The Creme de la Creme
Jan 23 '00 (Updated Apr 05 '00)
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. But mostly, it was the best of times. Despite the continued alarming trend of brainless teen sex comedies and bad cartoons-into-live-action remakes, 1999 proved to be twelve months of movie-lovers’ nirvana. Good, old-fashioned storytelling seemed to be in vogue—entertaining the popcorn-munching masses while sneakily sending a bit of intellectual thought into their brains. Love, honor, truth, beauty—ideas that brought us to our feet clapping time and again.
I can’t think of a better way to close out the 20th century than to be agonizing over which movies to include on the top-ten list. There were so many good films that it’s hard to narrow the choices.
But [taking a deep breath], here goes….
10. An Ideal Husband. Oscar Wilde’s 1895 play gets wonderfully adapted to the screen in a zingy, word-heavy satire. Rupert Everett leads an ideal cast in this comedy of blackmail and mistaken identities that’s as pertinent in the Clinton era as it was 100 years ago.
9. eXistenZ. While some viewers liked The Matrix for its vision of a virtual-reality future dominated by machines, I actually preferred this mind-bender from director David Cronenberg. It’s funnier, wilder and less ponderous than The Matrix. It’s also got one of the best last lines in all of film history.
8. Run Lola Run. This German film blows through your mind like a ninety-minute marathon. It’s a simple story—girl runs across city to get much-needed cash to boyfriend before he gets killed—but it’s eye-popping in the way it’s told…and re-told…and re-told. This is the year’s most delicious eye candy.
7. Toy Story 2. Hard to believe, but this little gem almost didn’t make it to the big screen. Disney, doubting that a sequel to the most-successful computer animated film of all time would make much money, wanted to release TS2 straight to video. CEOs have been busy eating crow ever since Thanksgiving. This one proves that, yes, sequels can sometimes be even better than the original.
6. The Iron Giant. When was the last time a cartoon made you cry while you leapt to your feet cheering and laughing with happiness? This beautifully animated tale of a boy and his robot becomes a deep meditation on friendship and sacrifice during the Cold War. And, yes, this 37-year-old grouch was wiping away the tears in between the cheers.
5. Go. Five years ago, Pulp Fiction set the standard for hip, non-linear plots; Go sweeps all the P.F. imitators under the carpet. Director Doug Liman fuels this drug-deal-gone-bad thriller with a full tank of funny dialogue and jaw-dropping surprises.
4. The Insider. Nearly three hours of people sitting around talking about cigarettes, journalism and ethics hardly sounds like edge-of-your-seat cinema, but director Michael Mann turns tobacco whistle-blower Jeffrey Wigand’s saga into a gripping, gut-wrenching experience. Russell Crowe, as the pudgy Wigand, so completely transforms himself into the nervous paranoiac that even his own mother might not recognize him.
3. The Green Mile. This is old-fashioned movie making at its best. The story of a mystical convict on death row unfolds slowly, but there is not one frame of film that could be cut from this masterpiece of literary cinema. All the performances are excellent in an ensemble cast, but Tom Hanks once again proves why he’s the most dependable actor working in Hollywood today.
2. The Sixth Sense. Six months after seeing it, I’m still haunted by this movie. I walked out of the theater with my pulse racing and my mind reeling from the impact of the ending. This is one of those rare movies where I wanted to race back inside the cineplex and watch the whole thing again from the beginning. The only problem with this movie is that those who love it are unable to describe it to those who haven’t seen it.
1. American Beauty. While the subject of pedophilia may make some viewers squirm, this movie has so much more to say about contemporary suburban inertia and materialism. There is beauty in every frame of this movie—script, direction, cinematography and soundtrack all combine to make this one of the most emotional film experiences of this or any year. It also helps that Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening pull out all the stops in the acting performances of their careers.
Caveat: There are many 1999 films which I haven’t yet seen, some of which could very well have landed on this list, including Magnolia, Being John Malkovich, Three Kings, Fight Club and Dogma.
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Epinions.com ID:
Grouch
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Member: David Abrams
Location: Butte, Montana
Reviews written: 620
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About Me:
One can never have too many books, only too little time in which to read.
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