Robert’s Sister Goes to the Movies: World War Z

On a recent weekend evening, Richard and I found ourselves caught up on the recordings on our DVR; the new season of our other favorite shows hadn’t yet started and no one was in the hospital.

Image credit: Amazon

Plus, we needed a distraction since Breaking Bad was down to the last episode or two and it wasn’t yet Sunday night. (Boy, I miss that show!) 

We decided to watch a movie and settled on World War Z. We hadn’t seen it in the theaters and it was available to rent right from our television. Not having to leave the house is an extra bonus for tired caregivers – goodness knows, I have been to CVS way too often lately in my sweats.

I hadn’t heard much about this movie but knew Brad Pitt was trying to save the world. That was just the sort of mindless distraction I needed!

Robert was settled in bed watching as many episodes of Family Feud as possible while simultaneously doing his word search puzzle.

I ran upstairs, grabbed the video monitor and set it on my bed to keep an eye on Robert. I snuggled in and the dogs followed suit: The puppy at my feet and Oz by my side, his head on my lap. Richard was standing doing his back stretches.

Oh crap, I forgot the cat.

Since Taz (The Crazy Puppy) is way more interested in Milky Way than Milky Way is in Taz, I wait until Taz turns into a Sleepy Puppy before giving Milky Way the all clear to come in and snuggle. 

“All clear” as in, I move Oz’s head off my lap, move the video monitor out of my way, get out of bed and go to the bedroom down the hall to get Milky Way. If I’m lucky I can sneak back in bed without Taz waking up and Milks can lay on one side of me, Oz on the other.

Okay. Now I’m ready.  Start the movie!

Oh, wait. I need some water. Hmm.  If I wait, Richard should be going downstairs any minute to get some water or a snack.

Waiting. Pet the cat. Pet Oz.  Rub my feet on Taz.

“I’m going downstairs. Do you want anything?”

Why, yes, honey! Thank you!  Could I have some water, please?

Richard returns upstairs with a bottle of water for each of us.

Time for the movie!

The alarm on my phone sounds. Argh! It is the last medicine time for Robert.

Okay, Milks has to move and I get up and go downstairs. I walk into the kitchen and Robert enthusiastically says, “Good evening, Trish!” (As if he hadn’t seen me for a week.)

Good evening, Robert! Here are your meds. It’s Saturday so you can stay up late watching TV if you want.

“Yes. Tomorrow is Sunday. I want to watch church.”

Yep, church will be recorded so you can still sleep in and watch it any time you want tomorrow. 

“Thank you.”

Okay, I’m going upstairs to watch a movie with Richard.

“Good night and God bless you.”

Good night, Robert. God bless you too.

“Tell Richard good night and God Bless Him too.”

Okay, hon. Good night.

“Tell Richard I love him.”

Um, okay. (What am I? Chopped liver?)

Love you, too, Robert.

“Love you and good night, Trish.”

There we go.

I’m starting to think I live in a house with John Boy.

Up the stairs I go, move the cat, crawl into bed, put the cat back down, scoot Oz over since he’s encroached on my space and yank the covers out from under him.

Now I’m ready.

I don’t know what to expect from “World War Z” other than Brad Pitt saves the world. I wonder what he is saving the world from and assume it is probably aliens.  The world is always in jeopardy because of aliens.

The movie starts with Brad Pitt in family-man mode which, for whatever reason, I find completely unbelievable.  I realize he has about 110 kids with Angelina Jolie but I think his portrayal of “dad” is unrealistic.

While mulling over why I don’t think Brad Pitt plays a realistic dad, I soon realize why the world is in jeopardy.  And it’s not helping the movie be any more realistic.

It’s because of Zombies. 

Ohhh, so that’s what the “Z” means! Gotcha. I get it now.

I’m going to have to let the “realistic” expectations go and just see where this movie takes us.  The problem I foresee is I am not much of a zombie fan or horror fan nor do I like to be scared. I do like suspense movies so decide to give this a chance. 

Plus, I kind of like that zombie in the phone commercials.  This could work out okay.

The movie was a little on the gross side but there was a lot of action and suspense. There were even a few heartwarming moments and one terrific (and terrifying) scene with Brad Pitt trying to outwit Michael Jenn playing a zombie in the World Health Organization lab. Wow. That guy really knows how to make a zombie seem realistic and disturbing. The teeth chattering alone was bone chilling.

I get the creeps just thinking about it.

The movie was surprisingly enjoyable and definitely kept me on the edge of my seat (or that could have been Oz stretching out and scooting me off the bed).

