Bonus Years in Film
You can’t separate a boy from his toys, no matter his age
I’ve known Bill Lesko for more than two decades. But not really, I discovered. Last week, I found out why: Lesko and his partner, Martha Fox, a retired elementary school math teacher, are always on the go. Lesko is always interesting – beginning with his six-years of volunteer work to restore and crew the SS…
Read MoreAging gives us new eyes to see people, issues and events
Our first Bonus Years column appeared on June 3, 2012. That was six years and 200 columns ago. Our aim was to write a column a week. That should add to 312. What happened to the other 112? Answer: We do our storytelling as a labor of love, so it competes with other affections –…
Read MoreWaiting for God (BBC TV Series 1990–1994)
30 min each – Comedy When Tom Ballard moves to Bayview Retirement Village, he meets Diana Trent, a feisty old woman who complains about everything and wants nothing more than just to die. The two form a friendship and eventually a romance, helping each other out of tight situations. Stars: Graham Crowden, Stephanie Cole and Daniel Hill
Read MoreUp (2009)
96 min – Animation | Adventure | Comedy – 29 May 2009 (USA) By tying thousands of balloons to his home, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen sets out to fulfill his lifelong promise to his deceased wife to see the wilds of South America. Right after lifting off, however, he learns he isn’t alone on his journey, since Russell, a wilderness explorer 70…
Read MoreThe Lion in Winter (1968)
134 min – Drama | History | Romance – 30 October 1968 (USA) 1183 AD: King Henry II’s three sons all want to inherit the throne, but he won’t commit to a choice. They and his wife variously plot to force him. Director: Anthony Harvey Stars: Peter O’Toole, Katharine Hepburn and Anthony Hopkins
Read MoreThe Bucket List (2007)
The Bucket List (2007) 97 min – Adventure | Comedy | Drama – 11 January 2008 (USA) Two terminally ill men escape from a cancer ward and head off on a road trip with a wish list of to-dos before they die. Director: Rob Reiner Stars: Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman and Sean Hayes
Read MoreSomething’s Gotta Give (2003)
128 min – Comedy | Romance – 12 December 2003 (USA) A swinger on the cusp of being a senior citizen with a taste for young women falls in love with an accomplished woman closer to his age. Director: Nancy Meyers Stars: Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton and Keanu Reeves
Read MoreOn Golden Pond (1981)
109 min – Drama | Romance – 22 January 1982 (USA) An aging couple, Norman Thayer, a retired and cantankerous professor, and devoted wife Ethel have long had a summer cottage on a lake called Golden Pond where they are visited by an estranged daughter. Director: Mark Rydell Stars: Katharine Hepburn , Henry Fonda and Jane Fonda
Read MoreHigh Noon (1952)
85 min – Drama | Western – 30 July 1952 (USA) A marshall retires his badge to become a storekeeper but is compelled to return to help his town in the face of a deadly enemy, despite his own town’s refusal to help him. Director: Fred Zinnemann Stars: Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly and Thomas Mitchell
Read MoreHarry and Tonto (1974)
115 min – Adventure | Comedy | Drama – 15 January 1975 (France) When his apartment building is torn down, a retired lifelong New Yorker goes on a cross country odyssey with his beloved cat Tonto. Director: Paul Mazursky Stars: Art Carney , Ellen Burstyn and René Enríquez
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