Movie | Grown Ups 2

Grown Ups 2
Sequel To: Grown Ups
Distributed By: Columbia Pictures
Released On: July 12, 2013 (USA)
DVD Release: November 5, 2013 (USA)
Rated: 12
Genre: Comedy
Format: TV
Rating: 3

After moving his family back to his hometown to be with his friends and their kids, Lenny finds out that between old bullies, new bullies, schizo bus drivers, drunk cops on skis, and 400 costumed party crashers sometimes crazy follows you.


The sequel to 2010’s Grown Ups follows four childhood friends – Lenny, Eric, Kurt and Marcus – three years after their eventful trip to the lake house. In this time, Lenny has quit his job and moved his family back to his hometown to be with his best friends. Summer is just around the corner and the four friends plan to make it just like the old days, with bizarre consequences.

The start of this movie is ridiculous. A deer appears in the bedroom without anyone knowing. I don’t know about you but all I would expect from leaving your front door lying open during the night is a whole lot of things missing. I really can’t get my head around this beginning at all.

You cannot take this movie seriously. There is almost nothing realistic in this movie. If you were to try and take it seriously, you would completely hate it. However, I found the majority of the unrealistic situations to be so bizarre they became funny. The whole thing was ridiculous but it somehow worked, to some extent.

I liked that the children had more of a story in this movie. The first movie was very focused on the “adults”, with their children providing additional jokes. I found that this movie involved the children a lot more and I thought it added to the family comes first message of the film.

Taylor Lautner as a frat boy is just cringey. I mean this in the best possible way. His character is so arrogant and stupid that I couldn’t help but cringe during every scene he was in. For some reason, I found this hilarious and ended up loving his character for that reason alone.

Overall, I did actually like this movie. I was expecting awful things and it was a lot better than I expected. However, it was quite stupid and unrealistic. Although these aspects mostly made it funny, some were just too much and ruined the film a bit for me.

Book | In Stitches by Dr Nick Edwards

In Stitches by Dr Nick Edwards
Published By: The Friday Project
Published On: June 12, 2009
Genre: Memoir, Comedy
Pages: 275
Format: eBook
Rating: 3

Dr Nick Edwards is an Accident and Emergency (A&E) doctor working in the UK and a passionate believer in the NHS. However the reforms, political correctness and the Anglo-Saxon culture of binge drinking and fighting and the resulting A&E visits are a strain on his sanity. So to keep up his morale, he began writing down his feelings - a form of literary cathartic therapy - the results of which make up this book.
So join Dr Nick Edwards as he describes the frustrations and joys of working in the NHS. The traumas and tragedies, the patients and colleagues and most of all the successes and humour that make up life at the frontline of medical care.

Nick Edwards, an A&E (Accident & Emergency) doctor with very strong opinions about the NHS, shares both rants and anecdotes in his book documenting some of his experiences within the fast paced world of A&E.

Again, I love the insight into a career I could never have. I made this point in my review of Further Confessions of a GP. I am fascinated with the medical profession. I watch countless medical TV shows but, of course, the majority are fictional and don’t give a very accurate insight. Books like this, however, document the highs and lows of this profession through real situations.

I love the anecdotes and patient interactions. My favourite parts of books like this are the stories of patients that the doctor has come into contact with. This book contains some heart warming anecdotes along with the funny ones and a few sad stories thrown in as well.

I now see A&E in a different light. Never again will I set off for A&E before being sure I have either an accident or an emergency. Never again will I complain at how long I have waited to be seen. Never again will I be annoyed if a member of staff is grumpy or tired. I have gained much more respect for the A&E staff through reading this book.

There is just too much ranting. It is mentioned at the start of the book that the he is only writing when he has something to say, and most of those times it is because he is angry. For that reason, I was expecting some moaning throughout the book. However, I was not prepared for a political rant, or just any kind of complaint, almost every chapter. It was beginning to get repetitive and quite annoying.

Overall, I thought this was an average book. I enjoy this type of book but have definitely read better. I would recommend this book if you would like an insight into the trials of working in A&E, but only if you like a lot of political ranting.

Book | Pop Tart by Kira Coplin & Julianne Kaye

Pop Tart by Kira Colpin & Julianne Kaye
Published By: Avon
Published On: June 5, 2009
Genre: Contemporary
Pages: 397
Format: eBook
Rating: 3

An eager, aspiring make-up artist, Jackie O'Reilly has always dreamed of a high-profile Hollywood career—and now fate has made her fantasy a glittering reality. Filling in at the last minute for her boss, Jackie finds herself working with America's newest sweetheart—wild and glamorous Brooke Parker, who's on the brink of superstardom.
Jackie's right where she's always wanted to be: in the entourage of an "it-girl," a globe-trotting world of private jets, long white limos and all-night parties. Brooke is fun and real, but also impetuous and unpredictable. And when the pop princess begins to unravel, Jackie will have to decide where her true loyalties lie—or become a victim of the unrelenting chaos of the twenty-four-hour media circus.
A blistering, dazzling, and authentic novel written by two knowledgeable Hollywood insiders, Pop Tart is a high-speed roller-coaster ride through the treacherous playland of pop culture stardom.

Kira Coplin and Julianne Kaye’s novel Pop Tart is the story of an aspiring makeup artist, Jackie O’Reilly, who befriends a rising young pop star, Brooke Parker, after a one off job as her makeup artist. The story follows Jackie and Brooke through the highs and lows of their new found fame and the love, heartache, friendships and fallouts that come along with it.