This would be a fun movie for caregivers and carees to watch together to see if the “Zs” take over the world. (And, no, I will not give away the ending!)

I do not recommend anyone watch this movie alone. (Advice that, sadly, comes a few days too late for my poor daughter.)

Surprisingly (probably only to me), the movie is rated PG-13.  I say surprisingly because I am easily scared but realize not everyone is such a scaredy-cat.  

“World War Z” was released in 2013 so it’s too soon for the purchase price to drop but if you like to be scared and watching zombies is your thing, you can purchase it for $16.99 on Amazon. We only paid around $4.99 for the rental which was just perfect for a movie night at home (where I can wear my sweats without worry). The teeth chattering zombie scene alone was worth the price!

“World War Z” gets three out of five scoops of Rocky Road Ice Cream from Robert’s Sister. Which actually sounds pretty good right about now – I need some help getting the images of those zombies out of my head. 

Robert’s Sister Goes to the Movies: Identity Thief

It was a movie watching extravaganza one hot weekend in August.  On Saturday night, Richard and I joined Robert to watch a movie.  We had pizza and salad for dinner and gathered around the television in the family room. Robert was able to peacefully enjoy his dinner because I shielded his food from our ever-growing puppy.

Identity Thief (2013) Poster

Taz is getting much better about leaving us alone when we eat at the dinner table but it’s really just too much for him to handle when we eat in the family room.  Oh the smells! And everything is sooo close! Please, please, please drop something he seems to plead at Robert’s feet.

After eating a few bites of his combination pizza and doing a bit of thinking, Robert decided he wanted to watch a comedy.  Richard and I scrolled through the list of movies to rent on our television and landed on “Identity Thief.” It looked cute enough plus Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy were in it. It had the potential to be pretty darn funny. 

Early on, it seemed the concept was a bit of a stretch (woman steals man’s identity; man travels several states away to confront this woman and bring her to justice). There were several very funny scenes but just as many raunchy scenes and way too many unbelievable plot points.

The best part of the movie was that Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy were in it!  Cam (Eric Stonestreet) from Modern Family was also in it but his scene with Melissa was too over the top for me (and might be a tad embarrassing for a caregiver watching with their caree – especially if it’s their mom or dad).

The movie is aptly rated R. “Identity Thief” was released in 2013 so the price is still a bit steep for purchase ($14.99 on Amazon). I would recommend renting it instead so you’re only paying around $4.99. 

Robert laughed a lot during the movie since there was a lot of physical comedy. He deemed the movie “excellent” but I am only going to give it two and a half out of five scoops of Rocky Road. 

Sorry, Jason & Melissa!

Robert’s Sister Goes to the Movies: Happy Feet

Before Richard was in the hospital but after my stint as a caregiving cheerleader to Robert with those pesky socks, we had a movie weekend at home.

Happy Feet (2006) Poster

“Identity Thief” was on the agenda for Saturday night and “Happy Feet” was our Sunday afternoon entertainment.

For someone who loves movies as much as I do I am woefully behind in my viewing of popular movies.  I mean, is there anyone besides me who hasn’t seen “Happy Feet?”

“Happy Feet” is a movie about Emperor Penguins who are pretty much required to sing if they want to find their soul mate. One young penguin, Mumble, can’t sing but, boy, can he dance!  No one appreciates this skill, though, so he is deemed an outcast and kicked out of his homeland.

Poor guy! He even falls in love with another young penguin but he i sure she won’t love him because he can’t sing. He does enjoy dancing so much he just can’t stop and teaches others his nifty moves wherever he goes. 

While on his adventure once he has been exiled, he becomes a hero with his dancing abilities.

There is a strong environmental message in the movie which isn’t a bad thing but it is a bit too heavy-handed for me.  Of course, this was released in 2006 not too many months after the largest Alaskan oil spill in history.

Maybe heavy-handed isn’t too much after all.

Overall, the movie was enjoyable with an uplifting message and lots of feel-good song and dance routines. I won’t tell you if Mumble gets the girl but you probably already know since I am no doubt the last person to have watched this movie!

Robert enjoyed this PG rated animated film as well even though he did take a short nap during it (which is pretty normal for him).  It lasts 108 minutes and would be a good, fun movie for any age, caree or their caregiver.  In fact, it might be a fun movie for grandma and grandpa to watch with their grandchildren. 

Since “Happy Feet” has been out for several years, it is going to be easy to find and cheap to purchase or rent. Amazon has a 24-hour rental for $1.99!

