zondag 15 september 2013

Movie Trailer Sunday (104)

Here are this weeks trailers.

Plush
Description: After losing her band mate and brother to a drug overdose, rising rock star Hayley (Emily Browning) finds herself in a downward spiral. The second album from her band Plush is received as a critical and commercial disaster. She finds new hope and friendship in Enzo, the replacement guitarist who inspires her to reach new creative heights. But soon their collaboration crosses the line sexually and Hayley, who is married with two children, retreats from Enzo's advances. As Hayley slowly discovers Enzo's dark and troubled history, she realizes she may have let a madman into her home and family and that her mistake may cost the lives of people closest to her.
Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Starring: Emily Browning, Cam Gigandet, Frances Fisher, Xavier Samuel, Brandon Jay McLaren, Dawn Olivieri
Trailer: Trailer "Plush"

The Railway Man
Description: Eric Lomax (Colin Firth) is a British Army officer who is tormented as a prisoner of war at a Japanese labor camp during World War II. Decades later, Lomax discovers that the Japanese interpreter he holds responsible for much of his treatment is still alive and sets out to confront him, and his haunting past, in this powerful tale of survival, love and redemption.
Director: Jonathan Teplitzky
Starring: Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman, Jeremy Irvine, Stellan Skarsgard, Sam Reid, Tanroh Ishida, Hiroyuki Sanada
Trailer: Trailer "The Railway Man"

Homefront
Description: A widowed ex-DEA agent (Jason Statham) retires to a small town for the sake of his 10-year-old daughter. The only problem is he picked the wrong town.
Director: Gary Fleder
Starring: Jason Statham, James Franco, Winona Ryder, Kate Bosworth, Frank Gillo
Trailer: Trailer "Homefront"
Comment: Not a fan of Jason Statham, but loving James Franco. It actually looks pretty shitty, but who cares. And Stallone is the screenwriter!

Grudge Match
Description: Billy "The Kid" McDonnen and Henry "Razor" Sharp are two local Pittsburgh fighters whose fierce rivalry put them in the national spotlight. Each had scored a victory against the other during their heyday, but in 1983, on the eve of their decisive third match, Razor suddenly announced his retirement, refusing to explain why but effectively delivering a knock-out punch to both their careers. Thirty years later, boxing promoter Dante Slate Jr., seeing big dollar signs, makes them an offer they can't refuse: to re-enter the ring and settle the score once and for all. But they may not have to wait that long: on their first encounter in decades, their long-festering feud erupts into an unintentionally hilarious melee that instantly goes viral. The sudden social media frenzy transforms their local grudge match into a must-see HBO event. Now, if they can just survive the training, they may actually live to fight again.
Director: Peter Segal
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Robert De Niro, Kevin Hart, Alan Arkin, Kim Basinger, Jon Bernthal, Camden Gray
Trailer:
Comment: Stallone and De Niro going head to head... hell yeah!!

Concussion
Description: Abby (Robin Weigert) is an interior designer turned soccer mom who wakes up one day--after suffering a bad bump on the head--to the feeling that the spark has gone out of her life, sexually and otherwise. So she goes back to work, renovating a Manhattan loft, and tries paying for sex, first with a low-end Craigslist hooker who freaks her out, then with a high-end one who suggests Abby consider giving the world's oldest profession a try.
Director: Stacie Passon
Starring: Robin Weigert, Maggie Siff, Johnathan Tchaikovsky, Julie Fain Lawrence, Emily Kinney, Laila Robins
Trailer: Trailer "Concussion"

zaterdag 14 september 2013

In My Mailbox (114)

Whoop Whoop, 15 postcards this week! I think that's a record. I haven't sent any cards myself for a while, because I ran out of stamps and I have to wait for my paycheck to buy new ones. The first one came from a new country, Costa Rica. San José to be exact. Such beautiful tucans!


Sent: august 25th 2013
Received: september 8th 2013
Distance: 9,154 km (5,688 miles)
Travel Time: 14 days

This postcard from Ijmuiden, Netherlands I send myself a couple of times, so I love it. Foxes are a pride of our country!


Sent: september 5th 2013
Received: september 8th 2013
Distance: 169 km (105 miles)
Travel Time: 3 days

This lovely library/ book postcard came from Taipei, Taiwan. I think it's really nice.


Sent: july 30th 2013
Received: september 8th 2013
Distance: 9,472 km (5,886 miles)
Travel Time: 40 days

This building came from Busan, South Korea. First time that I got a card from this country.


Sent: august 27th 2013
Received: september 8th 2013
Distance: 8,947 km (5,559 miles)
Travel Time: 12 days

What a gorgeous view I got from Taipei, Taiwan. When I travel by train I don't get those views here...


Sent: july 13th 2013
Received: september 8th 2013
Distance: 9,477 km (5,889 miles)
Travel Time: 57 days

My second favorite of the week came from Adirondack Mountain, New York, US. I love this card, just as much as I love books. I actually read a couple of them on this pile.


Sent: september 3rd 213
Received: september 8th 2013
Distance: 5,682 km (3,531 miles)
Travel Time: 5 days

From Duisburg, Germany I got this streetcard. Not a favorite, but it still has some elements I like. For instance those neonlights.


Sent: august 24th 2013
Received: septebmer 9th 2013
Distance: 92 km (57 miles)
Travel Time: 16 days

What a gorgeous postcard, a painting of a balletdancer. It's from Smorgon, Belarus. Just beautiful.


Sent: august 25th 2013
Received: september 9th 2013
Distance: 1,417 km (880 miles)
Travel Time: 15 days

My absolute favorite and probably one of the most beautiful cards I've ever received, came from Leberec, Czech Republic. How gorgeous I this? Wolves are without a doubt amazing animals.


Sent: september 6th 2013
Received: september 9th 2013
Distance: 638 km (396 miles)
Travel Time: 3 days

An aquarelpainting of an autumn landscape from Kaluga, Russia. Perfect for my collection!


Sent: august 30th 2013
Received: september 10th 2013
Distance: 2,055 km (1,277 miles)
Travel Time: 11 days

From Uusikaupunki, Finland (what a name), came this cute squirrel.


Sent: september 5th 2013
Received: september 11th 2013
Distance: 1,431 km (889 miles)
Travel Time: 6 days

From Hoorn, Netherlands came another autumn postcard. I'm already very excited that fall is starting here!!


Sent: september 9th 2013
Received: september 11th 2013
Distance: 173 km (107 miles)
Travel Time: 2 days

From Murakami, Japan I got a lovely cup of green tea. Just looking at it makes me feel zen...


Sent: september 8th 2013
Received: september 14th 2013
Distance: 9,144 km (5,682 miles)
Travel Time: 6 days

I different take on a lighthouse card. From Krefeld, Germany.


Sent: september 3rd 2013
Received: september 14th 2013
Distance: 53 km (33 miles)
Travel Time: 11 days

And finally another card from Hoor, Netherlands. The sender almost had the same wishlist as me.


Sent: september 11th 2013
Received: september 14th 2013
Distance: 173 km (107 miles)
Travel Time: 3 days

Thanks Erick, Kitty, Pei, Indy, Chen, Liz, Lukas, Alexandra, Veronika, Elena, Tuula Riita, Thea, Chie, Maria and Bertie fo my filled up mailbox and amazing cards this week!

donderdag 12 september 2013

Top 5 Thursday: Movies from 1990

I did one for my birth year and I really want to do more of those top fives. This time I wanted to share with you my five favorites from the year 1990.

5. Home Alone
How can you not love this movie. I’ve seen it a gazillion times, but it’s still incredibly funny.


4. Goodfellas
One of the best mob movies ever made. Especially Joe Pesci’s role is unforgettable. Great movie!


3. Glory
What a beautiful film. Not a movie I’ve seen that many times, but I remember that it left a huge impression on me after the first time. And that tear on Denzel Washinton’s cheek was heartbreaking!


2. Misery
One of the great Stephen King stories. Kathy Bates shines in this film and do you remember that excruciating scene with James Caan’s foot? Auch…


1. Dances with Wolves
A movie with an extreme length, but it doesn’t bother me one second. It’s a beautifully shot film and a well written story.


