50 Books Challenge 2013 - # 29: The Hive by Gill Hornby

Title: The Hive
Author: Gill Hornby
Story: Welcome to St Ambrose Primary School. A world of friendships, fights and feuding. And that's just the mothers. It's the start of another school year at St Ambrose. But while the children are in the classroom coloring in, their mothers are learning sharper lessons on the other side of the school gates. Lessons in friendship. Lessons in betrayal. Lessons in the laws of community, the transience of power... and how to get invited to lunch.
Start: august 1st 2013
End: august 7th 2013
Comment: As a teacher I'm awfully familiar with parents. Kind parents, critical parents, but also simply annoying and I-think-I-know-everything-parents. In this book it's all about the mothers that rule at St. Ambrose Primary School. We have Bea, the leader of the pack. Very organized and one of those know-it-alls. Georgie is a messy woman, but a miracle worker in the kitchen. Rachel is a newly divorced children's book illustrator and Heather is the insecure mom who worships Bea for some reason. Of them all I liked Rachel at first and as the story developed I could also relate to Heather. Especially in the end, I was so happy for her. Georgie also grew on me a bit. Bea was just very unlikeable. I really liked the references to bees (therefore the title of the book). Some things in this books are so recognizable and I really enjoyed it a whole lot. But it's a bit repetitive, which can get a little dull in the end. All in all "The Hive" is a fun read, especially for women.
Rating: 3,5/ 5

Me & 3 Ryan Gosling Movies

Ryan Gosling is one of the most handsome men in Hollywood, but he’s not your typical pretty boy. He chooses his films very carefully, with success. He already has some big movies on his name. Here are the three movies I chose to watch starring Ryan Gosling.

The Ides of March
Genre: Drama
Year: 2011
Director: George Clooney
Cast: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood
Description: Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling) is a young idealist who's brilliant at communications, is second in command of Governor Mike Morris's (George Clooney) presidential campaign, and is a true believer. In the middle of the Ohio primary, the campaign manager of Morris's opponent asks Meyers to meet; he offers him a job. At the same time, Morris's negotiations for the endorsement of the man in third place, a North Carolina Senator, hit a snag. A young campaign intern, Molly Stearns (Rachel Evan Wood), gets Stephen's romantic attention. Republicans have a trick up their sleeve; Stephen may be too trusting, and Molly has a secret. What's most important, career, victory, or virtue?
Opinion: George Clooney has proven a couple of times before that he’s a good director. This is not my favorite. I never really got into the film, maybe because of the politics. That never held me back before, but I just couldn’t keep my attention at all times and it has both Clooney and Gosling in it. I should give this movie another chance, when I am more in the mood for this kind of film.
Favorite character: Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling)
Most memorable quote: “You can lie, you can cheat, you can start a war, you can bankrupt the country, but you can't fuck the interns. They get you for that.” –Stephen Meyers-
Best scene: The final scene, where Stephen is getting ready for his TV interview.

Gangster Squad
Genre: Drama/ Action
Year: 2013
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Cast: Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, Emma Stone, Anthony Macki, Giovanni Ribisi, Robert Patrick, Nick Nolte, Michael Peña
Description: It's 1949 Los Angeles, and gangster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) has moved in, with the intention of controlling all criminal activity in the city. He has bought local judges and police, and no one is willing to cross him or testify against him. Everyone except Seargant John O'Mara (Josh Brolin), a former World War II soldier, whose goal is to settle with his family in a peaceful Los Angeles. Police Chief William Parker (Nick Nolte) decides to form a special unit whose mission is to take down Cohen, and chooses O'Mara to lead the unit. O'Mara chooses 4 cops and asks another cop and vet, Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling) to join him but Wooters is not interested. But when he witnesses the murder of a young boy by Cohen's people, he joins them, and they decide to take apart Cohen's organization. Cohen wonders if a rival is going after him, but eventually he realizes it's the cops. Opinion: I’ve been looking forward to this movie for a while, but it was different then I expected. I thought Gosling was the leading man, but it was Brolin, and surprisingly enough I felt a bigger attraction to him. The movie didn’t disappoint me, especially not Sean Penn who portrays a very believable mobster.
Favorite character: John O’Mara (Josh Brolin)
Most memorable quote: “Where have you been all my miserable life?” –Grace Faraday-
Best scene: John gets help from his wife Connie to assemble the perfect team.

