Tom Cruise has returned to save movie theaters once again by delivering another perfect movie: Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One. We compare Dead Reckoning to other "part one" movies from this summer (especially Fast & Furious, over and over), talk about how the movie nails the blend of returning and new characters, and revel in the fra…

Now that A Man Called Otto is available on VOD, we stopped kicking the can down the road and decided to watch it. After sharing our pre-conceived notions of the film (and whether or not it lived up to them), we talk about the depressing trend of Hollywood's continual remakes of European films and wonder whether a movie with those tone plays better …

#HANX for the Memories is back for a semi-surprise dump of Pinocchio (2022) onto Disney+, featuring Tom Hanks as Gepetto. It's not the longest episode we've ever done, because, well... it's a movie we've seen before. We dive into the "quest for content" on all streaming services, the many adaptations of Pinocchio that have released in the past few …

It's a Viva Pod Vegas / #HANX for the Memories special crossover event as we talk about Baz Luhrmann's Elvis, the Elvis Presley biopic! We discuss Austin Butler's portrayal of Elvis (and how he is the movie), Tom Hanks's portrayal of Colonel Tom Parker (and why he took the role), and Baz Lurhmann's novel take on the biopic via a new POV. We talk ab…

For the first time in four years, Tom Cruise has felt the need... the need to make a new movie! He's back with Top Gun: Maverick, and we're here to cover it in full spoilery detail. We talk about Tom Cruise's triumphant return to movies in a role that seems to reflect back on his career and in a movie that seamlessly continues the story from 36 yea…

After a brief hiatus, #HANX for the Memories is back and talking about Tom Hanks' most recent film, Finch! Available on Apple TV+, Finch tells the story of a dying man who builds a robot to take care of his dog after he's gone. In this episode, we talk about the complicated journey of bringing Finch to the big screen, the bizarre reality that this …

Tom Hanks wasted no time in getting the year (and Phase II of #HANX for the Memories) started off right with News of the World! The film sees Hanks re-unite with Paul Greengrass, which now marks two team-ups where Hanks plays a captain: Captain Phillips and News of the World. In this episode, we talk about "western Hanks," the pacing and structure …

At long last, the time has come to (once again) don our tuxedos and roll out the red carpet. Welcome to The Woodies: The Tom Hanks Awards! All podcast long, we've talked about our favorite (and least favorite) parts of Tom Hanks's movies and TV roles, and we announced our official selections for the best and worst of what Tom Hanks's filmography ha…

Before we tally up the votes for the Woodies (The Tom Hanks Awards), we've got one more task ahead of us: we've got to rank Tom Hanks's movies! As always, there's a weird alchemy here that doesn't quite make sense, as we combine the movie's "quality" with Hanks's performance, add a dash of how much we like him in the movie, and toss in some other h…

Four short years ago, our hearts were captured by a haunted elevator, its peculiar operator, and his two friends. (Note: these relationships may not be canon.) A year later, that elevator operator returned, and his universe... kind of, sort of, maybe (?) grew a little bit. As we wrap up #HANX for the Memories and look ahead to the Woodies (voting s…

We may have covered every movie that stars or features Tom Hanks -- along with both seasons of Bosom Buddies, his three episode arc on Family Ties, and more -- but there's a whole lot more work that he's done that we haven't covered. Welcome to the Tom Hanks Clip Show! In this episode, we're working our way through guest starring roles in TV shows,…

We've watched and podcasted about all 58 movies (and TV shows, and more!) that Tom Hanks has made so far. Each episode, we've talked about our favorite and least favorite moments, and we've ended each episode by nominating that movie (or show) for awards that showcase the very best (and very worst) that Tom Hanks's filmography has to offer. We've p…

We've made it. After traversing the treacherous waters of the Atlantic (i.e. the middle of the #HANX for the Memories run), we've finally re-gained air support (vis-a-vis the truly strong showing from the last handful of Tom Hanks movies). We finish Phase I of #HANX for the Memories with Greyhound, the Hanks-written World War II flick that dropped …

