The Gunman—Movie Review

by Peter J. O'Connell

The Gunman.Released: March 20, 2015. Runtime: 115 mins. Rated: R for strong violence, language and some sexuality.

Among the latest recruits to the ranks of over-50 dramatic actors turned action heroes is Sean Penn in The Gunman. In the chaotic Congo of the early 21^st century, Penn is Jim Terrier. Terrier leads a double life as both a legitimate security operative for mining corporations and as an assassin for hire. Rock-hard muscular and with a laser-like focus on his grim tasks, Penn is ferociously convincing as a tough guy—more so than Matt Damon in the Bourne movies or even Daniel Craig in the Bond movies or Liam Neeson in the Taken movies.

Following a particularly consequential hit, Terrier decides to leave both the Congo and the assassin's life behind him. Unfortunately, he also has to end his relationship with his girlfriend (lovely Jasmine Trinca in a sensitive performance) in order to protect her from any actions that might be directed at him. The girlfriend works for a humanitarian organization and knows nothing of Terrier's nefarious activities. Terrier asks a Spanish friend of his (Javier Bardem) to look after her.

Years later, feeling that it is now safe, Terrier returns to the Congo to work at a normal job as a supervisor for a mining operation. But it isn't safe—not at all—and Terrier sets out to find out why. His search takes him to London, Barcelona and Gibraltar, through fights—with fists, guns, knives, explosives—and encounters with both old and new friends and enemies. Events come to a flashy climax both at and in a bullring.

Director Pierre Morel, who also helmed the first Taken movie, handles his cast (which also includes the estimable Mark Rylance, Ray Winstone and Idris Elba), exotic settings and, especially, the brutal choreography of the fight scenes quite well. The storyline—Dan Macpherson, Pete Travis and Sean Penn are credited with the screenplay, based on the novel The Prone Gunman by Jean-Patrick Manchette—is less successful than the direction, being frustratingly vague, convoluted and ambiguous at times.

“Footnote” to the film: In one scene of The Gunman, Sean Penn's character is seen surfing. Penn first attracted attention in his amusing role as the classic “surfer dude” Spicoli in 1982's Fast Times at           Ridgemont High.

Run All Night—Movie Review

by Peter J. O'Connell

Run All Night.Released: March 13, 2015. Runtime: 114 mins. Rated: R for strong violence, language including sexual references, and some drug use.

Lately, there has been somewhat of a trend of featuring stars “of a certain age” in action roles. Sometimes, as in The Expendables series (three films out, three more planned), with Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the action figures cast have not been noted for much else besides their past action roles. (OK, Sly also did the Rocky series and Ahnold played a Gubernator, but still . . . . .) Sometimes, as in the Red series (two films out, another planned), dramatic stars (for example, Helen Mirren and Anthony Hopkins) are mixed in with action stars. Sometimes, as in the Taken series (three films out), the focus is on a single dramatic star (Liam Neeson) functioning as an action hero. Run All Night, released just a few weeks after Taken 3, features two well-regarded dramatic actors with long careers, Liam Neeson and Ed Harris, in a gripping film that transcends any possible cliches about “geriatric thrillers.”

In Run All Night it's a dark and stormy night in a gritty Irish=American neighborhood in New York, and the events that unfold are as dark and stormy as the weather. Shawn Maguire (Ed Harris) and Jimmy Conlon (Liam Neeson) are “well-weathered” characters, who have been friends for decades. Shawn started out as a gangster but has been trying to make the move into being just a legitimate businessman. However, his drug-dealing son, Danny (Boyd Holbrook), has been creating difficulties in that transition. Jimmy's situation is partially the mirror image of Shawn's. He had been a hitman for Shawn “back in the day” but is now a down-on-his-luck alcoholic, estranged from his son, Mike  (Jeff Kinnamon), who is a family man trying to make an honest living and profoundly ashamed of his father.

