Best Actor

The Trouble With Treasuring Trophies

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

IMG00358-20120422-1321With The Oscars coming up this Sunday night, everybody’s getting all worked up about who’s going to take home the big gold statues this year.

Pfft. Big deal. I mean, I don’t want to brag, but I have a pretty good supply of trophies I won during my childhood.

I wasn’t a particularly stellar athlete – I just grew up in a generation where everybody got a trophy at the end of every season, regardless of wins and losses.

Some people complain about how our culture gives trophies to kids just for participating. I think it can be a good thing.
A trophy is more than a reward; it stands out as a memory of a journey. The problem is when the pursuit of a trophy becomes your only obsession. Continue reading →

When All Is Lost, Remember This:

/ Alex Doriot / 1 Comment

(Click Here if you can’t see the video above)

I watched the movie “All Is Lost” starring Robert Redford this past week. It wasn’t a great movie, or even a very good one. But I was really impressed by some of the visuals of Redford lost at sea, adrift in a seemingly endless ocean.

“All Is Lost” is as barebones simple of a movie as it gets. Redford’s character (whose name or background we never learn) is sailing across the ocean. One morning he awakes to a huge leak in his ship. The movie follows him trying to fix the leak and trying to stay alive.

That’s all. No other characters. Only 2 or 3 lines of dialogue across 2 hours. Just an old man and the sea.

Like I said, I was awestruck by the enormity of the ocean in the film. “All Is Lost” worked as a great advertisement against ever setting sail on my own.

As Redford’s character kept battling the elements, I kept wondering, “Why would you ever mess with the ocean?” Continue reading →

Do We Take God For Granted?

/ Alex Doriot / 2 Comments
The Hollywood Reporter

The Hollywood Reporter

The Oscars will be missing something this year – the greatest actor of our generation.

Despite two highly-regarded performances – as the title character in the harrowing “Captain Phillips” and as the legendary Walt Disney in “Saving Mr. Banks” – somehow Tom Hanks missed out on an Oscar nomination this year.

What’s the deal here? I must admit I have not seen many of the Oscar nominated films this year, including “Saving Mr. Banks”. And I know there’s only so many spots that can go out there for nominations.

But have you seen “Captain Phillips”? Tom Hanks is incredible as a reserved ship captain trying to maintain order as Somali pirates hijack his boat. The last scene where Hanks finally releases all the pent-up emotion he’s been carrying through the movie is an acting masterclass.

Even as someone who expects Tom Hanks to deliver an excellent performance in every movie, I was still blown away by his work in “Captain Phillips”.

I think maybe that’s why Tom Hanks didn’t get nominated for an Oscar this year. I think everyone who’s seen “Forrest Gump” and “Saving Private Ryan” and even “You’ve Got Mail” recognizes how awesome Tom Hanks is.

So when Tom Hanks does his usual excellent work, the audience is not surprised. There’s no overwhelming movement to honor what this amazing actor is doing because the world has been recognizing his outstanding work for decades.

I think we take Tom Hanks for granted. I know I take God for granted too. Continue reading →