The Silver Stallion
April 15, 2009 by Cooking Lessons · Leave a Comment
In the mountainous high country above the Australian bush, wild horses run free: Australians call them wild “brumbies.” Author Elyne Mitchell’s book, The Silver Brumby, on which this movie is based, is about a magnificent silver stallion, Thowra. The story opens on a dark and stormy night in the high country. Elyne (Caroline Goodall), spins a tale to comfort her daughter, Indi (Ami Daemion). The beautiful mare, Bell-Bell, gives birth to Thowra, an exceptional cream-colored foal, with a mane and tail that gleam silver in the moonlight. We see Thowra grow up through several seasons. Winter has its hardships; the herds of horses find survival difficult in the snow-packed mountains. But summer may be even more dangerous, for that’s when men return to the high country to try to catch the brumbies and cruelly break them of their wildness. For one man (called simply “The Man” in Elyne’s story), capturing Thowra, now king of all the brumbies, becomes an obsession. The Man is played by Russell Crowe, whose usual fine acting is enhanced here by impressive horsemanship. The struggle between Thowra and The Man takes on mythic proportions, building to a haunting climax. Gorgeous footage of wild horses running and rearing in the mountains make this the perfect movie for horse-lovers of all ages. We come to care deeply about the fate of these splendid creatures, whose wisdom and passion are rivaled only by their beauty. –Laura Mirsky
User Ratings and Reviews
1 Star Terrible
Very slow plot. Characters not developed enough. Not enough dialogue.
Love the Man from Snowy River so checked this movie out. But is not comparable at all! Would not watch ever again, not even for the scenary.
1 Star The Silver Stallion
The Silver Stallion Another boring movie. Not a good example of how horses really interact with humans.
4 Stars The Silver Brumby
I first saw this movie when I was nine years old on VHS and was enthralled by it. I have searched for this video since then and to my surprise it came upon me on amazon! This movie is a great movie. My family and I all sat down to watch it and everyone enjoyed it. I give this movie a 4 star because it is not as magical as it was when I was a little girl. This movie is still a wonderful movie!
1 Star Looking for a good horse story….this is NOT it!
Could not get past the first 15 minutes of this movie. It is just bad. Enough said.
5 Stars Delightful
This movie is somewhat different in that the writer takes you back and forth between the real and the imaginary leaving you wondering sometimes as to which is which. It is a delightful story that shares the love between a mother and daughter. It is also fun because the story is told from the perspective of the horse instead of a person.
The Wiggles Wiggly Safari
April 15, 2009 by Cooking Lessons · Leave a Comment
Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 07/29/2008 Run time: 52 minutes
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars Guitar heroes for the juice-box set
Confession: I enjoy several of the Wiggles’ movies and happily join my 4-year-old to watch “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing,” and others. “Safari” is fun, but for me it’s a bit less interesting because it all takes place at a zoo, with pretty much every number shot in a leafy glade…. or maybe a couple of leafy glades, who can be sure? The music is also a tad less diverse, and more than one song is a too-thinly disguised lesson exhorting kids not to touch snakes, to take good care of pets and so on. My daughter enjoys it, but doesn’t ask to watch it as often as she wants to see others. Animal-loving kiddos will enjoy meeting camels, dingoes, dolphins and emus as the Wiggles romp through the Australian zoo. Late great Aussie crocodile hunter Steve Irwin rivals Captain Feathersword for flat-out zaniness.
5 Stars BEST Wiggly Movie and the Irwin family is GREAT!
When I first bought this for my then 1 year old, she would get upset when Steve Irwin came into the picture because she knew he wasn’t one of The Wiggles. By the time she was 2 or so she got over it and it quickly became one of her favorite movies. She is now 4 and still loves it. Our second daughter, who just turned 1, really loves seeing Steve Irwin’s daughter, Bindy. His entire family is perfect in this movie. My husband and I also get caught up in the movie. I can’t tell you how many times the family has sat down together to watch it. Of all the Wiggles movies we own, this is the most played in our DVD player. I only wish they could have made a part 2 because it is simply that great.