Drive
Genre: Drama
Year: 2011
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Oscar Isaac, Christina Hendricks, Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman
Description: A mysterious Hollywood stuntman, mechanic and getaway driver lands himself in trouble when he helps out his neighbor.
Opinion: The best movie experiences are the once you go and see with no expectations and you end up being blown away. That’s what “Drive” did to me when I first saw it, what an awesome film. Ryan Gosling says so much by not saying anything at all, an Oscar worthy performance.
Favorite character: Driver (Ryan Gosling)
Most memorable quote: “From now on every word out of you mouth is the truth or I will hurt you”-Driver-
Best scene: The scene in the elevator where Driver is trying to protect Irene by pushing her to the corner, kissing her and banging the other passengers head in.

Favorite of the 3: Drive

Weekly Photo Challenge 2013 - Theme # 31: Game

Here is this weeks theme.

I love playing boardgames, especially with my friends. They love it too. My parents where never big gamers, my brother is though. Settlers of Catan is our favorite game, but this is another version. It's Settlers of America. Oh, my friend Evelien won, like almost every time.

Movie Trailer Sunday (99)

Here are this weeks trailers.

American Hustle
Description: Brilliant con man Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), who along with his equally cunning and seductive British partner Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) is forced to work for a wild FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper). DiMaso pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia that's as dangerous as it is enchanting. Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) is the passionate, volatile, New Jersey political operator caught between the con-artists and Feds. Irving's unpredictable wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) could be the one to pull the thread that brings the entire world crashing down.
Director: David O. Russell
Starring: Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner
Trailer: Trailer "American Hustle"
Comment: Threen of my favorite, being Bale, Adams and Lawrence, are in this. I want to see it!

Lone Survivor
Description: Four Navy SEALs are on an ill-fated covert mission to neutralize a high-level Taliban operative when they are ambushed by enemy forces in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan
Director: Peter Berg
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsh, Ben Foster, Emile Hirsch, Eric Bana
Trailer: Trailer "Lone Survivor"

Jayne Mansfield's Car
Description: A look at three generations of fathers and sons in the South during the tumultuous '60s. It follows the family's heartfelt and sometimes hilarious struggles with long-held resentments, secrets, the memories of war, and how life, death and loss shaped them all.
Director: Billy Bob Thornton
Starring: Kevin Bacon, Robert Duvall, Billy Bob Thornton, John Hurt, Shawnee Smith, Ray Stevenson, Robert Patrick, Frances O'Connor, Katherine LaNasa
Trailer: Trailer "Jayne Mansfield's Car"
Comment: Great cast, looks good.

Bad Milo
Description: Duncan's (Ken Marino) life is a real pain in the ass. Tormented by a manipulative, crooked boss (Patrick Warburton), a nagging mother (Mary Kay Place), a deadbeat new age dad (Stephen Root), and a sweet, yet pressuring, wife (Gillian Jacobs), his mounting stress starts to trigger an insufferable gastrointestinal reaction. Out of ideas and at the end of his rope, Duncan seeks the help of a hypnotherapist (Peter Stormare), who helps him discover the root of his unusual stomach pain: a pintsized demon living in his intestine that, triggered by excessive anxiety, forces its way out and slaughters the people who have angered him. Out of fear that his intestinal gremlin may target its wrath on the wrong person, Duncan attempts to befriend it, naming it Milo and indulging it to keep its seemingly insatiable appetite at bay.
Director: Jacob Vaughn
Starring: Ken Marino, Gillian Jacobs, Patrick Warburton, Mary Kay Place, Stephen Root, Peter Stormare
Trailer: Trailer "Bad Milo"
Comment: This looks weirdly hilarious!

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Description: Walter Mitty is a day-dreamer who escapes his anonymous life by disappearing into a world of fantasies filled with heroism, romance and action. When his job along with that of his co-worker (Kristen Wiig) are threatened, Walter takes action in the real world embarking on a global journey that turns into an adventure more extraordinary than anything he could have ever imagined.
Director: Ben Stiller
Starring: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Adam Scott, Sean Penn, Shirley MacClaine, Kathryn Hahn
Trailer: Trailer "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"
Comment: Kind of a strange movie I think, but somehow I'm drawn to it.

In My Mailbox (108)

Let me tell you a story. I didn't get any mail for a while. None of the neighbours did either, so I called a friend of mine who is a mailman. He checked with his boss and then they found out that the mailwoman in our neighbourhood kept the mail in her garage undelivered! It was send afterwards, so we did get our mail eventually, but the woman was fired. I would have missed some great cards if it was never send. I got six cards and one private swap.