Although on the surface this appears to be nothing more than a story of a newly famous pop star and her tag-a-long makeup artist discovering the problems of the paparazzi, beneath the superficial Hollywood story are some real life lessons and relatable circumstances.  It was those life lessons, and the way they were so seamlessly slipped into the story, that made me like this book.

It terms of the story, I have read better. It was very repetitive and I felt as though I was simply reading about party after party, concert after concert, boy after boy. However, the characters were, for me, what made the story. The relationship between Jackie and Brooke, although at times slightly strange, was heart warming. The way their relationship was written made me genuinely feel for both characters through the good and bad.

I was not greatly impressed by the way the romantic relationships were portrayed throughout the book. While Brooke and Jesse’s breakup should have been, I feel, a hard-hitting, emotional moment, I was rather unaffected by it. I did not feel that their relationship had been explored and built up enough before being torn down.

Another disappointment was the ending. I felt as though the story was leading to a great climax but instead seemed to build up before fizzling out. It seemed as though parts of the story and relationships between characters were not so much tied up neatly but rather came to a confusing, abrupt and messy end.

Overall, I was not a huge fan of the basic story of the book but the characters, life lessons and relatable circumstances made it an enjoyable read. It was more of an easy, beach read than anything else so I would recommend it if you are not looking for anything too complex or hard to follow.

(PS Another old review, new ones coming soon!)

Movie | Rumor Has It

Rumor Has It...
Distributed By: Warner Bros.
Released On: December 25, 2005 (USA)
DVD Release: May 9, 2006 (USA)
Rated: 12
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Format: DVD
Rating: 3

Jennifer Aniston stars in this romantic comedy from director Rob Reiner. Aniston plays Sarah Huttinger, a young woman who travels back to visit her family in California and is shocked to learn that they were supposedly the model for the classic book and film 'The Graduate', and that her youthful grandmother Katharine (Shirley MacLaine) could be the real-life Mrs Robinson. In which case, Sarah begins to suspect that wealthy family friend Beau Burroughs (Kevin Costner) could have been the young man who had tumultuous affairs with both her mother and grandmother.

Based around the novel, and accompanying film, The Graduate, Rumor Has It is a typical, feel-good romantic comedy. Sarah Huttinger (Jennifer Anniston) has always felt like an outsider in her family. After a revelation by her grandmother, and stories from her mother’s high school best friend, Sarah discovers that the book and film, The Graduate, were based on her family. Her fiancé Jeff’s mathematical skills also lead Sarah to believe that she may be the outcome of the affair, the child of Beau Burroughs, the man who inspired the character Benjamin Braddock. In order to find the truth, Sarah goes in search of the man himself.

It might not be the most exciting film and the story may be a little predictable but generally it is not an awful film. If you’re not in to girly romantic comedies then I would definitely avoid this film but for those who enjoy a bit of trashy, feel-good entertainment then there are a lot worse films out there.

The acting is decently average with a reasonably high standard cast, such as Kevin Costner and Shirley MacLaine. The story, although predictable, was a good idea and did not let the film down. What did let the film down was the depth. By the end I felt as though the story was skimmed over rather than dived into and it would have been much more enjoyable had characters and events been expanded upon.

Generally, this film is not great but I would happily watch it when looking for something lightweight with a bit of good hearted humour and some decent, not to mention attractive, cast members.

Book | Crossed by Allie Condie

Crossed by Allie Condie
Series: Matched #2
Published by: Penguin
Published on: November 24, 2011
Genres: Dystopian, Romance
Pages: 367
Format: eBook
Rating: 3

The Society chooses everything. The books you read. The music you listen to. The person you love. Yet for Cassia the rules have changed. Ky has been taken and she will sacrifice everything to find him. And when Cassia discovers Ky has escaped to the wild frontiers beyond the Society there is hope. But on the edge of society nothing is as it seems... A rebellion is rising. And a tangled web of lies and double-crosses could destroy everything.



Ally Condie’s Crossed is the second book in the Matched Trilogy. The trilogy features the main character, Cassia, who lives in a society in which teenagers are provided with their perfect match based on data gathered by the society. After her Match Banquet, Cassia discovers she has been matched to two people, Xander and Ky.

In the second book in the trilogy, Cassia leaves the comfort of her normal life and family in search of Ky. It follows her journey through work camps, deserts and canyons on her search for Ky and for the Rising.

Although not as good as the first book, Crossed is still an enjoyable read. However, it is missing a lot of the things I enjoyed about Matched. I found the details about the society, and their control over everyday life, very interesting when reading the first book. These details are very few in the second book as Cassia is no longer in her hometown and controlled by the society to the same extent. Even with the lack of these details, the story itself was quite good and I did enjoy the book in general.

I found in the first book that the characters were developed well and it was not difficult, at least for me, to connect with the characters. I didn’t feel as though the characters were developed quite as well in this book and I did not find myself establishing any connection with the new characters introduced. 

Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the ending of the book. I know the book is part of a trilogy but I really hate when a book ends very abruptly. I understand that the idea is to end the book on a cliff-hanger to make the reader want to read the next book in the series, but I feel that this was done badly, just as it was in the first book. On finishing a book, I expect to be left wanting more. Instead, it ended so abruptly that I felt as though the last part of the book was missing.

Overall, I did enjoy the book and will be reading the third book in the trilogy. It does not live up to the standard of Matched but I would recommend reading it if you have read the first book.

(PS Another old review, the better ones will come)