On July 9, It Begins Again.

I began this project just over three years ago. My intent was, as most of you know, to complete a viewing of all Tom Hanks' films in a year. I made a respectable showing at first, but then things happened. I had a miscarriage. I got pregnant with my second child. My first was potty training. I got a new job. I moved. I was laid off. My son turned two, and for those of you who have a two-year-old, I don't think that needs any further explanation. The world was blindsided with a pandemic, which both Hanx and his wife, Rita Wilson, were affected by. Protests arose over civil rights issues. In short, my world, and the greater world, was in chaos. I lost sight of my goal, and much like a beloved volleyball in Cast Away, drifted off beyond my reach.

Times are tough for everyone these days. There's no arguing that. And for quite some time now, I've been thinking about resurrecting this project. I've said for about half a decade that I wanted to learn Latin. Finally, this year, I'm about halfway through my first unit. I've become aware that I am, in fact, capable of finishing things. Given that, I want to revive The Year of Hanks and see it through to its conclusion. After that, perhaps I'll continue to document my thoughts on each of his subsequent films as they're released. I'll discuss the short stories in his book, Common Type. I also want to watch the full series of Bosom Buddies. There's still a lot of Hanks' catalogue that I need to explore.

So one week from today, July 9, 2020, Tom Hanks' 64th birthday (aka Hanksmas), I will officially recommence The Year of Hanks where we last left off, beginning with his uncredited role in Radio Flyer. My intent is to work my way through the rest of his filmography, however long it takes. I hope you'll join me.

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The Money Pit (1986)

"Mr. Shrapp? Hi, Walter Fielding... Hey, watch what you say about my mother, now." Now we're getting to the good stuff. It's really not great to be Walter Fielding. His father takes off with the money from the business and his new young bride, leaving his son to pick up the pieces. He lives with his commitmentphobe girlfriend Anna (Shelley Long) in an apartment belonging to her conductor ex-husband Max (Alexander Godunov), who, surprise surprise, has just returned from overseas ahead of schedule, forcing Walter and Anna to vacate and find new lodgings PDQ. They find a gorgeous old mansion on the market for a price that seems too good to be true, and... well, we all know how that turns out. The ensuing 91 minutes see Walter faced with crooked contractors, an angry building inspector, his unease over Max's overtures toward Anna, all played out against the backdrop of a crumbling ruin of a manor that seems hellbent on killing him. This is the Hanks I...

Here Comes the Hanks.

We were sitting at a traffic light when it happened. My husband and I were in San Diego for the weekend, enjoying a belated anniversary dinner while my in-laws had generously volunteered to babysit our son. We were in the car, headed for dinner at a restaurant that we'd been meaning to try for months, and I was futzing around on my phone (as I do), when he spoke up out of the blue. "I think we should do a year of Hanks." "What?" "Neither of us has seen all of Tom Hanks' movies, and I know you're a huge fan, so I think we should watch everything he's been in over a year or so." It took me a minute to process this suggestion that had come from seemingly nowhere. It's an established fact among those who know me well that I love Tom Hanks. It's not a movie star crush (I'm looking at you, Chris Pine) or a simple appreciation for the craft (Morgan Freeman, you inspire me). In a previous life, I was convinced, beyond the s...

The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990)

"There are people demonstrating outside our building! Black people with basketballs! You're putting everyone at risk!" I came into this knowing little to nothing about this movie. I'd heard the title before, and it probably stuck in my head at some point because it's a catchy sort of title and I wasn't really clear on what it meant. To be honest, I had no idea Tom Hanks was in it; I honestly didn't know about any of the A‑listers who make up the cast. There's probably a very good reason for that, but I'll get to it in a bit. The events unfold through the narration of one Peter Farrow (a very Moonlighting -esque Bruce Willis), who is shown at the very beginning of the film to be a highly successful, if perpetually drunk, author. He arrives at a ritzy gala to promote his novel, The Real McCoy and the Forgotten Lamb , where he is fawned over by PR reps, the press, and the public at large. In voiceover, Farrow begins to tell the story of h...

The Year of Hanks

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