Bonus Years in Film - Bonus Years

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by Phil Burgess, Unabridged from the Life section of the Annapolis Capital, Sunday, October 27, 2019. Tales of the sea abound. Think of The Odyssey by Homer, Melville’s Moby Dick or, more recently, the nearly two dozen novels by Patrick O’Brien such as Master and Man, depicting sea warriors during the Napoleonic Wars – and,…

by Phil Burgess, Unabridged from the Life section of the Annapolis Capital, Sunday, October 13, 2019 Most writing about aging holds that one of the great blessings of the bonus years is grandparenting. Now that we have two granddaughters, with the older turning four and the younger turning two, we share those views. Fortunately, our…

by Phil Burgess, Unabridged from the Life section of the Annapolis Capital, Sunday, October 6, 2019 Over the past decade, Clint Eastwood has presented a provocative profile for aging – both in his personal life and through recent characters he has played in acclaimed films that depict an aging man adapting to a changing culture. …

Unabridged article from the Life section of the Annapolis Capital, Sunday, June 23, 2019 In a recent article on aging, Kori Miller asks “How do you feel about growing old? For some, it’s a scary time filled with change and loneliness. But it doesn’t need to be that way. In fact, it shouldn’t. We’re social…

Unabridged article from the Life section of the Annapolis Capital, Sunday, November 23, 2018 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…

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 –…

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

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…

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

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

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

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

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

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

103 min – Comedy | Drama – 25 December 1993 (USA) A lifelong feud between two neighbors since childhood, only gets worse when a new female neighbor moves across the street. Director: Donald Petrie Stars: Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau and Ann-Margret

116 min – Drama – 9 January 2009 (USA) Disgruntled Korean War vet Walt Kowalski sets out to reform his neighbor, a young Hmong teenager, who tried to steal Kowalski’s prized possession: his 1972 Gran Torino. Director: Clint Eastwood Stars: Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang and Christopher Carley

130 min – Drama An aging traveling salesman recognizes the emptiness of his life and tries to fix it. Director: Volker Schlöndorff Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Kate Reid and John Malkovich

117 min – Adventure | Comedy | Romance – 21 June 1985 (USA) When a group of trespassing seniors swim in a pool containing alien cocoons, they find themselves energized with youthful vigor. Director: Ron Howard Stars: Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley and Hume Cronyn

125 min – Comedy | Drama – 20 December 2002 (USA) A man upon retirement embarks on a journey to his estranged daughter’s wedding only to discover more about himself and life than he ever expected. Director: Alexander Payne Stars: Jack Nicholson, Hope Davis and Dermot Mulroney

Unabridged from my Bonus Years column in the Lifestyle section of The Sunday Capital, Annapolis, Maryland. It began 12 days ago when we received a phone call from family friends who retired in Florida. They had stopped by to visit my mother, known to her friends as Ginny. Ginny is “97 and three-fourths” — her words — and…