The Holiday

The Holiday

Plot
-Iris Simpkins is a wedding column writer for a London newspaper and holds a major crush on her college sweetheart Jasper Bloom. When Christmas starts nearing, she is told that Jasper has found love with another.

-Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Amanda Woods, who makes movie trailers, has split up with her cheating, unfaithful boyfriend Ethan and wants nothing to do with him. One day, while Iris and Amanda are on a house exchange website, Amanda swaps, on an impulse, her mansion for Iris' small, cozy, cottage in Surrey for the holidays.

-While in Surrey, Amanda meets Iris' brother and book editor Graham and they immediately hit if off. While Iris meets her new next door neighbor, a 90 year old screenplay writer named Arthur, who helps Iris find her self-esteem, and also a film composer named Miles

Cast
-Cameron Diaz: Amanda Woods
-Kate Winslet: Iris Simpkins
-Jude Law: Graham
-Jack Black: Miles
-Eli Wallach: Arthur Abbott
-Edward Burns: Ethan
-Rufus Sewell: Jasper Bloom
-Shannyn Sossamon: Maggie
-Bill Macy: Ernie
-John Krasinski: Ben

Did You Know?
-This film was written with Jude Law, Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet and Jack Black in mind
-Jude Law has a daughter named Iris in real life. In the film, his character Graham's daughter is named Iris

Cate Blanchett

Cate Blanchett

Birth name: Catherine Elise Blanchett
DOB: May 14, 1969
Where: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Height: 5'8''

Trademark
-Husky voice
-Highly defined cheekbones
-Playing people with different personalities, such as sensible queen Elizabeth in Elizabeth, dangerous Russian villain in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the rude housewife in The Shipping News

Trivia
-3 months pregnant with her son Ignatius when filming on Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull finished


Agent Irina Spalko

-Lives in Hunters Hill, Syndey, Australia
-On Dec. 5, 2008, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
-Her father, Robert Blanchett, is from Texas, while her mother, June is from Melbourne
-While in the movie The Aquatic Life with Steve Zissou, her character was pregnant, but she was really pregnant at the time, though people did not know it
-Considered for the role of Clarice Starling in Hannibal

The Talented Mr. Ripley

The Talented Mr. Ripley

Cast
-Matt Damon: Tom Ripley
-Jude Law: Dickie Greenleaf
-Gweneth Paltrow: Marge Sherwood
-Cate Blanchett: Meredith Logue
-Philip Seymour Hoffman: Freddie Miles
-Jack Davenport: Peter Smith-Kingsley
-James Rebhorn: James Greenleaf

Plot
-In 1950s Manhattan, a lavatory attendant named Tom Ripley steals a Princeton jacket to to play the piano at a garden party. When the father of a rich Princeton grad starts talking to Tom, Tom feigns knowing the son aand is offered $1,000 to go to Italy to convince a wealthy millionaire named Dickie Greenleaf to return home. While in Italy, he befriends Dickie and his fiancee Marge, his cultural fiancee, by pretending he likes jazz, and possessing erotic thoughts as he sits in the lap of luxury.

-In addition to lying, Tom's talents include forgery and impressions. So when Dickie tires of him, dismissing him as a bore, Tom goes to any measures necessary to make Dickie's life his own

Did You Know?
-This is the 2nd film where Jude Law plays a rich, cultured young man. The other one is Gattaca

-The date of Dickie's suicide is Jan. 6, 1959, director Anthony Minghella's 5th birthday
-For this film, Jude Law learned to play the sax and Matt Damon learned to play piano
-The tailor Dickie used in the movie, Battistoni, is a real tailor shop opened in 1946

-During the murder scene on the boat, Jude Law fell backwards and broke a rib

My September Reading List

Inspired by a post about reading from a fellow blogger, here is a list of some books I read either while on vacation or just in September in general.


Boring as can be. Read two chapters and gave up. Bores me!!



Love it!!! Takes place in Japan, has to do everything with Japanese culture. Yeah, perfect 4 me!



If you love the Olympics in 2012 London or just love everything about London in general, like I do, read this book. It's awesome!!!



Awesome book. Good movie too

Currently re-reading this. Like it too much

Why Do Things Never Work Out For Me?

God, I hate how things turn out sometimes. I was really hoping to watch some Law and Order: UK the other day. Well, that plan went down the tubes!! My stepdad was off work, strike one and my sister got home early from school, strike 2. So basically, I got to watch 20 minutes of an episode I didn't know what it was about because I missed the beginning. Now, it's on next Wednesday, and I'm really hoping my sister has to work and my stepdad has to work so at least I'll be able to watch it. Sometimes I wonder why it is that I can never watch what I want in my own home. I have to practically be secretive to watch anything. Because if I watch something I like and no one else likes it, they question me. Saying things like "Why are you watching this? It's stupid!" In my house, the only time I can really do what I want is when I'm home alone, which is rarely, if ever. Almost 100% of the time, it's either my stepdad always home, my mom always home or my sister always home. So in reality, I never can do what I want. I'll be so glad when I can get a laptop. So that way, I can watch episodes of shows that I like without anyone questioning it and calling it stupid or worse, turning it off or changing the channel. I love my family, don't get me wrong, but sometimes they really just annoy me. I feel like they make fun of me behind my back without me knowing it.

Well, hopefully next Wednesday, I'll be home by myself and be able to watch some Law and Order: UK without someone coming in and saying this is stupid!!!

Cute Dog Photos

Funny Cat Photos

If you like cats, here you go!