Tom Hanks may have sworn off playing any more real people, but he taps that well once more (for the ninth time!) in his turn as Mr. Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. In this episode, we try to wrap our heads around making a Mr. Rogers movie that isn't really about Mr. Rogers, which fits in perfectly with the inherent weirdness found th…

We may have already covered Toy Story 4 on #KeanuClub to dive deep into the world of Duke Caboom, but now we're focusing (once again) on the franchise's star: Sheriff Woody. We're joined by two guests who are definitely not trash: Nico Vasilo and Kevo Risse (X is for Podcast, .html) to talk about Woody and Bo Peep, the toys with (and without) Woody…

Stop the presses! Well, actually, fire 'em up, because we're covering Tom Hanks as Ben Bradlee in Steven Spielberg's 2017's film The Post. Joining our crack news team are Tobin Addington (The Contenders) and resident Meryl Streep expert Michael Domanico (Not Her Again). We talk about the superbly selected (and supremely stacked) cast, Steven Spielb…

Before we reach the end of #HANX for the Memories, we needed to overcome one final obstacle: the one-two punch of Inferno and The Circle. At long last, the time has come for Mike to watch The Circle, a movie he mythologized to the nth degree (for what reason? unclear!), in spite of Joey's best efforts. Could it possibly have lived up to whatever ho…

Seven long years after we saw Robert Langdon's second European caper (which was actually based on the first book in the series by Dan Brown), we're headed back "across the pond" in search of our missing Mickey Mouse watch (and our memories!) for the third and final (for now, anyway) Robert Langdon adventure, Inferno (which is actually based on the …

Another week, another Tom Hanks portrayal of an American icon. This week, we're making a water landing in the Hudson River as we talk about Sully. After a couple movies off the beaten path -- and before a couple based on pretty massive books -- Hanks is back in his sweet spot as Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, the captain of US Airways Flight…

While it's commonplace today, A Hologram for the King marked a special occasion: it's the first straight-to-VOD movie in Tom Hanks's filmography. To commemorate (?) the occasion (?), we're bringing in Christian Larson, who was our guest on #CageClub: The Nicolas Cage Podcast, when we covered Seeking Justice, Cage's first straight-to-VOD release. Th…

Ithaca is the elusive fourth (!) team-up between Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, flying under the radar for both good and bad reasons. Ithaca also marks the directorial debut for Meg Ryan, who pulls double duty as the mother to a few boys (including her son in real life, Jack Quaid)... as well as widow to Tom Hanks (and therein lies the rub). In this episo…

Feeling sad about the nearing end of #HANX for the Memories? Would it help if we told you we were talking about Bridge of Spies? In this episode, we welcome in Tobin Addington (The Contenders) to help secure the exchange of a lifetime as we talk about the fourth time Tom Hanks has acted in a Steven Spielberg movie. Does being exactly as good as you…

How many mythic American figures will Tom Hanks play in biopics that aren't really about those men? The answer may surprise you! In a career filled with biopics, the comparisons between Walt Disney (in Saving Mr. Banks) and Mister Rogers (in our upcoming A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood) are many. Today, though, we're focusing on Tom Hanks's por…

At long last, the time has come to (once again) don our tuxedos and roll out the red carpet. Welcome to The Cruisies: The Tom Cruise Awards! All podcast long, we’ve talked about our favorite (and least favorite) parts of Tom Cruise’s movies, and we announced our official selections for the best and worst of what Tom Cruise’s filmography has to offe…

After coming off the high of Cloud Atlas, we're grounded back to terrifying reality with Tom Hanks's titular portrayal of Captain Phillips. It's yet another installment in the ongoing "Tom Hanks plays a real person" -- and it certainly won't be the last -- but does it hold up as well on second viewing? Can the world-class acting overcome the rising…

