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Sarah (7799 KP) rated Slaughterhouse Rulez (2018) in Movies

Nov 14, 2018

Slaughterhouse Rulez (2018)

2018 | Comedy, Horror

5.1

(15 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Such a disappointment

I've seen a lot of horrendous reviews for this film and whilst I'd agree that it isn't great, it's not nearly as bad as expected.

The problem is that this film has a stellar cast with impressive comedy credentials, yet apart from one or two titters, it just isn't funny. The humour falls completely flat. Michael Sheen, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost ham it up the best they can but their performances border on cringeworthy. Even the cameo from Margot Robbie is wasted. I did quite like Asa Butterfield though, who managed to get away with some of the best lines in the film.

The plot isn't the worst, and is surprisingly relevant to current affairs. Considering the ongoing debate over fracking and the fracking going on in Lancashire (30 mins down the road from where I live), I was impressed at the relevance even if they didn't really touch on any of the serious issues. The start of the story is a little bit cliched too. Fish out of water Northerner going to a posh Southern boarding school? Some originality would be nice, as a northerner myself it's gets a little frustrating seeing so many films choose this sort of plot mechanism.

The creatures themselves are underdeveloped and aren't scary, although the amount of blood and gore was a nice touch. And it all just gets a little bit silly and ridiculous with them towards the end, which is a shame as there was some potential hidden here somewhere.

That said, as horror comedies go it's fairly inoffensive. Whilst I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to watch it, if you're ever at a loss for something easy to watch, there are worse films you could choose. Just don't expect another of the Cornetto films...

Kudos

ClareR (5841 KP) rated How It Was in Books

Nov 18, 2019

How It Was

Janet Ellis | 2019 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

How It Was looks at the complexity of a mother/ daughter relationship, and how a mothers own childhood can affect this. Or at least it does in the case of this family.

The 1970s were a time of change for some women, but not the women in this story. Marion is the mother of two children: Sarah, 14 and Eddie, 7. She is unhappy in her life, and has been for many years. We look at her life through a series of flashbacks (and flashbacks through her daughters eyes at the same time) as she sits at the hospital bedside of her dying husband. We learn of the affairs, the terrible relationship with her daughter, and the catastrophic accident that cost the family far more than just a child (although this was quite traumatic enough).

I found it very difficult to empathise with Marion, she’s not a likeable character. She seems self absorbed, I didn’t like how she felt about her daughter (it’s as though she feels repulsed by her), and how she speaks to everyone is simply rude. To me, it seemed to be a mixture of boredom, depression, selfishness and desperation that drove Marion’s actions. Michael, her husband, is endlessly patient, perhaps scared that she will leave him. He puts up with some terrible behaviour from Marion. I really wanted him to stand up for himself.

It doesn’t sound like it, I know, but I really liked this book. It’s a book with a thoroughly unpleasant main character (in fact she’s not on her own on that score - watch out for Adrian!) and they do make for interesting story lines!

This is the first book I’ve read by Janet Ellis, and I will be looking for more.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Two Roads for my copy of this book.