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Reviews
Maidentrip (2013)
Focused, Moving, Beautiful.
Maidentrip is the story of a 14-16 year old girl who wants to sail around the world alone.
As anyone who has spent time sailing alone, that is an extremely powerful premise on itself. The film maker made a brilliant decision to focus on this premise and not go to deeply into the other interesting aspects such as the mechanics of sailing or the adventures ashore. This film focuses on the type of person who wants to tackle the oceans alone as while as the freedom, loneliness and adventure of such a trip.
Where this film really shines is that to shows instead of telling. It has scenes of her finding great comfort in the company of dolphins instead of scenes of her crying or complaining. It has scenes of her silently embracing the beauty of the exotic islands she visits instead of a tourists itinerary of her shore visits. Laura is also great on camera, showing her strength, vulnerabilities and quirky teenage personality without resorting to drama or shock value.
And then the last scene... This is what made me rate this movie a 10. After completing here around the world voyage she leaves the Caribbean to head for New Zealand. In the voice over she talks about how she found a crewmate to share this new voyage with and how if she doesn't like New Zealand she will just push off for another port. It starts as a close up on "Guppy" sailing confidently under full sail and pans out until the boat is but a small spec on the giant ocean. That scene really captured the power of a young girl determined to chart her own course in life.
Jericho (2006)
Best Show Ever?
Calling a show the best ever is obviously subjective, and it is my opinion that Jericho is the best. My top 5 are; 1. Jericho 2. Mad men 3. Star trek TNG 4. Breaking Bad 5. Firefly
That is high company for a show with an obviously lower budget and compressed episode count. While Jericho has some rough edges, the quality of the storytelling is superb. They took an ambitious idea and grounded it in reality with interesting characters and situations.
This is a drama; anyone expecting a nuclear "The Walking Dead" will likely be disappointed. Calling Jericho a soap opera is however highly incorrect; This show is intellectual, scary, thought provoking, emotional, and deep. As a strong, masculine, rural person; the drama in this series hits harder than any other show I have experienced. If you have a condo in the city and have never touched a gun, you will probably have trouble connecting to the characters and situations presented. As someone who grew up in a town the size of Jericho, this series hits home in so many ways.
I think a lot of the people who could most relate and appreciate this series may have been initially turned off by expecting a highly visual, shocking, high production series like The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, or The Waking Dead. In my opinion, this may be the best written and produced story that appeals to this audience.
Mad Men, The Wire, The Shield and Breaking Bad all prove that quality writing and directing still exists; Jericho proves the power of storytelling can still steal the show. Best Show Ever?