The Many Faces of... Emma Stone

Emma Stone was one of my favorites of last year and also my favorite discovery. So I thought she would be the first one this year I dedicade this item to.

Face # 1: Superbad
Role: Jules
Comment: Straight hair, very natural.
Rating: 4/ 5

Face # 2: The Rocker
Role: Amelia
Comment: A real rock-chick and very kick-ass. Like it.
Rating: 3,5/ 5

Face # 3: The House Bunny
Role: Natalie
Comment: Pretty nerdy, but cute.
Rating: 3/ 5

Face # 4: Ghost of Girlfriend Past
Role: Allison Vandermeersh
Comment: God no, what did they do to her hair?
Rating: 2/ 5

Face # 5: Paper Man
Role: Abby
Comment: Love the hat, again a very natural look.
Rating: 5/ 5

Face # 6: Zombieland
Role: Wichita
Comment: I love this look.
Rating: 5/ 5

Face # 7: Easy A
Role: Olive
Comment: If I was into girls, I would marry Emma based on this picture.
Rating: 5/ 5

Face # 8: Crazy Stupid Love
Role: Hannah
Comment: She looks more mature.
Rating: 4,5/ 5

Face # 9: The Help
Role: Skeeter Phelan
Comment: I prefer Emma as a red head.
Rating: 3/ 5

Face # 10: The Amazing Spider-Man
Role: Gwen Stacy
Comment: Like I said, I like Emma better with red hair. But I do like her like this. My hair looks a bit like hers now.
Rating: 4/ 5

zondag 1 januari 2012

Movies Trailer Sunday (18) 2012 Preview

It's sunday and normally I would share with you five of the best new trailers of the week. Well this week no new trailers came out, or at least not from movies I haven't shared with you yet. I will take a look at movies that will come out in 2012 and share with you the ones I'm looking forward to see.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Description: After the 10 year old Oskar (Thomas Horn) loses his father (Tom Hanks) in the terrorist attacks on 9/11, he goes on a journey across New York to find his father's lock-box.
Director: Stephen Daldry
Starring: Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Thomas Horn, John Goodman, Max von Sydow, James Gandolfini
Trailer: Trailer "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"

Snow White and the Huntsman
Description: Snow White (Kristen Stewart) is the only person in the land fairer than the evil queen (Charlize Theron) who is out to destroy her. But what the wicked ruler never imagined is that the young woman threatening her reign has been training in the art of war with a huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) who was dispatched to kill her.
Director: Rupert Sanders
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth, Ray Winstone, Ian McShane, Eddie Izzard, Bob Hoskins, Toby Jones, Eddie Marsan and Ray Winstone
Trailer: Trailer "Snow White and the Huntsman"

The Hunger Games
Description: Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the evil Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which "Tributes" must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson). If she's ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
Director: Gary Ross
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci and Donald Sutherland
Trailer: Trailer "The Hunger Games"

The Avengers
Description: When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as SHIELD, finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.
Director: Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson
Trailer: Trailer "The Avengers"

Young Adult
Description: Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron) is a writer of teen literature who returns to her small hometown to relive her glory days and attempt to reclaim her happily married high school sweetheart (Patrick Wilson). When returning home proves more difficult than she thought, Mavis forms an unusual bond with a former classmate (Patton Oswalt) who hasn't quite gotten over high school, either.
Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Patric Wilson
Trailer: Trailer "Young Adult"

J. Edgar
Description: As the face of law enforcement in America for almost fifty years, J. Edgar Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio) was feared and admired, reviled and revered. But behind closed doors, he held secrets that would have destroyed his image, his career and his life.
Director: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Watts, Judi Dench and Josh Lucas
Trailer: Trailer "J. Edgar"

The Muppets
Description: On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, and his friends Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets' former stomping grounds. To stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever and raise the $10 million needed to save the theater, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways.
Director: James Bobin
Starring: Amy Adams, Jason Segel, Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones, Alan Arkin, Jack Black, Billy Crystal, Zach Galifianakis, Kathy Griffin, Ricky Gervais, Emily Blunt, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Animal, Walter
Trailer: Trailer "The Muppets"

This Means War
Description: The world's deadliest CIA operatives (Tom Hardy and Chris Pine) are inseparable partners and best friends until they fall for the ame woman (Reese Witherspoon). Having once helped bring down entire enemy nations, they are now employing their incomparable skills and an endless array of high-tech gadgetry against their greatest nemesis ever - each other.
Director: McG
Starring: Tom Hardy, Chris Pine, Reese Witherspoon, Til Schweiger and Abigail Spencer
Trailer: Trailer "This Means War"

Movies I'm lookig forward to seeing, but don't have a trailer yet: "Django Unchained", "World War Z", "The Bourne Legacy", "The Great Gatsby", "Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter",