Archive for fag box reviews
Back of fag box book review – As God Commands by Niccolo Ammaniti
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Text of review reads:
To think of Italy is to conjur up images of beautiful women, wonderful scenery and mouth watering food. The Italy portrayed in this book is very different. We follow the lives of a cast of characters in a small Italian village over a period of 6 days. They are a sorry bunch living desperate lives in an economically depressed area.
The introduction to 13 year old Cristiano and his alcoholic father, Rino, gives some measure of what is to come. The boy is woken from his sleep and ordered to shoot a dog to stop its incessant barking. Despite the boy living in terror of his father, he truly loves him.
Rino and his drinking buddies hatch a plan to rob an ATM believing it will lead to a better life. The story moves at a breathtaking pace leading up to the night of the robbery and the tragedy that unfolds. Violent, tragic, tender, melancholic, loving, brutal & humourous are all words that spring to mind as I try to sum up this stunning example of human emotions in raw form.
An absolute gem.
Rating 5 out of 5
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Back of fag box book review – The Man inside the Jacket by Mr. Tayto
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Despite being the most loved snack food in Ireland, we dont know much about the man whose face has been smiling happily from bags of crisps in Ireland for over 50 years.
Many people cite Bill Cullen’s rags to riches story as being an example for all entrepreneurs to follow. The Mr. Tayto story gives oul penny apple man a run for his money.
For the first time ever, we get an insight into the life of this enigmatic icon. Written in plain language and with plenty of photographs sprinkled throughout, Mr Tayto tells it all with help from the men behind Podge and Rodge.
The book is a limited edition and for under six quid it’s a bargain. A contribution from the sale goes to Aware as well. Just buy it.
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Back of fag box film review – Where the Wild Things Are
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The average nine year old boy has a very active imagination. Max, the star of this film is no exception. He goes on an attention seeking bender one evening and ends up biting his mother.
Running out of the house, he reaches a lake and sails away to a magical land where he meets up with a bunch of big furry creatures who crown him their king.
Max is happy for a while in this new world of his own creation but things soon change…
What could have been a magical, wondrous and heartwarming expression of childhood imagination is, instead, a slow lumbering train wreck of wooden dialogue, hidden meaning and dark thoughts wrapped up in a big black knot of adult neuroses. I have never been as disappointed in a film as I was with this.
Rating 1 star out of 5.
Extra note: Saw this in IMAX format on trip to NYC and the only thing that kept me in the cinema was the massive cup of diet coke and the truckload of popcorn to get through. Which leads to the question – why on earth do portion sizes need to be so big in the USA?
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Back of fag box book review – Tickling the English by Dara O’Briain
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Text of review reads:
The successor to the crown of England’s favourite Irishman will surely be taken by Dara O’Briain when the time comes for Terry Wogan to take a permanent lie down in a darkened room.
The English need a funny Irishman as much as their stiff upper lip. O’Briain’s book sheds a bit more light on a country and its people from the point of view of a comedian on a countrywide tour.
His account is fast paced, witty, intelligent and informative. We learn a lot about Dara and the craft of comedian as well as England and the English. A must read for anyone living on ‘these islands’.
Rating 5 out of 5 stars.
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Back of fag box book review – Chutzpah : Unlocking the Maverick Mindset for Success
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Chutzpah. Ask 100 people for a definition and you’ll get many different definitions. Some will be positive, others negative.
The majority will say it’s a get up and go, can do attitude. This is the Chutzpah evident in the book. Its 200 pages are filled with inspiring business success stories.
The common thread among them all is that the people behind the stories had big dollops of Chutzpah that made the difference between success and failure.
This is the perfect antidote to the doom and gloom stories that dominate the media. Highly recommended as an idea generator for anyone in business or considering starting one.
Rating : 5 out of 5 stars.
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