Ataraxia

  The Marriage Proposal by Anton Chekhov   I listened to the play, in which the greatest Romanian actor- George Constantin plays the role of the father and this made my day. I am in the search for an optimal reading plan and experience. Instead of reading books that do not provide me with the best positive emotions and pleasure, even if they have been listed among the best, I should read the works that are both meaningful and enjoyable, from my point of view. For a few months I have been struggling with the Man Without Qualities which does not appeal to me, even if it is considered to be one of the best books ever, although my method is to read from a variety of books, each and every single day. Sadly, it is also the case with Ulysses, which is for many the very best book ever. On the other hand, there are diamonds, like this short work of Chekhov, which are both appreciated by the scholars and pleasurable to me and so I end up with the best of both worlds. This is an ideal wo...

  An Unfinished Piece for Mechanical Piano, adapted from Anton Chekhov and directed by Nikita Mikhalkov 10 out of 10 An Unfinished Piece for Mechanical Piano does not figure on the New York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made list -  https://www.listchallenges.com/new-york-times-best-1000-movies-ever-made/list/24  - and appears to have been largely ignored, in spite of the fact that it looks like a classic – it was here, in our land, though that may also be due in large part to the strange name and the fact that the then soviet Union, where they made this glorious film – and not much else of value we could argue falsely and sardonically – was one of the few sources of entertainment behind the Iron curtain, where we could not exactly say well, let us watch some Hollywood fare (wait a minute, maybe that was a good thing, considering the avalanche of Avengers, Cats that asphyxiate audiences now) tonight, for a change… The Unfinished Piece is based on Anton Chekhov, the genius...

  Silence, based on the novel by Shusaku Endo, directed and written by Martin Scorsese I am not sure why this film has not enjoyed more recognition and acclaim: -            Was it because it is 2 hours and 41 minutes long? -            Maybe it is the suffering that is portrayed within? -            On the other hand, the metascore for this work is 79 -            Which means critics have been very favorable -            But not members of the Academy This motion picture has so many strong points: -            It is a phenomenal story about calling -            Resilience is also in evidence throughout the plot -     ...

  Married to the Mob, written by Barry Strugatz and Mark Burns Eight out of 10 Although this comedy is included on The New York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made List  https://www.listchallenges.com/new-york-times-best-1000-movies-ever-made/list/14  - has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Golden Globes and won other trophies, this cinephile has seen very little to be blissful about. The director, stupendous Jonathan Demme, has been at the helm of the ultimate classic, Silence of the Lambs  http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/03/silence-of-lambs-based-on-book-by.html To add to this resounding name, the cast is equally resplendent, with radiant Michelle Pfeiffer in the leading role, though with a performance that is not on the level she enchanted the audiences with in Wolf, costarring with transcendent Jack Nicholson  http://realini.blogspot.com/2017/06/wolf-with-jack-nicholson-directed-by.html  or the magnificent The Age of Innocence with equally sublim...

  Bande à Part aka Band of Outsiders by Jean-Luc Godard Another 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/ This is acclaimed as one of the best films. TIME Magazine has included it among the best 100 movies, which is available here: -            http://entertainment.time.com/2005/02/12/all-time-100-movies/slide/all/ The plot is rather simple. The directness of the narrative probably adds to its attractiveness. Band of Outsiders is an adaptation of the novel Fool’s Gold and it is a Nouvelle Vague film, the French: -             New Wave Movement Two partners in crime, called Arthur and Franz want to rob a house and at the start of the film...

  The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux Enticing subject, on the list of Anthony Burgess’ best books but alas, I did not enjoy it The idea of going to live into the jungle appeals to me and I would say many other readers and I just hope that others love the book. -            I didn’t That says more about my idiosyncrasies than about a book that is one of the favorites of a great author. It was also made into a movie with Harrison ford in the main role, but without much success with the critics. In way it is odd that I did not fall for this work, which takes a family to the end or the beginning of the earth. Not only I love the thought of going to a natural paradise, but I sort of did myself, by moving out of the capital. Not exactly into a pristine, unspoiled environment, but still it felt like Far from the Madding Crowd and Into the Wild. The main problem in this novel is the hero, as I see it. He is a genius all right, but a very ob...

  The New Life of Paul Sneijder, based on the novel by Jean-Paul Dubois There is only one chance in a billion to have an event like the one that lays the foundation for this film. An elevator accident starts the New Life of Paul Sneijder Thierry Lhermitte is excellent in the leading role. Alas, neither his performance nor the movie have attracted almost any attention. Only one user of IMDB has bothered to write a few words and the same number of critics have noted on it… We are doubling that figure, here and now. If one is to sum this narrative, it could be under the banner of Coping with Adversity and Trauma… This is one important area of Positive Psychology and there are two ways out of a trauma, one much more common than the other: Most men and women that have the tragic experience of losing someone close suffer from what is called: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder There is also a phenomenon called… Post Traumatic Growth. The hero of this film, Paul Sneijder, is starting a new lif...

  The Present and The Past by Ivy Compton Burnett was recommended by Magister Ludi Kingsley Amis as a masterpiece, although I could not find it on The Greatest Books of All time site – there is another issue there, even Manservant and Maidservant, a magnum opus, is only 2972 nd there, nevertheless, we have it among the 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read and more importantly for this place, it is one of my Top 200 – advertising: you have more than five thousand reviews of magnum opera from the aforementioned and other sites, together with notes on films from The New York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made and other lists on my blog and YouTube channel https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/do-you-have-any-feedback.html     8 out of 10   Manservant and Maidservant https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/08/manservant-and-maidservant-by-ivy.html by Ivy Compton Burnett is one of The 1,000 Movies Ever Made and I have found it wondrous, ergo one solid reason...