Deja Who?
Tom Hanks received the Best Actor Oscar in 1993 and 1994, and is nominated again this year. But if he doesn’t win for his role in “Cast Away,” perhaps it’s because he’s already played a lost-at-sea everyman in the 1990 comedy “Joe Versus the Volcano.” How do the two films compare?
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For the record:
12:00 a.m. April 22, 2001 For the Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday April 22, 2001 Home Edition Los Angeles Times Magazine Page 4 Times Magazine Desk 1 inches; 33 words Type of Material: Correction
A comparison of the movies “Cast Away” and “Joe Versus the Volcano” in the March 25 issue stated that John Patrick Shanley became a playwright after directing “Volcano.” He wrote numerous plays in the 1980s before the film’s 1990 release.
‘Cast Away’
Pitch Meeting Synopsis: Robinson Crusoe-meets-Moses
Director: Robert Zemeckis, already an expert blockbusterer with “Back to The Future” and “Forrest Gump”
That Thing Hanks Does: No big deal after profound “Saving Private Ryan”
Turbulent Sea Played By....: Pacific Ocean off Fijian island of Monuriki
Raft: Logs cut from island trees
Private Torment: Helen Hunt marries guy who did his root canal work
Epiphany: Mourns loss of volleyball
Rescuer: Foreign freighter
Gilligan references: 1
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‘Joe Versus the Volcano’
Pitch Meeting Synopsis: “Splash”-meets-early-Michael Keaton
Director: John Patrick Shanley, who later decided to become a playwright
That Thing Hanks Does: Huge leap after “Turner and Hooch”
Turbulent Sea Played By....: Esther Williams’ old water tank on MGM lot
Raft: Luggage purchased in Manhattan
Private Torment: Meg Ryan plays every woman he meets before the ship goes down
Epiphany: Prays to a rising moon the size of a 14-screen cineplex
Rescuer: Tribesmen who worship orange soda
Gilligan references: 0
Only good movies
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