Best of... Edward Norton

Yesterday I watched "Fight Club" and that reminded me again of how good an actor Edward Norton actually is. And how many great films he made. I think he's kind of underrated. Here are my favorite Norton movies.

"Primal Fear"
The star of the movie was Richard Gere, but Edward Norton was by far the best performer in this film. He even got a Oscar nomination. I haven't seen this film in a long time, but I really do like it.

"The People Vs. Larry Flint"
A very controversial film about a pornography publisher, portrayed by Woody Harrelson, who launched Hustler magazine. Edward plays his lawyer and does a good job. The reason I liked this movie is because the 'hero' isn't perfect but you still kinda root for him.

"American History X"
I was completely overwhelmed when I saw it for the first time. I think this is my favorite Norton movie. He plays Derek Vinyard, an ex-con who used to be a neo-nazi. Now his younger brother is going down the same wrong path as he did and Derek is trying to stop him. Great acting, a fantastic film. I only look away during the scene where the guy has to put his mouth on the curb.

"Fight Club"
I think this is the overall favorite for most people, but a good second for me. This film is brilliant. The way the story is told, the extravagant characters and the plot twist at the end. Nice work!

"The Score"
It's a pretty standard story, but I always liked this film. Three generations of good actors in it: Brando, De Niro and Norton. I think Norton does the best job here, especially when he pretends to be a mentally challenged man.

"Red Dragon"
This film takes place before the events that happened in "The Silence of the Lambs". Off course it's not as good, but I enjoyed this movie very much.

"25th Hour"
The last 24 hours of a guy who will face a seven-year jail term. Not a very well known film, but definitely worth watching. And Nortons acting performance is again great.

"The Painted Veil"
Not a typical Norton film, but one of my favorites as well. Together with Naomi Watts he forms a great couple and they are very believable in their performances. Truly amazing film, beautifully shot.

"The Incredible Hulk"
I hated "Hulk", so I wasn't really thrilled about this at first. But my brother talked me into seeing it. And thank God I did. It was so much better and I actually kinda loved it. The special effects where better, the casting and acting was good and it was a good comic book adaptation.

50 Books Challenge - # 5: The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

Title: The Other Boleyn Girl
Author: Philippa Gregory
Story: Mary Boleyn catches the eye of Henry VIII when she comes to court as a girl of fourteen. Dazzled by the golden prince, Mary’s joy is cut short when she discovers that she is a pawn in the dynastic plots of her family. When the capricious king’s interest wanes, Mary is ordered to pass on her knowledge of how to please him to her friend and rival: her sister Anne. Anne soon becomes irresistable to Henry, and Mary can do nothing but watch her sister’s rise. Anne stops at nothing to achieve her own ambition. From now on, Mary will be no more than the other Boleyn girl. But beyond the court is a man who dares to challenge the power of her family to offer Mary a life of freedom and passion. If only she has the courage to break away – before the Boleyn enemies turn on the Boleyn girls.
Start: january 22nd 2011
End: january 28th 2011
Comment: This book was truly amazing. I just couldn't put it down. It was a very intriguing story and beautifully written. I love stories about this period of time and I really think Gregory discribed it so well. I can't believe what a bitch Anne Boleyn was and how loyal Mary Boleyn was. She did everything for her sister, even though she took Mary's son away from her and banned her from Anne's court. I saw the movie before I read the book, and I thought the movie was very good. But the novel was so much better. Great book, so perfect.
Rating: 5/ 5

Oscar predictions 2011

Every year I try to predict the Oscar winners. I'm actually pretty good at it, because last year I guessed all the important ones. So, this year I'm going to do it as well. Here's my list of who would and should win.

Best Motion Picture of the Year
Should Win: "Inception"
Would Win: "The Social Network"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Should Win: James Franco for "127 Hours"
Would Win: Colin Firth for "The King's Speech"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Should Win: Natalie Portman for "Black Swan" or Annette Bening for "The Kids Are Alright"
Would Win: Natalie Portman for "Black Swan"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Should Win: Christian Bale for "The Fighter"
Would Win: Christian Bale for "The Fighter"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Should Win: Amy Adams for "The Fighter"
Would Win: Melissa Leo for "The Fighter"

Best Achievement in Directing
Should Win: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen for "True Grit"
Would Win: David Fincher for "The Social Network"

I'm also looking forward to Anne Hathaway and James Franco hosting. I think they would make a great duo. I saw the promo and it was really funny, so that promises a lot for the show.

Pic Spam: Kristen Wiig

Kristen Wiig is the most hilarious and funny woman on TV right now. She's THE female star on "Saturday Night Live" and she was in a lot of funny films ("Adventureland", "Knocked Up", "Extract"). I haven't seen "MacGruber" yet and she gets her own film later this year, "Bridesmaid". I'm also looking forward to seeing "Paul". Here are some of her best photos.

