There are plenty of high-profile filmmakers out there who’ve blasted the unstoppable rise of streaming, with Quentin Tarantino most recently singling out Ryan Reynolds’ Netflix vehicles for criticism. However, that hasn’t stopped many of the industry’s biggest names from either making or starring in them, which has left Tom Hanks sounding a tad hypocritical. 92136

A staunch er of the theatrical experience and its unique beauty, the two-time Academy Award winner recently opined to The New Yorker on why he doesn’t care for watching movies on-demand, when reflecting on the current state of cinema as a whole.

“Be honest: How many times have you – and maybe you alone, or you and your family – said, “Hey, let’s watch something tonight”? Great, you pick up the remote and it takes you forever to agree on what you’re going to watch on Apple or Netflix or Hulu or Amazon Prime. “Oh, no, not that. No, not that. No, not that.”

So 45 minutes later you have decided, by way of bitter compromise, what you are going to watch – which is not what you want to watch, but you’re going to have to go along with it because three of the rotten of your family have voted in favor of this thing and you’re on the losing side. You turn down the lights. You enter your fucking . And the code comes along and it asks for your billing address. And someone has to go through their phone, come up with a billing address. Because why did they reboot this? Who rebooted it?

So there’s another 15 minutes that are lost to the process. Now you’re finally ready to start the movie that you have all “agreed” to watch. And you think, At last, let’s watch the movie. 17 minutes into it, you think, I have no investment in this movie whatsoever. I don’t like this movie. I’m going to leave the room and not bother watching the rest of this movie. Right? How many times">Disney Plus’ horrendous $150 million Pinocchio.

As much as everyone loves Tom Hanks, it’s maybe not very fair of him to blast streaming-only titles when he seems to keep on agreeing to star in them.

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Everyone loves Tom Hanks, with the actor fully earning and entirely deserving of his reputation as America’s Dad. The two-time Academy Award winner loves the theatrical experience every bit as much as his fans love his work, so it’s understandable that he was pissed about Greyhound skipping the big screen and getting sent straight to streaming.

It stung Hanks that little bit more because of his level of involvement in the project, which saw him play the leading role, produce through his Playtone banner, and find himself credited as the sole screenwriter on a feature film for the first time since 1996 comedy That Thing You Do!, in what was only his third screenplay ever – and first in more than a decade since he co-wrote Larry Crowne with Nia Vardolos.

One positive is that Greyhound was showered in critical acclaim and enthusiastic audiences reactions, with the reliable legend once more delivering the goods in the lead role. The World War II naval drama also scored what was Apple TV’s most-watched movie premiere ever at the time, and it proved so popular that a surprise sequel was placed into development earlier this year.

The downside is that debuting on a fledgling streaming service in the summer of 2020 was the second-worst option for any film besides a wide theatrical release, leaving Greyhound to slip away from the memory sooner than anyone would have liked, especially Hanks.

However, it has been making a comeback over the weekend, with FlixPatrol revealing the stirring tale of a convoy being led across the Atlantic during the height of the war having made its way back onto the Apple most-watched list.

Actor Tom Hanks has a history with historical adaptations of the Second World War, and how his film Greyhound, which wound up at Apple TV as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, is getting a sequel on the streaming service.

The news was reported earlier today by Deadline Hollywood. The article notes that Hanks and his partner at Playtone Productions, Gary Goetzman, signed a multi-year exclusivity deal with Apple TV Plus, and will be making series, documentaries and unscripted projects for the company to develop, produce and distribute. The most immediate project in this deal, Masters of the Air, will feature an ensemble of young actors including Elvis’s Austin Butler, and will follow the American bombardiers who led tense, often-deadly air raids into during the Second World War.

Greyhound was one of Apple TV Plus’s most-successful projects when it launched July 2020 as we reported at the time, 30 percent of its viewers were new to the service. In the story, Hanks portrays a U.S. Navy commander who leads a multi-national escort group to defend a merchant convoy under attack by German submarines in 1942. The piece was well-received by critics, and currently has a 78 percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 233 reviews. The critical consensus is that it is fast-paced, though the action sequences are a bit more robust than its character work. Hanks will be seen next in Elvis as Colonel Tom Parker, and Otto in A Man Called Otto later this calendar year.

