My Top 10 Favorite Amy Adams Movies

Amy Adams

Today is Amy Adams' 41st birthday. While I try to remain objective to all performers, there are few that I have publicly rooted for as much as her to eventually win an Oscar. With an impressive track record of 5 nominations, she seems overdue for something at this point. It also helps that I consider her to be one of the most charismatic and enjoyable actresses currently working. With an impressive career that features an array of great performances ranging from princess movies to dark dramas, she embodies what a great actress should be. So to honor her birthday, I have decided to highlight my personal top 10 favorite performances of hers that reflect why she is so great.

Top 10 Favorite Tom Hanks Performances

Tom Hanks in Captain Phillips

Today marks the birthday for the two-time Academy Award winning actor Tom Hanks. Over the course of his career, he has gone from playing comedic roles in films such as Turner & Hooch to a more respected actor with dramatic roles like Saving Private Ryan and Cast Away. In honor of this occasion, it feels as good of a time as any to share a personal list of my Top 10 favorite Hanks performances spanning over his film career. If for no other reason, it will help to show the range and give you a better understanding as to why I consider him one of the best and charismatic actors of his generation.

R.I.P.Mike Nichols - 1931-2014

Left to right: Leslie Caron and Mike Nichols

There's a lot that can be said about director Mike Nichols' influence on cinema. For starters, his films combined racked up a total of 42 nominations and 7 total wins. Beyond the numbers, his influence is still felt today in a lot of his films, notably The Graduate, which he won Best Director for. That film is important for a lot of reasons, including the Simon & Grafunkel soundtrack which when set to footage of a brooding Dustin Hoffman created the most iconic symbolism of 60's wayward youth. It also helps that the film itself featured bold, risque subject matter that paved the way for 70's New Hollywood movement and redefined the movie soundtrack simultaneously. Even if this is all that he is known for, he would have left an important stamp on film history. However, he was so much more. He was an auteur.