For many of us, our childhood memories are cocooned in three words: Mister Roger’s Neighborhood. Fred Rogers was more than a TV host, he was a friend, a confidant and a teacher, all in one.
The new movie, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, starring Tom Hanks and Matthew Rhys is the story of the friendship that blossomed between Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod.
I have to admit that I got a little teary eyed while watching the trailer. Adulthood can bring on cynicism, disbelief in magic and the idea that childhood is just that. My hope is that this film reminds audiences of the wonderment that is childhood and the feelings that only Fred Rogers could bring out in his young viewers.
When a sequel or a prequel to a beloved franchise is released, the hope is that not only will it live up to the original work, but it will expand the story.
In 1995, the original Toy Story was released. It was an instant success and revolutionized animated films. 24 years later, Toy Story 4was released.
The 4th film in the series picks up just after the 3rd film ended. Bonnie (Madeleine McGraw), the young girl who inherited the toys is starting Kindergarten and is not feeling it. During orientation, she creates Forky (Tony Hale) and immediately adopts him as one of her toys. But Forky is not immediately convinced that he is a toy.
When Bonnie’s parents take her on a road trip before school starts, Woody (Tom Hanks), makes it his business to ensure that Forky does not escape. But inevitably, he does, separating Woody from Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and the rest of the toys. Before reuniting with the rest of the crew, Woody meets up with Bo Peep (Annie Potts), his unrequited crush who has become a bad-ass. They have to rescue Forky from the hands of potentially psychopathic Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks) with the help of Duke Kaboom (Keanu Reeves).
Upon release of the trailer, some may have asked why this film was necessary. The previous film tied up the narrative strings so perfectly that this film may seem like an easy cash grab by Disney.
It’s not. It expands the narrative in new and different ways. I loved the expansion of Bo Peep as a character and the message that it sends to women and girls of any age. I also loved the narrative of coming to the realization that things and relationships change. When we come to that point, we can either stay where we are or have the courage to step into the unknown for an adventure that is not yet revealed to us.
This film has humor, has heart and speaks to both children and adults.
I absolutely recommend it.
Toy Story 4 is presently in theaters.
P.S. Stay past the initial credits. The post credit scenes are worth the wait.
For most people, airports are a place just to come and go. But it can also leave flyers stranded, trapped between where they are going to and where they were coming from.
In the 2004 movie, The Terminal, Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks) is traveling through New York’s JFK airport when he learns that the fictional Eastern European country that he calls home experiences a political revolution. His passport is no longer valid. He cannot leave the airport, nor can he fly home. The only thing he can do is make himself comfortable until he can fly home. While he is waiting for the political situation in his homeland to clear up, he makes friends with the airport employees.
What I like about this movie is that it is simply entertaining. There is no overt political message or heavy-handed theme. It is just the story of a man who is trying to make the best of a bad situation.
Dan Brown’s 2006 novel, The Da Vinci Code was nothing short of a bombshell when it hit book stories 12 years ago. Depending on the perspective of the reader, it was either a thriller that kept you reading, or it was blasphemous/utter nonsense.
Either way, it’s no great mystery as to why a film adaptation of the book quickly reached theaters that same year. Starring Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon and Audrey Tautou as Sophie Neveu, the characters are trying to unravel a murder mystery, while discovering clues about the murderer in the works of Leonardo da Vinci. In doing so, they are outing a secret society that has lasted for centuries and could change how Christianity is viewed should the secrets be brought into the light.
I really enjoyed this movie. I enjoyed it not only because I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, but also the religious element adds to the tension that is part of discovering who the killer is.
Freedom of the press is one of our core freedoms. Without that freedom, our democracy is not a democracy.
The new movie, The Post, takes place in 1971. Kay Graham (Meryl Streep), is the owner/publisher of The Washington Post. The Vietnam War is raging on and the country is split down an ideological divide that looks impossible to cross. Kay is dealing with two equally troubling the issues: the newspaper’s financial issues and the fact that she is not just one of the few women in the newsroom, but one of the few women running a newspaper. The men around her are not exactly pleased to have to deal with on a professional level. Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) is her editor who is not afraid to tell the truth. After the New York Times publishes the Pentagon Papers and is called by the government for the printing, the documents get into the hands of the Washington Post. The question is, do Kay and Ben publish the papers and is freedom of the press more important than the security of the nation?
