Happy Birthday, Steven Spielberg!

Today we're celebrating the 65th birthday of three-time Academy Award-winning director Steven Spielberg. After creating a number of short and made-for-TV films, Spielberg got his first hit with the smash box-office success Jaws in 1975. He immediately followed that film with his 1977 critical sensation, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. In 1981, he introduced the world to Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark, a film that has since spawned three sequels. He also brought forth other films in the 1980s like 1982's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and 1985's The Color Purple. The early 1990s saw him bring the world Jurassic Park and Schindler's List, for which he won his first two Academy Awards. Five years later, he nabbed another Oscar for Best Director for 1998's Saving Private Ryan. His work has been a little more sparse since the turn of the millennium, and the last time audiences witnessed his directorial efforts was in the 2008 film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull; however, he has two films debuting this month: The Adventures of Tintin and War Horse, both of which are sure to make a splash at the next Academy Awards. So, to celebrate this twelve-time Academy Award-nominee's birthday, I've created a list of my ten favorite Spielberg films. I hope you enjoy the videos! Once again, happy birthday, Steven!

10. Munich
2005


*****

9. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
1984


*****

8. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
1989


*****

7. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
1982


*****

6. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
1977


*****

5. Schindler's List
1993


*****

4. Jurassic Park
1993


*****

3. Saving Private Ryan
1998


*****

2. Raiders of the Lost Ark
1981


*****

1. Jaws
1975

Happy Birthday, Tom Hanks!

Today we're celebrating the 55th birthday of one of the most iconic actors of the last twenty-five years: Tom Hanks. Now while I certainly haven't had the opportunity to see all of this man's films, I think I've seen enough of them to know just how good he can be. Hanks is a five-time Academy Award nominee, and he nabbed two of those illustrious statuettes in back-to-back years for his work in 1993's Philadelphia and 1994's Forrest Gump. When you add to the fact that he's got a fantastic off-screen personality, then you've got the makings of a very charismatic individual who it's almost impossible not to like. So for his birthday, I've counted down my five favorite Hanks roles. I hope you enjoy them!

You can next see Tom Hanks in his directorial debut, Larry Crowne, which is currently playing in U.S. theaters.

5. Jimmy Dugan
A League of Their Own (1992)


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4. Captain John H. Miller
Saving Private Ryan (1998)

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3. Chuck Noland
Cast Away (2000)


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2. Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump (1994)


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1. Michael Sullivan
Road to Perdition (2002)


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Awards
1998: Nominee - Best Actor, Drama; Best Hero(ine)
2000: Nominee - Best Actor, Drama; Best Couple
2002: Winner - Best Actor, Drama; Best Hero(ine)