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the Urbane Forager: Fruit & Nuts for Free
Book
"The perfect book for anyone wanting to launch themselves into foraging...without swapping their...
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Slaughterhouse Rulez (2018) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
I can sum this film up in one easy way: it's Shaun Of The Dead meets Attack The Block meets St Trinians, but nowhere near as good as that film combo should be.
To say I'm a little bit heartbroken about this would be an understatement. This was one of my top picks from the autumn cinema offerings and now I'm just sad that it made the cut.
"Slaughterhouse Rulez looks like St Trinians, mixed with the aliens from Attack The Block meets the hellmouth from Sunnydale... and what's not to love about that?!" - quote from me in pre-release excitement.
Evidently, everything.
The general premise of the story seemed like a good one, and the trio of top acting talent felt like it would carry the film even if the story turned out to be flimsy. Here's my problem, I didn't enjoy any of their characters. I didn't find The Bat or Meredith Houseman likeable, even as comic relief, and while Woody Chapman was probably the best of the three I still found him annoying.
By far the best characters were brought to life by the younger cast members. Don and Willoughby have a great dynamic throughout and along with the interactions as a group when they join up with the girls to investigate they saved this from being a complete flop for me.
I take very rough notes in the screenings while I'm watching. It's generally me vaguely pointing a pen at the page and scribbling key words down. I think that my favourite during this one was "imitation Draco".
What I did notice from my scribblings is that I made more than one note about Shaun Of The Dead. Someone gets tooled up with a cricket bat, there's a very familiar moment with the car, and at one point I'm reminded of Dylan Moran being dragged through the pub window. Oh, and he gets the group together and heads out to the cadet range.
I said at the beginning that it's like Shaun Of The Dead meets Attack The Block meets St Trinians, I'm afraid that my suggestion would be to watch those instead. The sad thing is that I think I probably would have enjoyed it more if the big three hadn't been in it. Anticipation can be a bitch sometimes.
What you should do
I think this one is better viewed at home with some friends, probably with a drinking game.
To say I'm a little bit heartbroken about this would be an understatement. This was one of my top picks from the autumn cinema offerings and now I'm just sad that it made the cut.
"Slaughterhouse Rulez looks like St Trinians, mixed with the aliens from Attack The Block meets the hellmouth from Sunnydale... and what's not to love about that?!" - quote from me in pre-release excitement.
Evidently, everything.
The general premise of the story seemed like a good one, and the trio of top acting talent felt like it would carry the film even if the story turned out to be flimsy. Here's my problem, I didn't enjoy any of their characters. I didn't find The Bat or Meredith Houseman likeable, even as comic relief, and while Woody Chapman was probably the best of the three I still found him annoying.
By far the best characters were brought to life by the younger cast members. Don and Willoughby have a great dynamic throughout and along with the interactions as a group when they join up with the girls to investigate they saved this from being a complete flop for me.
I take very rough notes in the screenings while I'm watching. It's generally me vaguely pointing a pen at the page and scribbling key words down. I think that my favourite during this one was "imitation Draco".
What I did notice from my scribblings is that I made more than one note about Shaun Of The Dead. Someone gets tooled up with a cricket bat, there's a very familiar moment with the car, and at one point I'm reminded of Dylan Moran being dragged through the pub window. Oh, and he gets the group together and heads out to the cadet range.
I said at the beginning that it's like Shaun Of The Dead meets Attack The Block meets St Trinians, I'm afraid that my suggestion would be to watch those instead. The sad thing is that I think I probably would have enjoyed it more if the big three hadn't been in it. Anticipation can be a bitch sometimes.
What you should do
I think this one is better viewed at home with some friends, probably with a drinking game.
Multiframe - Picture Editor & Photo Collage Maker
Entertainment and Photo & Video
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Create photo frames for Thanksgiving, Christmas, new year, love & birthday more Photo Montages for...
Muffins Recipes
Food & Drink and Lifestyle
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Are you looking to have some different varieties of muffins? We have come up with some mouth...
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Sous Les Ordres de Rommel: Des Deserts D'Afrique Du Nord Aux Plages de Normandie
Hans Holler and Markus Reisner
Book
In this extraordinary autobiography by Hans Holler, an Austrian born in 1921 near Wiener Neustadt,...
Wild About Britain: A Lifetime of Award-Winning Nature Writing
Book
A new collection of award-winning journalist and author Brian Jackman's nature and travel writings...
Noonday
Book
In Noonday, Pat Barker - the Man Booker-winning author of the definitive WWI trilogy, Regeneration -...
BookInspector (124 KP) rated Madam Tulip (Madam Tulip #1) in Books
Sep 24, 2020
More reviews at https://bbookinspector.wordpress.com
When I read the description of this book, I knew it is going to be a fun read, and I was right. This book was my first try of cosy mysteries and I really enjoyed this well deserved treat to my brains, after reading some intense psychological thrillers.
The blurb above, describes this book quite accurately. Derry is broke actress who is “teeny bit psychic”. So, when the chance comes to earn some (good) money out of it, she decided to try. But soon she got involved into murder “investigation”, where she knew more than the police.
The characters used in this book were very well chosen. This is a book about actors and celebrities, so, of course, there were some eccentric, artistic characters, whose charm and charisma has to shine. I really enjoyed the great balance between the “over the top” characters and the casual, “down to earth” ones. Ahern kept a wide variety of well rounded characters to choose from, so I think everyone can find their favourite one, according to their taste. My favourite was Derry; I loved her simple personality and sharp way of thinking, even though her parents are really crazy.
The plot of this novel was very entertaining and enjoyable. I liked the smooth flow of the story, with unexpected findings and turns. The whole story was told from Derry’s perspective, but that was fully sufficient to understand the characters well. As it says in the description below, Ahern grew up in a theatrical family, I think that is why the theatrical life details used in this novel were so accurate and detailed, and I absolutely enjoyed reading all those bits and pieces about actors and theatre.
The writing style of this novel is really pleasurable, filled with Irish spirit. The language used in this book is easy to read and understandable. The chapters are decent length, and divided into smaller parts as well, so it doesn’t drag along and didn’t leave me bored. The ending of the book was unexpected and filled with action, and left some unresolved issues, which, I believe, might come up in other books of Madam Tulip. So to conclude, I think this book was a great introduction to Madam Tulip and her capabilities, and I was very pleased to witness this metamorphosis. I really enjoyed all this extra-ordinariness combined with simplicity and casualness, and I think it is a great read for these cold autumn evenings.
Was given this book by Author for honest review.
When I read the description of this book, I knew it is going to be a fun read, and I was right. This book was my first try of cosy mysteries and I really enjoyed this well deserved treat to my brains, after reading some intense psychological thrillers.
The blurb above, describes this book quite accurately. Derry is broke actress who is “teeny bit psychic”. So, when the chance comes to earn some (good) money out of it, she decided to try. But soon she got involved into murder “investigation”, where she knew more than the police.
The characters used in this book were very well chosen. This is a book about actors and celebrities, so, of course, there were some eccentric, artistic characters, whose charm and charisma has to shine. I really enjoyed the great balance between the “over the top” characters and the casual, “down to earth” ones. Ahern kept a wide variety of well rounded characters to choose from, so I think everyone can find their favourite one, according to their taste. My favourite was Derry; I loved her simple personality and sharp way of thinking, even though her parents are really crazy.
The plot of this novel was very entertaining and enjoyable. I liked the smooth flow of the story, with unexpected findings and turns. The whole story was told from Derry’s perspective, but that was fully sufficient to understand the characters well. As it says in the description below, Ahern grew up in a theatrical family, I think that is why the theatrical life details used in this novel were so accurate and detailed, and I absolutely enjoyed reading all those bits and pieces about actors and theatre.
The writing style of this novel is really pleasurable, filled with Irish spirit. The language used in this book is easy to read and understandable. The chapters are decent length, and divided into smaller parts as well, so it doesn’t drag along and didn’t leave me bored. The ending of the book was unexpected and filled with action, and left some unresolved issues, which, I believe, might come up in other books of Madam Tulip. So to conclude, I think this book was a great introduction to Madam Tulip and her capabilities, and I was very pleased to witness this metamorphosis. I really enjoyed all this extra-ordinariness combined with simplicity and casualness, and I think it is a great read for these cold autumn evenings.
Was given this book by Author for honest review.
Snowdogs: Tails in Wales 2017
Games and Travel
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A pack of much-loved, 1.5m tall fibreglass Snowdogs are taking over streets, iconic buildings and...
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated This Is Where It Ends in Books
Feb 13, 2018
On a chilly day, the principal of Opportunity High School is giving a speech to her students, kicking off the new semester. The majority of the school is gathered in the auditorium, listening to her speak. As she finishes, they prepare to head to their next class, but the doors are stuck. Then, suddenly, someone begins to shoot.
The book is told from the viewpoint of a handful of kids (four) from Opportunity High and basically unfolds in less than a hour -- the time it takes for a horrific tragedy to fall upon their school and community. We hear from Sylvia and her twin brother Tomas. We also get the perspective of Autumn, Sylvia's best friend, who is struggling with the death of her mother and her abusive father, all the while watching her brother, Tyler, an Opportunity High dropout, drift away from her. Finally, we see things from Claire's perspective; a member of the track team - Claire is outside practicing when the tragedy begins, but worried about her brother Matt, who is inside.
I read this book in a few hours - its short time span makes it terrifying and you want to speed through to find out what happens to these kids. It's an all too horrifying and realistic account of what can happen with school shootings (and beware, some of the descriptions can be very graphic). The interwoven stories of the kids do a good job of telling the story and portraying the strong bond of family and friendship that can exist -- especially at the hyper-sensitive stage of high school, where everything truly does seem like life or death sometimes.
There's an added LGBT angle to this story, which is a nice twist, as it's very natural to the book. The kids' tales, overall, seem true to their voices, but some of the writing is stilted and tough to read (not from the subject matter, but the way it's written). The author overuses the play on words with "opportunity" far too much - it would have been better to just let the story play itself out. We get the parallels - no need to spell them out (over and over and over) for us.
Still, this is a powerful book - it's heartbreakingly lovely, really, and will leave you hoping and praying that no more children *ever* have to go through this experience. It's a worthy read, even if it leaves you hurting, but I would make sure you talk about it in detail with your teens. It's a tough subject matter that needs to be discussed.
(I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.)
The book is told from the viewpoint of a handful of kids (four) from Opportunity High and basically unfolds in less than a hour -- the time it takes for a horrific tragedy to fall upon their school and community. We hear from Sylvia and her twin brother Tomas. We also get the perspective of Autumn, Sylvia's best friend, who is struggling with the death of her mother and her abusive father, all the while watching her brother, Tyler, an Opportunity High dropout, drift away from her. Finally, we see things from Claire's perspective; a member of the track team - Claire is outside practicing when the tragedy begins, but worried about her brother Matt, who is inside.
I read this book in a few hours - its short time span makes it terrifying and you want to speed through to find out what happens to these kids. It's an all too horrifying and realistic account of what can happen with school shootings (and beware, some of the descriptions can be very graphic). The interwoven stories of the kids do a good job of telling the story and portraying the strong bond of family and friendship that can exist -- especially at the hyper-sensitive stage of high school, where everything truly does seem like life or death sometimes.
There's an added LGBT angle to this story, which is a nice twist, as it's very natural to the book. The kids' tales, overall, seem true to their voices, but some of the writing is stilted and tough to read (not from the subject matter, but the way it's written). The author overuses the play on words with "opportunity" far too much - it would have been better to just let the story play itself out. We get the parallels - no need to spell them out (over and over and over) for us.
Still, this is a powerful book - it's heartbreakingly lovely, really, and will leave you hoping and praying that no more children *ever* have to go through this experience. It's a worthy read, even if it leaves you hurting, but I would make sure you talk about it in detail with your teens. It's a tough subject matter that needs to be discussed.
(I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.)