The first card brought back some memories. When I was still living with my parents I had this poster in my bedroom. "Friends" was one of my favorite shows as a teenager. Ross was my favorite character. I love this card! It's from Simferopol, Ukraine

Sent: july 20th 2013
Received: july 30th 2013
Distance: 2,186 km (1,358 miles)
Travel Time: 10 days

Always like the cartoon cards from Taiwan. It's a bit more artsy than just any other cartoon. It's from Tainan City, Taiwan.

Sent: july 24th 2013
Received: july 30th 2013
Distance: 9,587 km (5,957 miles)
Travel Time: 6 days

What an adorable chimpanzee.... From Bremen, Germany.

Sent: july 26th 2013
Received: july 31st 2013
Distance: 284 km (176 miles)
Travel Time: 5 days

And what a gorgeous postcard I got from Berlin, Germany. It's obviously photoshopped, but who cares. It's beautiful!

Sent: july 27th 2013
Received: july 31st 2013
Distance: 529 km (329 miles)
Travel Time: 4 days

I got this sweet orangutan from Houten, Netherlands. It's a Greenpeace card, so the sender also supported a good cause.

Sent: july 2nd 2013
Received: august 1st 2013
Distance: 109 km (68 miles)
Travel Time: 30 days

The third ape card this week. This time from Prague, Czech Republic. From a guy! It doesn't happen that often.

Sent: july 19th 2013
Received: august 1st 2013
Distance: 609 km (378 miles)
Travel Time: 13 days

And a card from Minsk, Belarus. The sender likes one of the officials I send her so she wanted to send one in return.Very nice and a card I'm happy to add to my collection.

Thanks Anya, Judith, Andrea, Petra, Bea, Richard and Inna for those nice and wonderful postcards this week!

Quotables: "Midnight in Paris"

I stated my love for this movie many times already. I’m actually in love with this movie, as much as I’m in love with Paris. It’s just a brilliant concept, with a loveable leading man played by Owen Wilson. And full of memorable quotes, that I am going to share with you today in this item.



Inez: You're in love with a fantasy.
Gil: I'm in love with you.

Inez: You always take the side of the help. That's why Daddy says you're a communist.

Ernest Hemingway: No subject is terrible if the story is true, if the prose is clean and honest, and if it affirms courage and grace under pressure.

Gil: They are your friends and I have to admit I'm not quite as taken with them as you are.

Gil: I would like you to read my novel and get your opinion.
Ernest Hemingway: I hate it.
Gil: You haven't even read it yet.
Ernest Hemingway: If it's bad, I'll hate it. If it's good, then I'll be envious and hate it even more. You don't want the opinion of another writer.

Ernest Hemingway: Picasso only thinks that women are to sleep with, or to paint.

Gil: You know how I think better in the shower, get all those positive ions flowing.

Gil: That's what the present is. It's a little unsatisfying because life is unsatisfying.

Gertrude Stein: The artist's job is not to succumb to despair but to find an antidote for the emptiness of existence.

Ernest Hemingway: I believe that love that is true and real, creates a respite from death. All cowardice comes from not loving or not loving well, which is the same thing. And then the man who is brave and true looks death squarely in the face, like some rhino-hunters I know or Belmonte, who is truly brave... It is because they make love with sufficient passion, to push death out of their minds... until it returns, as it does, to all men... and then you must make really good love again.

Helen: We saw a wonderfully funny American film last night.
Inez: Who was in it?
Helen: Oh, I don't know. I forget the name.
Gil: Wonderful but forgettable. It sounds like a film I've seen. I probably wrote it.

Top 5 Thursday: Celebrities Who Can Narrate My Life

Whenever I watch a movie I like it when it’s narrated. My favorite movie has a narrator. If my life would be a movie, who would narrate it? I have five great options.

5. Cate Blanchett
She has a very low voice for a woman, but she always sounds so deep.

4. Emma Stone
Probably the sexiest voice on this list. I love Emma’s raspy voice.

3. Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Cumberbatch can make anything sound sinister, so maybe even my life. And with that voice everything he says also sound intelligent for some reason.

2. Morgan Freeman
Like I said, he was the narrator of my favourite movie. He’s a fantastic narrator and I just love the sound of Morgan Freeman’s voice.

1. Seth MacFarlane
His voice is better known then his face. Seth MacFarlane has the most beautiful male voice I’ve ever heard. Sometimes when I’m reading, his voice is the one telling me the story in my head.

They Almost Made the Top 5: Patrick Stewart, James Earl Jones, Kathleen Turner