Big
After being told that he is too short to ride the roller coaster in front of a girl that he is trying to impress, a humiliated Josh Baskin makes a wish that he were "big" on a carnival fortune-telling, wish-granting machine. Much to his surprise, his wish comes true and Josh then finds himself faced with both the pleasures and the challenging responsibilities that coincide with being an adult.

Hanks lights up the screen with his buoyant portrayal of Josh Baskin, and he so convincingly played the part of an adult with the mind and spirit of an adolescent that his performance earned him his first Academy Award nomination and helped to renovate his image from that of a run of the mill comedian to an esteemed actor worth taking seriously. Elizabeth Perkins co-stars.

Cast Away
Cast Away is the lonely tale of Chuck Noland, a time-obsessed FedEx systems analyst, who becomes marooned on an uninhabited island after his plane crashes into the Pacific Ocean. This film takes considerable risks in that it is almost entirely a one man show (unless you count Noland's buddy, Wilson, a blood-stained volleyball), which easily could have left the audience bored out of their minds.

But in the end, Cast Away's ultimate success is solely due to Hanks' captivating talent as an actor. Had anyone else been cast as Chuck Noland the film probably would have been a 144 minute long yawn fest; but with Hanks as the lead the would-be tedious scenes involving Noland learning to make fire for the first time, or trying to signal boats off in the distance, are transformed into captivating, epiphanies.

Forrest Gump
The obvious choice for Hanks' best film, "Forrest Gump", is the enchanting tale of a simple man's captivating odyssey over the course of three decades of turbulent American history. Through a succession of cleverly written, right-place-at-the-right-time scenarios, Forrest's enduring innocence and naïve optimism serve as a porthole for the audience to view many of the nation's key historical events during a time of political and social upheaval.

Throughout the course of the film, Forrest retains a moral fortitude and a tender, unwavering love for his childhood friend, Jenny, which allows "Forrest Gump" to do for the soul what mac n'cheese does for the taste buds…gobs of warm, gooey contentment.

Story by Michaela Zanello

Starpulse contributing writer

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