Ataraxia

  The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, with the original title Le Scaphandre et Le Papillon, by Ronald Howard, based on the memoir by Jean -Dominique Bauby was nominated for four Oscars in 2008, including the ones for Best Achievement in Directing for Julian Schnabel, and for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay for Ronald Harwood, it is an outstanding work of art – 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, where my macaws help with the reviews   9 out of 10   Stumbling On Happiness https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2026/02/stumbling-on-happiness-by-david-gilbert.html by Harvard Professor Daniel Gilbert is a life changing book, it looks at what people think will make them happy, there is also The Hedonic Adaptation Effect, we adapt to almost anything and I was thinking about that   Consider...

  Kind Hearts and Coronets by Robert Hamer is on The New York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made list, it was remade recently as How To Make a Killing, but alas, the latter is quite disappointing – you have thousands of notes on films from the NYT 1,000 and other sites on my blog https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/do-you-have-any-feedback.html and YouTube channel, where the stars are my macaws   8 out of 10   I have already expressed some views on Kind Hearts and Coronets, although that was in the form of a video note, with my macaws in the background https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2026/04/note-on-kind-hearts-and-coronets.html now I am under the impression of the new adaptation – How to Make a Killing   Louis from the first, much better, version has now become Becket Redfellow, the antihero who is showing the audience How To Make a Killing, or better still, to abstain from any such temptation, seeing that he is about to die…we know this ea...

Note on Black Hawk Down, directed by Ridley Scott, with Sam Sheperd, Ewa... | realini

  The Letters of Seneca is one of the greatest works of philosophy, although it is ranked only 1034 th on The Greatest Books of All Time site, it is defiantly one of the Top 100 for me – 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 YouTube channel, where the stars are my macaws   10 out of 10   These are difficult times and we need Seneca https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/08/the-tao-of-seneca-by-seneca-one-of.html to help us through the war in Iran, blocking of the Hormuz strait, the expected crisis, albeit on another level, they said this before, and on many levels, we are doing so much better than in the past   In one of the books of jokes, there was this short description of various religions: Protestantism – shit won’t happen, if I work hard enough, Buddhism – is this really shit? Hinduism – this shit has happened before; C...

  Night of The Living Dead by John Russo, George Romero 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, where my macaws steal the show   5 out of 10   Flow https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/01/flow-by-mihaly-csikszentmihalyi.html is a classic of psychology by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, co -founder of positive psychology, that looks at what brings people to The Zone, makes them have Maximum Experiences and we have some rules, conditions we could learn   One is in control, concentration is formidable, we have clear meaningful goals, time changes its normal flow, we are challenged, in the area between burnout and boredom, feedback is constant and instant, it is an autotelic experience and I take those and check them with seeing Night of The Living Dead and it is no...

  L.A. Confidential by James Ellroy is one of the 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read, although on The Greatest Books of All Time site it is less prominent, in fact, it has two rankings: 2463 and 14776, and this makes me wonder if the algorithm there is insane, I have had qualms in the past, assuming that my taste is not in line with this GOAT page…nevertheless, you find thousands of reviews of magnum opera from the aforementioned and other lists on my blog https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/do-you-have-any-feedback.html   7 out of 10   I feel that with close to five hundred pages L.A. Confidential is too long, though I enjoyed the motion picture https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/08/la-confidential-based-on-novel-by-james.html some years ago, when I saw it: it has a Metascore of 91, which is fabulous, and it is the 126 th most popular with audiences   The book was acclaimed, which is the reason why it was adapted for the big screen, neverthe...

  The Kindly Ones by Anthony Powell is the sixth volume of the chef d’oeuvre A Dance to The Music of Time, one of Modern Library’s Top 100 Novels, also part of the 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read compilation, ranked 339 th on The Greatest Books of All Time site, and more important for this corner, it is one of my Top 50 Favorites – you have a few thousand reviews of magnum opera from the aforementioned and other pages on my blog   https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/do-you-have-any-feedback.html     10 out of 10   A Dance to The Music of Time is overwhelming https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2026/04/casanovas-chinese-restaurant-by-anthony.htmlat the second encounter, and I am sure it will me mesmerizing when I will read it for the third, or fourth time, Insha’Allah, if the war in Iran, the one in Ukraine and others do not prevent that   The Kindly Ones is full of surprises, meditation on life and death, even when combined with humo...

  Note on Kind Hearts and Coronets, with Alec Guiness, written, directed b... | realini

  Boccacio ’70 written and directed by Vittorio de Sica, Federico Fellini, Mario Monicelli and Luchino Visconti, based on the stories of Boccaccio – The Decameron is one of The Best 100 Books of All Time, albeit on the Bokklubben World Library list, while on The Greatest Books of All Time site, the algorithm places this at 124 th – you find thousands of notes on films from The New York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made and other lists, and reviews of magnum opera from the aforementioned and other sites on my blog https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/do-you-have-any-feedback.html and YouTube channel   7 out of 10   I have been exhilarated by Boccaccio https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2024/10/los-mejores-cuentos-eroticos-aka-best.html indeed, his Decameron is one of The Top 100 Best Books of All Time, or 124 th , if you consult the newer site, The Greatest Books of All Time, which is supposed to have a powerful algorithm   It was not just a qu...

