The Best Movies of 1999
Jun 20 '04 (Updated Jun 24 '04)
The Bottom Line The 10 best films of 1999 is a mix from many genres, but as a whole the film selection of 1999 lacks the impact of many other years.
1999 was not the greatest years for the film industry. Though there were a few films that stuck out from the rest of the crowd, we will not be looking back on 1999 as being one of the best years for films.
Here are the 10 movies that I thought stood above the rest in 1999.
10. American Beauty -- Starring Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, and Thora Birch
As a man (Kevin Spacey), starts to suffer from a mid-life crisis, we are taken on a journey through his troubled mind, and how if affects those people round him. He does not seem to be the only one dealing with issues though, as his wife (Annette Bening) ends up having an affair. With a daughter that hates him, he ends up changing drastically everything in his life. This includes quitting his job, and taking another one at a fast-food restaurant. He even takes to working out now, so that he can grab the attention of his daughter's friend, who he seems to be growing a thing for. This is a dark story, about what goes on in a troubled mans mind, and the consequences that can happen because of it. Kevin Spacey was at top notch acting in this film that won him an academy award for best actor.
9. Toy Story 2 -- Starring the voices of Tim Allen, Tom Hanks, Joan Cusack, and Kelsey Grammer
In the sequel to the first film of the same name, the toys pick up the story with Woody (Tom Hanks) being stolen by a crazed toy collector. It turns out that he is quite a collectible, and could be worth a lot of money if put together with the characters of a television show that he had starred in. The toys come to life to break him free from his dire situation, but has all of the value placed on him gone to his head? This is a very cute story that actually has some heart-wrenching scenes involving a toy )played by Joan Cusack), who has been cast aside by her owner who has grown out of dolls. It really was a good movie, but once you have seen it a couple of times, it falls away with the rest of the films that Hollywood produces.
8. The Blair Witch Project
The Blair Witch Project came out amongst a bunch of stories that helped lead people to believe that it was based on a true story. Believing that myself, I ended up seeing it, and thought that it was actually quite a terrifying movie. Built around the premise of 3 students being lost in the woods of the Eastern United States, they come across what they believe to be a witch haunting those woods. It leads to many scary situations that rely completely upon the audience being able to put themselves in the place of the students. Filmed as a documentary, the film does have some parts that make you try to figure out what comes next, but beyond the story, there is not much that can make this film last through the years. IT is one of those films that you can see once, and then won't have the inclination to see it again. It stormed into our consciousness, and will always be remembered as one of the top films of 1999, but will soon enough be lost in the rush of many films that are better than it since then.
7. The Mummy -- Starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz
In a reinvention of "the mummy" films genre, Fraser plays the role of an American serving in the French Foreign Legion. While out in battle, he stumbles across the lost city of Hamunaptra, and ends up having to use it as a bargaining chip to save his life later in the film. Weisz serves as the damsel in the movie who is searching for the lost city for educational purposes, and the riches that may lie there as well. Now this movie can't be looked at as a top-notch acting film, but the story coupled with the one-liners, and the chemistry between the actors involved made it a great film for 1999. It was high-powered in the action department, and made Brendan Fraser a bankable star in the years that were to follow it.
6. The Cider House Rules -- Starring Tobey Maguire, Charlize Theron, Delroy Lindo, and Michael Caine
An orphan (Tobey Maguire) spends the first part of his life growing up at an orphanage when he goes unadopted. Soon, he becomes the favorite "son" of the man watching the place, and pretty much becomes second in charge when the man is away. A practicing physician, he knows nothing of the outside world until Theron's character comes for a procedure. Hearing what the world has to offer from them, he decides to go with them and take on a job at an apple orchard. There, he falls in love with Theron, and we see a story of what it is like for a kid with no past of his own to set out on the world and make something of himself. This is a love story that takes you by the hand and leads you through some dramatic moments in acting roles that should have given Maguire and Theron more credit than they received. This is a must-see film, and it is one that showed the range that both actors would use to their advantage in the years to come.
5. Fight Club -- Starring Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, and Helena Bonham Carter
A man with no family, and a boring desk job, sees in another man everything that he wishes he could be. Edward Norton stars as the man who can never seem to step up to what he wants to be, and Brad Pitt plays that man that he wishes to become. Together they create a club that allows men to fight , no holds barred, and leave shaking hands at the end of the night. It is a club that lets people act the way that they want to, and quickly grows in popularity as it forms into something of a cult. Soon, we are treated to great acting between Pitt and Norton, and are treated to a secret at the end of the film, that ties them both together. This was a great film starring a great actor in Edward Norton. As always, he becomes the character that he is playing, and brings a great realism to the screen. Accompanying the movie is a great soundtrack composed by The Chemical Brothers.
4. Any Given Sunday -- Starring Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, Dennis Quaid, L.L. Cool J, James Woods, and Jamie Foxx
This is a great football movie directed by Oliver Stone. It shows football for what it really is, and holds nothing back when it shows what goes on off the field as well as on. Pacino stars as the head coach of a team trying to make it through some turmoil, and get to the playoffs at the same time. Cameron Diaz plays the new owner of the team, in a role that is her best to date. All of the stars of the team are played by famous actors, and the roles that each of them take on are very believable at the end of the day. Pacino is in a role that he was born to play, as a yelling and drinking coach who has seen better days in his career, and may be on his last legs as a coach. The surprise role of the film is played by Jamie Foxx, as an up-and-coming new quarterback who must learn how to be a team player, before he is allowed to lead this team. This is probably the best football movie ever made, because it does not fluff everything up with unrealistic acting and playing. Instead, Stone delivers us almost a documentary of what the real world of football looks like.
3. The Green Mile -- Starring Tom Hanks, Bonnie Hunt, Michael Clarke Duncan, and James Cromwell
In a film written by Stephen King, and Directed by Frank Darabont, this movie star Tom Hanks as a prison guard in charge of death row inmates. The story revolves around the guards on "the green mile" in the 1930's, and John Coffey (played by Michael Duncan Clarke), who has been accused of the murder of two children. We are taken on a journey through the minds of the guards, and all of the people involved in the Coffey case. The movie is based on the redemption of people, and the question of whether Coffey did the crime or not. Hanks and Clarke are superb in their roles in this movie, and I had thought that this was a shoe-in to win best picture of the year when I first saw it. Devoid of the stereotypical jail scenes, this film is original in everything including the story, its characters, and the way that it ends.
2. The Matrix -- Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, and Carrie-Anne Moss
In one of the few bright spots for the action genre, the Matrix surprised everyone. When The Matrix came out, it flat out blew audiences away with the special effects wizardry that the Washowski brothers put on the screen. They had invented new ways to use the camera, and the term "bullet-time" was entered into our collective consciences to stay. The premise of the story was that a computer hacker named Neo (Keanu Reeves) learns from a few people that he could be the catalyst in a war against machines that have taken over the planet. It turns out that the human race no longer runs the planet, but serves as an energy source to the machines that now cover everything. The movie helped set the standard by which all action movies are made now, and the slow-motion sequences with rotating cameras has become something that we see in a lot of films. Not only that, but the movie has already led to two follow-up films in the 4 years since it came out.
1. The Sixth Sense -- Starring Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment
What happens when a ghost-story gets good direction, and a great starring actor? In the first film directed by M. Night Shyamalan, we were able to see Bruce Willis at his best. The movie revolves around a young boys ability to see dead people. Though at first it really scares him, with the help of Willis's character, he figures out that they are just asking for his help. The movie prides itself as being one where you don't fully know what is going on until the final scenes of the film. Osment and Willis share a great on screen chemistry, as the audience is treated to one of the best ghost stories that has made it to the big-screen. The word of mouth for this film helped it gross over $200 million, and paved the way for M. Night Shyamalan to make several more films that deal with topics that are not covered by mainstream Directors.
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