But then people started to actually respond to what I was writing and new readers started to pop up. The site meter I had at the time indicated that the blog suddenly went from having roughly 10 people show up every Tuesday, to 50 or 60 people showing up every Tuesday… Now, 60 people isn’t a lot (and to be honest it was probably the same 25 or 30 people showing up twice a day), but it was enough to freak me out. Suddenly it felt like I had to write it every week, and as you know, nothing is fun when you have to do it.
So I stopped.
But the reflexes are still there. I’m like an old boxer who’s past his prime but keeps coming out of retirement every couple years to see if he’s still "got it". I’ll find myself sitting at home watching one of my favorite movies on TV and suddenly I’m ready to get back in the gym and start knocking around the heavy bag and training for my next big fight.
That’s what happened to me the other night as I was flipping through channels, looking for something to watch… Suddenly I see that one of my favorite underrated movies of all time is on TNT… Great… But then I notice that the little preview on the channel guide hass given unforgivable rating of only 2 stars to one of my All-Time Favorties! (to provide a context, "True Lies" with Governor Arnold and Jamie Lee Hermaphrodite was playing later that night and it got 3 stars)
That was all I needed… Cue the “Rocky” theme music, dig out the boxing gloves from the bottom of the closet, and put in your mouth piece… it’s time to go to war!
Title: Cast Away (2000)Credits: Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, and directed by Robert Zemeckis
Why?: For starters, it happens to be one of the most re-watchable movies ever. I’ve seen it at least a dozen times and yet when I saw that it was on TNT the other night I enthusiastically sat through it once again.
There are several reasons why it’s so re-watchable but let’s examine the main two:
[1] The story… Let’s face it; everyone loves the “trapped on a deserted island” theme. The idea, no matter many times its been done, or how implausible it is (although Cast Away does the best job any show or movie has ever done at making it plausible) simply fascinates us.
[2] Hanks’ performance… Of all of his memorable performances (Forrest Gump, Philadelphia, Saving Private Ryan, etc) he seems to get the least amount of credit for this role, but when you think about it, it could be his best… The movie is a little over 2 hours long, and for more than have of that time, he’s the only character. Think about that for a moment… He’s the only person on the screen… He has to keep you entertained, keep you emotionally attached, keep you updated on the story line, and the only one there to help him do that is “Wilson the Volleyball”!
Not to mention the fact that through the course of filming the movie he goes from this:
[1] The story… Let’s face it; everyone loves the “trapped on a deserted island” theme. The idea, no matter many times its been done, or how implausible it is (although Cast Away does the best job any show or movie has ever done at making it plausible) simply fascinates us.
[2] Hanks’ performance… Of all of his memorable performances (Forrest Gump, Philadelphia, Saving Private Ryan, etc) he seems to get the least amount of credit for this role, but when you think about it, it could be his best… The movie is a little over 2 hours long, and for more than have of that time, he’s the only character. Think about that for a moment… He’s the only person on the screen… He has to keep you entertained, keep you emotionally attached, keep you updated on the story line, and the only one there to help him do that is “Wilson the Volleyball”!
Not to mention the fact that through the course of filming the movie he goes from this:
To this:
That is serious dedication to his character!
Forrest Gump is script driven. Tom throws out his "southern retard" voice and we follow him though a heart warming story of historical events and great music… Any of the upper echelon actors could have done it.
Philadelphia was a morality tale that made us re-examine our position on homosexuality, AIDS, and discrimination. Although Hanks does a fine job, an amazing job really, I think you could probably plug in Kevin Spacey, Robert Downey Jr, Sean Penn, or a half dozen other elite actors and get the same or similar results.
Saving Private Ryan to me would be his second best performance of this group. I can’t imagine anyone else matching his performance in the role, but at the same time, what makes this movie is as much the surrounding cast and the brilliant cinematography as Hanks’ performance.
But Cast Away is all Hanks. He owns this movie. He owns this role. Nobody else could have done it. Period. I will not argue about that.
Remote Scene Stopper: For me, once I’m in, I’m staying for the whole show… But if I had to say there was the one scene I couldn’t miss it would probably be the "plane crash/survival" scene.
