Review: Philadelphia

       Winning an Oscar for best actor/actress in a leading role is the greatest achievement an actor can attain. To win an Oscar two years in a row is a very rare occurrence, and it illustrates the superiority of an actor at that time in his or her career. In the Oscars 84 year history only 3 actors have won Academy Awards two years in a row. Spencer Tracy did it in '37 and '38, Katherine Hepburn did it in '67 and '68, and most recently Tom Hanks did it in '93 and '94 for the films Forrest Gump and Philadelphia. Hanks' performance in Philadelphia is astounding. He demonstrates, the sadness and lust for life of his character Andrew Beckett, a lawyer dying of AIDS, but he also maintains the characters human qualities like his humor that keeps Beckett from being a melancholy one note character. Philadelphia is Hollywood's first big budget take on the weighty subject of HIV/AIDS. It's a powerful movie, but because it was such a groundbreaking film it plays things very safe in order to not to alienate audiences who might be uncomfortable with such a controversial subject.

Review: A League of Their Own

     It's said that World War II had three fronts: Europe, The Pacific, and the homefront. Of course, the homefront wasn't actual combat, but the sacrifices and losses experienced by the friends and family of those overseas were just as grave as those in combat. Saving Private Ryan is considered to be the ultimate movie in depicting the war in Europe. Who can forget the visceral, extremely realistic depiction of D-Day? A League of Their Own provides the perfect companion piece to Private Ryan, depicting the effect of the war at home. The fact that Tom Hanks appears in both films only serves to further illustrate how well these films go together.