Film Review: 21 & Over

About the film

21 & Over is a comedy film that was released at the cinema on 3^rd May. The film has a run time of 93 minutes and is rated 15.

Plot

Casey, Miller and Jeff Chang have been best friends since high school. As Jeff Chang is turning 21, Casey and Miller decide to pay him a visit at college to celebrate properly – by getting extremely drunk and having a wild night. However, Jeff Chang has a very important interview the next morning thanks to his father who is a doctor. Jeff Chang is warned to be awake and ready by 7am but Miller doesn’t seem to care. The boys go out with the intent of having a few beers but things quickly begin to go wrong. Jeff Chang ends up getting way more drunk than he probably should have and the night goes from slightly wild to quite insane. Casey and Miller are going to have a hard time getting their friend back home and ready for his interview in the morning.

What I thought

The comedy films I have been to see at the cinema quite recently haven’t ended up being very funny at all, or not nearly as funny as they have been out to be (maybe with the exception of The Campaign and The Dictator). Before my Cineworld card ran out, I really wanted to see something funny and to have a good laugh with my flatmate and boyfriend. 21 & Over was the only thing that looked funny out at the time.

21 & Over is your typical teen comedy film that relies on cheap laughs and gross moments. Miller, played by Miles Teller (from the Footloose remake) truly believes that being 21 means having to celebrate with a massive night of drinking. He hasn’t seen friends Casey or Jeff Chang for a little while but thinks that 21^st birthdays are something that they should all celebrate together. Miller is the typical oddball character and the one who doesn’t really take anything seriously and Teller plays the role well. He’s pretty daft and is clearly just wanting a good time in life.

Then there is Casey, who takes being at college quite seriously and when Jeff Chang says he has an interview the next day, he knows going out is a bad idea and suggests not going. He’s the sensible one of the group. Playing Casey is Skylar Astin who is best known for his recent role in Pitch Perfect. His character is a bit of a stiff in comparison to Miller and unfortunately, Astin’s acting ability is just as boring as his character. I liked Astin in Pitch Perfect and thought he was quite cute and funny but for some reason, here he just doesn’t have much personality.

The whole plot revolves around Jeff Chang, who has apparently wanted to be a doctor his whole life. He’s in a great college and studying what he loves the most. He doesn’t get to talk to his friends much but once they turn up, he realises he needs a bit of fun and excitement in his life after studying so hard. Jeff Chang is always referred to in this way, second name and all and I have no idea why. Playing this character is Justin Chon, best known for a small role in the Twilight Saga. Jeff Chang has somewhat of a split personality in this film, as one minute he doesn’t want to go out drinking and the next he is absolutely wasted. I really liked both Chon and his character in this film though. It was hilarious seeing the things he got up to while drinking and how much he was able to let go and have fun once he got into it.

While extremely predictable in regards to the end of the film, 21 & Over does provide plenty of laughs. All three of us were laughing so hard throughout the whole film, as was the rest of the cinema. The last time I laughed this much at a film was probably at The Campaign which was quite some time ago now. The problem is, this kind of comedy certainly won’t appeal to everyone. The comedy is provided in the way of gross out moments such as someone getting a dark through their cheek or being chased around by a pretty large and dangerous animal. Also, as we have a large drinking culture here, I’m sure people will be able to identify with getting up to some crazy and unexpected things on nights out with friends.

21 & Over also makes the most of American college culture and the types of things the students get up to. The film makes the most of fraternities and sororities and the closeness of those kinds of communities. It makes the most of getting into bars whilst underage and then being able to flash ID into the face of a bouncer. It makes the most out of being reckless and carefree as a teenager before becoming an adult and being serious about life. These kinds of things are something I can relate to myself as I had some pretty crazy times when I was younger and it made me think back to my teenage years.

While I found 21 & Over to be extremely funny, not everyone will. I really enjoyed watching this film but I probably wouldn’t buy it on DVD when it comes out. 

No Books Allowed - June

Thanks to the wonderful Raimy for hosting this monthly feature. You can find her over at http://www.readaraptor.co.uk/.

A new job

At the very end of May (29th) I started my new job. Finishing university, losing my old job due to no transfer available and moving in with my fiancé was a hell of a lot to do in one go without having the added pressure of finding work. I was so lucky to find something in only three weeks and for it to be a 10 minute walk away from home. 

I now work for a leisure company which has a gym, pool, kids play area and ten pin bowling and this is so different from what I used to do in a bookies. No longer do I have drunks, druggies and general mardy old men moaning at me. However, I do work in the kids bit/ bowling alley so there are generally quite a few screaming kids running around. This doesn't really bother me as much as I thought it would though and I can near enough block out the majority of the noise save for a few really loud shrieks every now and again.  