So pop some popcorn, download the movie and clear some floor space – because this movie is going to make your feet happy and ready to move!

We’ll give “Happy Feet” three out of five scoops of Rocky Road Ice Cream.

 

At the Movies with Robert’s Sister: UP

It’s been tough deciding on the first movie to review! Since my reviews are geared toward the caregiver my criteria for the movies are:

1. The movie has to be easily accessible for home viewing;
2. The movie has to be cheap;
3. The movie has to be inspiring, funny, thought-provoking or pure escapism (or all of the above if that’s even possible);
4. The movie can be watched by the caregiver, co-caregiver and/or caree – I’ll definitely note if there’s some reason a caree shouldn’t watch a particular movie;

Sprinkled throughout the reviews, will be those that have won the Academy Award for Best Picture! I will also occasionally even review a newly released movie – once I can get to the theater.

Since Richard and I haven’t yet found an aide to stay with Robert, we recently had a “date night” at home.  This involved me getting Robert to bed (after some Rocky Road, of course), having him watch regular television instead of the recorded shows (because Robert can work a remote even less proficiently than I can) and then me running upstairs with the dogs to snuggle in to watch a movie with Richard.

Instead of popcorn next to my seat, I had two dogs and a video monitor to keep an eye on Robert. Richard was standing and stretching his aching back and in control of the remote. 

I think we had frozen yogurt but it’s a little hard to enjoy that with a fifty pound puppy sticking his nose in the cup saying, “Whatcha got, mom? Whatcha got, mom? Whatcha got, mom?”

We debated what to watch on our date night: Continue with our streak of watching documentaries?  Find another series to dive into?  Watch a regular movie? (At this rate, date night is going to be over before we decide!)

As Richard scrolled through the movies I remembered a movie I had heard was terrific and I hadn’t yet seen: UP.  

I can hear you asking incredulously – what? You haven’t yet seen UP??  No and I have no idea what I was doing in May 2009 that made me too busy to see such a gem.

Several sources had mentioned what a heart-warming and inspiring movie it was. I also knew it had either won or been nominated for Best Picture. I wasn’t far off – UP was nominated for Best Picture but lost to The Hurt Locker.  UP did win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film.  

I knew I needed to see this critically acclaimed, popular and sweet movie but when deciding if this should be my first review, I wondered if I should admit I hadn’t yet seen it!

Of course, I have to be honest so there you have it – I saw UP for the first time a few weeks ago and it lived up to everything I had heard about it.

I was in love within the first five minutes. Two young kids share a love of adventure, fall in love as they grow up, get married and have a shared dream of future adventures.  Of course, life sometimes has a way of changing our dreams and hopes for the future.

Caregivers know this as well as anyone.

The main character, Carl Fredricksen, voiced gruffly yet poignantly as only Ed Asner can, wallows in self-pity and bitterness for a while but then sets off on an adventure to honor his and his wife’s dreams.  

An adorable, earnest and persistent boy (as well as a few unusual animals), join Carl on a wild and at times, treacherous, adventure.  Only after overcoming adversity and coming face to face with his hero, does Carl come to the realization that sometimes our best dreams have been under our noses all along.

I highly recommend this movie for the caregiver and their caree and give it five scoops of Rocky Road ice cream (out of five).

UP can be found on Amazon for $3.99 (for a 3-day rental) or $8.99 to purchase. 

Richard and I have Netflix and ordered it online for $3.99.

I also have one copy of the DVD to give to the first person to comment that they would like a copy! 

UP is rated PG and is a Disney and Pixar production.  It is directed by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson and lasts 96 minutes.  For a full list of credits, please visit here. 

We're “Going” to the Movies!

I love movies! When I was younger I really wanted to be an actress and even had opportunities to be an extra in movies being filmed in our city.  It was such fun watching the process, being involved in the process, the multiple takes, the energy of the production and just everything about it. 

Watching a really good movie is just as exciting and if I had my druthers, I would stick around to the very last credit just to honor every single person who worked on the movie.  (Staying to the end is always dependent on how many people are trying to climb past me to get out, who I am seeing the movie with and whether it was a long movie and I have to use the restroom.)

It’s complicated.

Replicas of Academy Award statuette in a gift store
in Hollywood (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

My dad loved going to the movies too. Seeing a movie together was usually the most enjoyable times we had together.  I didn’t have to muster up patience to listen to his conspiracy theories or about his latest escapades that involved choices he was making in his life (most of which I didn’t agree with).  We could watch a movie together and then talk about the impact it had on us and what we liked and didn’t like about the movie.  We mostly enjoyed the same type of movies: action or thought-provoking or inspiring.  I cannot watch horror or gory movies so we avoided those. 

