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St's avatar

Happy birthday Julian you look great. I'm 20 years younger and have no hair:( but my dad in mid 80s and still runs so I may last too. We're both lifetime 5-10K runners. Just eat right is all nothing packaged and take a few supplements. We have a family MD who really cares and is all into supplements recommeds...no Rx meds.

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Julian Macfarlane's avatar

No hair is cool. Think Jason Stratham. I used to curse my baby face. Now I bless It. I keep a low body weight. Low BMI. Living in an apartment without an elevator. Don't take the subways in Tokyo – walk or bike-- and take a lot of supplements, mostly Chinese. And at 60 I looked 40. My girlfriend of the time was 29 and thought that too. . I told her my age after a month or so. And she moved in.. Of course, when I turned 73, still looking younger, and actually healthier on most tests, she dumped me saying I was too old. So there's a downside I guess.

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Mike Hampton's avatar

Thanks. I haven't done a birthday for 3 decades but regularly contemplate ageism. I appreciated that video.

For a feel good vibe, check out the documentary Young@Heart - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjnfoFg7i7g

For nostalgia, the Italian master, Paolo Sorrentino, did an underrated English movie with Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel called 'Youth' - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3312830/

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Julian Macfarlane's avatar

Thank you for this Mike. . I really appreciate you directing me to good stuff.

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Mike Hampton's avatar

And, finally... RUSSIA:

1. Loveless (Russia drama 2014)

2. The Fool (Russia corruption drama )

3. The Cuckoo aka Kukushka (Russia war comedy 2002)

4. Beanpole (Russia post-WW2 war PTSD drama 2019)

5. Ayka (Kazakhstan-Russia immigrant female suppression drama 2018)

6. The Major (Russia corruption crime drama)

7. Night Watch (Russia action fantasy 2004)

8. 12 (Russia court drama 2007)

9. Leviathan (Russia drama 2014)

10. Petrov's Flu (Russia drama 2021)

11. In the Forests of Siberia (France set Russia biopic 2016)

12. Leto aka Summer (Russian musician biopic 2018)

13. The 9th Company (Russian Afghan war 2005)

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Mike Hampton's avatar

OTHER

Ten Canoes (Australia adventure dramedy 2006)

Monsieur Lazhar (Canada French school drama 2011)

Language Lessons (Spanish American grief drama 2021)

The Feast (UK Welsh eco thriller 2021)

The Quiet Girl (Ireland child family drama 2022)

Saloum (Congo set Senegal revenge thriller 2022)

Beyond the River (South Africa biopic 2017)

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Mike Hampton's avatar

LATIN AMERICA

The Secret in Their Eyes (Argentina drama mystery romance 2009)

City of God (Brazil child crime gang drama 2002)

The Club (Chile religious crime drama 2015)

Embrace of the Serpent (Colombia dark colonial drama 2015)

Roma (Mexico servant drama 2018)

A Twelve-Year Night (Uruguay political prisoner biopic 2018)

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Mike Hampton's avatar

EUROPE NORDIC

Worst Person in the World (Norway drama romance 2021)

Beautiful Beings (Iceland child drama 2022)

The Celebration aka Festen (Denmark family drama 1998)

Let the Right One In (Sweden dark fantasy 2008 – Dir Tomas Alfredson)

The Unknown Soldier (Finland WW2 war biopic 2017)

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Mike Hampton's avatar

EUROPE MEDITERRANEAN

The Great Beauty (Italy absurdist drama 2013)

Miss Violence (Greece child abuse drama 2012)

The Orphanage (Spain horror 2007)

Listen (Portugal but set UK immigrant family poverty drama 2020)

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Mike Hampton's avatar

If you ever quit substack, I'll send you a list :)

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Julian Macfarlane's avatar

You mean I don't get a list until I quit Substack?I can't leave you alone here.