Danny's contacts with the Albanian mob lead to very bad consequences for him, for which Mike is blamed. Shawn sends his crew after Mike, and Jimmy comes to Mike's defense. This turns the two old friends into mortal enemies. Relentless, almost nonstop, action ensues—fistfights, gunfights, shootings, beatings, foot chases, car chases, fires, explosions. Cops, both good (Vincent D'Onofrio) and bad, join in the combat. Director Jaume Collet-Serra serves up all this mayhem with striking visuals, imaginatively edited, and very effective use of actual New York City locations. One notable sequence

has Mike fleeing through a whole city block of back yards, leaping over low wall after low wall, with his pursuer close behind. Another sequence involving a series of struggles in a high-rise apartment building in a housing complex may be the most cinematically dramatic use of such a setting since Soviet director Eisenstein's classic Strike (1925).

Collet-Serra also makes the interaction of his cast—both the veteran thesps Neeson and Harris and the very promising newbies (relatively speaking) Kinnamon and Holbrook—quite moving in the scenes of conversation that provide some necessary breathing space in the action. Particularly moving are certain scenes between Shawn and Jimmy and between Jimmy and Mike.

If Run All Night had come out in the 1940s or 1950s, it might have been dubbed a “B picture,” only to be hailed as a “cinematic gem” in later years. The movie definitely is a diamond in the (very rough) rough!

“Footnote” to the film: Who knew? While huge numbers of young girls flocked to Disney's new megahit, Cinderella, surveys of the modest audiences for the testosterone-fueled Run All Night revealed the surprising fact that those audiences were more than half female. Apparently, women find Liam Neeson very appealing, with or without guns.

Managing Medicare

Get the most from this comprehensive health insurance option for seniors

Medicare offers comprehensive health insurance coverage to people 65 and older and younger people with disabilities and certain medical conditions. But the decisions and choices you face can be confusing and overwhelming. And if you make a wrong move, you can end up losing a lot of money.

Here's our step-by-step guide for getting the most out of Medicare.

Starting Medicare for the first time

Starting Medicare has never been as simple as signing up when you turn 65. If you time your enrollment wrong you can end up paying extra money for Medicare for the rest of your life—or payig for parts of Medicare that you may not need. Our guide walks you step by step through the process.

Medicare Advantage or original Medicare — how to decide

Your first big decision after enrolling in Medicare will be whether to stick with original Medicare plus a Medigap supplemental plan—or get your Medicare benefits through a private Medicare Advantage plan. We lay out the advantages and disadvantages of both options so you can choose the right one for you.

How to pick a good Medicare Advantage plan

There's a lot to consider when picking a Medicare Advantage plan. What will you have to pay out of pocket? Are your doctors in the plan? What would your drugs cost? We explain exactly how to use Medicare.gov's search tool to research the best plan for you.

How to pick a Medigap plan

Shopping for these supplemental plans that pick up Medicare's out-of-pocket costs can confuse the savviest consumer. We explain how Medigap work, how they are priced, and how to go about finding a plan that will work for you.

Click here to read more.

Eye Exams for People Over 60

As we age, eye exams become even more important. Vision problems may develop with no physical symptoms until they’re quite advanced.

When you see your eye doctor, use this handy eye exam checklist to list all of your current concerns, health issues and your family history. The more your eye care professional knows, the better protected you’ll be against potentially debilitating vision loss.

What To Expect at an Eye Exam

Typically, your eye doctor will review your personal and family health history for eye hereditary problems of eye disease, diabetes, high blood pressure or poor vision.  

