Movie Tip #47 - Catch Me If You Can

Director: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Amy Adams, Jennifer Garner, Martin Sheen

Description: A true story about Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) who, before his 19th birthday, successfully conned millions of dollars worth of checks as a Pan Am pilot, doctor, and legal prosecutor.

Review: During the entire film you ask yourself one question: How the hell did he get away with it? Without any medical knowledge he becomes a doctor, he pretends to be a lawyer while breaking the law at the same time and he boards a plane as a pilot while never actually flying a plane. Unbelievable? No! He actually did all those things and he got away with it. I can totally understand FBI agent Carl Hanratty, played by Tom Hanks, who watches Abagnale and his scams and he gets away every single time. In the meanwhile there's also mutual respect towards each other. DiCaprio does a fantastic job, better than many other movies he got more credit for. He's a criminal, with no bad intentions. He just found a way to earn easy money. Tom Hanks is very believable as Hanratty, who's a modest and clumbsy agent. He makes the movie funny without being hilarious. "Catch Me If You Can" is a great mix of humor, drama, action and tension, which makes this film a succes. And even at the end of the movie, you'll ask yourself that same question: How the hell did he get away with it?

Best of... Keira Knightley

The charming and talented Keira Knightley did some great films. She's pretty in her own way and she is absolutely radiant on screen. I really like her. Here are some of her best films.

"Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace"
I'm not a Star Wars nerd at all, but I like the movies very much. "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi" are my favorites, but this one is the best one of the new trilogy. Especially "Attack of the Clones" sucked!

"Bend it Like Beckham"
This was the first movie I saw her in. I love soccer and especially when women kick ass while doing it. In this movie she proved she was ready for Hollywood. And don't you just love Jonathan Rhys Meyers here as well?

"Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl"
This is my favorite in the series, and the only pirates movie on this list. I loved the concept, finally a good, funny, full-of-action pirate movie. Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley are my favorites in this film. They have great chemistry. And Depp is just iconic.

"Love Actually"
How great is this. This is one of those films where you just go aaawww. I love the multiple storylines and the fact that it's set in London around Christmas time. Just a fun romantic feel good movie, that I can't get enough of.

"The Jacket"
It's kind of a disturbing movie, like "Jacob's Ladder" was disturbing. The acting is very good, especially by Adrien Brody and Keira Knightley. Very underrated.

"Pride & Prejudice"
My favorite of her movies. It's my favorite book and this movie adaptation is better than the one BBC once made. Most people won't agree with me on that, but I seriously don't care. I LOVE THIS MOVIE! And Keira Knightley played Elizabeth Bennet the way Jane Austen intended her to be.

"Atonement"
My other favorite. I also love the book very much and the movie stayed so close to the original story. In my opinion Keira should have won a Oscar for her role, but she wasn't even nominated. Great film, great performances by the actors.

I haven't seen "The Edge of Love" and "Never Let Me Go" yet, so maybe I'll add them to my list if I see them.

50 Books Challenge - # 16: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Title: The Book Thief
Author: Markus Zusak
Story: Liesel Meminger is a young foster girl living outside of Munich in Nazi Germany. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she discovers something she can't resist- books. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, wherever they are to be found.
With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, Liesel learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids, as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.
Start: march 19th 2011
End: march 25th 2011
Comment: A highly anticipated novel that I've been wanted to read for a while. I had a hard time getting used to the writing style. Once I did, I thought it was a great reading experience. The way it was told, from Deaths point of view, is very original. The story doesn't only tell you about the war, but also about the power of books and words. It is a slow read, so don't read it with the intention of finishing it very quikly. It took me a while as well, you just need some time to get into it.
I liked the relationship between Liesel and Hans. He tought her how to read and she developed a passion for books. I think those two were also my favorite characters in the book. When I started reading "The Book Thief" I didn't understand the hype. As the story developed I liked it more. It's not one of my favorites and not one of the best ones I read, but it's a well written novel that I did enjoy.
Rating: 3,5/ 5

New Musical Adventures

I have a lot to look forward too. The 11th, 12th and 13th of June I will visit Pinkpop, the biggest music festival in The Netherlands. I will not go all three days, but there are so many great bands I'm going to see there. Coldplay, Foo Fighters, 30 Seconds to Mars, Manic Street Preachers, Band of Horses, Gaslight Anthem and..... Lifehouse!!! Among others off course. So I'm really looking forward to that. They already sold 50.000 tickets, yesterday, on the first day.
July 6th me and my brother will go and see Brandon Flowers. I'm a big Killers fan but I never saw them live. When we heard that Brandon was coming to The Netherlands, we decided to go to his concert. Because Brandon alone is also great. Really cool, because this is going to be his only concert in our country.
Last, but definitely not least, me and my mother will go to the musical Zorro, november 11th. Totally different from the other musical experiences, but I really like musicals. And I haven't gone for a long time. Last time was May 2010, Mary Poppins.
So there are some great musical adventures waiting for me. And I'm super excited about all of them. As soon as I visited them, you will read about it on my blog.

Pic Spam: John Krasinski

I love "The Office US" and Jim Halpert has always been my favorite character. John Krasinski plays Jim and he's awesome. He is also married to Emily Blunt, one of the best actresses of her generation. John is definitely one of the funniest and cutest men on TV right now. And here are some pictures to prove that.

50 Books Challenge - # 15: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Title: The Hunger Games
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: march 12th 2011
End: march 18th 2011
Comment: This is one of those books I would probably never read if I didn't hear so many great things about it. I normaly wouldn't pick up a sci-fi novel, but I'm open minded so I did. And I'm glad. The story is very well written, though easy to read. Every chapter leaves you in suspense which makes it almost impossible to put it down. Especially the parts during the hunger games were exciting and you just want to continue reading. The novel deals with serious issues like political corruption, violence, survival and hunger. Katniss is a very strong character, someone who will fight for her own life but also sacrifices a lot for others. I liked the world Collins created, so dark and grim. I could totally imagine how it would look in real life. But I think it's pretty intense for people younger than 16. I will probably continue to read the rest of the series, because it was good book with a creative plot. And I just read that they're going to do a movie version, with Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss.
Rating: 5/ 5

Let Freedom Ride

I recently told you how much I love the TV show "Sons of Anarchy". My brother and I are totally hooked on it. I also got the DVD of the first season last thursday and now I thought it was time for a wallpaper. I had the Rachel McAdams wallie on for quite a while, and though she never bores me I thought it was time for something new. So here's my SOA wallpaper. And as always, feel free to use it on your own computer.