Although this job really has nothing to do with my degree, I have settled in really well. Everyone there is so friendly and I've really got on well with the whole team. Also, the woman who hired me, my manager is leaving and so I have decided to apply for her position. I have plenty of management experience and I know I can't work part time forever so this would be a great opportunity. At the time of writing this post, I got a call from my manager to schedule my interview for Wednesday! That came around quicker than I thought!

Wedding planning

A lot of you will know that I'm getting married at the end of September in Florida. This month, John and I finally decided on having an evening wedding reception the day that we get back (I will be exhausted, I know!). We got lucky in the fact that we were able to rent the function room where I work so we didn't really have to think about a venue. I am one of those people who lives for lists and pretty much cannot function without them. Now having a date and a place for the reception meant a lot of lists needed to be made. Guests, decorations, things to be, food plans... you get the idea. I have gone into planning overdrive with this mainly due to the fact that there won't be a lot of time on the day to do things. I am extremely thankful that Kirsty (http://www.overflowinglibrary.com/) will be helping out to decorate the room for us!

This is the room we'll be hiring!

This has been my first No Books Allowed post but I'm looking forward to taking part every month from now on!

Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Echols

About the book

Dirty Little Secret is a stand-alone young adult book by Jennifer Echols. It was published by MTV books on 16^th July and it is 288 pages long. Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy for review through Edelweiss.

Plot Synopsis

Once, Bailey was far from being the black sheep of the family. Brought up on the music scene, she used to play fiddle with her sister who sang and played the guitar. However, when Julie landed a record deal, everything changed. No one wanted to sign Bailey and the record company didn’t want anyone to acknowledge that Julie even had a sister. Bailey’s parents had no bother with agreeing to this, as along as Julie got her contract.

While Julie is off getting her career in order, Bailey has been left at home to live with her Grandad in Nashville. Even though Bailey isn’t supposed to draw attention to herself, her Grandad gets her a gig at the local mall, performing with tribute acts. Here, she meets Sam, a stunning guitarist who just happens to have his own band. With the music industry being so hard on Bailey, she isn’t sure whether she dare get into it again, let alone face the repercussions from her family. It looks as though the music industry isn’t the only one capable of breaking Bailey’s heart though…

What I thought

Jennifer Echols is one of my absolute favourite young adult authors and I can never wait to read anything she releases. I managed to read this one a few months before release and started it immediately, even though I had loads of books with closer release dates.

What I love about Echols’ books is that she manages to do something new and completely different each time. The last book had flying and aeroplanes while this one is set in the world of country music. Now, I don’t know much about country music but Echols uses references that most people will be able to understand such as Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton. These characters come into play because of Bailey’s job at the mall. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book because it showed how much Bailey loved music and how much she missed playing.

I felt really sorry for Bailey from the very beginning of this book. Her sister is off with a recording contract while she is forced to stay at home with her Grandad and not have any fun whatsoever. I actually hated her parents because of how they treat her. However, Bailey also acts out towards her parents, explaining that she has done things which don’t make them happy – such as going to wild parties and cutting off her long, blonde hair and dying it black. Even though I didn’t like them, I could understand Bailey’s parents reasons for keeping her out of the way. They didn’t want Julie’s career being messed up.

When you just get to thinking that Bailey already has enough going on in her life, she meets Sam. He plays in the mall with his Dad as part of the Johnny Cash tribute and he’s one hell of a musician and gorgeous to boot. Bailey is warned that he’s a heartbreaker but she is far from prepared for how he makes her feel. He seems to be the one person who totally understands her love for music but he also comes with his own problems. Bailey and Sam challenge each other and they make each other face up to truths that they have been hiding from. While both characters can be seen to be a bit annoying and selfish within this aspect of the book, I liked the drama and baggage both of them had. It gave their characters depth and purpose and to make them more than the music.

Jennifer Echols gives us a wonderful, dramatic and intense plot with this book but softens it slightly in places with the theme of music. Both the plot and the music, especially the songs used within the book, are intertwined perfectly and there is just the right balance of each. Echols’ writing is passionate and deep while managing to keep the story fun and interesting. I really enjoyed how different this book was. 

Delicate by Steph Campbell

About the book

Delicate is a spin off book in the Grounding Quinn (New Adult) series by Steph Campbell. It was published by Simon & Schuster on 9^th May and the book is 208 pages long.