Last week's episode of #HANX for the Memories was painful, but this week more than makes up for it. We're spanning centuries and transcending all conventions as we dive into the six timelines -- and six Toms Hanks -- of Cloud Atlas. We're going solo bolo (on purpose) this episode so that we can each get maximum airtime talking about the movie that …

We're just one week away from Cloud Atlas, which is one of the main reasons we began this entire endeavor. First, though, we're headed back in time to a year after The Worst Day to talk about Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, misery porn to end all misery porn. We're riding out the proverbial storm solo bolo style, since I guess no one wanted to r…

Tom Hanks pulls quadruple duty on #HANX for the Memories, as he's the writer, director, producer, and leading man in Larry Crowne. Joining us to talk about the "explosion of benign, muted joy" of Larry Crowne is Michael Domanico (Not Her Again), a past guest of the TomTom Club and an expert in all things Julia Roberts. In this episode, we talk abou…

Before we take a few weeks off to let the votes tally up for the Cruisies (The Tom Cruise Awards), we're working our way through one more episode, and we're ranking Tom Cruise's movies. As always, there's a weird alchemy here that doesn't quite make sense, as we combine the movie's "quality" with Cruise's performance, add a dash of how much we like…

Within a few years of the release of Toy Story 3, five more Toy Story, uh, stories were released in the form of Toy Story Toons and TV specials. In this episode, we're working our way through three Toy Story Toons (Hawaiian Vacation (2011), Small Fry (2011), and Partysaurus Rex (2012)), as well as two Toy Story TV specials (Toy Story of Terror (201…

We may have covered every movie that stars or features Tom Cruise, but there's a whole body of work that he's done that we haven't covered. Welcome to the Tom Cruise Clip Show! In this episode, we're working our way through a cameo appearances in movies and TV shows, as well as some stunt videos and late night appearances that surfaced on YouTube. …

How many Toy Story movies will wind up atop our list of favorite Tom Hanks movies? That's up for debate today as Cara Gael O'Regan (Wistful Thinking) joins us to talk about Toy Story 3. In this episode, we try to do the impossible task of comparing this to previous installments in the series, which came out 11 (!) and 15 (!!) years before this, whi…

We've watched and podcasted about all 42 movies that Tom Cruise has made so far. Each episode, we've talked about our favorite and least favorite moments, and we've ended each episode by nominating that movie for awards that showcase the very best (and very worst) that Tom Cruise's filmography has to offer. We've pared down our lists, and -- at lon…

Get ready for an adventure! We haven’t clawed our way through history in a few weeks, which means it’s about time to cover Angels & Demons! We’ve once again re-assembled our religious historical fiction team of John Brooks (Hard to Believe) and Jess “Montez” Collins. In this episode, we gain access to the Vatican Archives so that we can talk about …

It's all led to this. Not only is Mission: Impossible - Fallout the final installment in the Mission: Impossible franchise (so far), but it also marks the final movie in Tom Cruise's filmography (also, so far). All we can say is... what a way to go out! We're joined by Zack DeZon to HALO jump out of a plane and talk about all the action, excitement…

We're running drugs, guns, and "freedom fighters" from Arkansas to Nicaragua to Panama -- and back again -- as we take off and chat about American Made! We're, ahem, running out of runway on #CruiseClub, with only one more movie to cover after American Made (a little indie called Mission: Impossible - Fallout), but we're going out in style as Cruis…

Colin Hanks began his movie career with a cameo role in That Thing You Do!, but The Great Buck Howard is our first full-blown Colin Hanks vehicle on #HANX for the Memories! While Tom may not have a lot to do in this one, The Great Buck Howard is notable for the podcast because he and Colin (real-life father and son, in case you didn't know; thanks,…