Movie Tip #45 - Whale Rider

Director: Niki Caro

Starring: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Cliff Curtis

Description: On the east coast of New Zealand, the Whangara people believe their presence there dates back a thousand years or more to a single ancestor, Paikea, who escaped death when his canoe capsized by riding to shore on the back of a whale. From then on, Whangara chiefs, always the first-born, always male, have been considered Paikea's direct descendants. Pai (Keisha Castle-Hughes), an 11-year-old girl in a patriarchal New Zealand tribe, believes she is destined to be the new chief. But her grandfather Koro is bound by tradition to pick a male leader. Pai loves Koro more than anyone in the world, but she must fight him and a thousand years of tradition to fulfill her destiny.

Review: It starts of as a simple story, as a young girl goes about trying to convince her grandfather that she is to lead the village. She is tougher than any of the boys, but her grandfather won't see it. Like I said, it's a simple story but very well told. "Whale Rider" is a incredibly touching and deeply moving story. And what a wonderfull acting performance by Keisha Castle-Hughes. She has such a strong magnetism while on camera, it's easy to forget the people around her. The end of the film is simply beautiful and breath-taking. Wonderfull film!

Best of... Emily Blunt

I think I said it before, but I absolutely love Emily Blunt. She's a beautifull, natural actress with a certain charm people are impossible to resist. And she's a very good actress as well. I've seen her in many movies now and I decided to make a best of list.

"My Summer of Love"
It's a honest story anout two girls who meet each other over the summer and spend it together. They learn a lot from each other and explore life together. I especially liked Emily in this one and she was actually the reason I decided to watch it.

"The Devil Wears Prada"
Emily's role was great in this film. Everyone said Meryl Streep was the best, but I think Emily should have gotten more credit for her role. She's a real bitch but an awesome bitch. I loved her and that's also the main reason why I love this movie.

"The Jane Austen Book Club"
This movie never got a lot of fame. I never understood it, because it's so much fun. A group of passionate readers who decide to start a bookclub and reread all the Jane Austen books. Jocelyn, Grigg and Prudie (portrayed by Emily) were my favorite characters. I'm hoping to read the book soon.

"Dan in Real Life"
She doesn't have a big role in it, but this movie also didn't get a lot of attention. It's basically Steve Carell that is great, but it was just a fun movie that I only saw once but didn't forget about.

"Charlie Wilson's War"
Again she has a small role. This movie wouldn't be on my Tom Hanks list, but it's defenitely one of Emily's best movies. She plays one of Wilson's romantic interests.

"The Great Buck Howard"
This is the third movie on the list that never really got a lot of credit. I never even read a review on this movie. Great cast, together with Emily we see John Malkovich, Colin Hanks and Tom Hanks. Come on! Malkovich is just wonderfull in this one.

"Sunshine Cleaning"
I LOVE IT!! I think this is my favorite of her. It's a sweet story and Amy Adams and Emily Blunt are great together as sisters and friends. The scene with the matress is hilarious and the part where Rose and Norah see their dead mother on TV. It almost made me cry.

"The Wolfman"
Great horror movie, I saw it in the cinema when it just came out. It was quite enjoyable and very exciting. She had great chemistry with Benicio Del Toro and I liked her as Gwen.

I haven't seen "Young Victoria" yet and I'm really excited for "The Adjustment Bureau" I saw the trailer a couple of times and I'm looking forward to seeing her with Matt Damon. She did a voice for the animated film "Gnomeo and Juliet" which sounds like fun and she's rumored to be in the new Muppet movie.

50 Books Challenge - # 4: A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby

Title: A Long Way Down
Author: Nick Hornby
Story: On New Year's Eve, four strangers meet each other on a rooftop, where each has gone to kill himself. JJ is a failed American rock star, Jess a somewhat psychotic teenager, Maureen a middle-aged women with a disabled son, and Martin a disgraced talk show host. On the rooftop, all eventually agree to come down and help Jess find her ex-boyfriend, Chas. The unlikely foursome end up staying together all night, and meet again in six weeks, on Valentine's Day (the next day popular for suicides). When the press gets wind of their escapades, however, they are forced to reunite sooner than planned. The characters struggle to find common ground and convinced each other, and themselves, that staying alive is worth the trouble
Start: january 18th 2011
End: january 21st 2011
Comment: I finished it in three days, which means that I had to keep reading. Nick Hornby is one of my favorite writers, because of "About a Boy" and especially "High Fidelity". I think I can add this one to my favorites list as well. It's a very dramatic theme, but Hornby combines that with a lot of humor. It sounds weird, but it's true. I liked how every chapter was told from a different characters perspective. I liked Maureen the most and then JJ. I thought Jess was very annoying, I would probably punch her if she were real, but there's always that one character you just can't sympathize with. The parts about here weren't as much fun to read as the stories about the other three characters. I really enjoyed "A Long Way Down" and if you like Hornby's previous work, you would probably like this one too.
Rating: 4/ 5