Greyhound, Tom Hanks’ new World War II drama, has just earned the biggest ever opening weekend for any film or TV series on Apple TV+. According to Deadline, the pic has had an opening comparable to that of a summer hit, though exact figures on its return weren’t given. They add that 30% of Greyhound’s viewers were new to the service, indicating that it’s been successful in attracting additional subscribers as well.

It’s an eye-catching headline, but I would add a couple of caveats. Firstly, though this has been the biggest opening for an Apple TV+ film, one should that the service has only been up and running since November, and Greyhound is only its third original movie. Successful opening weekend? Yes, but given its lack of competition, that doesn’t say much on its own. Furthermore, the Apple sources hyping up the success of its launch are likely to exaggerate it to some degree (particularly given that they’re so unforthcoming with their fabled numbers).

That all said, there’s undeniable business sense to commend behind this. Some internet penhand commending the business sense of a trillion dollar company? I’m sure they needed the pat on the back. But here goes.

Apple bought the rights to Greyhound when the pandemic precluded Sony’s originally planned theatrical release. Their thinking? Release a new Tom Hanks movie on streaming to a stuck-at-home audience starved of content. Of course this was going to be a hit.

It’s taken Apple 9 months, but they may just have broken their baby streamer into the market. Now all they have to do is fight off the competition from Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, CBS All Access… you get the picture.

In a virtual press conference for his new film Greyhound, Tom Hanks itted that he finds most movies concerning the U.S. Navy to be woefully inaccurate. Part of the inaccuracy, he says, has to do with the technology available. In the 1950s, for instance, this tech “could only do so much just by the relatively primitive aspects of filmmaking techniques.” Movies like Run Silent, Run Deep, The Enemy Below and even In Harm’s Way, the actor concedes, boasted “really great characters,” but lacked a proper understanding of “Naval strategy.” The behavior of these supposed marines, Hanks joked, seemed like it was pulled straight out of Star Trek rather than from studies of actual naval operations.

“I must say, a film buff, and as a guy who reads and pursues history for pleasure, Navy films almost always disappointed me. Because in the 1950s, the technology in order to show them — like Run Silent, Run Deep or The Enemy Below or In Harm’s Way — could only do so much just by the relatively primitive aspects of filmmaking techniques. What you had in them was really great characters. What you had in them was portrayals by actors… Clark Gable and a myriad of the great legends of Hollywood that were put back in uniform (to) relive their days. As far as the actual Naval aspect of it, I must confess that most of, I think, the populace’s understanding of Naval strategy and protocol and behavior really came from the Starship Enterprise and Captain James T. Kirk. “Mr. Sulu, you have the con!” That sort of, that order of a chain of command that would go along with it.”

Over the course of his prolific acting career, Hanks has starred in numerous war films. Some, like Saving Private Ryan, take place mostly on land. Others, like Greyhound, are set exclusively at sea. A self-described movie buff as well as a lover of history, Hanks certainly picks his projects carefully. Reinforcing his performance with actual research, he’s been able to portray responses to extreme conditions and situations with surprising accuracy. In Greyhound, he plays an officer from the Second World War who commands a ship in pursuit of Nazi submarines. To any fan of Hanks’ work, the premise should sound both old and new at the same time. Whether an accurate understanding of military strategy makes for an enjoyable movie is, of course, another question altogether. After all, Greyhound is receiving lukewarm responses from critics, and that’s in spite of Hanks’ insistence on historical accuracy. Tell us, though, do you prefer your war films to be realistic or embellished? And what did you think of Greyhound? Let us know in the comments!

Today finally feels like the good old days with a fresh new crop of movies coming out. The only thing missing is…you know, the physical act of driving to a theater. The new releases this weekend include Andy Samberg comedy Palm Springs on Hulu, a Charlize Theron action flick called The Old Guard on Netflix and a pair of VOD debuts: the horror movie Relic and the period piece First Cow. And then, of course, there’s the new WWII film Greyhound, starring Tom Hanks over on Apple TV+.  Apple paid a cool $70 million for the rights to the pic after its theatrical release was cancelled due to COVID-19 and every dad in America will surely be watching it this weekend. In fact, if you peruse Twitter, reactions are already pouring in with praise for Hanks’ return to the war genre. Critics have been showering it with love over the last few days and now the public is, too, as evidenced by the tweets below: https://twitter.com/newBsearl/status/1281654886820646912

I much prefer GREYHOUND to DUNKIRK… this is just more my speed of WWII Movie! Seen it twice already- it’s a full on jargon flick, love it pic.twitter.com/6JnCfB4zh9

— . (@headgeek666) July 10, 2020

Greyhound starring Tom Hanks is streaming on Apple TV. I thought it was a gripping WW2 movies and I enjoyed it.

— santosh (@thinksantosh) July 10, 2020

Greyhound is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. Its based on a true story starring Tom Hanks. A must watch.

— TaknLiv3s (@TaknLiv3s) July 10, 2020

@tomhanks Thank you for being awesome, just watched Greyhound (well thanks to the entire production team) but anything WWII you touch is just soo… well done

— Michael James Dunham (@michaeljwdunham) July 10, 2020

#Greyhound, nerve-shattering and richly detailed WWII entry from @playtone playtone … once again proves that @tomhanks who adapted the novel by #CSForester to the screen…is the #MasterandCommander of his time…https://t.co/owI0pIkgFv

— James_Verniere (@James_Verniere) July 10, 2020

@ChrisEvans Watching Greyhound. Hanks is the best. The audio mix is superb. CGI amazing.

— JoeMozdiez (@jomozdiez) July 10, 2020

https://twitter.com/mttdsmth/status/1281644153080885248

Really enjoyed Greyhound- gripping, tense- and this review gets it just right. Agree the romantic interest just doesn’t fit. Would love to see this in a …cinema !

— Geraldine O’Malley (@geri7572) July 10, 2020

Hey @tomhanks loved Greyhound movie from a navy vet.

— PDR (@PDR9981) July 10, 2020

Greyhound follows U.S. Navy Commander Ernest Krause (Hanks) who’s assigned to lead an Allied convoy across the Atlantic during World War II. Despite this being his first wartime mission, Krause and his men find themselves at the center of the longest, largest and most complex naval battle in history: The Battle of the Atlantic.  Judging by the trailer, Greyhound appears to be an action-packed sea movie with Hanks perfectly capable of being a leader. In addition to starring, though, he’s also a producer and co-writer on the project. It’s in line with his ion for the time period, too, as he was an executive producer on both Band of Brothers and The Pacific for HBO. Not to mention his Oscar-nominated performance in Saving Private Ryan.  It seems there’s something for everyone today when it comes to new releases, but the most high-profile of the bunch is certainly Greyhound. And with Tom Hanks in it, that isn’t exactly surprising.

Like many other movies over the past few months, Tom Hanks’ latest has had to skip a traditional theatrical release and drop exclusively on streaming thanks to the closure of cinemas in response to the pandemic. Having Hanks attached to a film is usually a major mark of quality, so folks will definitely want to check out World War II drama Greyhound and here’s how you can catch it. Greyhound was originally set to arrive in theaters this past March, but that plan was nixed when the COVID-19 outbreak brought on a worldwide quarantine. Instead, Apple snapped up the rights to distribute the film from Sony Pictures for a cool $70 million. It’s finally available exclusively on AppleTV+ from today, July 10th, so if you’re already a subscriber, go ahead and check it out. If you’re not, then you can make use of the service’s free trial. If you decide to stick with it once the offer expires, then it’ll cost you a mere $4.99 per month. Alternatively, if you’ve just purchased an Apple device, you can also redeem a full year of AppleTV+ for free. Just make sure to redeem it within 90 days of purchase. For a taste of what the film’s all about, you can check out the synopsis for Greyhound below:

In the early days of WWII, an international convoy of 37 Allied ships, led by captain Ernest Krause (Hanks) in his first command of a U.S. destroyer, crosses the treacherous North Atlantic while hotly pursued by wolf packs of Nazi U-boats.

As well as starring in it, Hanks also wrote the screenplay, adapted from the 1955 novel The Good Shepherd by C.S. Forester – the first time he’s penned a script since 2011’s Larry Crowne. With such a strong connection to the movie, then, he regrets the fact that it couldn’t make it into cinemas. While speaking to The Guardian, the Oscar-winning star said it was “an absolute heartbreak,” adding: “I don’t mean to make angry my Apple overlords, but there is a difference in picture and sound quality.” Nevertheless, this is the only way to see Greyhound and we imagine that quite a lot of people will be checking it out over the weekend.

Tom Hanks had a pretty good 2019, lending his vocal talents to billion-dollar hit sequel Toy Story 4 and picking up his first Academy Award nomination in almost 20 years for fully embracing his reputation as ‘America’s Dad’ and playing Mr. Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. 2020 hasn’t been so great for the beloved actor though, with Hanks and wife Rita Wilson becoming two of the first high-profile names to suffer from the Coronavirus, while his latest ion project was recently pulled from the theatrical schedule and sent straight to digital after Apple purchased the rights to World War II drama Greyhound from Sony, something the 63 year-old freely its he isn’t too happy about. Expectations are high for Greyhound due to the fact that it marks Hanks’ first appearance in a WWII-set movie since Saving Private Ryan, and the material is also very close to his heart with him having written the script, which marks his first writing credit since he co-wrote the screenplay to 2011’s Larry Crowne, and his first solo credit since 1996’s That Thing You Do! Based on the footage we’ve seen so far, the naval-set Greyhound looks set to take a different approach to the countless World War II movies we’ve seen over the years that largely take place on the battlefield, and with the movie arriving on Apple TV+ on Friday, reviews have started to make their way online, and the vast majority of them seem to be impressed with Hanks’ latest effort. Greyhound currently holds a strong Rotten Tomatoes score of 75% and a solid 61 on the less-forgiving Metacritic, with Hanks said to deliver another reliably strong lead performance in a lean, efficient and economical thriller, one which looks to be the kind of enjoyably old-fashioned movie that Hollywood doesn’t really seem to be interested in making anymore. The Rotten Tomatoes summary currently reads as so:

Greyhound’s characters aren’t as robust as its action sequences, but this fast-paced World War II thriller benefits from its efficiently economical approach.

Tell us, though, will you be checking out the film when it arrives? Let us know down below.

Greyhound is one of the biggest movies set to go straight to streaming as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, eschewing any kind of theatrical run. That’s a fact leading man Tom Hanks describes as “an absolute heartbreak.” Speaking to The Guardian, Hanks explained his misgivings about the film’s release on Apple TV+, who acquired the rights to stream the pic exclusively:

“[It’s] an absolute heartbreak. I don’t mean to make angry my Apple overlords, but there is a difference in picture and sound quality.”

The actor went on to express further frustration at Apple, who required him to rearrange his office so that the interview could be conducted against a blank background, likening his appearance to being in “a witness protection programme. But here I am, bowing to the needs of Apple TV.” Hanks has been affected by the pandemic in more ways than one, of course. Prior to it, Greyhound was to be distributed by Sony Pictures. Instead, it’s getting what he deems to be an inferior release on Apple TV+. Perhaps more significantly for him though, he and his wife Rita Wilson became coronavirus patients in the early weeks of the pandemic, coming down with it while the former was filming an Elvis Presley biopic in Australia. Thankfully, both have since made full recoveries. It must be said, this is quite the broadside from Tom Hanks towards his new “overlords” as he jokingly refers to them in the interview. The Toy Story star has never been afraid to speak his mind though, knowing full well his clout gives him the freedom to do so. Certainly not every actor has that privilege, but his honesty is definitely refreshing.

Greyhound, an war drama starring Tom Hanks, had originally been slated for a theatrical release in the spring. For obvious reasons, though, any such release in the current climate proved to be unworkable and as a result, Sony decided to sell the film’s distribution rights to Apple, who today announced they’ll be hosting its premiere on their in-house streaming service Apple TV+ this July 10th. It’s been a long time coming, too, as Greyhound’s pre-pandemic release was to happen on March 22nd.

For those unfamiliar, the film will see Tom Hanks return to the war genre for the first time since Saving Private Ryan more than 20 years ago – which was one one of his most iconic roles. Looking back at that phase of his career, he starred in Forrest Gump, Apollo 13 and Saving Private Ryan all in the space of 4 years. The word legend is over-used daily, but this guy really is one.

Will Greyhound stand up to his best work, though? Honestly, I don’t know. At least we’ll finally be able to find out. Personally, I’m hoping for more Saving Private Ryan than Angels & Demons, but that’s probably placing too great a weight on the film. After all, I wasn’t overly convinced by the CGI in the trailer. Fine, I’ll take my backseat critic’s hat off – no reporter should cast aspersions on a movie that isn’t even out yet. That’d be terribly unfair.

If you’ve got any thoughts of your own on the news that Greyhound is finally arriving (or thoughts on the film in general), drop a comment below. I’m sure you’ve certainly had enough of my thoughts for one day. In any case, be sure to tune into Apple TV+ for your latest Tom Hanks fix next month, recommended as part of a balanced movie diet.

Without a doubt, Tom Hanks is one of Hollywood’s most beloved and respected actors. He’s been on our screens for decades now and has brought to life all kinds of exceptional and inspirational roles in a number of very successful movies. The internet, in particular, loves Hanks, with many unable to find any trace of malevolence behind those blue eyes of his. Perhaps some of his likeability is because he only ever plays the good guy in films. Be it Toy Story‘s Woody, the titular character in Forrest Gump or even his recent portrayal of Mister Rogers, Tom Hanks tends to stay away from villainous roles, and that’s a trend that looks set to continue now with Greyhound. Once scheduled to hit theaters this June, Variety reports today that Apple TV Plus has snapped up the movie from Sony Pictures and will now premiere it on their steaming service, which is a pretty big deal for the six-month-old platform. No release date has been announced as of yet, but we can’t imagine it’s far off. Set in the early days of World War II, the pic follows “an international convoy of 37 Allied ships, led by Hanks’ Capt. Ernest Krause,” as they cross the treacherous North Atlantic all the while a wolf pack of Nazi submarines pursues them. The first trailer for Greyhound certainly looked promising and it’ll no doubt be a treat to see Hanks returning to sea, after his spectacular work in Captain Phillips. Not to mention that he’s clearly no stranger to WWII movies, either, and has been involved with some of the best films/TV shows in the genre. Undoubtedly, Apple will be angling this as an awards contender and so far, it sounds like it definitely has the makings of one. And as soon as we get an exact date for when the streamer plans to premiere Greyhound, we’ll be sure to let you know, so stay tuned.

Some exciting news coming out of today, where the 67th International Berlin Film Festival is currently underway. Deals are being made left, right and center and now, Deadline has word that Sony Pictures has swooped in to acquire the worldwide rights to Greyhound, Tom Hanks’ new WWII drama which he wrote and is set to star in, with Get Low‘s Aaron Schneider directing. From what we understand, the plot will revolve around Hanks’ Commander George Krause, “a career officer finally given command of a Navy destroyer; along with the enemy he fights his self-doubts and personal demons to prove he belongs.” Based on C.S. Forester’s The Good Shepherd, FilmNation will provide the financing for the project with the budget coming in at roughly $30 million. That’s all we’ve got to go on for now, but seeing Hanks return to sea should prove to be a real treat for those who enjoyed his work in Captain Phillips, which featured one of the finest performances of his career. Furthermore, the actor is no stranger to the WWII genre, having dedicated his talents to Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers and more. Sony will no doubt be angling this one as an awards contender and with Hanks’ involvement, it’s not hard to imagine it being an Oscar favorite. No other cast have been announced for the project just yet, but with production on Greyhound set to get underway in May, with a 2018 release looking likely, we expect to hear more shortly. Until then, however, take to the comments section and let us know if you’re looking forward to seeing Hanks step into the role of Commander George Krause as he returns to the WWII genre.