Ataraxia

  A History of The World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage is an outstanding work, which was to be expected, seeing as the author has been – I am not sure if he still is – one of the editors of The Economist…I think he was in charge for the latest issue of The World in 2026, every year, they publish what they except to happen in the next, and I think they did not foresee the war against Iran, and the cataclysmic consequences, to grasp the size of the catastrophe, you could do no better than read The Economist – you have thousands of reviews on books recommended by this distinguished publication, also from The Greatest Books of All Timea and other pages on my blog https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/do-you-have-any-feedback.html   9 out of 10   This is a fabulous work, which takes a creative look at history – by the way, one of the mesmerizing, hilarious luminaries of America, H.L. Mencken, said that ‘historians are failed novelists’ https://realinibarzoi.blogs...

  Peaky Blinders by Steven Knight – this feature has had the premiere on Netflix a few days ago, and although I like Cillian Murphy and Barry Keoghan- Tim Roth was once glorious, especially in Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs, but also in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern   Are Dead, only recently I have seen him in anything worthwhile, or up to his best standard – this thriller was not satisfying, its Metascore is poor – you find thousands of notes on films from The New York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made and other sites, together with 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 and YouTube channel   6 out of 10   If we compare this with The Godfather https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/04/the-godfather-ii-by-mario-puzo-this.html then, let me think, there is nothing more to say is one thing, and then the other…why would we compare ...

  A Buyer’s Market by Anthony Powell 10 out of 10 This is the second novel in the twelve-novel series A Dance to the Music of Time. It reminds me of A La Recherche du Temps Perdu. It is magnificent, elaborate and very often hilarious. Like in a Psychology test, to put down feelings, words, adjectives associated with the exquisite experience of reading this book: majestic, British, superb, splendid, wonderful…nec plus ultra, but then there are another 10 volumes and I expect them to be at least as majestic as the first two. In fact, I love the British, not the ones we met drinking their brains out, but the gentlemen of the Victorian period, the ones from this novel, or from the stories of Somerset Maugham. Sometimes I wish I had lived in The Great British Empire, in the XIXth century, even if I haven’t quite made up my mind if in rainy Britain or in the Indies, or perhaps some other colonies. I laughed with tears at the beginning of A Buyer’s Market, when sugar is poured on Windmerp...

Fawlty Towers by John Cleese is the best comedy series of all time, if you ask me, it is one of the best according to others – you find thousands of notes on films from The New York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made and other sites, plus multitudes of reviews on books 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 and YouTube channel   10 out of 10   I think this is miraculous, indeed, as I write this, I realize I have to have a look again https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2024/11/fawlty-towers-by-john-cleese-one-of.html albeit you may not even heard of it, if you are young, and then more importantly, if you are extant, as in anybody reading this   Phenomenal John Cleese has the leading role of Basil Fawlty, an obnoxious, if hilarious hotel owner, manager, waiter, and jack of all trades in his business, he has created this spectacular show with his then wife, Connie ...

  67 out of 100 for Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets | realini

  The Order: Inside America's Racist Underground by Kevin Flynn, Gary Gerhardt has been adapted for the big screen, the result is very good, and this note is about the film, ergo there is a spoiler alert there already – I think this is very relevant in the world today, with the rise of MAGA and versions of it around the world – even here we have Simion, a sort of little Orange Twat, replica of the man who promised no wars and low prices, only to attack Iran and cause a meltdown – you have thousands of notes on films form The NYT 1,000 and other lists, plus a multitude of reviews of magnum opera from The GOAT and other lists on my blog https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/do-you-have-any-feedback.html and YouTube channel   7 out of 10   This narrative looks at the fundamentalists who are ready to use weapons, explosives to battle for their fanaticism – by the way, there is this definition ‘a fanatic will not change his mind and will not stop’ – they are ra...

  Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is one of The Best Books of All Time as complied by the most significant writers for The Bokklubben, it is also one of The 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read, and it is also ranked 15 th on The Greatest Books of All Time site…notwithstanding all that, it is not one of my favorites, and the recent adaptation for the big screen written and directed by Emerald Fennell does not help at all – you find thousands of reviews of magnum opera from the aforementioned lists, plus notes on films from The New York times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made and other pages on my blog https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/do-you-have-any-feedback.html and YouTube page, in case you are interested   7 out of 10   Wuthering Heights https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2024/12/wuthering-heights-by-emily-bronte.html is a compelling, classic chef d’oeuvre, a newer site, for The Greatest Books of All Time, which uses smart algorithms, presumably looking ...

