Lily’s Driftwood Bay
Ah, to sit and look out over the sandy beach at the ocean every day, then your pet gull cries out, “Look, look!” and you spot something buried in the sand. Every day is a new find and a new adventure for Lily, who leaves the world and goes off into her imagination to Driftwood Bay, an adorable little place for her to play and discover a use for her new treasure.
The cast of characters are unique, cute and quirky, looking just like something a child would dream up. It includes Captain Salty, the dog with a sailing ship and Bull, who is made from messy balls of string and squeaky mice. Lord Stag is a puffin. Hatsie is the train conductor, and we meet lots of whales. Lily, with her red hair and a cute Irish accent, looks like a paper doll and is my favorite character. I love how she can take a small found object from the beach and think of so many different uses for it. Then, it turns into a grand adventure.
I laughed so hard while watching the episode “Bulls Might Fly.” Lord Stag and Bull actually try to hang glide. Everyone has doubts, but you are in for grand and shocking surprise. It shows that even though you might be afraid to do something, it doesn’t mean it can’t be fun.
The lessons learned in these fun stories are easy for young kids to understand. Lessons such as, you should tell the truth. Even if you break something, you can get help in fixing it. A boat is too big to fix by yourself. When you lose something, it is easier to find with help from others, especially if you can’t sleep without it. You should always apologize if you are wrong. Friendship is important. Be creative and use your imagination. Always put things back where they belong, so you can find them later.
This collection of short episodes is perfect for children as young as 2. They are only 10 minutes long and are quite easy to follow. I enjoyed watching all 10 episodes, but I was just getting into them when they ended. For older kids, they may be too repetitive because the beginning and the end are the same in every episode. I recommend this DVD for ages 2 to 7 and give it 4 out of 5 shining starfish!
Review by: Morgan B, 11
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The Man Who Knew Infinity
This action feature film is incredible! I fell in love with the main characters and enjoyed the true story. This biographical movie is very dramatic.
This movie is set during World War I and takes place in India and at Trinity College in Cambridge,
England. Srinivasa Ramanujan (Dev Patel) is 25 years old, lives in India and is recently married. He is an exceptional mathematician that receives mathematical formulas by meditating and in his sleep. His mentor encourages him to send his work to the professors at Trinity College.
Dr. Hardy (Jeremy Irons) is very impressed with Ramanujan’s work and tells him to come to England so Hardy can help create publications of his mathematical formulas. Ramanujan leaves India and travels to Cambridge, sadly leaving his mom and loving wife at home. He misses his family and the foods he was accustomed to having at home.
Making things more difficult, some of the professors are jealous of how smart Ramanujan is and are prejudiced because he is Indian. He comes up with many formulas, but Dr. Hardy says that no one will publish his work without proof of how he came up with the mathematical formulas since he only says, “It comes to me.”
Throughout the film, the relationship between Dr. Hardy and Ramanujan develops into a very strong one. Dr. Hardy, in particular, is transformed because of knowing and eventually caring for Ramanujan. Dr. Hardy, a devout atheist, does not believe in God and doesn’t believe in anything that cannot be proven scientifically. He does not understand how his student comes up with all of these formulas and struggles with Ramanujan being as brilliant as he appears to be.
This movie is amazing in so many ways and also very inspirational and emotional. I couldn’t help but fall in love with Patel’s version of Ramanujan’s character. He is so extraordinary and seems like such a nice person — someone I would want to know and be friends with. My favorite scene is when Ramanujan is meditating and is given another formula. His excitement in receiving this information is contagious.
The settings and scenery are very appropriate for the time this takes place and made me feel as if it could be during World War I. The costumes are well thought out for scenes in both India and Cambridge, and they definitely fit the time period.
I give this film five out of five stars because it is entertaining, informational and has a very interesting plot. I recommend this movie for ages 12 to 18. It may be difficult for younger audiences to follow, but I do believe that people should watch this movie to learn about other cultures and times and, of course, they should enjoy this very inspirational true story.
Review by: Lainey A, 14
