50 Books Challenge 2012 - # 50: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games # 1)

Title: The Hunger Games ("The Hunger Games # 1")
Author: Suzanne Collins
Story: In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister Prim, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
Start: november 29th 2012
End: november 30th 2012
Comment: Because this is a reread and I reviewed the books last year, I'm not going to write another one. Here's a link to my review: Review "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
Rating: 5/ 5

Movie Trailer Sunday (62)

This weeks trailers are about three redneck outlaws brothers, a girls' weekend gone wrong, Charles Swan III, a femme fatale falling for a detective and a man returning to his hometown.

The Baytown Outlaws
Description: After her ex-husband (Billy Bob Thornton) shoots Celeste (Eva Longoria) three times in the gut and kidnaps her godson, it's time to play dirty. She hires three outlawed, redneck brothers to bring him back to her. What begins as a small rescue mission rises to a Southern battle royale.
Director: Barry Battles
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Eva Longoria, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Clayne Crawford, Paul Wesley, Andre Braugher
Trailer: Trailer "The Baytown Outlaws"

Black Rock
Description: Three childhood friends set aside their personal issues and reunite for a girls' weekend on a remote island off the coast of Maine. One wrong move turns their weekend getaway into a deadly fight for survival.
Director: Katie Aselton
Starring: Kate Bosworth, Lake Bell, Katie Aselton
Trailer: Trailer "Black Rock"

A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swam III
Description: A graphic designer's (Charlie Sheen) enviable life slides into despair when his girlfriend breaks up with him.
Director: Roman Coppola
Starring: Charlie Sheen, Bill Murray, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jason Schwartzman, Aubrey Plaza, Patricia Arquette, Katheryn Winnick
Trailer: Trailer "A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III"
Comment: The return of Charlie Sheen on the big screen. It actually looks fun.

I, Anna
Description: Anna (Charlotte Rampling), a striking and enigmatic woman, reluctantly attends a speed dating event. A man is found bludgeoned to death in a London apartment block. DCI Bernie Reid (Gabriel Byrne), an insomniac dazed by the prospect of divorce, is first on the scene, but is distracted from his duties by a brief encounter with Anna. Going through the motions of the case, Bernie's thoughts return to Anna whom he tracks down and follows. When they finally meet at a singles party, the mutual attraction is instant, although Anna has no recollection of Bernie, nor of the night they first met. As Bernie's professional judgement battles with his desire for intimacy and love, the mystery deep within Anna's mind finally unravels, revealing a truth too painful to bear.
Director: Barnaby Southcombe
Starring: Charlotte Rampling, Gabriel Byrne, Hayley Atwell, Eddie Marsan, Jodhi May
Trailer: Trailer "I, Anna"

Fairhaven
Description: Dave (Chris Messina) returns to his hometown on the Massachusetts coast for his father's funeral, where his reunion with two old friends provides a healthy dose of reality.
Director: Tom O'Brien
Starring: Chris Messina, Sarah Paulson, Rich Sommer, Alexie Gilmore, Tom O'Brien
Trailer: Trailer "Fairhaven"

In My Mailbox (74)

Eight postcards this week. What a great postcard I received from Minsk, Belarus. I love robins. Such a beautiful bird.

Sent: november 18th 2012
Received: november 27th 2012
Distance: 1,486 km (923 miles)
Travel Time: 9 days

From Utrecht, the Netherlands I got this wonderful landscape. I love the colors and how you can also see the horses.

Sent: november 25th 2012
Received: november 27th 2012
Distance: 117 km (73 miles)
Travel Time: 2 days

From Louisville, Kentucky, US I received this elephant postcard. It's from the local zoo and elephants alwaya make me happy.

Sent: november 20th 2012
Received: november 27th 2012
Distance: 6,925 km (4,303 miles)
Travel Time: 7 days

And another mapcard for my collection. This time from Portland, Oregon, US. Love it!! I didn't have one from this state yet.

Sent: november 13th 2012
Received: november 27th 2012
Distance: 8,208 km (5,100 miles)
Travel Time: 14 days

I received this reptile postcard from Arnhem, the Netherland. Really funny, because at the moment I'm decorating my new home and green is one of the colors I used! I don't know, but it seemed so right when I found this postcard in my mailbox.

Sent:november 22nd 2012
Received: november 27th 2012
Distance: 88 km (55 miles)
Travel Time: 5 days

Although I collect United States mapcards, this one from Alberta, Canada also made me smile. Any postcard from Canada makes me smile!

Sent: november 20th 2012
Received: november 28th 2012
Distance: 7,346 km (4,565 miles)
Travel Time: 8 days

A third postcard from my country. This time from Biezelinge, the Netherlands. Never heard of this place before. What you can't see on this picture is that this was a 3D card. It looks really amazing.

Sent: november 27th 2012
Received: november 29th 2012
Distance: 144 km (89 miles)
Travel Time: 2 days

And the last card I received came from Jyväsyklä, Finland. A lovely field with flowers.

Sent: november 20th 2012
Received: november 29th 2012
Distance: 1,713 km (1,064 miles)
Travel Time: 9 days

Thanks Helen, Marijn, Erika, Louise, Mieke, Chris, Leonie and Sirpa

Top 5 Thursday: Characters from "Toy Story" series

"Toy Story" isn't just for kids!! I love it. And that's mainly because of its cute, funny, great and amazing characters. Here are my five favorites.

5. Buzz Lightyear
He's one of the two leading characters and in the beginning the most ignorant. Buzz really thinks he's an astronaut and not a toy. I liked him in the third installment, where he's set to Spanish mode.

4. Hamm
A talking piggy bank... Hamm is funny and knows much about the world outside. I like how he feels uncomfortable when his cork is out.

3. Aliëns
They are adorable. Especially when they see Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head as their parents. And how they say, ooooh.....

2. Mr. Potato Head
His humor is priceless and he can change his face in one second. And then I mean literaly change it. And the burrito version of him is also funny.

1. Rex
The number one was easy! Rex is such a loveable dino, although he is supposed to be a scary tyrannosaurus. He is constantly worried about the fact he isn't scary enough and that his arms are to short. We love his naive view on the world.

They almost made the top 5: Slinky, Weezy and Mr. Pricklepants.

50 Books Challenge 2012 - # 49: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

Title: The Da Vinci Code
Author: Dan Brown
Story: An ingenious code hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci. A desperate race through the cathedrals and castles of Europe. An astonishing truth concealed for centuries ... unveiled at last.
Start: november 19th 2012
End: november 28th 2012
Comment: I read this book not long after it was released. So many people talked about it, it was so popular. With this theme I found the perfect opportunity to reread "The Da Vinci Code". This books has also been very much critized, mostly by Catholics. Understandable, but maybe because of the controverse I like it even more. I'm not very religious and I believe more of a scientific believer. Things don't 'just happen', there's always an explanaition. Dan Brown is a very clever writer, without making things too complicated. His books are definitely not for just any reader. You need to have an affinity with the subject. But it's pretty certain you getted sucked in this story. It's a rush and you go on the adventure with Langdon and Sophie. Both lead characters are likeable in their own way. It's really hard to dislike them. They have enough backstory to understand them and I like the bond they develope throughout the story. I didn't give it a five star rating because then it would be eually as good as "Angels & Demons". Well, I think that one is a little better, but I love "The Da Vinci Code" very much!
Rating: 4,5/ 5

Pic Spam: Andrew Garfield

I haven't seen many of Andrew Garfields movies, but he is very cute. And in "The Social Network" he showed us that he's a good actor. And he's with Emma Stone, come on!! Here are some of his best pictures.

Movie Trailer Sunday (61)

This weeks trailers are about a magical universe, a father fighting for the rights of his son, Jack the giant slayer, aliën presence and a young woman with her life at a crossroads.

Epic
Description: When a teen age girl finds herself magically transported into this secret universe, she must band together with a rag-tag team of fun and whimsical characters in order to save their world, and ours.
Director: Chris Wedge
Starring: Beyonce Knowles, Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Knoxville, Aziz Ansari, Pitbull, Jason Sudeikis, Steven Tyler
Trailer: Trailer "Epic"

Snitch
Description: A father's (Dwayne Johnson) teenage son is wrongly accused of a drug distribution crime and is looking at a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years. Desperate and determined to rescue his son at all costs, he makes a deal with the U.S. Attorney to work as an undercover informant and infiltrate a drug cartel on a dangerous mission- risking everything, including his family and his own life.
Director: Ric Roman Waugh
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Susan Sarandon, Benjamin Bratt, Barry Pepper
Trailer: Trailer "Snitch"

Jack the Giant Slayer
Description: A young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants. Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack (Nicholas Hoult), into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom, its people, and the love of a brave princess (Eleanor Tomlison), he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend, and gets the chance to become a legend himself.
Director: Bryan Singer
Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Stanley Tucci, Ian McShane, Bill Nighy, Eleanor Tomlinson, Ewan McGregor
Trailer: Trailer "Jack the Giant Slayer"
Comment: I shared it before, but that was when it was still called "Jack the Giant Killer".

Dark Skies
Description: A suburban couple lives become a nightmare when a terrifying alien presence enters their home each night to prey upon their children. Increasingly isolated from skeptical friends and neighbors, the couple is forced to take matters into their own hands to save their family
Director: Scott Stewart
Starring: Keri Russell, Josh Hamilton
Trailer: Trailer "The Dark Skies"
Comment: Looks really great and terrifying.

Flying Lessons
Description: With her life at a crossroads, 25 year old Sophie Conway (Maggie Grace) returns home to the small town she always wanted to forget. Once home, she is faced with the friends and lovers she left behind, a tangled relationship with her Mother (Christine Lahti), and Harry Pleasant (Hal Holbrook), an Alzheimer's Disease patient who, in an opposing way, shares Sophie's struggle to remember.
Director: Derek Magyar
Starring: Maggie Grace, Christine Lahti, Cary Elwes, Jonathan Tucker, Hal Holbrook
Trailer: Trailer "Flying Lessons"