Ataraxia

  The Horse’s Mouth by Joyce Cary Eight out of 10 This novel has made this reader face a quandary, for on the one hand it is included on The New York Times’ 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read list -  https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/jan/23/bestbooks-fiction  - in the Comedy section no less, and it is evident from the short, introductory essay and the first pages that this is indeed a respectable, formidable book, but on the other hand, the under signed has not been able to enjoy it and, fearing further dissatisfaction and perhaps even boredom, due to his limited capabilities and not because the comic work is in any way less radiant, worthy of worship that would be necessary to meet the golden standard of such an exquisite literati as myself… Indeed, the hero of the narrative makes clear from the start that he is someone whose endeavors and adventures are worth following – alas, if you pay attention only and not if you keep thinking…oh, this book is rather long, what if...

  Crazy, Stupid, Love by Dan Fogelman 7.7 out of 10 Crazy, Stupid, Love is at times just that: Lovely, but also rather silly in many scenes. Ryan Gosling has been nominated for a Golden Globe. Nevertheless, his performance as Jacob has not been so illustrious, if you ask this cinephile. Plus, he was nominated for a leading role and the main character here is Cal, aka the amusing, charming Steve Carell. In the opening scenes, we have one of the highlights of the comedy. Cal is having dinner with his wife, Emily aka the always formidable Julianne Moore. She has something very serious, rather calamitous on her mind. Meanwhile, Cal is just concerned with the menu, if they would share a dessert. Aggravated, his spouse almost shouts:  I want a divorce! This is a thunderbolt or perhaps an asteroid hitting the man on the head. Crushed, he would not speak. But if would learn, while they drive back home, about his wife's infidelity. She has had sex with David Lindhagen aka Kevin Bacon. ...

  Telling Lies in America by Joe Eszterhas 8.5 out of 10 Telling Lies in America is the kind of motion picture that does not have the acclaim, popularity and the large audience it deserves. It is not Some Like It Hot, but it is a very good, thought provoking film...to some extent anyway. Just as the film deserved more attention and praise, Brad Renfro, the splendid actor that plays the part of Karchy "Chucky" Jonas, should have been included in the gallery of actors with important roles. Karchy is the hero of the feature, who has arrived in America as a refugee, together with his father, Doctor Istvan Jonas, portrayed by the iconic Maximilian Schell. The mother has died in a refugee camp and father and son hope that they will get the American citizenship, once they pass - Insha'Allah - the test. The hero seems to have developed a defense mechanism that involves making up stories, lying, forging some cards, although not for material gain. In fact, he would be repelled and ...

  Where the Truth Lies, adapted and directed by Atom Egoyan A different version of this note and thoughts on other books are available at: -               https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEVa4_CsRStSBBDo4uJWT8BSWtTTn0N1E   and    http://realini.blogspot.ro/ It seems that critics have not been thrilled by this drama, crime story. But I liked it. And yesterday, it kept me interested for the second time. The director is very good and I thought the cast excellent. In fact, I was wondering why is it that I did not see the actress in the lead role of the journalist  Karen O'Connor in other movies. Her name is Alison Lohman and she did an exceptional job in Where the Truth Lies. The other quandary regards Kevin Bacon, who plays a celebrity, showman called Lanny. He has acted brilliantly in so many films and yet almost all have been just supportive roles. He was so popular and connect...

  Ikigai by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles Nine out of 10     Ikigai means reason for being, perhaps meaning of life would stretch it too far, but positive psychology studies have shown that pursuing your goals brings happiness, as explained by the How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky   - Happiness Activity No 10: Committing to Your Goals-picking one, two or three significant goals that are meaningful to you and devoting time and effort to pursue them…   The ten rules of Ikigai would be one, to  keep busy , indeed, the Japanese do not have the word retirement apparently, two,  take it slow   – when they talk about exercises, the experts in this art insist on the fact that it not the intense activities that others seem to recommend (I know of a BBC documentary in which they insisted that one minute of extreme exertion, very intense, near maximum effort would bring in immense rewards) but moving all the time, small, but continuous mo...