Toy Story

1995.

Unlisted / #99

Nominated for 3 Academy Awards.

Woody (Tom Hanks), Andy's (John Morris) toy cowboy, is suddenly replaced by the astronaut toy Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen). Both toys find themselves lost, struggling to get home before Andy and his family move to a new house.

Eddie: TOY STORY is excellent. When I first saw it, I was awe-struck by how great an animated movie could be. Even among 90s Disney classics such as LITTLE MERMAID, ALADDIN, and LION KING, a movie like TOY STORY stands above the rest, and it shows Pixar's storytelling prowess right out of the gate. That being said, I don't know if it deserves to be on the list. At #99 on the revised AFI 100, this is clearly a "historical significance" pick. Just as SNOW WHITE was listed simply because it's the first animated feature, TOY STORY is listed for being the first computer-animated feature. If they were creating a list, purely based on quality, TOY STORY 2 and FINDING NEMO would've gotten the recognition way before Pixar's rookie film. (And that's only because the list was made in 2007. If we continue to the present day, WALL-E and UP also surpass the original TOY STORY.)

That being said, I do want to point out that TOY STORY was the first movie I ever saw where the main character comes from a single-parent home, but the movie never draws attention to it. As a child of a single mother, I guess I'd say that it was refreshing to finally see that.

Sarah: It's hard for me to admit I agree with Eddie. But, even if this is only on the list for significance I still think it's perfect. It's simplistic story of childhood love is beautiful. I don't think TOY STORY 2 or 3 surpasses it. I might give you FINDING NEMO though, maybe. I think what makes Pixar such a classy company is that it doesn't put story as a side note to effects. (Ahem, looking at you AVATAR, KING KONG). The animation was groundbreaking but today the movie still holds up because it remembers to focus on the love between Andy and his toys.

Why You Should See It: For me, it's a combination of Buzz's introduction and the magic flight to Andy's mom's car. When we meet Buzz, he shows the toys how he can fly, to which Woody responds, "That wasn't flying. That was falling with style." At the end of the movie, as Buzz soars over Andy's street, Woody admits that they're really flying. "This isn't flying," Buzz remarks. "This is falling with style."

Forrest Gump

1994.

#71 / #76

Winner of 6 Academy Awards.

Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) lives his life through historical moments in America's history, all the while loving his childhood friend Jenny (Robin Wright). Come on. It's FORREST GUMP. Do you really need a summary?

Eddie: FORREST GUMP is almost a perfect movie, start to finish, anchored by a great protagonist. Tom Hanks and Robin Wright navigate complex roles and the fabric of American history with their performances, which earned Hanks his second Oscar. The love story betwen Forrest and Jenny is a modern-day fairy tale, set against the backdrop of Americana. If the movie is a metaphor for America, then it does a great job of showing us at our best, at our hungriest, at our craziest, at our lowest, and at our most determined. I'm not sure if it is or not, but no review of FORREST GUMP is complete without a political metaphor.

Sarah: I love the use of the feather in this film. It seems to say, "Hey, aren't we all a little like Forrest? Just drifting in and out of history, and trying to bumble by?" I also love the use of the Americana, as Eddie calls it, to give context and texture to Forrest's life.

However, there is one thing that bugs me about this film. I know it is going to upset some, but Jenny and Forrest having a kid? Come on. I felt disturbed by that fact that Jenny slept with him at all. I mean, Forrest has the mental capacity of a 7 year old. Am I a monster? I know Jenny has issues, but really? Anyone else creeped out by this? Tell me I'm not alone.

Film Fact: Tom Hanks based his character's unique speech pattern on the real speech of Michael Conner Humphreys, the actor who played Young Forrest Gump.

Why You Should See It: When Forrest learns that he has a son, he struggles to find the words to ask if Forrest, Jr., is... slow. It's Hanks at the top of his game.

Saving Private Ryan

1998.

Not yet released / #71

Winner of 5 Academy Awards.

After the D-Day landing, Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) leads a squad of Army rangers into the French countryside to rescue Private James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon), a downed paratrooper. Once they find him, they agree to help him defend a bridge from the Germans.

Eddie: SAVING PRIVATE RYAN is the best war movie ever made. Where do I begin? Hanks and Damon are great, and their scene together reminds the audience of their humanity. Incredibly, Damon improvised most of his monologue (and Hanks skipped most of his). The real heroes of the movie are the supporting cast. Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, and Adam Goldberg are funny, wry, and vulnerable. Vin Diesel and Giovanni Ribisi rip your heart apart like sticky bombs. That's right. Vin Diesel actually acts! Paul Giamatti, Ted Danson, and Dennis Farina turn in a solid day's work to round out the supporting cast. Damn you, Steven Spielberg, for putting together such a solid cast and shooting the movie like a WWII documentary. By desaturating the colors and strobing the first reel of the movie, Spielberg throws us into it headlong.

Sarah: This movie manages to be completely moving and sentimental without glorifying the war. And though there is violence, none of it seems gratuitous. I'm amazed by that. This film has it all - amazing performers, solid story, and a master director. I think if one of these things was out of balance, it would be easy for this to turn into just another war story. Eddie commented on the supporting cast, and I agree they make this film strong. We get to know each one as a complex, flawed individual. It's these nuances that help make the film real.

If you've never seen it, see it! But keep your tissues near.

Why You Should See It: For Eddie, it's the scene in the church when Medic Irwin Wade (Ribisi) tells the other soldiers about his mother - about waiting up to see her when she got home from work, but then pretending he was asleep when she got home. "I don't know why I did that," he tells them. For Sarah, it's the scene between Captain Miller and Private Ryan, talking about their lives back home - the moment when Ryan realizes that he will never see his brothers again. Either way, heart-wrenching stuff.