We liked movies so much we both decided we wanted to see every Academy Award winning Best Picture movie.  Dad saw a lot of movies but we didn’t even come close to polishing off the list of 85 movies (those who know me have no doubt in their minds that I have a spreadsheet listing these movies). 

Seeing all of the Best Picture winners is still on my Bucket List but so is seeing other movies that are meaningful, powerful or just pure escapism.  I’m not really a movie snob but I do have one rule:

BE QUIET!  Please don’t talk during a movie (whether at home or in the theater – even during previews)!

Now that Robert lives with us it is a little more difficult to go out to the movies.  Robert has mobility issues plus he doesn’t usually have much warning when he needs to use the restroom. It makes being able to watch a movie without interruption a little challenging.

Richard and I have decided to watch movies at home (we’re on a documentary kick right now) and I hope to check off a few more Best Picture movies from my list.  I also want to watch a movie or two with Robert if I can ever tear him away from Jeopardy or his new favorite show, Family Feud (admittedly, that show is addicting for some reason).

Caregivers and their carees need entertainment and many times it needs to be cheap! It’s not easy to take a family to the movie theater with the expense of tickets, popcorn and drinks.  I sneak in water or soda (shh! Don’t tell!) but I’ve yet to try sneaking in popcorn.

Watching movies on DVD or through Netflix is a great option for caregivers and their carees.  It’s home-based, the snacks are cheaper and mobility problems are no longer a consideration.  Since availability of family restrooms is always a consideration of mine, the bathroom at home is close, available and the movie can be paused if needed!

I think it would be fun to review movies that caregivers can watch at home with (or without) their caree for either free or fairly cheap as well as the occasional first release movies in the theater.

Watch this space (or www.caregiving.com) for the occasional movie review!  I’m not a professional reviewer but I do love the movies and will give a “regular person” review of the movies. 

I look forward to “going” to the movies with all of you!

Caregiving Seeps into the Movies

With 65 million family caregivers in the United States alone, we are bound to see more and more movies with themes involving caregiving plus a few more with passing references to caregiving. Or, it’s entirely possible, that I now see caregiving everywhere since I am more involved with other caregivers and involved in caregiving itself. Kind of like when I bought my VW Jetta, all I saw on the road were Jettas. Everyone owns a Jetta! (Okay, not really. It’s a little trick the mind plays on us known as “the red car syndrome”).

Whatever the reason, caregiving has made it into the movies (and, no, I don’t think Misery counts).

On our day of little miracles we saw the movie 50/50. The movie is about cancer. And it is hilarious.

Yes, cancer and comedy do go together – who knew?!

I love a movie that makes me feel like a better person just for having watched it. Seth Rogen is not exactly someone I thought I ever would admire or be in a movie that moved me so much. He’s not the draw to a movie for me and I certainly don’t run out to see a movie because he’s in it. Matt Damon on the other hand – sign me up! (Although I have to digress to say he was completely wasted in Contagion and I would love it if Warner Brothers would kindly send me my money back).

Seth Rogen’s humor is a bit extremely crass and we all know crass humor can’t have any sort of redeeming quality, right? (yes, that’s me being judgmental and just a touch sarcastic).

50/50 is about a 27 year old man (an understated Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who learns he has a rare form of cancer. Really awful news to someone who declares he can’t have cancer because, “I don’t smoke. I don’t drink. I recycle.” In that short scene he sums up what anyone listening to a devastating diagnosis would think: this isn’t fair!

As I’ve recently learned, Seth Rogen is not just a comic whose range involves extreme profanity and acting like a complete jackass, he is a sincere and vocal advocate for education about Alzheimer’s disease . The film includes a character living with Alzheimer’s and touches upon the challenges of spousal caregiving. 50/50 also shows us that not everyone is cut out for caregiving yet others go about it in an unconventional yet loving and effective way.

I don’t want to say much more about the movie because I’m afraid I might give too much away (I’d be a terrible movie reviewer) but I do want to commend the writer, Will Reiser, for his light approach to such a serious subject.

The movie values friendship, love, family and humor and shows us there is no “right” way to be supportive. What’s important is being there.

Do you have an unconventional caregiving story to share? Does humor help you in your caregiving or is it all let’s-get-down-to-business-this-is-serious-stuff?