Week in Review #29

  

This week I read eight books.

75. Time Travelling with a Hamster. Ross Welford. 2015. 400 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, mg fiction, mg speculative fiction, time travel, mg science fiction]

Read this if...

• You enjoy time travel
• You enjoy coming of age stories
• You enjoy family stories with a strong grandparent-grandchild bond

76. The Two Towers. (Lord of the Rings) J.R.R. Tolkien. 1954/1965. Houghton Mifflin. 352 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, audio book, adult fantasy, adult classic]

Read this if...

• You enjoy fantasy novels
• You loved the movies
• You love quests

77. Beezus and Ramona. Beverly Cleary. 1955. HarperCollins. 208 pages. [Source: Library] [Star rating: 5/5] [audio book, j realistic fiction]
Read this if...

• You love Beverly Cleary
• You enjoy children's classics
• You enjoy family drama
• You enjoy humor

 75. Lone Wolf On Vacation. Kiah Thomas. Illustrated by K-Fai Steele. 2025. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, early chapter book, early reader]

Read this if....

• You enjoy early chapter books
• You enjoy series books
• You enjoy humor
• You are an introvert

76. Lone Wolf Goes to the Library. Kiah Thomas. Illustrated by K-fai Steele. 2025. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, early chapter book, series book, animal fantasy]

Read this if...

• You enjoy early chapter books
• You enjoy series books
• You enjoy humor
• You are an introvert
• You love books about reading

77. Cool Buds To the Rescue (I Can Read Comics Level 3). Barbara Lehman. 2025. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, early graphic novel]

Read this if...

• You enjoy early graphic novels
• You enjoy simple stories

78. Zebra and Yak The Backwards Alphabet Book. Paul Friedrich. 2025. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, humor, picture book]

Read this if...

• You enjoy humorous picture books
• You enjoy a good spin on traditional alphabet books

56. This Promised Land. Cathy Gohlke. 2025. 358 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, christian fiction, general fiction, family]

Read this if...

• You enjoy christian fiction
• You enjoy family stories, multi-generational family stories
• You enjoy books with older heroines

Century of Viewing #29
1960s

• 1963 It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. I watched the extended edition this time. I preferred the other, I think. This was a little too long for my liking though I appreciated hearing a phone conversation between Buster Keaton and Spencer Tracy. A race for loot is how to simply describe this one.

1980s

• 1988 High Spirits. I am SO conflicted. This one has some great scenes in it--very comical, over-the-top silly. It also has some adult scenes--yes it's PG-13, but I think it seemed more adult than that. So the plot....well, a man is about to lose his country estate and so he's trying to promote it as a HAUNTED hotel. He has his staff pretend to be ghosts...and then real ghosts show up.

2000s

• 2001 The Time Machine. There were scenes I definitely enjoyed. I am so glad I watched this one instead of just reading the negative reviews. I didn't love absolutely everything about it, mind you, but it was entertaining. This is a very loose adaptation of the H.G. Wells novel.

2010s

• 2011 Batman: Year One (animated) I have begun exploring animated Batman movies. This one is based on a comic book, I believe. It is 'year one' of Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon being in Gotham City and being troubled by injustice. This is before Batman is BATMAN. It follows a year--so there are dated segments. Though animated, it is not a 'kids' movie. I enjoyed this one.
• 2012, Dark Knight Returns, part one (animated) This is another animated Batman movie. This one is set DECADES later. Gordon and Batman, I believe, are in their 70s, I believe. Batman has retired...and Gordon is about to retire. But crime is out of control, and, Two-Face has returned as well. Can Batman come out of retirement long enough to defeat the Mutants. 
• 2013, Dark Knight Returns, part two (animated) This is another animated Batman movie....the second half of Dark Knight Returns. This one features elderly Batman still trying to Batman. It sees JOKER and SUPERMAN. Also violence and cotton candy. I don't love the violence necessarily, but it was interesting to see this these two movies. 
• 2019 Secret Life of Pets 2. Animated. I really enjoyed this one so much. I don't remember enjoying the first one as much as this second one oddly enough. But this one was SO great. Plenty of cats. It had depth and substance as well. Definitely recommend this one.
  

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

77. Beezus and Ramona

   

77. Beezus and Ramona. Beverly Cleary. 1955. HarperCollins. 208 pages. [Source: Library] [Star rating: 5/5] [audio book, j realistic fiction]

First sentence: Beezus felt that the biggest trouble with four-year-old Ramona was that she was just plain exasperating. If Ramona drank lemonade through a straw, she blew into the straw as hard as she could to see what would happen.