The Testament of Ann Lee by Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold, directed by the latter is based on the book Testimonies of the Life, Character, Revelations and Doctrines of Mother Ann Lee, and the Elders With Her: Through Whom the Word of Eternal Life Was ... Living Witnesses, in Union With the Church by Rufus Bishop and a few other works mentioned at the end of the motion picture which I have enjoyed, and thus here is my take – you have another few thousand notes on films from The New York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made and other lists, plus more thousands of reviews on books from The Greatest Books of All Time and other sites on my blog https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/do-you-have-any-feedback.html   8 out of 10   The Testament of Ann Lee is an impressive achievement, Amanda Seyfried as Ann Lee is one of the main achievements here, I have seen her recently in The Housemaid https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2026/02/the-housemaid-by-freida-mcfadden-has.htm...

  Twentieth Century European Philosophy by Professor Ed Casey was in most ways beyond me, granted, I did not give it the attention it deserves, ergo there was not much left, but the following lines are supposed to muse about it – for notes on books from The Greatest Books of All Time and other sites you could visit my blog https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/do-you-have-any-feedback.html and/or YouTube channel   8 out of 10   I have read a few books of philosophy https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-dream-of-reason-history-of.html The Dream of Reason was one of the best, and most recently enjoyed, nonetheless, Twentieth Century European Philosophy was not my cup of tea, perhaps too specialized, and anyway, beyond my comprehension   I was going to say I am still in the ancient world from this point of view, but then most people have not reached that level – we were talking in the sauna, and one of those who are erudite, one of the best...

  Tanase Scatiu by Duiliu Zamfirescu is Donald Trump avant la lettre This was a big thing in my realm – maybe it still is, though I am not sure, tastes, curriculum change – nevertheless, it is obscure in other lands, on The Greatest Books of All Time site, the first local entry is Barefoot by Zaharia Stancu, on a place which is around the 1,300 mark – you find thousands of reviews on magnum opera from The GOAT and other lists on my blog https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/do-you-have-any-feedback.html and my YouTube channel, if you choose to accept it, as in Mission Impossible 7 out of 10   Tanase Scatiu was just like Trump:   -           ‘Mitocan si hot’, in translation rude and a scoundrel   Furthermore, their trajectory resembles, in that Tanase Scatiu – by the way, here is another look at this narrative https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2024/01/86-out-of-100-for-tanase-scatiu.html – starts b...

  Take a Girl Like You by Magister Ludi Kingsley Amis – he is my favorite author, along with Marcel Proust, Somerset Maugham, and I was going to say Take a Girl Like You is one of his best, except I would be wrong, I am enthused by all his magnum opera – indeed, there are about thirty notes on his novels and short stories, maybe even more, together with thousands of reviews on books 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   10 out of 10   I have read Take a Girl Like You https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/07/take-girl-like-you-by-kingsley-amis-one.html               a few years ago and was ecstatic, but then that is what happens when you read a novel or short story by the divine Kingsley Amis – this was his favorite and wrote that it was the only one…   He felt like writing a sequel to, and...

  Caught Stealing by Charlie Huston is one feature that I liked, nevertheless, maybe the note will not be impressive, since it is a cloudy, and what with the war in Iran, Middle East actually, seeing as the Gulf states, Lebanon are involved, these might be depressing lines…still, you could access my blog https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/do-you-have-any-feedback.html where you find thousands of notes on films from The New York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made and other sites, plus reviews of books from The GOAT and other lists   8 out of 10   This was some very good entertainment, furthermore, Austin Butler seems to be on the way to become one of my favorite thespians https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2024/01/elvis-and-me-true-story-of-love-between.html he certainly has charm, talent, an easy going way, inspiration, he can be funny and take on drama   He has the leading role of Hank Thompson in this tragicomedy, he falls in the middle of w...

  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...