Directed by Steven Spielberg, this movie is a must see for every American citizen. It is a must see because the same arguments that the real life versions of the characters were having 46 years ago, we are still having the same arguments today. Especially with you know who in the White House. It is also a must see because without knowing it, Kay Graham was one of the women who helped to break the glass ceiling. She is still remembered today for her contributions in the arenas of both supporting the right of a free press and for the thousands of female journalists who have careers because of her.
This past weekend, the 1992 film, A League Of Their Own, celebrated its 25th anniversary.
Taking place during World War II, it is the story of two sisters, Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis) and Kit Keller (Lori Petty). While the boys are fighting their way across Europe, a girls baseball league, called the AAGPBL is created. Both Dottie and Kit try out and are chosen for the Rockford Peaches, coached by Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks). But while their professional lives are a success, the relationship between the two sisters begins to degrade.
For a generation of young girls, this movie is nothing short of life changing. It was feminism without hitting the audience over the head. It was a history lesson that far from boring. It was the story of two sisters whose relationship felt normal and real. Most of all, it encouraged young girls to become athletes.
I recall seeing this movie in theaters back in the day and I remember walking out of the theater transformed. It was an amazing film then and 25 years later, it still is an amazing film.
I still can’t believe it’s been 25 years, time goes way too fast. Thanks for the memories.
There is a unique bond between a human being and their dog. It’s as if this relationship was meant to be, these individuals were meant to spend their lives with each other.
In 1989 movie, Turner and Hooch, Scott Turner (Tom Hanks) has had it. A member of the police department, Scott’s cases have only been minor busts that are doing nothing for his career.
Three days before Scott is scheduled to transfer precincts, hoping to get a real piece of the action, a case falls into his lap. Amos Reed (John McIntire) has been murdered. There are no human witnesses, only Amos’s four-legged slobbering best friend Hooch. Scott is tasked with taking care of the dog. It’s not exactly what he asked for.
There are some narratives where the lead character does not get what they want, but they gets what they need. I feel like that is very true to life. What Scott wanted was career prestige. What needed was a smelly, sloberring, out of control dog who becomes his best friend.
When we are young, our toys are our best friends. They are inanimate objects in which we bestow our hopes and our fears. But what would happen if the toys came to life when their humans were not around?
Woody the cowboy (Tom Hanks) has been the favorite toy of Andy (John Morris) for a very long time. Then Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) is brought home and Woody feels like he has lost his place in the universe. Buzz becomes Andy’s new favorite toy and Woody becomes jealous. In an attempt to get rid of Buzz, Woody removes them both from the comfort of Andy’s room. Now they must work together to get home before Andy moves and leaves them behind forever.
The graphics, especially for a movie made in 1995 are incredible. At the time, they were groundbreaking. But what makes the movie for me at least is the story. For a kid’s movie, the plot and journey that the characters go through is very mature. It also appeals to the adults who remember when they were kids and saw their toys not as pieces of plastic and metal molded together, but as an extension of themselves.
Since the beginning of Hollywood, war movies have become standard fare for filmmakers and audiences.
But there are only a few that are as hard hitting, educational and remind audiences of the true nature of war like Saving Private Ryan (1998).
Private Ryan (Matt Damon) is one of four brothers fighting in World War II. His brothers have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. It is up to Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) to lead his team who have survived the Invasion of Normandy, to find Private Ryan and make sure that he returns home.
This is not your parent’s John Wayne era World War II movie. This movie does not spare the horrors and the damage that war creates. It is a brutal, in your face and reminds audiences of the sacrifices that our military men and women make for our freedom and safety.
When we are kids, there is mystique about being a grownup. We think that we will be wealthy, carefree and have no one to tell us what to do.
Then we grow up and the fantasy is quickly shattered.
In Big (1988), Josh (David Moscow) is a young boy who is tired of being a kid. He wants to be an adult. Josh makes a wish to grow up at a magical wish machine. He wakes up the next day in the form of Tom Hanks. Josh begins to enjoy the perks of adulthood, but he will also learn about the grey areas and the not so carefree aspects of being an adult.
This movie is a very interesting because it appeals to a wide range of audience members. The adults will remember what is was to be a kid (and sometimes wish they could be a kid again) and the kids might begin to understand that being an adult is not as cracked up as it seems.
