Saturday movie review: A Hologram for the King

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Tom Hanks in a black comedy? Yes!

Tom Hanks playing a frustrated, sometimes bitter man who has lost his home, his wife and is pretty darn close to losing his job, too? Yes!

Tom Hanks portraying a middle-aged businessman trying to find himself... in Saudi Arabia? A man struggling to function in a foreign culture with foreign customs then falling for a woman borne into — and committed to — said culture and customs? Yes!

a hologram for the king movie

Hanks masterfully (could he do it any other way?) covers all of the above and more in the offbeat — and far from typical Hanks — A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING, a dramedy based on Dave Eggers' 2012...

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Saturday movie review: 'Captain Phillips'

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Sometimes movies based on true stories fail to intrigue viewers because audiences already know the full story, the outcome. Not the case with CAPTAIN PHILLIPS. At all.

Captain Phillips DVD

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS was released on DVD Tuesday, and Jim and I were thrilled to have it in our hands Tuesday afternoon. (Thank you, Netflix!) We watched ...

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Saturday movie review: 'Saving Mr. Banks' — plus a film freebie for readers

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Saving Mr. Banks poster

As is the case with, well, pretty much everyone around the world, MARY POPPINS has long been a favorite Disney film of mine. I loved it as a child, shared it with my now-adult daughters, and it's the first live-action Disney movie I shared with my eldest grandson — who was immediately enchanted by the film though not quite three years old at the time. 

Because of my affection for MARY POPPINS, I looked forward to SAVING MR. BANKS from the moment I'd heard about the film. I had the good fortune of attending...

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