5 Stars A classic
This is a great Wiggles DVD! My kids love it, and there’s a lot of novelty that keeps their interest even on repeated viewings. My kids like to make a game of telling which Wiggle they are (and which ones we are) depending on what color(s) are in their shirt that day, and now my boy has added Steve the Crocodile Hunter as one of the Wiggles he can be - it’s probably cuter if you can see it, I suppose…
5 Stars Wiggles Safari
What a fun movie to watch for my 2yr. old and myself. Great music and with Steve Erwin, it’s funny too. Good educational tool with Austraila’s wildlife animals.
Wiggles forever
J and A
5 Stars Lots of Fun!
My 3 year old daughter just loves the Wiggles anyway so this was an easy choice. We record the Playhouse Disney episodes daily and already have a couple other videos but I don’t have to tell you that it can get repetative fast. I think this video is great because of all the new songs to listen to.
Nancy Drew
April 15, 2009 by Cooking Lessons · Leave a Comment
Nancy Drew is an iconic girl detective created by Carolyn Keene with a passion for mystery and all things old. The small-town Nancy Drew (played by Julia Roberts’ niece Emma Roberts) is about to experience a serious case of culture shock as she heads to Hollywood on an extended business trip with her father Carson Drew (Tate Donovan) and prepares to join the 21st century (well, sort of) at Hollywood High. Having promised her father that she’ll give up sleuthing in favor of becoming a “normal” teenager, Nancy tries her best to resist the lure of the age-old mystery of famous actress Dehlia Draycott’s (Laura Harring) death, but living in Dehlia’s old booby-trapped mansion full of clues proves too powerful a force for Nancy to resist. Feeling completely out of place with high school peers who prove self-absorbed and obsessed with fashion, Nancy makes an unlikely friend in 12-year-old Corky (Josh Flitter), the brother of one of the meanest girls at school. Hormones and hero worship land Corky right in the middle of Nancy’s dangerous detective work and inspire some good old-fashioned jealousy when Nancy’s close friend Ned (Max Thieriot) visits from River Heights. Nancy’s deductive skills are as sharp as ever, and her inspired detective work will profoundly impact the lives of complete stranger Jane Brighton (Rachael Leigh Cook), her own father, and a host of others. Offering a faster pace for modern audiences than the classic Nancy Drew films, this 2007 movie is sure to enthrall a whole new generation of tweens and teens while simultaneously living up to their parents’ expectations. Rated PG for mild violence, thematic material, and brief language. –Tami Horiuchi
User Ratings and Reviews
2 Stars How ’bout a movie about the REAL Nancy Drew????
Although this movie was okay/good–I was so excited when I heard they were making it–thinking it would be a REAL Nancy Drew mystery–as in it would be set in the 1930/1940s. After reading all the N.D. mysteries I could get my hands on as an early teen, it was disappointing that this movie was set in MODERN-DAY HOLLYWOOD???!!!! Ugh!!!
5 Stars Smart purchase for kids
This was a very good buy- Nancy Drew movie was full of clean and fun-filled action- this is what is lacking on television nowadays- I was pleased with this movie very much!!
My whole family was able to sit comfortably and watch this movie- Thank you!!!
5 Stars Nancy Drew Movie
Movie was delivered very quickly and in excellent condition. I would buy from this seller again.
5 Stars Nancy Drew The Movie
I got this DVD for my 10 year old granddaughter for Christmas. I was dissappointed when she told me she had already seen the movie but she was excited and wanted to watch it again. I took that as a great review in and of itself…
4 Stars Awesome
This movie gave me the chills.It is adventurous,fun,heart-warming,action,and romance.It is great for the whole family.Emma Roberts is one of my fave actors so I had to see this.I got this for my birthday and loved it.
