Week in Review #4

This week I read three books.

I read 12 Truths Every Teen Can Trust by Paul David Tripp. (Last week I read another book for teens. So already I've read more 'teen books' than I did last year.)

I read By The Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The library was late in getting this in on audio, so I read it after 'finishing' the last book in the series. I do have Farmer Boy I could choose to read.

I read Running Man by Stephen King. I didn't love it, but, I think I did like it more than the movie.

Century of Viewing #4

1950s

• 1958 Marjorie Morningstar This romantic drama (or melodrama) stars Gene Kelly and Natalie Wood (also Ed Wynn plays an uncle early on in the film). She falls madly, madly, madly in love with someone not at all suited--not just because of society's conventions and rules. Their relationship is passionately toxic and the more their love grows, the worse he spirals. He just lacks what it takes to put others first AND to grow up. Will she grow up? Will she move beyond this first love? 4 1/2 stars for me. The acting was great. Particularly her acting. Gene Kelly's character was tragically flawed. But he played that well, so there's that. Glad I saw it once.

1960s

• 1961 The Pleasure of His Company. What a strange, strange, strange movie. An absentee father (Astaire) comes back into his daughter's life (Reynolds) as she is preparing to marry. Intentionally or not, he's out to steal the show and if possible prevent his daughter from marrying--he'd like to steal her away for a private six week cruise around the world. As the wedding approaches, father-and-daughter go out clubbing and dancing every single night. She can't get enough of his company even preferring him over the man she'll be marrying in a few days. Her mother is alarmed...and her ex-husband is also trying to charm his way back into HER arms. Life is disrupted by his presence, many feel that showing up when she's a grown woman is too little, too late. She even considers leaving with him because she doesn't want him to be "alone" in his old age. Fortunately, there are characters that talk sense into her. BUT this is a strange, strange movie. And it's not without its issues.

1970s

• 1979 The Shape of Things To Come The opening credits may be one of the highlights of this movie. Good for a giggle category. I am surprised that there aren't gifs of this movie honestly. So futuristic--obviously, look at those robots and men wearing capes--and set in space. An evil overlord with an evil robot army has grander schemes. A rogue starship from a moon colony goes to save the day--or does it? One thing is for sure, this movie ends abruptly. Resolution???? There is not. Comedic scenes they have in abundance. Were they meant to be funny???? Maybe. Maybe not. Surely they were, right. I mean you don't have a disco ball do what THIS disco ball does without knowing.

1980s

• 1980 Raise the Titanic This action-thriller, that I'd personally consider speculative fiction perhaps, asks some what-if questions. It is based on a book (that I haven't read). When it is discovered that a super-rare, highly sought-after mineral was part of the cargo on the ship--pure fiction for this premise--men set out to find it, raise it, and obtain the loot before the bad guys do. This movie (and book) were before the ship was, you know, actually-actually found. It was a fairly interesting premise. I did enjoy the soundtrack.
• 1989 Millennium I honestly am left speechless. Is this the best worst movie I've seen? What I love: the sci-fi premise. It's so OUT THERE and committed to the strangeness. It's SPOOKY and STRANGE and intriguing. What I mostly love: this has some quotable lines that are wonderfully hilariously bad. What I don't love: how jarring the genre-smashing is. It's 45% Dynasty-style SOAPINESS. And the rest is all SCI-FI. I think if the acting had been better, it would have been less jarring. My rating is somewhere between 4 stars and 4 1/2 stars. Definitely not a five stars. BUT it is memorable.

1990s

• 1992 Strictly Ballroom The scenes I love, I really LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. It is quirky, fun, spirited, addictive. That ending is ABSOLUTELY one of my favorite, favorite, favorite movie endings ever. Scott wants to dance his own steps. Fran wants Scott to dance his own steps....with her as his partner. He will be defying his parents and the rules of the federation, but, it may just be worth risking everything. This one is a bit like Dirty Dancing minus many of the dirty bits.
• 1999 The Thirteenth Floor. Same year as Matrix. Just as plot-twisty. Mystery. Thriller. Science-Fiction. I LOVED watching it with my best friend. While it doesn't hurt to read the plot description with this one, half the fun is discovering it as it unfolds....

2010s

• 2010 Red. If you are looking for the most action-y action movie, this one might be just what you are looking for. I enjoyed it. I was watching at a super-super low volume because I was the only one awake, BUT, I probably will watch it again at some point. I thought it had a great cast. An ex-agent finds himself targets so he goes after those who are after him.

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews