In the spotlight: May

I only managed to watch 1,5 of my planned movies this month (Transformers 4 + a little bit of L.A Confidential (decided to not finish it)). I watched a lot of other stuff though - these are my favorites:

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
I will always love these movies. I can't wait for the third in the series! Had a sort of "watch-it-on-repeat"-phase early in the month and just watched it everyday for a week. 

Cinderella
The rest of the month I've had this on repeat, whilst embroidering. I'm seriously in love with this movie! (my review)

Unforgettable
This is really not a very good series at times; it's inconsistent about what story to tell and we loose important side characters without so much as a goodbye. I'm in love with Poppy Montgomery and Dylan Walsh however and that's why I'm on season two right now. 

The Best of Me
It's bad and cheesy but sort of sweet at the same time. The only reason it's on this list though is because I watched it with my mom and my sister Sara - which seldom happens (Sara being home at the same time as my mom's able to stay awake for an entire movie, that is). 


And my non-movie favorite: 

* My niece Sigrid! She was born on the 12th of May and is just the cutest baby I've ever seen.

These reindeer were also a lovely addition to my month. They hung out on a field close to where I worked for a week. 

Ambition for: June

1. Things I've meant to watch in previous months:

* Australia
* Apocalypto
* Daybreakers
* Monsters University
* The Great Gatsby
* Max Payne

2. Things I might want to re-watch:

* Sherlock Holmes
* Life as We Know It
* The Grand Budapest Hotel
* Crossroads

3. Things I've never watched before:
 
* Pitch Perfect 2 in the cinema
* Season 2 of Unforgettable
* The Gambler
* Taken

Celebrating mothers

In preparation for Mother's Day (31th of May in Sweden), I've compiled this list of my favorite female characters that play the part of a mother to a child, in all the ways that really matter:

Hobson 
Nanny

Hobson (Helen Mirren) genuinely loves Arthur (Russell Brand) for who he is - weaknesses and all.  And since she's well aware of these weaknesses she tries to guide (not force) him to better things. She's always waiting for him to find the right way and if he falls, she'll try to pick him back up again. 

Bessie 
Aunt

Bessie (Diane Keaton) is sort of the polar opposite to Hank's (Leonardo DiCaprio) real mother (Meryl Streep). She encourages him to let his guard down by demanding honesty, patiently waiting for him to come to her and tell the truth. With this new, kind approach, she lures him out of his shell and teaches him that he is good enough - without embellishment.

Maleficent
Godmother

Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) is the embodiment of what I feel it's like to love someone unconditionally: You might want to give them away/mash them up and serve them for dinner/never speak to them again.. but you never do! You'd defend that person (in this case the baby Aurora (Elle Fanning)) to the death.

Katniss Everdeen  
Big sister

Even though Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and her sister live with their biological mother, Katniss is the one that comforts and supports her sister when she needs it. This could all be attributed to her role as a big sister, if it wasn't for the fact that Katniss is willing to sacrifice her own life to save her sister. That's the essential thing a mother's prepared to do and that's why she's on this list.

Bren MacGuff
Stepmother

"You're not going to be a pop-pop. Somebody else is going to find a precious blessing from Jesus in this garbage dump of a situation." Do I need to give another reason for Bren's awesomeness than this quote (from when Bren and her husband finds out that Juno (Ellen Page) is pregnant)?

Movie night: My mothersister's birthday

On Friday I had to quit my summer job because of stress-related issues and - even though it's sad, I'm proud of myself for realizing my limits in time (I was still sort of trying it out and I actually made no money from it). To make myself feel better I snapped this picture of the view going home and then went to my sister Hanna to snuggle with her turtle Gunnar:

Friday night was then spent watching The Other Woman while finishing up some presents for my sister Julia's 20th birthday. 

We celebrated her birthday (and my mother's; they're born on the same day) on Saturday by playing lots of boardgames and eating chocolate cake. I then rounded out my weekend with semi-watching Transformers 4.

If only.. #3

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Unforgettable

Unhappy feet (Currently watching).

* I'm just ridiculously excited for The Gift (Joel Edgerton's the writer and director).

* I've finally started my summer job as a breakfast/lunch hostess at a hotel and I'm completely exhausted when I get home. The hours spent with feet elevated and food in hand while I struggle to stay awake past 9 PM: 10. The total amount of movies watched since then: 0.

* I have managed to watch almost the entire first season of Unforgettable though. I am in love with Poppy Montgomery!

 Randomly adding this picture of my sister Hanna watching ostriches. She's given birth. I'm an aunt now!! <3

Movie night: "Waiting for my niece"-edition

Since both me and my sister Hanna have been home during the weekdays (she's waiting for her baby, I'm waiting to start my summer job) - we've been hanging out; eating ice cream and watching movies. We saw Gravity at her place and then we watched both Honeymoon and Fifty Shades of Grey at my parent's house, with our sister Julia (she hated the latter movie and I couldn't agree more). 

The greatest benefit of living in the north of Sweden is the constant daylight in the spring- and summertime. I took this at 1 AM in the morning.