Unlike other books in the Ramona series, this one is narrated by Beezus. Like all other books in the Ramona series, it has a just-right feel about it. Beverly Cleary's greatest talent may be in her capturing what it feels like to be a kid.

Beezus, as you probably know, is Ramona's big sister. Ramona does steal the show in almost every book in which she appears. There's something unforgettable about her. But though the focus is on Ramona, this is still very much Beezus' book. It captures how she feels about her family, about Ramona.

"Beezus and Her Little Sister." Ramona LOVES, LOVES, LOVES to have The Littlest Steam Shovel read to her. Her parents are unwilling to read it to her--they have come to have no tolerance for it. But Beezus, well, she'll read it to Ramona, not that she likes it, but, she'll give in now and then. She gets the idea to take Ramona to the library to get a brand new book--for two weeks. Ramona picks a new book, but, it is still about steam shovels. She likes it so much, that she does something NAUGHTY so she can keep it for always. What will Beezus do since it was checked out on her card? Just how sympathetic will the librarian be?

"Beezus and Her Imagination" Beezus is in an art class. Ramona isn't supposed to be in the class with her, she's supposed to be playing outside in the sandbox. But on this occasion, Beezus finds Ramona in class with her. Could she get inspired by her sister's imaginary pet?! Could she earn her teacher's attention?!

"Ramona and Ribsy" Beezus invites Henry Huggins (and his dog, Ribsy) to her house to play checkers. It doesn't go well. Both Ribsy and Ramona have fits of sorts. And Ribsy ends up locked in the bathroom?! Beezus wishes Ramona was more like other people's sisters.

"Ramona and the Apples" Beezus is supposed to be watching Ramona while their mother does the grocery shopping. But. Ramona proves too much to handle. She sneaks into the basement and has her way with all the apples...taking one bite and just one bite from each apple. Will Beezus get in trouble? Can anything good come from all those ruined apples?

"A Party at the Quimbys" Ramona decides to have a party and invite other kids over to the house--without permission of course. What will Beezus and their mother do? This one ends in a parade. Among the guests, Howie and Willa Jean.

"Beezus's Birthday" Will Beezus have a cake for her tenth birthday?! It might not be as easy as you might think. Not with Ramona around. But with a little help from Aunt Beatrice, all might be well after all. Hint: If you have a sister like Ramona, don't read the story of Hansel and Gretel to her when your cake is in the oven!

I love the Ramona series. I do. I love, love, love the Ramona books. I think I read them dozens of more times than the Little House books. (I've recently reread these too.) I'm not sure Beezus and Ramona is my favorite of the series, but, it's a great start to a great series.

 

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

76. LOTR: Two Towers

   

 

76. The Two Towers. (Lord of the Rings) J.R.R. Tolkien. 1954/1965. Houghton Mifflin. 352 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, audio book, adult fantasy, adult classic]

First sentence: Aragorn sped on up the hill. Every now and again he bent to the ground. Hobbits go light, and their footprints are not easy even for a Ranger to read, but not far from the top a spring crossed the path, and in the wet earth he saw what he was seeking.

I am still enjoying my reread of Lord of the Rings. The Two Towers consists of books three and four. On this reread, I am listening to the audio book. It is narrated by Andy Serkis. The biggest difference, for me, is that I've switched up how I feel about books three and four. ON audio, I much preferred book four to book three. In print, I think I love both books, but love the third one perhaps a bit more. No matter print or audio, I ADORE SAM.

 
The fellowship has been broken, and, as a result the narrative has been completely split. The fourth book follows the adventures of Sam and Frodo (and Gollum).  The third book follows the adventures of everyone else: Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, etc.

The book opens with some drama: Merry and Pippin have been taken! Boromir has fallen valiantly in battle trying to protect them. He confesses all to Aragorn moments before he dies. (But the movie does it even better. That death scene in the extended edition is SOMETHING.)

Aragorn knelt beside him. Boromir opened his eyes and strove to speak. At last slow words came. ‘I tried to take the Ring from Frodo,’ he said. ‘I am sorry. I have paid.’ His glance strayed to his fallen enemies; twenty at least lay there. ‘They have gone: the Halflings: the Orcs have taken them. I think they are not dead. Orcs bound them.’ He paused and his eyes closed wearily. After a moment he spoke again. ‘Farewell, Aragorn! Go to Minas Tirith and save my people! I have failed.’ ‘No!’ said Aragorn, taking his hand and kissing his brow. ‘You have conquered. Few have gained such a victory. Be at peace! Minas Tirith shall not fall!’ Boromir smiled. ‘Which way did they go? Was Frodo there?’ said Aragorn. But Boromir did not speak again.

The company also learns that Sam and Frodo have left, have "broken" the fellowship. The mission has changed without a doubt, but the remaining members still have purpose.

‘The rumour of the earth is dim and confused,’ he said. ‘Nothing walks upon it for many miles about us. Faint and far are the feet of our enemies. But loud are the hoofs of the horses. It comes to my mind that I heard them, even as I lay on the ground in sleep, and they troubled my dreams: horses galloping, passing in the West. But now they are drawing ever further from us, riding northward. I wonder what is happening in this land!’ ‘Let us go!’ said Legolas. 

They decide to pursue the orcs and attempt a rescue of the hobbits. In their quest to save Merry and Pippin, they meet an old friend in a surprising place!

In addition to meeting an old friend, readers also meet some new characters: Treebeard, Éomer, Théoden, and Éowyn. Merry and Pippin encounter the Ents! Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, (and Gandalf) go to Rohan. I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this third book.

The fourth book concerns Frodo, Sam, Gollum. Readers meet Boromir's brother as well. It's good, very good. But I can't help thinking that it is largely redeemed by SAM.

Favorite quotes:

Gimli ground his teeth. ‘This is a bitter end to our hope and to all our toil!’ he said. ‘To hope, maybe, but not to toil,’ said Aragorn.  

‘Awake! Awake!’ he cried. ‘It is a red dawn. Strange things await us by the eaves of the forest. Good or evil, I do not know; but we are called. Awake!’

‘You may say this to Théoden son of Thengel: open war lies before him, with Sauron or against him. None may live now as they have lived, and few shall keep what they call their own.

The world is all grown strange. Elf and Dwarf in company walk in our daily fields; and folk speak with the Lady of the Wood and yet live; and the Sword comes back to war that was broken in the long ages ere the fathers of our fathers rode into the Mark! How shall a man judge what to do in such times?’ ‘As he ever has judged,’ said Aragorn. ‘Good and ill have not changed since yesteryear; nor are they one thing among Elves and Dwarves and another among Men. It is a man’s part to discern them, as much in the Golden Wood as in his own house.’ ‘True indeed,’ said Éomer. ‘But I do not doubt you, nor the deed which my heart would do. Yet I am not free to do all as I would. It is against our law to let strangers wander at will in our land, until the king himself shall give them leave, and more strict is the command in these days of peril.

There are some things that it is better to begin than to refuse, even though the end may be dark.

There are Ents and Ents, you know; or there are Ents and things that look like Ents but ain’t, as you might say. I’ll call you Merry and Pippin, if you please – nice names. For I am not going to tell you my name, not yet at any rate.’ A queer half-knowing, half-humorous look came with a green flicker into his eyes. ‘For one thing it would take a long while: my name is growing all the time, and I’ve lived a very long, long time; so my name is like a story. Real names tell you the story of the things they belong to in my language, in the Old Entish as you might say. It is a lovely language, but it takes a very long time to say anything in it, because we do not say anything in it, unless it is worth taking a long time to say, and to listen to.

‘Of course, it is likely enough, my friends,’ he said slowly, ‘likely enough that we are going to our doom: the last march of the Ents. But if we stayed at home and did nothing, doom would find us anyway, sooner or later. That thought has long been growing in our hearts; and that is why we are marching now. 

‘My name!’ said the old man again. ‘Have you not guessed it already? You have heard it before, I think. Yes, you have heard it before. But come now, what of your tale?’ The three companions stood silent and made no answer. ‘There are some who would begin to doubt whether your errand is fit to tell,’ said the old man. ‘Happily I know something of it. You are tracking the footsteps of two young hobbits, I believe. Yes, hobbits. Don’t stare, as if you had never heard the strange name before. You have, and so have I. Well, they climbed up here the day before yesterday; and they met someone that they did not expect. Does that comfort you? And now you would like to know where they were taken? Well, well, maybe I can give you some news about that. But why are we standing? Your errand, you see, is no longer as urgent as you thought. Let us sit down and be more at ease.’  