Plot Synopsis

According to everyone else, Sydney Pierce has everything. She has a fantastic gymnastics career, great grades and the loving boyfriend, Trevor. Underneath all of that though, Sydney’s life is a mess. She desperately wants to keep her secrets hidden from the world but taking part in a documentary about young athletes on the road to the Olympics puts a spanner in the works. Then, new boy Grant begins to pay Sydney a lot of attention that could get her into trouble but as their connection grows stronger, Trevor’s jealousy does also. Sydney has a chance of true happiness with Grant but that means letting him in and the world know that everything else isn’t quite as perfect as they think it is.

What I thought

I wasn’t a complete fan of the other Steph Campbell novel I have read, Grounding Quinn, but seeing as I had this one sitting around anyway, I was willing to give her another go.

In Delicate, we get the story of Sydney (who is best friends with Quinn of Grounding Quinn). She works hard to be the gymnast she is and it is pretty much her whole life. Still though, she manages to have time for a boyfriend and to get great grades. While her friends think she has the perfect life, Sydney think otherwise. She’s exhausted all of the time, feels the strain at school and has no idea how do deal with Trevor, her boyfriend at times. All of Sydney’s problems are hidden from the outside world though… until she takes part in a documentary showcasing young athletes.

Early on in this book (although not a long one) I could tell that I was going to like it more than Grounding Quinn. I liked Sydney a hell of a lot more than I did Quinn and the things that bugged me in the other book were not in this one at all. Sydney is a very strong and determined character who does her best all of the time. She works so hard to have her gymnastic career but then she also has to deal with going to school, homework and her friends/ boyfriend at the same time. That’s a lot for anyone to take on and to deal with well. Sydney is the sweetest of girls too because she always wants to make other people happy, probably why a lot of her life a secret behind closed doors.

When Sydney is paired up with the new guy Grant for a class project, Trevor is far from happy. He doesn’t want Sydney being friends with Grant or spending any time with him. Up until this point, Trevor seemed like a pretty okay guy but slowly, his aggressive and possessive sides begin to seep out. Sydney doesn’t have much of a choice about working with Grant but she also really likes him as a friend. He seems to get her and doesn’t judge at all when things begin to go wrong. Grant was a lovely character and he quite obviously cared a lot about Sydney and what was going on in her life.

Although quite a short book, Steph Campbell packs a lot into this one. Delicate tackles some pretty serious issues such as domestic abuse and I liked the way that it was done. Instead of being overdone, I got the point without it ever being too much. Delicate also has a sweet romance going on throughout which was a nice contrast to the more serious issues. In Grounding Quinn, I found the pacing to be extremely strange and all over the place but luckily, that wasn’t the case with this one. The whole plot flowed really nicely and it also managed to have some good character development in those short pages too.

After reading another Steph Campbell book, I would happily give a different series of hers a try. 

Book to Film Review: The Social Network

About the film

The Social Network is a drama film that was released in 2010. The film has a run time of 120 minutes and a rating of 12A. The Social Network was adapted from the book The Accidental Millionaires by Ben Mezrich.

Plot

Set in 2003, Mark Zuckerberg is a student at Harvard University. On the night he gets dumped by girlfriend Erica, he heads back to his dorm to drink and write bad things about her on his blog. Feeling down, he also creates a website called Facemash which pins female students against each other so other students can rate who is the best looking. Due to the website being such a popular hit with other students, and the fact that it crashed the Harvard network, Zuckerberg receives six months academic probation. However, this alerts Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss who wish to create their own website, The Harvard Connection. While Zuckerberg agrees to help, he gets ideas of his own and ends up creating The Facebook, a social networking website for Harvard students.

The film follows the success of Zuckerberg and the lawsuits filed which accuse him of intellectual theft (from the Winklevoss brothers) and for unfair share dilution (by partner and co-founder Eduardo Saverin). The Social Network follows how Facebook came to be, how Sean Parker was a part of its success and what happened with the lawsuits.  

What I thought

I had wanted to see this film ever since it came out but somehow I never got around to it. Now, with my recent unemployment, I have more time on my hands than I would like so I finally decided to activate my free 30 day Love Film trial. The Social Network was the first thing I watched.

Facebook was something I didn’t get into myself until very early 2008 when I lived in Canada. A few of my friends there already had it and I decided it was a great way to keep in touch with them all once I had moved back to the UK. Facebook was something that I had known about for a while but had little interest in. Now though, with my family in Grimsby and me living in Norfolk and having friends all over the place, I am on it constantly even if it is only to play silly games. The reason why I wanted to see this film so much was to learn a bit more about the idea behind such a popular and massive website, which has taken over the internet.

