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.