They all gazed at him. His hair was white as snow in the sunshine; and gleaming white was his robe; the eyes under his deep brows were bright, piercing as the rays of the sun; power was in his hand. Between wonder, joy, and fear they stood and found no words to say. At last Aragorn stirred. ‘Gandalf!’ he said. ‘Beyond all hope you return to us in our need! What veil was over my sight? Gandalf!’ Gimli said nothing, but sank to his knees, shading his eyes. 

Hope is not victory. War is upon us and all our friends, a war in which only the use of the Ring could give us surety of victory. It fills me with great sorrow and great fear: for much shall be destroyed and all may be lost. I am Gandalf, Gandalf the White, but Black is mightier still.’ 

Go where you must go, and hope! 

A king will have his way in his own hall, be it folly or wisdom.

Men need many words before deeds. 

 ‘Yet dawn is ever the hope of men,’ said Aragorn.

That must be my hope,’ said Legolas. ‘But I wish that he had come this way. I desired to tell Master Gimli that my tale is now thirty-nine.’ ‘If he wins back to the caves, he will pass your count again,’ laughed Aragorn. ‘Never did I see an axe so wielded.’ ‘I must go and seek some arrows,’ said Legolas. ‘Would that this night would end, and I could have better light for shooting.’ 

‘We will have peace,’ said Théoden at last thickly and with an effort. Several of the Riders cried out gladly. Théoden held up his hand. ‘Yes, we will have peace,’ he said, now in a clear voice, ‘we will have peace, when you and all your works have perished – and the works of your dark master to whom you would deliver us. You are a liar, Saruman, and a corrupter of men’s hearts. You hold out your hand to me, and I perceive only a finger of the claw of Mordor. Cruel and cold! Even if your war on me was just – as it was not, for were you ten times as wise you would have no right to rule me and mine for your own profit as you desired – even so, what will you say of your torches in Westfold and the children that lie dead there? And they hewed Háma’s body before the gates of the Hornburg, after he was dead. When you hang from a gibbet at your window for the sport of your own crows, I will have peace with you and Orthanc. So much for the House of Eorl. A lesser son of great sires am I, but I do not need to lick your fingers. Turn elsewhither. But I fear your voice has lost its charm.’ 

Now, Pippin my lad, don’t forget Gildor’s saying – the one Sam used to quote: Do not meddle in the affairs of Wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger.’

‘Don’t hurt us! Don’t let them hurt us, precious! They won’t hurt us will they, nice little hobbitses? We didn’t mean no harm, but they jumps on us like cats on poor mices, they did, precious. And we’re so lonely, gollum. We’ll be nice to them, very nice, if they’ll be nice to us, won’t we, yes, yess.’

We only wish to catch a fish, so juicy-sweet! 

‘Yess, yess, nice water,’ said Gollum. ‘Drink it, drink it, while we can! But what is it they’ve got, precious? Is it crunchable? Is it tasty?’

‘I am commanded to go to the land of Mordor, and therefore I shall go,’ said Frodo. ‘If there is only one way, then I must take it. What comes after must come.’

Sam said nothing. The look on Frodo’s face was enough for him; he knew that words of his were useless. And after all he never had any real hope in the affair from the beginning; but being a cheerful hobbit he had not needed hope, as long as despair could be postponed. Now they were come to the bitter end. But he had stuck to his master all the way; that was what he had chiefly come for, and he would still stick to him. His master would not go to Mordor alone. Sam would go with him – and at any rate they would get rid of Gollum. 

All hobbits, of course, can cook, for they begin to learn the art before their letters (which many never reach); but Sam was a good cook, even by hobbit reckoning, and he had done a good deal of the camp-cooking on their travels, when there was a chance. He still hopefully carried some of his gear in his pack: a small tinder-box, two small shallow pans, the smaller fitting into the larger; inside them a wooden spoon, a short two-pronged fork and some skewers were stowed; and hidden at the bottom of the pack in a flat wooden box a dwindling treasure, some salt. But he needed a fire, and other things besides. He thought for a bit, while he took out his knife, cleaned and whetted it, and began to dress the rabbits. He was not going to leave Frodo alone asleep even for a few minutes. 

Sam drew a deep breath. ‘An Oliphaunt it was!’ he said. ‘So there are Oliphaunts, and I have seen one. What a life! But no one at home will ever believe me. Well, if that’s over, I’ll have a bit of sleep.’

