Q’s Reviews – July 22, 2019

Maiden.  It is 1989 and the all male world of sailboat racing is in for a major surprise.  Tracy Edwards is a 24-year-old British roustabout who cooks on charter boats.  She had left her British village at a young age with little prospect.  She was incredibly determined and pulled together the seemingly impossible and became the skipper of the first ever all-female crew to enter the Whitbread Round the World Race.  No one gave them a chance, most thought they would fail miserably if they even survived.  They in fact did remarkably well winning two legs of the daunting race.   Heavy seas, weather and equipment failures did not scuttle them.  They showed their mettle and eventually won the respect of the other racers.   Using film of the actual race on The Maiden and current interviews with the crew and fellow seamen the thrill and danger of long days at sea come alive.  This is a fantastic documentary and a must see.  Find it and enjoy.  It is a Peggy’s Pick.  Rated PG for language, thematic elements, some suggestive content and brief smoking images.

Lucky Fifty.  This is the ultimate indie film.  Shot in black and white and greys, two young actors find a fifty-dollar bill and spend a day spending it on mostly foolish things but also learn about themselves and life in general in the process.  The story has a surprising ending.  The film is shot in downtown San Jose and the familiar backdrops give it a friendly vibe. Since the writer/director Pari Mathur is a local, not surprising he used known locations.   The film is available on iTunes and worth a look to see what young filmmakers can do with limited resources.   Not rated.

The Lion King.  The Disney remake of the 1994 cartoon is amazingly life-like.  All of the critters look real and move naturally.  It is as if it were a documentary but with animals that speak.  The wonders of CGI are astonishing.  The story is familiar.  The king of the pride, Mufasa, is murdered by his evil brother, Scar.  Mufasa’s young son, Simba, flees, as he is too young to stand up to Scar.  Simba wanders in the desert and the jungle, meets some new friends and discovers the true meaning of responsibility, bravery and the circle of life.  Now as a grown lion, Simba returns to claim his kingdom and restore balance to his realm.   The dialogue is witty and instructional.  Kids and adults will all enjoy the experience.  Rated PG for sequences of violence and peril, and some thematic elements.  It is a Peggy’s pick.