First of all, plane crash scenes are fun… And I’ve mentioned it before but I just love the way they take something improbable (surviving a plane crash in the middle of the ocean and floating to an island on a raft) and make it feel plausible, even though its not. Nothing Hanks’ character does to survive the crash is superhuman or impossible. He just does the things a normal guy would have done in his situation and they make those actions somehow lead him to safety.
Tear Factor: “Wilson!!!!!! I’m so sorry Wilson!!!!!!!”
Overall Rating: My channel guide preview gave it 2 stars. IMDB viewers give it a 7.4. I’m giving it an 8.5 and to be perfectly honest, I had to talk myself down from a 9.0 just because it felt weird to have a rating that far off of IMDB.
It’s wildly entertaining. It has a remarkable performance by the defining actor of our generation. And if you still question that rating let me add that it also happens to be one of the greatest "discussion movies" of all time. As proof I ask you all to answer the following questions in the comments section [I'll be sure to put up my responses shortly, and yes, I am so obnoxious that I can't wait to answer my own questions]:
[1] Taking for granted that you survive the plane crash and land on the island, could you survive the 4 years Chuck spent on the island physically?
[2] Could you survive the fours year mentally?
[3] What food would you miss the most while on the island?
[4] What one item would you want to take with you on the island?
[5] What do you think of the way Kelly moved on with her life, got married, and popped out a kid while Chuck was on the island?
[6] What do you think becomes of Chuck and Kelly after the movie?
[7] Would you want to go back to the island a few years after the rescue to visit?
Philadelphia was a morality tale that made us re-examine our position on homosexuality, AIDS, and discrimination. Although Hanks does a fine job, an amazing job really, I think you could probably plug in Kevin Spacey, Robert Downey Jr, Sean Penn, or a half dozen other elite actors and get the same or similar results.
Saving Private Ryan to me would be his second best performance of this group. I can’t imagine anyone else matching his performance in the role, but at the same time, what makes this movie is as much the surrounding cast and the brilliant cinematography as Hanks’ performance.
But Cast Away is all Hanks. He owns this movie. He owns this role. Nobody else could have done it. Period. I will not argue about that.
Remote Scene Stopper: For me, once I’m in, I’m staying for the whole show… But if I had to say there was the one scene I couldn’t miss it would probably be the "plane crash/survival" scene.
First of all, plane crash scenes are fun… And I’ve mentioned it before but I just love the way they take something improbable (surviving a plane crash in the middle of the ocean and floating to an island on a raft) and make it feel plausible, even though its not. Nothing Hanks’ character does to survive the crash is superhuman or impossible. He just does the things a normal guy would have done in his situation and they make those actions somehow lead him to safety.
Tear Factor: “Wilson!!!!!! I’m so sorry Wilson!!!!!!!”Overall Rating: My channel guide preview gave it 2 stars. IMDB viewers give it a 7.4. I’m giving it an 8.5 and to be perfectly honest, I had to talk myself down from a 9.0 just because it felt weird to have a rating that far off of IMDB.
It’s wildly entertaining. It has a remarkable performance by the defining actor of our generation. And if you still question that rating let me add that it also happens to be one of the greatest "discussion movies" of all time. As proof I ask you all to answer the following questions in the comments section [I'll be sure to put up my responses shortly, and yes, I am so obnoxious that I can't wait to answer my own questions]:
[1] Taking for granted that you survive the plane crash and land on the island, could you survive the 4 years Chuck spent on the island physically?
[2] Could you survive the fours year mentally?
[3] What food would you miss the most while on the island?
[4] What one item would you want to take with you on the island?
[5] What do you think of the way Kelly moved on with her life, got married, and popped out a kid while Chuck was on the island?
[6] What do you think becomes of Chuck and Kelly after the movie?
[7] Would you want to go back to the island a few years after the rescue to visit?
Posts
16 comments:
1. I think I'd have to will to live, but not the know how. I doubt I could even start a fire.
2. While this would probably be even tougher, I feel like I could do it mentally.
3. He had seafood. He had fruit. He didn't have cows. He didn't have chocolate. He didn't have milk. These are things I need.
4. Does this one item have to be something on/from the plane, or is this a "if you knew you were going to be stranded, what would you take?"