‘I don’t like anything here at all,’ said Frodo, ‘step or stone, breath or bone. Earth, air and water all seem accursed. But so our path is laid.’ ‘Yes, that’s so,’ said Sam. ‘And we shouldn’t be here at all, if we’d known more about it before we started. But I suppose it’s often that way. The brave things in the old tales and songs, Mr. Frodo: adventures, as I used to call them. I used to think that they were things the wonderful folk of the stories went out and looked for, because they wanted them, because they were exciting and life was a bit dull, a kind of a sport, as you might say. But that’s not the way of it with the tales that really mattered, or the ones that stay in the mind. Folk seem to have been just landed in them, usually – their paths were laid that way, as you put it. But I expect they had lots of chances, like us, of turning back, only they didn’t. And if they had, we shouldn’t know, because they’d have been forgotten. We hear about those as just went on – and not all to a good end, mind you; at least not to what folk inside a story and not outside it call a good end. You know, coming home, and finding things all right, though not quite the same – like old Mr. Bilbo. But those aren’t always the best tales to hear, though they may be the best tales to get landed in! I wonder what sort of a tale we’ve fallen into?’ ‘I wonder,’ said Frodo. ‘But I don’t know. And that’s the way of a real tale. Take any one that you’re fond of. You may know, or guess, what kind of a tale it is, happy-ending or sad-ending, but the people in it don’t know. And you don’t want them to.’

Still, I wonder if we shall ever be put into songs or tales. We’re in one, of course; but I mean: put into words, you know, told by the fireside, or read out of a great big book with red and black letters, years and years afterwards. And people will say: “Let’s hear about Frodo and the Ring!” And they’ll say: “Yes, that’s one of my favourite stories. Frodo was very brave, wasn’t he, dad?” “Yes, my boy, the famousest of the hobbits, and that’s saying a lot.”’ ‘It’s saying a lot too much,’ said Frodo, and he laughed, a long clear laugh from his heart. Such a sound had not been heard in those places since Sauron came to Middle-earth. To Sam suddenly it seemed as if all the stones were listening and the tall rocks leaning over them. But Frodo did not heed them; he laughed again. ‘Why, Sam,’ he said, ‘to hear you somehow makes me as merry as if the story was already written. But you’ve left out one of the chief characters: Samwise the stouthearted. “I want to hear more about Sam, dad. Why didn’t they put in more of his talk, dad? That’s what I like, it makes me laugh. And Frodo wouldn’t have got far without Sam, would he, dad?”’ ‘Now, Mr. Frodo,’ said Sam, ‘you shouldn’t make fun. I was serious.’ ‘So was I,’ said Frodo, ‘and so I am. We’re going on a bit too fast. You and I, Sam, are still stuck in the worst places of the story, and it is all too likely that some will say at this point: “Shut the book now, dad; we don’t want to read any more.”’

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

75. Time Traveling with a Hamster

75. Time Travelling with a Hamster. Ross Welford. 2015. 400 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, mg fiction, mg speculative fiction, time trave, mg science fiction]

First sentence: My dad died twice. Once when he was thirty-nine, and again four years later when he was twelve. (He's going to die a third time as well, which seems a bit rough on him, but I can't help that.) The first time had nothing to do with me. The second time definitely did, but I would never even have been there if it hadn't been for his "time machine." 

Premise/plot: Al Chaudhury is given a unique opportunity on his twelfth birthday when he receives a letter from his dead father. Al receives detailed instructions on how to use his father's time machine. He'll have to break all the rules and then some, but, there's a chance he may just be able to travel back in time and prevent his father's death. His grandfather is subtly-not-so-subtly warning Al NOT to use the time machine and to let things be, to accept what is. Yet Al (and his hamster) seem destined to time travel. His destination? 1984 his father's childhood to prevent an accident. 

My thoughts: I found Time Travelling with a Hamster to be a compelling, intriguing read. I am always open to reading time travel books. I thought the premise was interesting AND it wasn't all premise-focused. I thought the characterization--particularly of Al and his grandfather--was strong.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Week in Review #28

  

This week I read ten books!

  69. Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance. Jennifer Armstrong. 1998. Random House. 144 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, nonfiction, history, biography, adventure, South Pole, survival, AUDIOBOOK]

Read this if...

• You enjoy nonfiction
• You enjoy survival stories
• You are trying to stay cool in the summer

 70. The Giver. Lois Lowry. 1993. Houghton Mifflin. 180 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, Children's Fiction; Dystopia; MG Fiction; Newbery Medal]

Read this if...

