Since it was Memorial Day weekend, which is way I kinda forgot to post this on Monday, I tried to think of a movie that could somehow tie into the holiday theme. I scanned my list for anything with war... nope... beaches? Boats perhaps? Well, actually, beaches and boats I have.
My Memorial Day Weekend 50 Favorite Movies Pick:
Castaway
I saw this in the theater and from the moment the plane goes down and he wakes up on the island, to about the moment he gets saved, I've never seen a theater full of people so engaged, so intently focused on a movie in my life. No one made any noise. No shifting, no whispering. They just sat still, in silence, while Tom Hanks lived and learned, alone, on this island in the middle of nowhere. It was one of the quiet movie experiences, between both the audience and the movie, that I've ever seen. It was just exhausting to watch, really. We'd seen Philadelphia and Forrest Gump, and while those were good acting roles for Hanks, they were also solid, well written stories. Castaway... well, was there even a script for this movie? I mean, it must have been all directions, because he hardly has any lines throughout his time on the island. Now that's great acting, when you can move an audience just by being alone, quiet, in the middle of nowhere. We've seen this story before with a boatload of people, or two or three people, but just one guy... it could have been a real flop if it wasn't done right, but its perfect. Hanks is perfectly cast and really pushes the envelope on his acting skills. Oh, and the Wilson the soccerball did a phenomenal job as well. This is one of those movies that I probably won't watch again, only because its so intense, but its easily one that deserves to be on this list because of its quality.