Week in Review #47

I finished two book this week! Still working on a few others.

70. Children of the Mind. Orson Scott Card. 1996. 370 pages. [Source: Library] [adult science fiction, series book, 3 stars]
74. Umbrella. Taro Yashima. 1958/1977. 40 pages. [Source: Bought]



Century of Viewing #47

1980s

• 1983. Zelig. If anyone is ever doing an alphabet challenge for movies, Zelig is a good choice. Especially if you can appreciate quirky, unique movies. This is a fictional documentary, a mockumentary, about a celebrity of sorts that came to fame in the 20s and 30s. The sense of humor is bizarre and somewhat dark at times. But the premise is that this man can chameleon into anyone he's around. For example, around doctors, he is convinced he IS a doctor. But also he changes his appearance--his race/ethnicity, whatever you want to call it--to fit in with whoever he's around. He becomes famous for all the wrong reasons, but, can someone help cure him of his need to fit in and be the same as everyone else. But what I appreciated most about it was that it used REAL reels--real footage, news reels, clips, whatever--and special effected this Zelig character into the footage. It really committed wholeheartedly to selling this premise of his celebrity. There were a handful of SONGS as well.

1990s

• 1997. A Thousand Men and a Baby. Based on a true story. Set during Christmas. Has a framework. Historical. Set during the Korean war, a baby is "adopted" by the Navy and given a new life...

ABC's of Viewing #7

A Andromeda Strain (1971);
B Beginning of the End (1957) Battle in Outer Space (1959) The Boat (1921)
C
D Dr. Strangelove (1964)
E Elf (2003)
F Frankenstein Meets the Spacemonster (1965) Flash Gordon (1980)
G The Greatest Show On Earth (1952)
H Home Alone (1990) Howard the Duck (1986)
I It Came From Outer Space (1953)
J
K Kingpin (1996)
L
M Mad Monster Party (1967) Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (1944) Mannequin (1987)
N
O Olympus Has Fallen (2013)
P Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957) Prisoners of the Lost Universe (1983)
Q
R Return to the Batcave (2003)
S Star Knight (1985) Sing (2016) Starflight One (1983)
T Terms of Endearment (1983) That Thing You Do (1996) Transcendence (2014); Thousand Men and a Baby (1997)
U Used People (1992)
V Monsier Verdoux (1947)
W World without End (1956)
X X: The Man With X-Ray Eyes (1963)
Y
Z Zelig (1983)

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews