Reasons Why I Love... Part Tre

Okay, so it's nearly midnight, I'm lying in bed, and I get this over-whelming urge to listen to Streets of Philadelphia. So I do... And not ten minutes later, I find myself here, writing this blog. Go figure. xP

Reasons Why I Love: The film Philadelphia

- The acting is amazing. Tom Hanks is amazing, of course. I loved his character. He plays Andrew Beckett, a gay lawyer with AIDS who is suing his former employers because he believes he was fired from his job *because* he's a gay lawyer with AIDS (which it seems to me he pretty much was). Andy is strong; he may be pretty much dying before our eyes, but he keeps on fighting for what's right. He always seems somewhat sarcastic, but mostly just fighting for what he believes in, even though it seems everything he knew has abandoned him, and Tom Hanks pulls this off (guess I'm not the only one who thought so... -points to Tom's Best Actor Oscar for this role-). It was also one of Tom's first forays into dramatic roles. And then there's Denzel Washington, who plays Joe Miller, a homophobic lawyer who ends up being the only person actually brave enough to take Andy's case. Most people probably found him the most relatable character in the movie - he's just a normal guy living in the nineties who's basically terrified of any homosexuals or people with AIDS. However, he eventually comes to see that even these people are human too.

- The subject matter had to be pretty difficult to pull off for the time this movie was made. The film was made in 1993 - a film about a gay man with AIDS in 1993? As far as I know, the public understanding of AIDS and homosexuality was minimal, and the film brings it to light - not in the most positive way, but it's not a positive thing. People could see the reality of it brought to screen and brought to light for almost the first time ever onscreen.

- The affection between Andy and his partner, Miguel. Tom Hanks and Antonio Banderas were undeniably sweet together in their roles. It seemed almost natural to see them together. There's a scene at a party that the two throw together where they're holding each other close and dancing together, and every time I see it, I have to smile, just a bit. They're so close and so sweet, even though one half of the pair is dying. They complete each other and work together so well.

- The soundtrack. Oh lord, the soundtrack is amazing. Three songs I particularly love; Streets of Philadelphia by Bruce Springsteen; Philadelphia by Neil Young; and La Mamma Morta by Maria Callas. Streets of Philadelphia, even though it has the upbeat sound and rhythm of sorts, is actually very profound to me, especially the last verse - sometimes I find myself tear up a bit if I listen to it. Neil Young's Philadelphia takes us out of the film, at Andy's memorial. It's also a bit profound. The slow tempo and smoothness of the music, and the lyrics are stirring. Mix it with the ending scene of the film, and I cry nearly every time. And then La Mamma Morta, the song from the infamous opera scene (the opera scene is my favorite - i could go on and on about its amazing-ness). It's a lovely song on its own, but this song is more completed by the scene it's featured in than the words themselves.

Okay, I'm done rambling - just had to express my utter love for that film before I could sleep at all.

Buona notte and arrivederci, bellezze. ;D

I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand...

... ending unplanned...
Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield

I feel like I have tons of creative energy that needs to be unleashed today! I've been playing our keyboard today, determined to learn to play both hands on 'Heart and Soul', and putting up lots of pics on DeviantArt. I need to write, I need to get something out there. Perhaps the Philadelphia fanfic that's been stewing in my head for the past few days... Who knows?