Big Night
April 15, 2009 by Cooking Lessons · Leave a Comment
Critics tripped all over their big feet to praise Big Night, and in doing so performed a grave disservice to this fine little film. They fooled audiences into believing it was a “super movie” instead of a home movie buoyed by friends and family. Consequently, many viewers were disappointed. Big Night is an intimate look at the immigrant struggle to attain the American Dream, set in New Jersey in the 1950s. Its disproportionate success gave co-directors Stanley Tucci and Campbell Scott, who also star in the picture, the green light to follow up with a smug, unsuccessful second venture called The Imposters. Tucci wrote Big Night with his cousin Joseph Tropiano, and they based the story on the experience of growing up in a large, proud Italian family. The brothers in Big Night–chef Primo (Tony Shalhoub) and businessman Secondo (Tucci)–have come to New Jersey to open a bistro named The Paradise that serves the finest in traditional, authentic Italian cuisine. Their every move is foiled by rival restaurant Pascal’s, which serves mile-high servings of spaghetti and meatballs and flasks of bad Chianti at exorbitant prices. Primo is disgusted by the fact that Americans want cheap pasta instead of risotto, so Secondo hatches a plan to boost business: rumor has it bandleader Louis Prima is travelling through and will dine at The Paradise that very night. Secondo gambles to bring the finest dinner ever cooked–at the risk of losing his shirt and being reduced to exile to the old country with his tail between his legs. Big Night is a film that will easily invite comparisons to other “food” fare like Babette’s Feast and Eat Drink Man Woman but, though Tucci insists his story is “about the struggle between art and commerce and the risk of staying true to yourself,” the media refused to let it stay a small, comparative work. The movie, and the buzz around it, became a parable for the essence of the film itself: art vs. commerce. –Paula Nechak
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars On My Best 10 list
I first saw this film when it was first released, over ten years ago. I have watched it several times since, and it keeps getting better every time. It is so sparse, and yet so full. So much is left unsaid, and yet deeply felt. It is the portrayal of this relationship between two brothers of completely different temperament, but who deeply care about each other, and united by a dream that binds them, which is most moving. The very last scene, when they commune around the simplest and most symbolic of foods, with not a word (but a wonderful soundtrack of noises that heighten the silence) is a masterpiece of understatement.
Big Night is, and will remain, one of the ten and probably five best movies I have ever seen.
Y.
4 Stars BIG FUN!
This is a fun movie. Not only does it make you hungry watching it, it is fun to watch the stars of today back in the “olden days” 
GO MONK!
5 Stars FIne acting from a first rate cast
This is not a big flashy movie but it is full of great actors doing their best work. The performances are real and well rounded. You never catch any of them “acting”. They all live in the scene.
5 Stars superb food movie
subtle, touching, it oozes love of good (italian) food.
the acting was out of this world.
5 Stars A movie that you can sink your teeth into!
This is one of those fabulous movies that you can pop in any time that you want to be entertained. It’s touching, it’s funny, it is familiar. It is done with a well-known cast of actors that bring meat and potatoes to the story. With Tony Shalhoub and Stanley, how can you go wrong?
The Wiggles Here Comes the Big Red Car
April 15, 2009 by Cooking Lessons · Leave a Comment
The Wiggles Here Comes the Big Red Car
Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 03/11/2008
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Fun songs with The Wiggles
Everyone knows how toddlers get attached to their favorite things and they WEAR THEM OUT!! My boys love The Wiggles and love this DVD. The songs are great and they love to get up and dance with them. Valuabale life lessons are also taught to little ones in a fun way.
5 Stars Awesome
My kids wont let us take it out of the DVD player–only to put it in the car DVD player! Love it
5 Stars Wonderful product
This is an excellent product. Lots of learning skills are touched upon and the music is wonderful.
5 Stars Big Red Car
This was a good Wiggles video, especially if you are a fan of the older shows that came on Disney Channel last fall(08). I lost a lot of them off my DVR when I switched to cable and this movie had a lot of those clips from the shows that my husband and I missed seeing. My eighteen month old daughter loves the Wiggles, and this movie completely captured her attention. I thought the songs were catchy. There were not very many skits involved, mostly singing, good for toddlers.
