Happy Birthday, John Williams!

Today, we are celebrating the 80th birthday of five-time Academy Award-winning composer John Williams. Lauded as one of the greatest cinematic composers of all time, Williams has found a way to enter the collective public consciousness more often than any of his peers. While I could easily go through his list of work, I'd rather make this a more personal post. I've grown up listening to John Williams, and his work became a part of my life at an early age. I can remember listening to one of his "Greatest Hits" albums on family road trips, and it was from this particular CD that I garnered my initial appreciation for Williams's exceptional talent. My dad is just as taken by each John Williams score, so much so that he has associated a score with each of his three children. In his mind, I was given the score to the 1978 film, Superman, which has become one of my all-time favorites. The fact that this man has scored such iconic films as Jaws, Star Wars, the Indiana Jones series and, more recently, the start of the Harry Potter saga goes to show that he has quite a bit of range, and he is extremely well-respected throughout the Hollywood community. I mean, the man has nabbed a whopping forty-seven Oscar nominations in his career, bringing home the aforementioned five statuettes. There must be something brilliant about him, right? Most recently, we've heard his work in the 2011 films War Horse and The Adventures of Tintin, for both of which he received Oscar nominations. We'll next hear his work in the 2012 film, Lincoln. So, to celebrate his birthday, I've listed my ten favorite of John Williams's film scores, and I've provided a snippet of each for your listening pleasure. Once again, happy birthday, Mr. Williams. I look forward to hearing more of your work in the coming years.

10. War Horse
2011


*****

9. Schindler's List
1993


*****

8. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
2001


*****

7. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
1982


*****

6. Superman
1978


*****

5. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
1977


*****

4. Jurassic Park
1993


*****

3. Raiders of the Lost Ark
1981


*****

2. Star Wars
1977


*****

1. Jaws
1975


*****

And now, for your added viewing pleasure, I've included a fan video entitled "Star Wars (John Williams Is the Man)" by Corey Vidal that became an overnight Internet sensation a few years back. I just love this video, and it truly serves as a real tribute to John Williams's composing prowess. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Ben Kingsley!

Today, we're celebrating the 68th birthday of Academy Award-winning actor Ben Kingsley. He got his acting start in the mid-1960s, appearing in television shows and movies, but he didn't his theatrical feature-film debut until 1973's Fear Is the Key. It wasn't until 1982 that he made his second theatrical appearance, but his turn as the titular character in Gandhi nabbed him his single Oscar statuette and set his career into overdrive. He worked steadily throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s, where he made early appearances in critically-acclaimed films like 1991's Bugsy (for which he scored his second Oscar nomination) and 1993's Schindler's List. Kingsley would add two more Oscar nominations: for his supporting role in 2001's Sexy Beast and his leading role in 2003's House of Sand and Fog. Most recently, audiences have seen Kingsley play cinematic legend Georges Méliès in 2011's Hugo, and they'll next be able to see him in a slew of 2012 films, including The Dictator, A Doll's House and A Common Man. And so, as a tribute to his acting legend, I've listed my five favorite Kingsley performances and have supplied videos where I could. Once again, happy birthday, Ben Kingsley!

5. Man in the Yellow Suit
Tuck Everlasting (2002)

*****

4. Georges Méliès
Hugo (2011)

*****

3. Itzhak Stern
Schindler's List (1993)


*****

2. Behrani
House of Sand and Fog (2003)


*****

1. Mahatma Gandhi
Gandhi (1982)

Happy Birthday, Ralph Fiennes!

Today, we're celebrating the 49th birthday of two-time Academy Award-nominated actor Ralph (pronounced: "Rafe") Fiennes. He nabbed his first role in a theatrically-released feature film as Heathcliff in 1992's Wuthering Heights but made his first major splash in Schindler's List, for which he scored an Oscar nomination, the following year. He appeared in 1994's Quiz Show and 1995's Strange Days before nabbing another Oscar nomination for his role in 1996's The English Patient. From there, Fiennes starred in a string of lesser films and didn't nab a role in another legitimate film until 2005's The Constant Gardener, which also marked the year he reinvigorated his career by portraying the central villain in the Harry Potter franchise. In between his portrayal of the evil Lord Voldemort, he's managed to make small appearances in critically-acclaimed films like 2008's In Bruges and 2009's The Hurt Locker. Audiences last saw him in the final chapter of the Harry Potter franchise, and they'll next be able to see him in the sequel to the 2010 film Clash of the Titans entitled Wrath of the Titans in 2012. So, to celebrate his birthday, I've created a list of my five favorite Ralph Fiennes performances. I hope you enjoy the videos I was able to supply. Once again, happy birthday, Ralph!

5. Michael Berg
The Reader (2008)

*****

4. Lord Voldemort
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)


*****

3. Contractor Team Leader
The Hurt Locker (2009)


*****

2. Harry
In Bruges (2008)


*****

1. Amon Goeth
Schindler's List (1993)

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