5. What was she supposed to do? I hold no ill-will towards her. Dr. Spalding can go fly a kite, though.
6. Chuck seems to be a decent human being. I think he never calls/contacts her again. It'd simply be too much for either of them to handle. On the other hand, Dr. Spalding is a creep and will later cheat on Kelly, thus opening the window of opportunity. Problem is, Chuck and Kelly are too old to have kids at this point and Lil' Spalding spawn becomes every parents' worst nightmare. Additionally, Chuck and Kelly determine that watching Lost is out of the question.
7. Easily the toughest question. One side says, Hell no. Why would I want to relive that experience even for one second. The other side says that this experience the greatest triumph of Chuck's life. Perhaps he'd like to show anyone willing to listen just what he went through.
8. You didn't ask #8. I just wanted to reiterate that there was no way in Hell I'd have pulled that ice skate manuever.
moe- in response to your #1, I think that Chuck is just as unprepared to deal with the situation as you would be and it takes him a while to get that fire going.
#4 lets do both answeres
#8, yeah at that point I'm just going live through the pain... I've survived SERIOUS tooth pain on nothing but advil and over the counter tooth pain relief... so much so that the dentist was in awe, so yeah, I'm just going to suck it up and take that pain before I knock my own tooth out.
I'm still working on my offical answers.
4. Keeping the raft would be the most essential thing from the wreckage. Of course, I'd have opened each and every one of those boxes after a day of being alone.
If I knew I'd be placed on a deserted island, I'm taking massive lighter.
1. Let's take care of the obvious first: I'm a fat guy so on the surface that would be a great disadvantage. There is no way I could have survived the crash because of that, but if I did somehow make it to the island I actually think I would be okay... I'm decent with my hands. I could build a fire and build tools... my fatness could actually help survive that initial near starvation period that would inevitably come until I learned to catch fish and crabs... the disadvantage would be that until i started to loose weight I would be more suspetable to maybe falling and getting hurt and with no medical care available that could be a disaster... so I guess my answer is, if we're willing to accept that I somehow got to the island, I actually think I could survive.
2. I'm pretty mentally tough. I'd invent some sort of game to occupy my free time and would probably invent my own Wilson as well... but Chuck was also a mentally tough person and he was cracking 4 years in... I'd probably make it about that far and crack, only I would never have had the balls to build the raft and escape so I would have gone crazy and thats probably what would do me in.
3. chinese
4. a) from the plane I'd say I would want something glass with a magnifying effect that I could use to start fires. I'm sure some piece of equipment on that plane had something like that.
b) I'd have to say a really good pocket knife.
5. Here is the biggest issue of the questionaire... on the surface you say, "hey it sucks, but she did what anybody would do"... but ive put a lot of thought into this... first of all, before he leaves for that flight he essentially proposes to her, and while the relationship has some issues as far as him making time, they're very much in love and you have to assume they would have gotten married and things would have been okay. they were VERY much in love.
so, his plane goes down at xmas. he comes back 4 years later. thats 48 months. Kelly says they searched for "weeks" before they gave up.
okay, so now they give up and have a funeral. that puts us at 1.5-2 months in.
-she says she kept telling everyone that she still thought he was alive and people kept telling her to move on. lets say that was another 6-8 months (we're now 10 months in)... so then she accepts that he's dead, but it's still probably another 8 or 9 months before she can actaully date someone. (19 months)
-then she starts dating the dentist... she's not going to be ready for a quick whirlwind marraige after what happened. they have to date at least a year before the marraige. (21 months)
-lets give her the benifit of the doubt and say they plan the wedding and get it done in 2 months. (23 months)
-six months into marraige she gets knocked up (29 months).
-the kid arrives (38 months).
-that means chuck gets home and that kid should be 10 months old... but guess what? based on the pictures in her house, that little bastard is at least 2 years old!!!!
conclusion: either they had a shotgun wedding or Kelly didn't take nearly as much time to get over Chuck as she should have! For all we know the dentist could have been getting it on the side while Chuck was still around!
6. Now, having said all that, I do think Kelly was a decent person, and she probably would have been devestated that he came back and she hadnt waited... that would have ruined her marraige. she probably would have become an alcoholic or something.
I agree with moe about chuck, he would have never called her again. i doubt he would hold any ill will towards her, but no way he could ever even take her back. i think he moves on within a year.
