Tag: Movie Star

Vinnie Jones – It’s Been Emotional | Review

Title: It’s Been Emotional

Author: Vinnie Jones

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 280

Rating: 7/10

 

Vinnie Jones - It's Been Emotional

Vinnie Jones – It’s Been Emotional

 

This is the bookish equivalent of a guilty pleasure – I tried to hide the cover when I was reading it on the bus and on my lunch break at work, and felt the need to justify myself to my friends when they asked me what I was reading. But I don’t know why – it was actually a pretty good read, and whilst Vinnie did have some help whilst writing it from Gordon Smart from the Sun (hey – at least it’s not the Daily Mail), it still felt authentic, and it was still in Vinnie’s voice.

In fact, it turns out that he’s lived a far more exciting life than I knew about, including after his rise to fame as a movie star – seems like he’s more of a celebrity over in the States than he is in the UK, although he is still a household name, even if his career does seem to have dried up a little, recently. But he was also in some kick-ass movies – Snatch, in particular, was one of my favourites, and Vinnie’s deadpan delivery of “because he dodges bullets, Avi” is still guaranteed to make me laugh.

For me, reading this kind of supported my existing view of Vinnie Jones, as a person, but it was also interesting to learn about some of the other things that he’s done throughout the years and that I wasn’t aware of. He’d be a good guy to go for a pint with, but not to get in a fight with – these days, he doesn’t drink or fight.

 

Vinnie Jones

Vinnie Jones

 

Click here to buy It’s Been Emotional.


The Rock – The Rock Says | Review

Title: The Rock Says

Author: The Rock

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 292

Rating: 8/10

 

The Rock - The Rock Says

The Rock – The Rock Says

 

I was a big fan of this book, but then I was also a big fan of The Rock, and I first read this not long after its publication in 2000. I was eleven years old at the time, and so the story of Dwayne Johnson’s rise to fame and fortune, from American football to wrestling and acting, was like a form of escapism, a true story that was real enough to give me hope for the future whilst being distant enough to take me completely away from my own life.

I don’t have much in common with The Rock, but I do respect his drive, and he’d certainly led an interesting life even by the year 2000, when the book was published. Since then, his career has snowballed and he’s now a successful movie star, certainly on a par with many people who are actors only. In fact, it’s The Rock’s versatility which is so impressive – he’s the kind of guy who hustles, and who’s worked hard in everything that he’s done to repeatedly rise to the top of his game in different fields.

Even as a writer, The Rock is pretty good, although he did have some help (as most celebrities do). You can also expect to check out a selection of awesome photographs that show The Rock throughout the years, from his childhood to his career as a professional American footballer and, later, as a wrestler. It’s the sort of story that almost sounds too good to be true, but it isn’t – sometimes the truth is more interesting than fiction, and this is one of those examples. I’d recommend it!

 

The Rock

The Rock

 

Click here to buy The Rock Says.