 On Sunday, I went to visit my other sister Sara for a few hours. I had a long make out session with their Dalmatian Freja (the love of my life) and then I went home to watch Cinderella on repeat.

10 things I hate about Leonard Hofstadter

1. Him apparently calling an eternal "dibs" on Penny - regardless if he's with somebody else or not.

2. Him contemplating cheating or actually cheating on the women in his life.

3. His constant negativity towards any change in Penny's career.

4. His utter lack of faith in her abilities.

5. The fact that he never ever seems caring towards Penny when she makes a mistake. Instead he uses that mistake to feed his own insecurities. 

6. His need to refer to her as unintelligent.

7. Him apparently calling an eternal "dibs" on Penny - even if he goes after other women.

8. The way he prioritizes sex above everything else.

9. If he's not over Penny - why does he date other women and then not tell them about her?

10. The fact that he doesn't keep Penny as a friend when another woman comes along (she's a huge part of their group of friends).

The Big Bang Theory

It'll be an exciting summer..

* The Water Diviner
Swedish movie premiere: 8th of May
Funnily enough, I saw a picture of Jai Courtney with a mustache and I clicked on it. I then spent the first minute of the trailer just laughing at his facial hair. And then I was intrigued and now I want to watch it. That's how they get you these days; out with anything subliminal and in with the mustache.

* Hot Pursuit
Swedish movie premiere: 22nd of May
My sister Hanna laughed at this trailer. Nothing is as funny as watching a movie with her because she laughs at the stuff that I'd never find funny otherwise. And she has the best laugh! 

* Paper Towns
Swedish movie premiere: 24th of July
This is sort of a catch-22 for me: I really don't want to see this, because it's based on one of my favorite books (I don't want them to destroy it). But at the same time - I want to see it, because it's based on one of my favorite books!  

* Fantastic Four
Swedish movie premiere: 7th of August
First of all: this looks much more well-made than the first two Fantastic Four movies. Second of all: it seems like a great cast (Jamie Bell!).

* Dark Places
Swedish movie premiere: 14th of August
Gone Girl was very fascinating; based on a book by Gillian Flynn. And this movie is also based on one of her books. And so I must watch it. 

Get here, already! I've taken my allergy medicine. I'm ready for you!

A life with him would never be boring..

Sherlock: That was no accident! It was by design!

[reveals grenade + part of toilet hidden around his waist]

Now, do I need to elaborate or can we just crack on?

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Retiring Gollum.

I've spent the past month watching a lot of Kevin Spacey's movies. His three best performances are:

1. Verbal Kint
The Usual Suspects
Not only does he make Verbal feel like the most vulnerable, relatable character of the bunch (a necessity since you're watching the story from his point of view) but he also makes him seem like a competent criminal. That's a tough balancing act.    

2. Lester Burnham
American Beauty
I firmly believe that no one can play "awkward" as well as Kevin Spacey (by awkward I mean when he incoherently tries to get his point across) and it shows in this one. I also think that this is the role that best uses his ability to deliver deadpan lines.

3. Jim Williams
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Jim is one of those unpredictable characters that you never really get to know. The ones that keep surprising and confusing you with their constant double entendres. It's like everything he says to John Cusack is flirtatious and at the same time.. not.

If only.. #2

lexie.grey@seattlegracemercywesthospital.org

Grey's Anatomy

My movie collection

I did a clean-out at the beginning of the year, where I went from 111 to 43 (got rid of two more yesterday) movies. The reasons behind me keeping these particular once vary - some are my favorites, some I watch a lot and some I just can't stand to give away. The main goal though was to keep only the movies I watch a lot or that I'd take with me if there was a fire:

From the top left: The Other Sister, Sherlock Holmes, LOTR: Fellowship of the ring, Lost in Austen (mini-series), Tangled, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Usual Suspects, The Hunger Games, Die Hard 4.0, Blood Diamond, A Good Day to Die Hard, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Forrest Gump, Chocolat, Bambi.  

The only movie I don't watch that much out of these first sixteen ones is Bambi, but it's my favorite Disney movie and my ex-stepdaughter LOVED it when she was little - so I'm keeping it for sentimental reasons too.

From the top left: Avatar, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, The Hobbit, The Host, 102 Dalmatians, National Treasure, Pride and Prejudice, Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken, Letters to Juliet, Yes Man, Something's Gotta Give, Possession, Mamma Mia, High School Musical 3, The Breakfast Club, The Phantom of the Opera

I don't really know why I can't seem to get rid of Possession, because it's not a favorite of mine nor do I watch it a lot. I just.. can't.

From the top left: Titanic, Elizabethtown, Prince of Persia, Arthur, You've Got Mail, A Fish Called Wanda, Singin' in the Rain, Romeo + Juliet.

I was about to get rid of A Fish Called Wanda, because I haven't watched it in several years, but it reminds me of my father so I'm keeping it!

From the top left: What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, The Princess and the Frog, Wild Child

I kept The Princess and the Frog because I love the music. I remember falling asleep when we saw it in the cinema and I never watch it the whole way through.. but still.