Then your doctor will conduct tests to check for:

• Vision - The doctor can check for nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness(hyperopia), astigmatism and presbyopia. While you look at an eye chart, the doctor will measure your vision precisely, and, if necessary, determine a prescription for corrective lenses.
• Coordination of eye muscles - The doctor will move a light in a set pattern to test your ability to see sharply and clearly at near and far distances, and to use both eyes together.
• Side (peripheral) vision - The doctor will move an object at the edge of your field of vision to make sure you can see it.
• Pupil response to light - The doctor will shine a light in your eye and watch the pupil's reaction.
• Color testing - The doctor will ask you to describe figures in a series of illustrations made up of numerous colored dots or circles. This tests your ability to differentiate colors.
• Eyelid health and function - The doctor will examine your eyelid, inside and out.
• The interior and back of the eye - After dilating your eyes (by both using a few eye drops and dimming the lights so the pupils will widen), the doctor will use a special instrument called an ophthalmoscope to see through to the retina and optic nerve at the back of the eye. This is where clues to many eye diseases first show up.
• Measurement of fluid pressure - The doctor will release a puff of air onto your eye using an instrument called a tonometer.  This tests the pressure inside the eye, an early indicator of glaucoma and other diseases.

Monitor for Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

Your eye care professional will examine the back of your eye using special instruments to detect and monitor conditions affecting the macula. Click here to read more.

Age Factor for Dental Implants?

Holly, from New Brunswick, asks:

My mother is 70 years old and is considering dental implant surgery. She's had a full upper denture plate for most of her adult life and she hopes to avoid the pain, bleeding, and endless re-fittings that her own mother endured in the years before her death at 94. She's been told that due to lack of bone, however, she would need a graft (from the hip).

However, I am very concerned about the age factor and would like to know some
stats re. dental implant surgery vs. the age of the patient. Are there
any specific risks or potential complications that older patients
specifically need to consider? Are there a certain types of dental implant
that are more successful for older patients, or that hold up better as
they age?

Some details: My mother doesn't smoke or drink, other than the
occasional glass of wine with dinner, she eats well, and has been told
she does not have osteoporosis (as her mother did have), although she
is very petite at 5'2". She has arthritis (hands, shoulder, knees and ankles), for which she uses
over-the-counter pain medication (i.e. Tylenol), and she's been found
to have a slight iron deficiency in recent years, for which she's
taking iron supplements. She was taking hormones for many years (re.
menopause) but went off them a year or two ago on the advice of her
doctor (concerned about potential risks).

Overall, she's considered healthy, but I'm worried and would appreciate
some solid information and examples, from both doctors and anyone who's
had the surgery in their Golden Years.

Thank you in advance for your input.

 PATIENT QUESTIONS ON DENTAL IMPLANTS  

Thoughts on “Age Factor for Dental Implants?”

13 Ways Your Dog Shows Love

From licking to wrestling and even peeing, dogs have many ways of showing us love

Canine Companions

Dogs have been our constant companions for thousands of years. The history of dogs is closely tied to our own history, and no other animal on Earth shares as close a relationship with humans as dogs do. Dogs and humans understand each other, and it’s because of the undying love they show us that we keep them by our sides. We call them “man’s best friend” for good reasons. Here are 13 of them. Click here to read more.

Free State-Sponsored Forum on Long-Term Care Insurance and Retirement Planning

STATE OF CONNECTICUT

OFFICE OF POLICY AND MANAGEMENT

POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING DIVISION

If you are seeking information on how to plan for future long-term care costs, you will want to attend the public forum, “The Missing Link in Retirement Planning - Why and When to Consider Long-Term Care Insurance.”  The forum will be held on April 1^st at Central CT State University, Torp Theater, 1615 Stanley Street, New Britain.

The program will start at 6:00 P.M.  (Doors will open at 5:30 P.M.)  The State of Connecticut, in conjunction with the North Central CT Area Agency on Aging, will present this free, two-hour session.  The program is open to the general public.  No insurance sales will take place.

By attending this forum, you will gain a better understanding of: (1) the risks and costs of nursing home and home care and why it’s important to consider these long-term care factors in retirement planning; (2) what you need to know before buying long-term care insurance; and (3) the State’s innovative program, the Connecticut Partnership for Long-Term Care, and how it can add to your long-range financial security.  You will benefit from this forum if you are between 40 and 65 years of age and have (or plan to have) assets of at least $75,000 (excluding car and home).

To register for the program, please call 1-800-547-3443 or visit www.ctpartnership.org.