jaemskeray
William
tincolor
ThomasFiled under: Uncategorized | Tags: 1990s, denzel washington, Drama, Jason Robards, Jonathan Demme, Tom Hanks, Watchable
Tom Hanks gets fired after the partners at his conservative law firm discover that he has AIDS. The subject matter is groundbreaking, Hanks is brilliant, and director Jonathan Demme adds some style (like the atmospheric party scenes or the characters staring right into the camera). And Jason Robards makes a great bad guy! But the movie, ostensibly a courtroom drama, doesn’t seem to focus on its fake-seeming legal procedure — it’s more about the redemption of Denzel, a gay bashing ambulance chaser who thinks he can get AIDS just from shaking TH’s hand. What? Maybe people in the 90’s behaved that way but it just feels so strange and dated now. Watchable.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 1990s, best picture, Comedy, Drama, epic, romance, Tom Hanks, Worth watching
We follow Tom Hanks as a low-IQ man with a heart of gold as he goes on a whirlwind tour of late-20th century American history. This movie was a nationwide phenomenon upon release; it won six Oscars (including Best Picture and Best Actor) and was endlessly quoted (“Run, Forrest, Run!”). I am pleased to report that twenty years later, this movie retains its value, thanks largely to Tom Hanks’ relentless, irresistible charm. Sure, you could criticize this movie for being a bit too sweet and fantastical, but why would you want to be such a stick-in-the-mud? I’ll give it a high Worth Watching.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forrest_Gump
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 1990s, Meg Ryan, romantic comedy, Tom Hanks, Watchable
Meg Ryan is the adorable owner of an independent children’s bookstore who also finds herself corresponding with an electronic penpal in an exciting new service called “America Online.” Tom Hanks is a business tycoon planning to open a new mega-bookstore just down the block, who also has an online penpal. What they don’t realize is that their business rival and anonymous online crush are actually the same person!
Less hilarity than you might expect, ensues. The writing is just not as sharp or funny as in other romantic comedies, and the quirky friends are just too deliberately quirky and not enough genuinely funny. There are more opportunities Ryan-Hanks banter than in Sleepless in Seattle, which is not bad, and seeing all that old technology is kinda fun, but overall it’s just Watchable.
Superior alternatives: While You Were Sleeping, Sleepless in Seattle, French Kiss.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You’ve_Got_Mail
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 2010s, Oscar Fever 2014!, Thriller, Tom Hanks, watchable plus
In this fast-paced thriller, Tom Hanks captains a shipping vessel through the dangerous waters around the Gulf of Aden and, as everyone knows, gets attacked by Somali pirates. This too is part of Oscar Fever 2014 because I guess it came out at the right time of year and has a plot lifted from the headlines, which provides a sense of gritty realism that people crave. Or maybe folks just like watching Tom Hanks suffer miserably? It’s Watchable Plus.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 2010s, Drama, fantasy, halle berry, Sci-fi, Tom Hanks, Worth checking out
Six stories dispersed in time and space intercut with each other. Do they have some connection? Probably, but it’s not obvious. Perhaps there’s a serious and profound idea contained herein, but I decided not to hurt my head too much over that possibility. It was a good decision, and overall I enjoyed the experience of watching the movie, in contrast to some of my fellow critics. I can see how many people would hate this movie. The writers imply a kind of coherence that isn’t really there, giving the whole thing an air of annoying self-importance. And yes, constantly seeing the same famous actors in weird make-up is distracting. Even so, I enjoyed the experience enough to call it Worth Checking Out.
Incidentally, I had read the book some time ago and found it only okay.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_Atlas_(film)
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 2010s, Barely watchable, Sci-fi, The Wachowskis, Tom Hanks
A series of silly and meaningless vignettes set in wildly different time frames, edited together for some reason. The Wachowski siblings are pretty good at production design, sure — but the script is DOA, the music is schmaltzy, the make-up is distracting and awful, all while the actors appear brain dead (except for Tom Hanks, the man who makes losing a volleyball into a tragic experience.) Much like the Matrix sequels, this movie is unspeakably boring and often funny despite itself; though, to be clear, I had more fun preparing my tax return. Barely Watchable.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 1980s, Comedy, Shelly Long, Tom Hanks, Watchable
Tom Hanks and his girlfriend Shelly Long are New Yorkers with no place to live, who end up buying a decaying mansion on Long Island. There are various subplots but the main message is this: Beware shady real estate deals, for they lead to home improvement-themed physical comedy! Hanks puts on a comically exasperated attitude that is funny enough to earn a Watchable Plus.