7. i personally WOULD want to go back, but I doubt chuck would.
Oooh...discussion-y post. I haven't seen this movie since high school so details are hazy (for instance, I could have sworn Tom Hanks and Helen Hunt were already married when he left).
1. I had to think about this one for awhile, but I'm pretty confident that I would survive the 4 years. I can't come up with a good reason why, but I also can't come up with a good reason why not...so...if he could do it, so could I.
2. No chance in hell. I'd be a raving lunatic. First I'd drive myself insane wondering what I was missing back home...did anybody miss me? were they trying to find me? was my mom going to sell my horses? what was my SO doing? And then I'd just go plain fucking nuts out of boredom and loneliness.
3. Chipotle
4. I HATE these questions and refuse to answer.
5. It made me sad when I saw the movie, but really I can't blame her. I sort of agree with Joel that the timing seems pretty quick, but then when somebody that important disappears, I'm guessing the days stretch on and feel like forever.
6. Definitely don't think they could have maintained any sort of relationship. I mean, how could they? No way. Plus, he needs to go live in some backwoods country somewhere where he can continue to always be a little insane.
7. I can't imagine that I would want to.
Lauren- they live together, but they arent married.
im also not a big fan of the "what would you take" question but gave myself a pass on it since in this case it pertains to a specific scenario in the movie.
and i could easily see Chuck going the ex-pat route after everything was said and done.
1. It depends. I'd have had lots of trouble getting fish the way he did. I hate coconuts. Pretty much any disease or injury would probably weaken me enough to curb my survival, if it didn't outright kill me.
2. I'm pretty easygoing, so I feel like it'd take a while for me to start going insane. It's my spirit that would be in trouble. Basically, once reasonable hope for rescue is gone, after the first few months when they've probably given up on finding you, I'd feel like there was little reason to live. I'd have to accept that my life would forever forward be my life alone on the island. Probably without any sort of real companionship, and definitely if I couldn't make myself comfortable, I'd just pull the plug. Plus, I'd rationalize that even if I was saved years and years down the road, I wouldn't have anything left in my life to come home to, much like Chuck.
3. Bread
4. Yeah, a pocket knife.
5. There's no way I'd expect her to wait if I were Chuck. Forget about it. Four years and many marbles later? Come on...
6. I don't think Chuck tries to make contact with her since she's clearly moved on. I know I wouldn't. In order to survive, I'd have basically had to move on as well, and so certainly I would have understood. And as far as we're talking about implausibility, no way she marries that douchebag Spalding. A) He's clearly a douchebag. 2) He would remind her of Chuck forever. And D) This twist was clearly contrived to add another layer to the emotional betrayal that Chuck and the viewer might initially feel upon finding out that Kelly had moved on. So, in essence, I answered the question as if Spalding were replaced by a complete stranger, which I think would be far more likely.
7. This could depend on a lot of things, but I'd say probably not. Once you've lost so many years of your life stranded on a deserted island, there would be little incentive for me to return. I sure as hell wouldn't want the nostalgia; it's definitely an experience I could never forget. I imagine something so miraculous would be a clear memory until death. The only way I can see going back to the island would be in order to show others how I survived, and then only for a shitload of money.
8. Yeah, fuck that.
Also, I'd give the movie about 6 1/4 stars out of 9.
Mike - your comment about going back to the island for a bunch of money got me thinking... what does Chuck do for a living after that? I'm sure FedEx cuts him a decent check to get back on his feet, but not "set for life" money... maybe they offer him some BS job, but no way he could go back after all that had happened.
I see him signing a book deal, because what else could he do.... maybe a movie deal as well. but after that he'd have to hit the lecture circuit and go from city to city giving the same motivational speech at universities and corporate luncheons... it would be awful!
i see both he and Kelly becomming alcoholics that wont let go of the past but cant go back to what they had either. i have this vision of him alone in a hotel in st louis drinking scotch and calling up excoworkers at 3 am to ramble on about the island and Wilson and how to start a fire with sticks.
I've never seen this film in full. I'll come back after watching it. Just added it to my Netflix queue.
[1] Part of me wants to say yes, but another part of me doubts it. I would be afraid of the nights and terrorized just thinking about hurricane season getting worse with global warming and not having any shelter. I would pray a lot and start walking the perimeter of the island to look for other signs of life. Coconuts would be my main source of food since I have no clue how to fish or start a fire. I can't remember if he had plantains to eat (those would help add variety), and did he live past any hurricanes or storms.
[2] Um, the beginning would be very hard. But I think by the second or third year I would be doing a lot of talking to God (i just can't see myself talking to a ball) and falling into a routine and getting into building elaborate sand castles to pass the time. I would also perhaps start experimenting with weaving something out of dry palm leaves? A hat, a bed, a screen, you name it.
[3] Fresh water...unless I find a fresh water spring inland. I guess I can collect rain water. Perhaps hamburgers...definitely pizza.
[4] Having a pocket knife or matches would be too good to be true. But they would come in handy. Although, I can't stop thinking of a razor blade b/c I would want to shave my legs. If I'm going to finally have tanned legs I want to be able to remove the hair. After all its the one thing that will be constantly in front of me. (I've been obsessed with hair removal since the mustache nightmare.)
[5] Logistically, the way you break it down makes a lot of sense. I'm sure she felt like an ass for not waiting. He was probably going to get a settlement from fed ex and then the multi-million dollar book deal and that's even before the movie deal..and if she was that shallow to begin with, you know she had to feel a tad bit stupid for missing out on the loot.
[6] I like to think he moves on. Meets a real genuine girl that is there to help him get through the post traumatic stress. She's the complete opposite from the last girl. Buys a country cottage and leads a quiet life until Oprah or 20/20 bring him back on an episode of whatever happened to so and so? And everyone is kinda disappointing b/c he leads a pretty unadventurous and mediocre life.
[7] Nope...well wait. Maybe, I would return to invest my billions (from bookdeal and settlement etc.) and build tourist resorts. Cash in on all that pain and suffering. I would have an official tour marking spots were i landed, a plaque at the palm tree that produced my favorite coconuts and that is full of notches where i marked my days, the part of the island were i went into the ocean to get born again, the well fertilized bushes that served as my bathroom. there would be a small museum where there would be a display of old tools such as coconut bowls, stuff I weaved, replicas of my elaborate sand castles and a museum store that sold knock-offs made in china.
cindy- I'm kind of amazed that you've seen part of the movie and didnt get the urge to watch the whole thing... but regardless, im glad you've added it to your queue and look forward to your comments.
chancla- they never show a hurricane specifically but it did look like the rainy seasons were no picnic... he found a cave and made it home. the darkness factor would have creeped me out too, but i suppose id get over that.
as far as available food sources, they never showed plaintains, but i dont think it would have been unreasonable to expect there might have been some... the available food in the movie seemed to consist of only fish, cocnuts, and crabs, but you have to think there was a good variety of fish, and im sure seaweed must have been unlimited. the plaintains would have been a really welcome addition though.
i never thought about the resort aspect... that could have been huge. he could have imported sand to expand the island and make it more accesable to ships... its mentioned that the island was located like 600 miles south of the Cook Islands which is a tourist spot for Australians and New Zelanders, so it could have been a huge hit!
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[1] Hell no, I’d totally die the next day. Just the thought of fishing for 2 hours kills me, for four years, seriously I’d hang myself or trip over a coconut trying.
[2] Once again…no
[3] anything fast food
[4] A chef/maid. LOL Does that count? Matches!
[5] In the movie it crushed me to be honest, you want more for Chuck, I mean he’s had it pretty lousy and then here he finally gets home and she’s moved on. But in all reality, if this were a true story, good for her. If it were to happen to me, I hope I move on and keep living my life despite this awful thing that just occurred.
[6] I think they remain friends but also I think he hooks up with that girl who made the statue.
[7] I would probably never even want to taste salt if that happened to me, much less step on an island!
cad- but do you think maybe she moved on a little too soon? if my math is right she didn't even wait for an entire year after his plane went down? if something happens to me, I'd hope it would take Morena at least five years, if not an entire decade before she was ready to move on!
Ha...pretty applicable Post Secret:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_a7jkcMVp5Vg/SYU6kMKoU_I/AAAAAAAAIAg/jnmyVbX1LP4/s1600-h/hanks.jpg
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