  Sugarland Express by Hal Barwood, Matthew Robbins and Steven Spielberg, directed by the latter is one of The New York times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made, although I personally see at least ten other Spielberg works that would be better than this one, what am I saying there may be even thirty, nevertheless, this is not making it on my top 1,000 Favorites list…still, you find thousands of notes on motion pictures from the NYT 1,000 and other sites on my blog   https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/do-you-have-any-feedback.html and YouTube channel, where the macaws are the main (only) attraction   6 out of 10   Steven Spielberg has created more than twenty magnificent films https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/07/the-post-director-steven-spielberg.html if we count them, there may be more than thirty, some of them less well known, as The Post, but outstanding notwithstanding   Alas, Sugarland Express does not seem to be on the same magnitud...

  Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is one of the major books of the present, even if it is not yet clear how it will stand the test of time, indeed, I was checking its ranking on The Greatest Books of All Time site, and it has fallen four places, from 6915 th , where it was last time, when I posted my first take on this Science fiction blockbuster, it has more than one million three hundred thousand ratings on Goodreads, and it has been adapted for the big screen, where it is the number one success of the year, at least in box office terms…indeed, the reason why I put in a few more lines on the subject is that I watched the movie last night, with Hannah, my daughter – you find thousands of notes on films from The New York Times’ 1,000 Best Movies Ever Made and other lists on my blog https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/do-you-have-any-feedback.html   7 out of 10   Project Hail Mary https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2026/04/project-hail-mary-by-andy-weir-is-...

  Journey Into Fear by Eric Ambler is one of The 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read – the author has two other books there, I have reviewed Epitaph for a Spy and The Mask of Dimitrios and thousands of other magnum opera from the aforementioned list, The Greatest Books of All Time and other pages on my blog https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/do-you-have-any-feedback.html and YouTube channel, where my macaws are the main attraction     8 out of 10   I have read and enjoyed Epitaph for a Spy https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/11/epitaph-for-spy-by-eric-ambler-is.html by Eric Ambler, which is also included on the list of 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read, indeed, with Journey Into Fear I have come to the end of the triathlon, no more Ambler among the 1,000 You Must Read left for me   This was a good novel, fortunately, the audiobook version has an excellent reader, and he kept me on board, I tend to miss when it comes into that form – my ma...

  Tropic Thunder by Justin Theroux, Ben Stiller, directed by the latter, it was nominated for an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, for Robert Downey Jr., at the Golden Globes, both Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise were nominated for the same thing, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role – there are thousands of notes on films from The New York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made and other lists waiting for you on my blog (and they will be waiting for ever, without success, I just realized) https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/do-you-have-any-feedback.html and YouTube channel   8 out of 10   This is a crazy, good, original comedy, a bit over the top at times (or for most of the duration) but in many parts, quite funny, even Tom Cruise https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2024/09/eyes-wide-shut-by-stanley-kubrick.html has abandoned Ethan Hunt and has an unusual performance, as a fat bold tycoon…   Incidentally, I...

  Casanova’s Chinese Restaurant by Anthony Powell is the fifth volume of the chef d’oeuvre A Dance To The Music of Time, one of The Modern Library’s Top 100 Novels, and part of the 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read compilation, it sits at 339 th on The Greatest Books of All Time site, and more importantly for this obscure corner, it is one of my Top 50 Favorites – you have thousands of reviews of magnum opera from the aforementioned and other sites waiting for you on my blog https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/do-you-have-any-feedback.html and YouTube channel if you prefer   10 out of 10   A Dance to The Music of Time https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2026/04/the-acceptance-world-by-anthony-powell.html is spectacular when read for the second time, but I just realized it will be blissful when taken on for the third, sometime in the next few years, and since I prophesize here, why not speak of the fourth round…   One of the fabulous aspects is ho...

  Life With Father by Howard Lindsay was the 1948 Nominee for The Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role, for William Powell, he was nominated for another three Academy Awards and other trophies, it is also 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 pages, together with 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   9 out of 10   Life With Father is a very good comedy, I am not sure if it would make it on my Top 1,000 Features, but then it might, one thousand productions seems like a big number – in those years, I have only seen 801 from The NYT 1,000, although there are more than 5k notes on films from other sites on my blogs and YouTube channel   A Voyage Round My Father https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/a-voyage-round-my-father-by-john.html comes to m...

  Erotic Tales by Alberto Moravia, the outstanding author of the chef d’oeuvre Contempt aka Disprezzo, translated as Ghost at Noon, which sits at 48 on Le Monde’s Top 100 books of The Century, it is also one of the 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read, The Greatest Books of All Time’s   algorithm has it lower than I even deign to put here…nevertheless, it is one of my Top 100 Favorites – you have thousands of reviews of magnum opera from the aforementioned and other sites on my blog https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/do-you-have-any-feedback.html and YouTube channel, where my macaws are of more interest   8 out of 10   Contempt https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/02/contempt-by-alberto-moravia.html is a magnum opus, and if we are to compare that with Erotic Tales, then the latter would be dismissed, indeed, it is conceivably wrong to come to it with too high expectations, because one would be disappointed, and then there is   Daniel Kahnem...