While the Dark Universe never came to fruition, we'll always have The Mummy. But is Tom Cruise the Mummy? By the end of the movie, the answer is unclear. The world may never know what this ragtag bunch of misfits' series of adventures would entail, but joining us to talk about the first installment is Kate Hudson (#HudsonFive). In this episode, we …

Are politics fun? Or would anything fueled by cocaine and attractive women fawning over your every move seem fun on screen? That's probably not *the* core question at the heart of Charlie Wilson's War, but it's one of the many we're tackling on today's episode of #HANX for the Memories. In this episode, we're joined by Tobin Addington (The Contende…

Aside from the Mission: Impossible series, Tom Cruise isn't one to dabble in sequels, which makes Jack Reacher: Never Go Back all the more unusual. Based on the 18th (!!!) novel in the series, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back feels like a much later entry in the franchise than a first sequel. How could the creative team possibly be out of ideas already?…

Tom Hanks is an actor known for playing an incredibly diverse array of roles, but across all of his films, only Sheriff Woody pops up more often than Robert Langdon, the intrepid hero of Dan Brown's books and Ron Howard's movies. Even though The Da Vinci Code was not the first Robert Langdon story, it was the most popular book in the world at one p…

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation has to do some serious heavy lifting, far more so than any other movie in the franchise. Not only does it have to tell an engaging, standalone story, but it's asked to follow the events of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol more closely than any previous installment has done, while also setting things up for Mis…

There's no better time for a Christmas movie (like The Polar Express) than a Friday in May when we're all stuck in quarantine! Joining us on this nonstop train to the North Pole (a train that's out of season and out of time) is Dan Hayden, who used to be our "Year 2000 Action Movie Expert," but is now our... mid-2000s animated children's movie abou…

Is The Terminal the strangest Tom Hanks movie we've covered so far in #HANX for the Memories? It just may be! But is that a bad thing? Since we've completed Hanks's "golden mile," we've bounced from one strange project to the next. To help us make sense of The Terminal, we're joined by returning guest Zack DeZon. In this episode, we talk about find…

It's truly a shame that Edge of Tomorrow didn't do well in theaters -- so poorly, in fact, that it was later retitled Live Die Repeat -- because it's one of Tom Cruise's best movies yet. With the benefit of hindsight (as well as tastes that almost perfectly align with what this movie's trying to do), we're able to see Edge of Tomorrow as the master…

We're all in agreement on two things about The Ladykillers: Tom Hanks is the best part about this movie, and this movie is the worst Coen Brothers movie. (But that's not a bad thing!) In this episode, we're joined by Bob Fischer (Tub Talk) and Dan Colon to take a deep dive into the first Tom Hanks movie to release since his "Golden Mile" of movies …

One year before Tom Cruise starred in Edge of Tomorrow (and blew our collective minds), he found himself in another big-budget sci-fi movie: Oblivion. The finished product doesn't quite hold up as well as his next film will, but there's a lot to admire here, and even more to pick apart. We're joined by Matt Delhauer (The Ginger Geek Podcast) to tal…

Jack Reacher is a by the book action thriller. Jack Reacher is an action movie that subverts your every expectation. What *is* Jack Reacher? We're trying to figure out why the latest new franchise for Tom Cruise works as well as it does, almost in spite of the overwhelming odds its script hurls against it. We also talk about the palpable sexual ten…

After weeks and weeks of podcasts spanning Tom Hanks's best movies, Catch Me If You Can marks the end of the "golden mile" on #HANX for the Memories. Things may be about to take a downturn, but at least we're going out on a high note! While Catch Me If You Can isn't quite a "Tom Hanks movie" as much as it is a showcase for Leonardo DiCaprio's endle…

Rock of Ages marks the beginning of the end for #CruiseClub, in a way. For the final time (to date, anyway), Tom Cruise is not the star of a movie. Joining us to talk about all of the chaos of Rock of Ages are both of the co-hosts of The Contenders: Aislinn Addington and Tobin Addington. In this episode, we talk about the many types of chaos in the…