"10 lists" can indeed be a drag, especially if you can't update them every once in a while. I was looking at yours, and reconsidering mine, and thinking, "Maybe I should do another top 10 a year from now, with an entirely different list of films?" Just to mess with people's minds.

I was curious to read you giving "Cast Away" consideration, and wondered how you thought it compared to Hanks' original cast-away flick, "Joe vs. The Volcano" (which should have made it onto my list, dammit!)
Whisky Prajer | Homepage | 08.25.06 - 7:12 am | #

I thought about redoing my top ten list too... after I read your masterwork.

I can't comment on Joe vs the Volcano as I've never seen it. Even Ebert has a surprising list of films he's never seen, so I'm in good company there.

The reasons I considered (and almost included) Cast Away were:

- I'm biased in favor of Zemeckis as a director and storyteller. I like his style, both visually and otherwise. And this is a terrific story.

- Tom Hanks carries three quarters of the film all by himself without even a score to cue your emotions to his performance. Pretty amazing.

- Wilson. Reason enough right there.

- My opinion of this film is something like my opinion of 2001: A Sapce Odyessey. That film pushed the envelope on the movie as experience. I thought Cast Away did so as well, not as successfully perhaps but I give credit for effort. I love it when filmmakers challenge themselves. My favorite film list is filled with films by this type... Coppola (even though he's given only an honorable mention in the list), Zemeckis, Kubrick, Jackson even Costner with Dances With Wolves.

These are not people who are likely to "phone it in."
Jim | Homepage | 08.25.06 - 9:23 am | #

Yeah, that "big screen" quality can't be beat. And there's certainly no point arguing over Wilson.
Whisky Prajer | Homepage | 08.26.06 - 2:05 pm | #