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Mike Hampton's avatar

EUROPE EAST

4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days (Romania cold war female oppression 2007)

On Body and Soul (Hungary surreal romance drama 2017)

Wedding Day aka Wesele (Poland WW2 war xenophobic corruption drama 2021)

Truth and Justice (Estonia drama 2019)

The Painted Bird (Czech WW2 war dark drama 2020)

Homeward a.k.a. Evge (Ukraine Russian family religious grief drama 2019)

Fear a.k.a. Strah (Bulgaria immigrant dramedy 2020)

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Mike Hampton's avatar

EUROPE WEST

The Broken Circle Breakdown (Belgium drama romance 2012)

Downfall (Germany WW2 war 2004)

The Counterfeiters (Austria WW2 war biopic 2007)

Les Misérables (France inequality crime drama 2019)

Black Book (Netherlands WW2 war drama 2006)

The Innocents (Luxembourg WW2 war nun drama 2016)

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Mike Hampton's avatar

MIDDLE EAST & ARAB AFRICA

Omar (Palestine drama romance 2013)

Mustang (Turkey female oppression drama 2015)

Incendies (Canada but set Middle East drama 2010)

Turtles Can Fly (Iran but set Iraq war child drama 2004)

Where Do We Go Now? (Lebanon war dramedy 2011)

I Still Hide to Smoke (Algeria female oppression drama 2016)

The Women's Balcony (Israel female oppression dramedy 2016)

Clash (Egypt revolution war drama 2016 - Dir Mohamed Diab)

Wadjda (Saudi Arabia female oppression child drama 2012)

Theeb (Jordan set in UAE child drama 2014)

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Mike Hampton's avatar

ASIA MIDDLE & SOUTH EAST

Ilo Ilo (Singapore servant drama 2013)

Buoyancy (Cambodia but Aussie dir - slave drama thriller)

Luna Papa (Tajikistan comedy 1999)

The Legend of Tomiris (Kazakhstan action biopic 2019)

To the Ends of the Earth (Japan dir but set Uzbekistan drama 2019)

Last Film Show (India child drama 2021)

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Mike Hampton's avatar

One of the best movies from each country (yeah, I should substack this properly):

ASIA

House of Hummingbird (Korea coming of age drama 2018)

Confessions (Japan vengeance 2010)

An Elephant Sitting Still (China Mainland slow dark drama 2018)

Lust, Caution (China Taiwan 2007)

Better Days (China Hong Kong bully drama 2019)

Dreamy Eyes (Vietnam romance 2020)

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Mike Hampton's avatar

Amazing Documentary Series:

From Russia to Iran - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7748314/plotsummary/?ref_=tt_ov_pl

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Mike Hampton's avatar

I haven't been on Substack long and still think of taking a break. I spent 15hrs reading politics yesterday.

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Julian Macfarlane's avatar

15 hours? That sounds like POB – Political Obsession Disorder. Seek help soon. I recommend porn hub.

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Mike Hampton's avatar

I'm waiting for SerbiaHub to open.

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OldMan's avatar

Happy Birthday! As a recent 79 year old I understand your feelings all too well. Thank you for sharing your insights with us.

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Julian Macfarlane's avatar

Us old guys gotta stick together

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frank's avatar

Happy birthday !

By sheer coincidence, we celebrating my wife's birthday today, too ...

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Spkrman's avatar

My wife too celebrated her birthday today. I made a plaque with my own hands, nothing fancy, just a personal message to a Browns fan. I love her. I felt we have neglected her birthday over the years and wanted to make up for it. She’s 52, I’m older.

She liked it a lot. Didn’t cost anything, just some time. If you have people, show them your love. It pays off.

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Julian Macfarlane's avatar

It's not the present – it's the love. Well done! Happy birthday to both your wives.

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EriK's avatar

Happy & Blessed Birthday!

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Julian Macfarlane's avatar

Thank you Erik.

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paul vandeplas's avatar

All the best to you and know that you give a lot of people inspiration by sharing your insights which sharpen their insights. Enough reason to live a happy life

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G1 Tim's avatar

Happy Birthday Julian, and many more....

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Julian Macfarlane's avatar

Thank you.

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Badbard Poetry's avatar

The feelings and inspiration are mutual. Stay strong and rock on.

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Julian Macfarlane's avatar

A lot of my so-called "inspiration" comes from commenters like you.

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