96. MAIDENTRIP

would you let your 14yo daughter sail solo around the world?  laura's parents did, but only after a court battle in defense of the parenting decision.  laura was born on a sailboat and lived her first 5 yrs of life on it.  after her parent's divorce, she went to live with her dad and continued sailing.  she got her own boat, the guppy, which she and her dad restored.  then she set sail from holland for a 2 yr adventure, covering like 90,000 nautical miles.  for the most part, the film doesn't really show anything harrowing, although there was definitely a rough patch around the cape of good hope. we don't see laura be worried, or homesick.  we don't see her obsessing about details of her trip.  we do see her mature.  we see her explore her port stops.  we see her befriend other sailors.  she was probably built exactly to do what she is doing.  it's likely she'll not live on land again for quite some time, and most likely never in holland, where she lived with her dad.  it's a coming of age story and the sense is that, although she broke a record in being the youngest to sail solo around the world, it was really more of a longing for the sea; a need to be on the water.  she is a girl with goals and the parents to allow her growth.  fascinating!

95. LIFE ITESELF

filmed in what came to be the last year of roger ebert's life, the film shows his evolution from young writer, to college editor to film critic for the chicago sun times and ultimately, the widely known and popular tv critic.  roger's passion for film was obvious in everything he did, maybe also in his willingness to be filmed in the final stages of his life.  his body was ravaged by cancer and much of the interview/filming was accomplished while he was hospitalized.  it's difficult to get past his ever present "smile", created when all of his neck below his jaw was removed, leaving his face to fall to gravity.  you can actually see through his mouth, to the other side and the dressing around his neck.  still he possessed humor and insight and a zest for life on whatever terms it came to him.  roger died before the film was completed. the film is a tribute to his life and his role in bringing the critic voice to the masses of movie goers.  thumbs way UP to roger ebert!

94. '15/2 THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES

oh, to be hugely rich.  so rich as to build the largest home in the entire united states.  that's what the queen of versailled, jackie, and her hugely rich husband, the king of time shares, tackle.  the home in florida is modeled after the palace versailles in france.  it is 90,000 sq feet, wtih 30 bathrooms and she doesn't even know how many bedrooms.  she is 30 years his junior; they have 8 children, added to his 5 grown kids from previous marriages.  she looks like a barbie doll, with huge boobs and long blonde hair.  at the beginning of the film, it's all about how happy they are.  when asked why he's building such a huge home, he answers, "because i can".  as the film progressed, the banking industry crashes and we see him go into despair for his business losses; staff in the home must be fired; all could be lost.  we see her "deal" with the fallout.  the most obvious and eye-opening, is that without their significant staff, they really can't keep the current 26,000 sq ft home clean & they still have 8 children to monitor.  through it all, jackie stands by her man, pushing her hefty bosom into him in an effort for some attention.  it's ludicrous extanvagance at it's best.  oh, even the richest of the rich suffer money woes.........it should be comforting to the masses?.........so, why isn't it?

93. FIRST DOCUMENTARY OF 2015 ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD

a fantastic werner herzog film about the characters who find themselves working in antarctica.  how do they get there?  why?  linguists in a land with no language.  phd's washing dishes.  travelers to the extreme who find work that takes them to the end of the world.  "professional dreamers" they are called.  as always with this director, the photography is fantastically beautiful; the voiceovers  a mix of sarcasm, genuine delight and personal opinions.  it's clear he doesn't really like mcmurdo base, which is really very ugly.  however, the visits to the volcano, mt arabus; to the penguin colony; to the base of divers who go into the 28 degree water for research; the expedition into fumeroles; being present at the launch of an atmospheric balloon...................all fantastic!  i didn't enjoy the music track so much..........some kind of religious chants?...........but everything else opened up this world that so few get to see/experience.  at the end, the film was dedicated to roger ebert. 

92. TEN QUESTIONS FOR THE DALAI LAMA

his holiness, the dalai lama; spiritual and political leader of tibet, living in exile in india.  the director was granted 10 questions and 45 minutes with him, for 3 months in the future.  during the time leading up tot he interview, rick ray learned more of tibetan history, the history of the 14th dalai lama; the life of a monk; the life of average citizens.  he didn't want to waste his questions; he didn't want to embarrass himself; he didn't want to waste the lama's time.  it was fascinating to learn more about this man and this culture than i ever knew before.  i now understand the issue with china, which seeks to destroy the history, culture and people of tibet through systematic torture, murder and annihilation of all things buddhist.  i thought china was buddhist, but this is the communist dictatorship.  the film is full of historic clips; current images and face to face with the man himself.  the dalai lama seems to laugh a lot; takes a traditional non-violent approach to his enemies, and possess the wisdom of someone who spends great amounts of time in contemplation.  

this film represents the end of my year of documentaries.  i watched 92 this year; an average of one every four days.  a long shot from my original goal of one a day, but still pretty impressive to my mind.  i've learned a lot.  some weren't too good, but most were quite satisfying.  i've enjoyed reviewing my list in the last few days.  i don't know as yet what, if any, goal i'll have for the coming year.  i guess i have to decide soon.........ha  thank you again to keith for the smart tv which allows me to easily access documentaries of all kinds  i still have over 120 in my queue, with more being released all the time.  here's to 2015!!

91. SPINNING PLATES

a film about 3 very different restaurants.  the 7th best restaurant in the world, alinea, in chicago; a 150 year old establishment, breitbachs in iowa; a new mexican place, la cocina de gabby in tuscon.  each is followed in some detail, through successes and challenges, including finance, fire, and poor health.  it always amazes me the passion that goes into a successful restaurant....as well as long hours and a nearly obliteration of any personal life.  3 moving, personal stories as someone notes on the rotten tomatoes site.  all speak to the power of food; the power of coming together in a place of food.  from the very traditional, to the personal, to the far reaching molecular gastronomy approach, food speaks to people in very powerful ways.  i enjoy seeing the behind the scenes of restauranteuring. 

90. BETTY PAGE REVEALS ALL

pin up icon, betty page. boys wanted her; girls wanted to be her.   uninhibited but innocent.  she rose to fame in the early 50's and disappeared from the public eye at the height of her career in 1957.  filmed in the late 90's, about a decade before her death, we never see the actual person, but she provides a very candid voiceover.  we see how photographers loved her, since she instinctively knew what to do with her body; she also exuded pure enjoyment in all of her work.  despite the pin up poses, the nudes poses and the bondage photos and videos that she was well known for, she continued to portray some innocence on the screen.  her charisma is powerful and her photos continue to be well received and desired.  i didn't know!  she tells of her marriage and affairs.  she had a psychotic break in her late 30's or early 40's and spent 10 yrs institutionalized in california.  at some point, she made the acquaintance of hugh hefner.  she was known to him from her centerfold picture in the dec '55 playboy.  he put her into acquaintance with business managers who ensured she got properly paid for her images and she remembers that this is the period of her life when she made the most money ever, thus securing a comfortable living.  her image is iconic and many might say that it's because of her voyage into oblivion while at her peak.  it's really fascinating to hear her tell her story and it's the best part of this film.