Tom Hanks

Following Jesus On The “Bridge Of Spies”

/ Alex Doriot / 4 Comments

It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter what people think. You know what you did.  

Tom Hanks’ character James Donovan utters these words to a young POW towards the end of the excellent movie “Bridge Of Spies”. The soldier had been trying to explain to Donovan that he did not waver from his loyalty to America during his captivity.

os-bridge-of-spies-trailer-tom-hanks-20150616What Donovan tells the young man is that the opinions of others don’t amount too much in the long run. People will think what they want to think. What truly matters is what your conscience tells you. That’s all you can really control.

This is exactly how we’ve seen Donovan go about his business over the course of the film. The opinions of his bosses and his enemies don’t matter much to him. He simply wants to do what he believes is right for the good of his clients. Continue reading →

Want To Be Like Brad Pitt? Do This:

/ Alex Doriot / 1 Comment

CaptureIf you ever doubt your dream due to your current lot in life, try watching “The Tonight Show.” (I personally adore Jimmy Fallon, but really this experiment works with any late night talk show.)

You’ve seen it before. The host will ask the celebrity guest about their earlier work. The guest will hem and haw about their humble beginnings. Inevitably they tell an amusing story about the bad commercial work they had to do to pay the bills.

Then the host will “surprise” them by digging up said commercial and broadcasting it to the world. A commercial like this: 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 →