Monday Movie Meme - Walking the Walk!
Thanks to all who joined in on last week’s “Sisterhood of the World” celebration! The theme for this week’s Monday Movie Meme is inspired by The Swede, father of Tina Downey at Life is Good. The Swede exceeded his expected time in walking the longest loop in a “Walking the Walk” event for Parkinson’s Disease at one of their local parks.
To many, it might sound like an extraordinary accomplishment but the experience is nothing unusual for a man who spends his time doing what he does best -- living!
Having Parkinson’s does not keep him from participating in activities that he enjoys. The Swede remains an avid hiking and cycling man that you would likely also find skiing cross-country. He is the man behind the theme for this week’s Monday Movie Meme: Walking the Walk!
Share on your blog or in the comments section, movies featuring retirees or seniors who do not let aging and/or illness slow them down. The characters I’m referring to live vibrant lives and stand their ground in ways they believe are justified given their circumstances or position among people around them.
Here are my selections for this week’s Walking the Walk! theme.
An elderly woman named Margo takes back her freedom to enjoy life while managing the pain of Multiple Sclerosis in this 10 minute documentary, directed by Drea Cooper.
The use of medicinal marijuana allows Margo to participate in water stunts as a member of her retirement community’s synchronized swimming team.
Stay tuned for an interview with Cooper, to be posted as a part of my upcoming Couch Fest chats series. In the meantime, you can watch "The Aquadettes" movie on YouTube!
The Hangover: Part II
A vow of silence didn’t stop the elderly monk from partying with a group of drunken strangers in Bangkok, in this comedy directed by Todd Phillips. Maybe viewers can use this as a lesson that you don’t have to say much to have a good time.
The a benefit of silence lies in being able to refrain from saying something you might regret. Instead, you just sit back and watch other people make a fool of themselves with their silly -- sometimes unintelligible -- comments.
Throw Mama from the Train
The woman in this comedy movie, helmed by Stu Silver, may be a mean old lady but she holds her own. Momma’s take-no-prisoners approach toward her son Owen and his friend Larry is enabled by the fact that she is always the boss. That is...until she is shaken to her core!
What movies have YOU watched that include retired or elderly people who are still going strong and living life to their fullest?
Reader Comments (5)
That's lovely wha t you wrote about my Dad! He'll love it. I'm braindead right now and can't think of a single movie. The only one that comes to mind is that one with Jack Nicholson and the famous actress whose name escapes me. He's dating her daughter and they fall in love. There's the best crying scene ever in it...damn, my mushy brain... OK, IMBD'd it. Something's Gotta Give and her name is Diane Keaton. Phew. Should have started there....
Tina @ Life is Good
Tina,
Good to know this little tribute to your dad gets a thumbs up on your end! "Something's Gotta Give" sounds familiar...don't think I've watched it...can't go wrong with Jack Nicholson tho.
I wonder who of the two actors you mentioned is retired in that movie! lol. Under different circumstances, I might have considered IMDB-ing to be cheating but not in this case, because you already knew the movie that was going on your list....the title of the film just had to be confirmed, so that's what I like to call (after all, I do it too sometimes, lol)....Verification! ;)
Drawing a blank when it comes to the name of a movie can be quite the ordeal. What happens when one cannot think of the movie or the name when it counts? That's what happened to me last night while I was watching "The Town" and noticed that one of the main characters gave his girlfriend a letter. Now, having seen this movie several times over, I'm kicking myself for not remembering that one little detail in enough time to add "The Town" to my Monday Movie Meme list for the 'Letters' theme a few weeks ago. I guess that's what happens when we're managing busy lives and multitasking in a speedy world. Ha!
Heh...Throw Mama From The Train is a classic. "The night was sultry..."
Let's see...movies about seniors who won't go down without a fight...
-The World's Fastest Indian: I can't recommend this movie highly enough
-Roadhouse: The older bouncer just won't quit
-Space Cowboys: Clint Eastwood in space. Need I say more?
-The Debt: 30 years later, a secret agent comes back to play
-Ikiru: An aging bureaucrat bucks the system (all hail Kurosawa films!)
*whew* That was fun :-)
Aloha Nicole,
I love COCOON - that movie is in my Top Five of all-time movies :)
I also wanted to say thanks very much for stopping by and commenting on my recent D-Day post. (I'm still working through all the comments!)
CSM Ryan's story has received an incredible amount of support and a HUGE *Thank you* goes to DL Hammons - and all the Blitzers :)
PS: Bill said to let everyone know he really appreciated all the personal comments directed his way :)
Herman,
I love your lists because they tend to have a mix of classics, obscure and cult films...many of which I've never even heard of...this week is no exception. Clint Eastwood puts the "F" in fight...still haven't watched Space Cowboys, tho I'd be interested in checking out The Debt and I'm off to add The World's Fastest Indian to my rental queue. Why is that Ikiru doesn't ring the bell?! Hmm...I'm going to have to step my Kurosawa game up. Thanks for playing along this week!!!
Mark,
Aloha to you too; I've never watched Cocoon...it sounds humorous for some odd reason. It was nice reading about Ryan and his experiences during the war as well as his connections to the story that was among the highlights of Tom Hanks' acting career and also launched the careers of other actors who were little known at that time. Thanks for sending Bill's response my way and I'm glad you had a positive BLITZ. Don't be surprised if you see more visitors returning to check out your future writings :)