Now, to begin with I have to say that I know not all of this film is factual. The real Mark Zuckerberg states that the filmmakers did not get everything right but was impressed that they got his wardrobe perfect. However, Eduardo Saverin acknowledges that the film is supposed to have entertainment value with a slight look into history which is how I see it.

The Social Network has a much faster pace than I was expecting it to. The film is two hours long as I was expecting it to drag quite a bit as I couldn’t think of what could happen in that time. However, from the initial idea of Facemash from Zuckerberg to the popularisation of Facebook, there is a lot that happens in-between. Jesse Eisenberg portrays Zuckerberg wonderfully, as he comes across as a socially awkward student. He’s quick talking and quirky and extremely clever. Eisenberg is an actor who plays these kinds of roles extremely well and this one is no exception. Zuckerberg isn’t a likeable character though. He quite obviously does what he wants and doesn’t care too much about what happens in the meantime as long as he gets results.

There aren’t actually many likeable characters in this film, save for maybe Eduardo Saverin who is played by Andrew Garfield. Saverin is the guy who co-founded Facebook with Zuckerberg and was the money behind the operation. He genuinely seemed to want to do the best thing for everyone and during the time spent covering the lawsuit, he did seem like a really nice guy who showed his feelings well when he realised things weren’t going his way/ Zuckerberg had said some pretty bad things about him. Every time Saverin suggested something, Zuckerberg either ignored him or shot down his suggestions which made me dislike him even more.

Although another unlikeable character, I couldn’t help but love Justin Timberlake’s involvement in this film. Timberlake plays Sean Parker, the guy who founded Napster and changed how people downloaded music. He’s arrogant, selfish and completely full of himself but I love watching Timberlake on screen. He has played quite a few different roles and is able to pull each of them off well. In one film, he’s like likeable romantic lead, in another he’s a complete asshole and then in another, he’s a bit of an action man. Justin Timberlake is someone I would have never imagined to be such a good actor. Parker’s role in the story of Facebook is a large one. He has a big influence over Zuckerberg’s actions and decisions as he believes Parker has a lot more knowledge and experience than he does.

As social networking is such a large part of society now, the film shows both the positive and negative aspects of it. It shows how a site such as Facebook can connect people all over the world but also cause so many relationship problems. I’m sure Jeremy Kyle would agree with that part! The film also recognises how success can alter a friendship thought to be quite strong. Zuckerberg is so quick to dismiss and stab Saverin in the back once he thinks he has better advice from Parker. It was quiet sad to see two friends in such a bad situation and for how things ended between them. In the end, it all came down to money.

The Social Network is a fantastic film which sheds light on the success of social networking sites in today’s society.         

Sweethearts by Sara Zarr

About the book

Sweethearts is a stand-alone young adult book by Sara Zarr. The book was published by Little Brown on 5^th February 2009 and it is 224 pages long.

Plot Synopsis

Jennifer Harris and Cameron Quick had two things in common as children. They were both social outcasts and the other’s only friend. Jennifer has come to depend on Cameron but when he disappears without a word, she thinks she has lost the only person who really understands her. Years later, Jennifer has transformed herself into Jenna, a girl who is popular, pretty and happy – everything that her former self wasn’t. However, she still thinks of her old best friend.

When Cameron suddenly reappears one day, both he and Jenna are forced to confront their pasts and the real reason why Cameron disappeared without telling anyone.

What I thought

Both the cover and the synopsis for this book are quite deceiving. The cover suggests this will be a nice romance story, with the big pink heart on the front cover. The synopsis is quite mysterious in the way that it doesn’t really reveal what the book is about at all apart from that Jennifer and Cameron were once friends and then he disappeared. There are no hints as to why or what went on in-between then and the time he comes back. I liked that I didn’t really know what I was getting into with this one.

At first, we get to see Jennifer and Cameron’s friendship through a series of flashbacks, explaining what their lives were like and how they didn’t fit in with anyone else. However, as we get to learn more about why the two are friends, we also get to see that it wasn’t just school lives that weren’t perfect. The flashbacks build up to one really important moment which changes everything and the real reason why Cameron left without a word. Not only did the flashbacks enable me to understand the friendship between Jennifer and Cameron but also to understand why Jennifer changed her name and herself.

After having such a bad childhood, I could completely understand why Jennifer would want to reinvent herself as soon as she moved and had the chance to be someone else. If that were me, having only the one friend, not being confident in myself and generally being picked on, I would have wanted to reinvent myself too. I was glad to see that although she was still missing Cameron, she had made a life for herself at a new school, had a great group of friends and had gotten herself a boyfriend.

