Writer/Star Tom Hanks (A Hologram for the King) combines his love of WWII stories and green screen usage with the Apple TV-exclusive film Greyhound. Also starring Stephen Graham (Hellboy) and with a brief appearance by Elisabeth Shue (Piranha 3D), the film offers engaging sea warfare scenes and a solid performance - as always - by Hanks.
Pixar returns to the characters who started it all with Toy Story 4. Adding a chapter to their nearly-perfect trilogy was either gutsy or an enormous act of hubris. Your call. The movie is fun, though your favorite character likely receives little screen time as old characters get pushed aside for new friends. Visually stunning and surprisingly philosophical.
The dream team of director Steven Spielberg (Saving Private Ryan), Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump, every movie your Dad likes), and Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady, every movie your Mom likes) delivers a true-to-life story of freedom of the press against a vindictive and corrupt government as well as a female empowerment tale with The Post. The supporting cast is ridiculously good and Streep earns her 21st Academy Award nomination!
Emma Watson, fresh from the biggest movie of the year (Disney's Beauty & the Beast), stars in either a cautionary tale or nearly-incomplete techno-thriller The Circle. Tom Hanks (fresh off his own box office-cautionary tale A Hologram for the King) channels his inner tech guru while Patton Oswalt oozes creep. Bill Paxton provides a lovely performance in one of his last films.
Clint Eastwood and Tom Hanks collaborate to bring the relatively-true-ish story of the absolutely-true "miracle on the Hudson" to the silver screen. Backed with an impressive cast of character actors, and Michael Rappaport, Sully puts in the cockpit and the cabin (and four different flight simulators) for the fateful flight.
Forrest Gump, the inoffensive, scoop of vanilla Best Picture winner from 1994 took that honor from Pulp Fiction, The Shawshank Redemption, and Quiz Show. Think about that while listening to this episode or to Tom Hanks' now-cliche Southern drawl and slow-witted delivery.
Steven Spielberg revisits the cold war along with friend and collaborator Tom Hanks in Bridge of Spies. The film is nominated for six Academy Awards this year, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Mark Rylance.
Listen to this episode to hear the guys discuss:
What they liked:
What they did not like:
Danny and Mike do not see eye to eye on the merits of Saving Mr. Banks, but let it be known: Tom Hanks hasn’t helped save anybody this in need of saving since he saved Private Ryan. We’re not absolutely certain, but this might be the only podcast in the world where Janet Yellen is referred to as a “stone cold dog”. One thing that IS certain is that her hair is much better than Emma Thompson’s in this movie.