• You enjoy dystopias
• You enjoy reading Newbery medal winners
• You enjoy reading BOOKS turned into movies

71. Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes. Jonathan Auxier. 2011. Abrams. 397 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, j fantasy, mg fantasy, coming of age, quest]

Read this if...

• You enjoy middle grade fantasy
• You enjoy quest stories
• You enjoy series books

72. The Wild Robot. Peter Brown. 2016. 282 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, j fantasy, j fiction]

Read this if...

• You enjoy books turned into movies
• You enjoy children's speculative fiction
  

73. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. J.K. Rowling. 1997. 345 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, mg fantasy, mg fiction, audio book]

Read this if...

• You enjoy middle grade fantasy novels
• You enjoy books turned into movies
• You enjoy series books

74. The Wild Robot Escapes. Peter Brown. 2018. 279 pages. [Source: Library] [j fiction, 3 stars, speculative fiction]

Read this if....

• You enjoy series books
• You enjoy children's speculative fiction
  

73. This Book is Dangerous! Ben Clanton. 2025. 44 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, picture book]

Read this if...

• You enjoy 'interactive' meta books written to YOU the reader
• You enjoy Narwhal and Jelly

74. Board book: Let's Giggle. Caroline Jayne Church. 2013/2025. 10 pages. [Source: Library] [2 stars, board book]

Read this if...

• You enjoy cutesy, precious sweet rhyming books
• You enjoy board books

54. The Anxious Generation Goes to Church: What the Research Says About What Younger Generations Need and Want From Your Church. Thom S. Rainer. 2025. [August] 192. [Source: Review copy] [4 stars, nonfiction, christian nonfiction]

Read this if...

• You are into statistics, research, and sociology
• You are not looking for theology

55. From Me To You, Love God. Claire Freedman. Illustrated by Emily Boughton. 2025. 26 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book, 3 stars]

Read this if...

• You are looking for christian children's books

Century of Viewing #28

1920s

• 1926 The General. Buster Keaton's best silent movie? Perhaps. Probably. It is a treat to watch it again-again, although definitely not on a once a week schedule. It just can't hold up to that many viewings without burnout. That being said, I do hope to watch it once a month so that I can have it be a five star movie every month of the year. The plot? Johnnie Gray loves two things--his girl and his train. When both are kidnapped by the enemy, he goes on a rescue mission.

1970s

• 1978 Death on the Nile. This is a great mystery movie starring many stars--or former stars. A lot of famous actors/actresses in this one. And it is an Agatha Christie adaptation. Definitely enjoyed it.

1980s

• Short Circuit. I found this one free on YouTube (on their official movie channel) and it was great fun. I have seen it many times, though perhaps not recently. Some of the characters are insufferable. But the main characters and story are great fun! NEED MORE INPUT. Definitely fun to watch right after Wild Robot.

1990s

• 1990 12:01 SHORT not to be confused with the 12:01 film from 1993. This one is a thirty minute 'film' that has a dark, nightmarish aspect to it. Think Twilight Zone except WAY darker. It is a time loop story. A man is cursed to relive ONE hour over and over again without hope for escape.
• 1994 I.Q. How have I never heard of this one?!?! It is set in the 1950s I believe. Meg Ryan plays Albert Einstein's niece, and she's engaged to someone....just not the 'right' someone. Her uncle and his friends scheme to find her a better match...a car mechanic who fell for her at first sight. This one is cute and adorable and fun. Walter Matthau plays Albert Einstein. Tim Robbins plays the love interest...a mechanic turned amateur scientist.

2010s

• 2011 Winnie the Pooh. Not the original Winnie the Pooh, mind you, but a reboot of Winnie the Pooh. The highlight of this one is Craig Ferguson as Owl. I liked it okay. Some scenes are pleasant enough. Not as good as the original.

2020s

• 2025 Bridget Jones Mad About the Boy. Should this movie exist? No. Not really. Why does it exist? Perhaps because of the book's existence. If the author wrote fewer Bridget Jones books would it have been better? Definitely. The movie does have a few decent/good scenes. I do like the song "Mad About the Boy" which I first heard in a Buster Keaton music video....my liking the song has nothing to do with Bridget Jones or her weird relationship with a young boy. Happy endings for Bridget Jones are pointless because no matter what ending you give her, another potential movie will ruin it again.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews