Ataraxia

  Crime 101 by Don Winslow was adapted for the big screen by the author and Bart Layton, the latter is the director; the result is a good, if not overwhelming thriller – you find thousands of notes on films from The New York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made   and other sites on my blog https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/do-you-have-any-feedback.html and YouTube channel, which has about ten subscribers   7 out of 10   Crime 101 is entertaining, and that should be the whole ‘review’, except I will keep adding lines to this, with the knowledge that few, if any bother reading this, and that is also some solace, it means freedom to say just about anything…well, saying what I think about the Orange Twat in the White House got me kicked out   Barry Keoghan is not the lead here, but this thespian is outstanding, he has such a wide range, from The Banshees of Inisherin https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/03/the-banshees-of-inisherin.html to ...

  Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis Great novel - When did I see Elmer Gantry? - Was it twenty years ago? I was anyway impressed by the magnificent Burt Lancaster in the title role. In my memory though, the movie is different from the book. That happens almost always, but in this case I remember a preacher that is strong, manly and likable. Whereas the novel created outrage among the clergy. That was because Gantry, and not just him, is coming out as sinful and depraved. Not always, but I tend to say most of the time. That makes the reading so much more interesting. A complex personage is way more inciting than a human that has only one side, good or bad. The evolution of Elmer Gantry is intriguing and perhaps he can work also as an example in church lessons: -  Look, this is what happens if you sin and err. And the reverend is a strong man, both physically and spiritually...well, the latter in some situations. It is amazing to see how hard he falls and then he jumps back and cli...

  The Tender Trap by Max Shulman and Robert Paul Smith is one of The New York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made – you find thousands of notes on films from The NYT 1,000 and other lists on my blog https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/do-you-have-any-feedback.html and YouTube channel, plus a multitude of book reviews   8 out of 10   Frank Sinatra has the leading role of Charlie Reader in this comedy, a sort of Casanova https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/06/memoirs-of-casanova-by-giacomo-casanova.html which I understand Sinatra himself was, albeit I am biased and tend to believe rumors on this matter, or even think I have rea about it   He was also alleged to be the inspiration for the singer in The Godfather, Johnny Fontane, the one who comes at the wedding to complain, Don Corleone gives him a lesson, to the effect of ‘be a man’, and then intervenes on his behalf, the director of the film refuses to give him a role, and then he gets the in...

  The Commitments by Roddy Doyle is one of The 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read according to one critic, albeit it is just 3777 th on The Greatest Books of All Time site – you find thousands of reviews on magnum opera from both and other lists on my blog https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/do-you-have-any-feedback.html   9 out of 10   “This is one of the fantastic, hilarious and short marvels that you can finish in just a few hours, wishing at the same time that there would be more, included for perfect reasons on The Guardian’s 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read list” – this is how ecstatic I was some years ago, when I had the chance to read this for the first time https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-commitments-by-roddy-doyle-10-out.html   Alas, on this second take, I was not so elated, even if I discovered that quite a few books will gain when somebody else reads them, audiobooks that is, in this particular case, the actor is also a ta...

  Clockwise by Michael Frayn is a wonderful comedy with John Cleese in the leading role, he is one of the best comedians ever, just as Michael Frayn is a talented writer – you find thousands of notes on films from The New York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made and other sites, and reviews of magnum opera from The Greatest Books of All time and other lists on my blog https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/do-you-have-any-feedback.html   8 out of 10   John Cleese was a member of the best comedy group of all time https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/05/monty-pythons-life-of-brian-bymonty.html Monty Python -one important publication, I think it was Time Out, has listed Monty Python’s Life of Brian as number one among the crème de la crème   In Clockwise he has the role of Brian Stimpson, an obsessive-compulsive headmaster, who is towering over his school – John Cleese is very tall I gather – and he has this system, watching everything and using amp...

  The Driver’s Seat by Muriel Spark, included on the list of 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read, along with the celebrated The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie  http://realini.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-prime-of-miss-jean-brodie-by-muriel.html 8 out of 10     Muriel Spark seems to have a penchant for outré characters and Lise from The Driver’s Seat is one of the most awkward we can meet, we may think of To The Hermitage by Malcolm Bradbury, who writes that the literary life is much more interesting than the physical one, for we meet much more vivid, wiser, intense personages, the events are way more vibrant and challenging, and besides, we can access all these from the house, or even bed – not in those words, but I hope to this effect -  http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/09/to-hermitage-by-malcolm-bradbury-author.html  and this novel is a wild ride   Lise is one of the most intriguing figures we can find, though on the other hand, there is plenty to observe outside...