When Cameron appears out of nowhere, the plot suddenly got extremely interesting. Cameron is extremely mysterious, letting barely anyone in except the Jenna, who he knows as Jennifer. He turns up without so much as an explanation as to why he disappeared without saying goodbye all those years ago but Jenna is determined to find out the truth. There are people who somehow know more than she does though and she isn’t happy that secrets have been kept from her for so long.

Sweethearts is a story about childhood friendships and how sometimes, a special one can withstand anything. Both Jennifer and Cameron were great characters to read about, both together and separately. Their personalities are quite different but that also makes them extremely interesting. The plot was not at all what I was expecting and instead of a cute romance, I got something quite sad and heart-breaking. However, I still really enjoyed this one. 

Film Review: Blue Valentine

About the film

Blue Valentine is a 2010 romantic drama film. It has a run time of 112 minutes and a rating of 15 due to language, sex scenes and some violence.

Plot

Blue Valentine tells the story of Dean and Cindy, a couple who let their past experiences affect their relationship. The film uses flashbacks to explore their lived before marriage and during their marriage. Dean was a high school dropout, from a broken family and never saw himself as having a family and a wife of his own. Cindy also comes from a dysfunctional family although with a better background. When she and Dean meet, she’s in medical school. She has ambition but he doesn’t. He’s more than happy working in a job where he can have a beer anytime he wants.

As the film switches between their courtship and married life, it shows how their characters have changed and why. As married adults, Dean and Cindy have a young daughter, Cindy works as a nurse but Dean doesn’t do anything. He doesn’t have a job nor does he care to get one. This is a story of how either one large event or several small ones can affect more than one person’s life.

What I thought

Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams are two of my favourite actors so I was quite shocked with myself that it took me so long to watch this film. Both have a habit of taking roles in very different films compared to the average rom-com or action film which is why I like them so much.

In Blue Valentine, Gosling and Williams play Dean and Cindy, a couple who have been through a lot. To begin with we get to see how unhappy they are in their marriage. Cindy is a nurse working hard to support her family, along with young daughter Frankie. Dean, however, is a bit of a lowlife who has no job and doesn’t seem to care about much other than drinking and Frankie. It quickly becomes clear that there have been a number of things which have led to such an unhappy time. Throughout the film, there are flashbacks to before the couple have met and then, while they begin to date. The way of telling the story was fantastic because it meant that the audience get to see everything that happened between the couple.

At the beginning, Dean understands that he is never going to make much of his life, so he doesn’t aspire to. He’s quite happy working to support himself as best as possible. He doesn’t want a happy ever after, he doesn’t want a wife and he certainly doesn’t want children. Gosling is shown as quite a carefree and handsome young man who comes across as very likeable, even with his lack of passion for life. When the film flips back to the present day, he’s balding and very run down. This type of role, especially the look, is something very different for Gosling as most of his roles take full advantage of his good looks. As in all of his roles, Gosling takes this one to the max. He’s very charismatic as a young man but angry and upset as a married man. The contrast in his character’s personality was fascinating to watch as it could have been two completely different people.

Williams was just as good in her performance as Cindy. She comes from a dysfunctional family but is trying to make something of herself. She wants a better life and a better future but things get in the way. One bad experience after another leads her to Dean and even when she doesn’t want to know, he works his way into his life. Cindy’s character is just as raw and as full of emotion as Dean’s. Together, Gosling and Williams make a fantastic but emotional and broken couple. They both have so many problems and destroyed pasts which partly is what brings them together. With two great actors playing the lead roles, you know you are going to get passionate and heartfelt performances from them both.

As well as there being a great cast, albeit a very small one, the film is very stylish. The filmmakers have filmed this in such a way that makes you feel as though you are there with Dean and Cindy in every single scene. This, along with the plot, makes everything seem much more real. The setting of Blue Valentine is cold and quite dreary. It makes you believe that you are investing your time into two real people and a real relationship, rather than a Hollywood couple. This is certainly not a film that makes you feel warm and gooey inside but instead, makes you realise that people do have problems and that not all relationships have happy endings. This is a film that does not give you a false sense of hope not any illusions that it will all work out well in the end. Blue Valentine is a film that is extremely truthful, harsh but somehow beautiful at the same time.

Although for me, Gosling excels in everything he does, this is by far one of my favourite films from him and to have Williams co-star just makes it even better. I call this one a must see!