They Almost Made the Top 5: Edward Scissorhands, Jacob’s Ladder, Die Hard 2: Die Harder

woensdag 11 september 2013

Movie Battle: Hotel Rwanda Vs. Shooting Dogs

The movies who will go head to head are both set in Rwanda and deal with the genocide. They’re both favorites of mine, but who will I choose as the winner.


CAST

Hotel Rwanda: Don Cheadle plays the leading character and he is the only memorable actor in this movie. His performance is so realistic and heartbreaking. Nick Nolte and Joaquin Phoenix are also part of the cast, they’re just solid.

Shooting Dogs: John Hurt plays the role of Christopher, a man of faith who’s life is dedicated to the school and church he has set up in Rwanda. Hugh Dancy is the likeable Joe, a teacher who tries to make a difference. Both actor are very realistic and strong.

STORY

Hotel Rwanda: Paul Rusesabagina is a hotel manager who housed a thousand tutsi refugees and it’s an amazing true story. It got a lot of attention at the Academy Awards.

Shooting Dogs: This movie has been based on actual events, the characters are fictional, but it's a bit more confronting then “Hotel Rwanda”. It’s really heart wrenching to see that the United Nations left all those people there and only the ‘white people’ could be evacuated. I think this movie was a bit overlooked.

EFFECTS

Hotel Rwanda: Nicely filmed, don’t really have any negative points here.

Shooting Dogs: It all looks very realistic. I’ve been to Uganda, the neighbour country and parts of it look similar to Rwanda. The color scheme that was used to film “Shooting Dogs” is perfect.

WINNER

A close call, but I will go with “Shooting Dogs”. Most people would choose the other one, but I think “Shooting Dogs” is just a little bit more confronting and touched me slightly more then “Hotel Rwanda”.

dinsdag 10 september 2013

Best & Worst: Leonardo DiCaprio

When he first started he was the boyish actor all girls loved. Now he has made a name and he is one of the most loved actors in Hollywood, by men and women. His movies became better over the years. Here is my choice for best & worst Leonardo DiCaprio movie.


I have seen this movie many times, I almost always watch it when it’s on TV and it never seems to bore me. It’s an incredible true story and DiCaprio’s performance is great.
Honorable mentions: “The Departed”, “Inception”, “Django Unchained”, “Shutter Island”, “Blood Diamond”


I’m sorry people, but I think this is one of the most overrated movies ever. I just can’t stand this movie. Because DiCaprio has made so many great movies after this, I forgive him for “Titanic”. I can’t believe it has won 11 Academy awards, it’s too long and it has the worst promise ever in it. “I’ll never let go” and then seconds later she lets Jack go and he sinks to the bottom of the ocean.
Dishonorable Mentions: “The Beach”

50 Books Challenge 2013 - # 32: Red Dragon by Thomas Harris (Hannibal Lecter # 1)

Title: Red Dragon (Hannibal Lecter # 1)
Author: Thomas Harris
Story: Will Graham stands in a silent, empty house communing with a killer. An FBI instructor with a gift for hunting madmen, Graham knows what his murderer looks like, how he thinks, and what he did to his victims after they died. Now Graham must try to catch him. But to do it, he must feel the heat of a killer's brain, draw on the macabre advice of a dangerous mental patient, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, and follow a trail of microscopic clues to the place where another family has already been chosen to die--and where an innocent woman has found the Dragon first.
Start: September 1st 2013
End: September 10th 2013
Comment: The first book in the Hannibal Lecter series, this is what started it all. It gave us the cannibal we can't help but love. We follow two different minds: the mind of a killer and the mind of the man hunting the killer. Will Graham helps investigate the murders of two different families, taking place on two separate occasions. Graham is a likeable character, although he is flawed. But those are the best characters, aren't they? He has a hard time living a normal live. Hannibal Lecter is barely in this book, but the part that he is involved in leaves a mark. It's memorable and gives you a hard time to forget. Kicking of with this chilling thriller makes me even more exciting about the other books. Three more Lecter stories to go...
Rating: 4,5/ 5

Weekly Photo Challenge 2013 - Theme # 36: Tea

Here is this weeks challenge.


When I was younger, I never really liked tea very much. And I hated coffee. When I became a teacher, all they drank in the teachers lounge was tea or coffee. So I just thought myself to drink tea. And now I love it. And I always have a bunch of flavours in my house.