Saturday, February 27, 2010

Ode to the Outstanding Tom Hanks!

So thanks to AMC and their “Can’t get enough Gump week”, I’ve watched Forrest Gump at least six times this week, in it’s entirety once and then in parts the other five times! Now, A League of Their Own is on Bravo and I find myself unable to go to sleep…
On to the point of this post, Tom Hanks is one of the best actors of our time. As I’m watching him in A League of Their Own, I realize that I don’t see Tom Hanks, I see Jimmy Dugan. He is one of those few actors that doesn’t just portray a character, he creates a persona that takes of life of it’s own. After pondering his filmography I begin to gain a new appreciation of him. I’ve always refered to him as the “all-American” actor, but in reality he’s extremely versatile. Able to not just portray Carl Hanratty (Catch Me If You Can) but become him and generate a completely believable character with personality, quirks, likes, dislikes, etc. On the other hand, becoming the strict, somber prison guard Paul Edgecomb (The Green Mile), he embodied the character, heart and soul. I could go on and on describing all the different personalities he’s created and portrayed.
So here’s to you Mr. Hanks, I love to watch you become these people! Thanks for creating them and portraying them so well I don’t even see “you” in them.
p.s. So who’s your favorite Hanks persona? Here's his filmography.

5 comments:

  1. I loved Bosom Buddies growing up. I was really too little to get it. My fav persona is probably from saving Private Ryan. You just knew that that officer existed some where in some war. Hopefully in every war. He took care of his men like they were his sons.
    But. My favorite movie has to be a league of their own. Awesome! Do you remember when you came to Kansas to help me with lab work and we watched on the little tv in the lab over and over while we were working? One of my favorite sister memories. I owe you part of my PhD. You can have the h. Love you.

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  2. My favorite Tom Hank movies have to be... Big, Saving Private Ryan (Janeal is right, there was a lot of officers that were like his character in that movie), The Green Mile, and last but not least Splash. But honestly I love almost every movie his is in. The Green Mile, however, I can watch over and over and over again. I've even read the books several and I picture Tom in my head when I do!

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  3. As per our discussion the other day, my favorite Tom Hanks character has to be Sam from Sleepless in Seattle. I love the things that he says, the way he loves Jonah, and just how magnetic his personality is!
    My favorite thing he says in the movie is when he's on the radio with Dr. Marsha Fieldstone, and he says: "Well, it was a million tiny little things that, when you added them all up, they meant we were suppose to be together... and I knew it. I knew it the very first time I touched her. It was like coming home... only to no home I'd ever known... I was just taking her hand to help her out of a car and I knew. It was like... magic."
    Well done, Tom Hanks. Well done.

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  4. Tom is a great actor.. no argument. But I think all his movies have some sort of reference or depiction of him peeing. Green Mile he's got the bladder infection... Cast Away he pees in the ocean...A League of their Own of course he pees in that one too. Apollo 13 he pees in space...are there any others?

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  5. scott...forrest gump...."how does it feel to be an all american?"

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