Loading ...The Best of 1999: The Year in Review
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Loading ...By Jason Jones
1999 was an amazing year in the realm of cinema. Week after week we had something new and exciting to behold. It was truly an amazing time. A time that has most definitely passed. At least for the time being anyway. The year 2000, to this point, is a clear indicator that we were fortunate enough to live through a truly special year in film.
So why am I just now finally assembling my top ten list for 1999 in the early days of October 2000 you ask? There are a number of reasons:
1. I am lazy as Hell.
2. I had forgotten about it until Dale slung his Top Ten into my Inbox one day.
3. I wanted to make sure I had seen everything worth seeing before assembling the list to end all lists.
4. That’s just the kind of prick I am.
There are probably more excuses that I could trouble with, but like somebody once said “Excuses are like assholes. Everybody’s got one.”
So without wasting too much more of your precious time, here is my comprehensive list of what I felt was worth seeing from last year and why, along with my own personal non-bastardized Oscar presentations.
We’ll go from presentations down to number one just to make things interesting.
Let’s roll Billy Ho!
Best Actor
Russell Crowe (”The Insider”)
Kevin Spacey (”American Beauty”)
Nicolas Cage (”Bringing Out The Dead”)
Tom Cruise (”Eyes Wide Shut”)
Bruce Willis (”The Sixth Sense”)
People are going to want to hang me for this next one. Piss on ‘em! It’s my list.
Best Actress
Milla Jovovich (”The Messenger”)
Reese Witherspoon (”Election”)
Julia Roberts (”Notting Hill”)
Nicole Kidman (”Eyes Wide Shut”)
Best Supporting Actor
Tom Cruise (”Magnolia”)
No one else was anywhere near Tom in this category, so I will not waste time on listing them. He was robbed.
Best Supporting Actress
Melora Walters (”Magnolia”)
Emily Watson (”Cradle Will Rock”)
Diane Venora (”The Insider”)
Catherine Keener (”Being John Malkovich”)
Best Director
P.T. Anderson (”Magnolia”)
Stanley Kubrick (”Eyes Wide Shut”)
Luc Besson (”The Messenger”)
Michael Mann (”The Insider”)
Frank Darabont (”The Green Mile”)
Now to the meat and potatoes of the program.
Honorable Mention
“Bringing Out The Dead”
“Notting Hill”
“American Beauty”
“Blast From The Past”
“Payback”
“True Crime”
10. “The Mummy”
Without a doubt this is the movie that ranks as the most fun from the year gone by. Brendan Fraser is perfectly cast as the yutz who has to lead a contingent of naive Brits to the promised land of Hamunaptra. This was a film that I did not expect much of initially. Hell, the first time I saw it was at the Budget Theater! Since then it has grown on me. I find myself liking it more and more with each viewing. For me, that is reason enough to sneak it into my top ten.
9. “The World Is Not Enough”
Forget what you heard about Denise Richards as the Nuclear Engineer, or whatever else you may have heard that detracted from this film. Simply put: It is one of the best Bond films of all time. I would confidently place it in my Top Three alongside “Thunderball” and “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”. This provides all of the things we expect of Bond and takes them to another level at the same time. The boat chase during the pre-credit sequence easily ranks as the best action sequence of the year, if not the decade. On top of this, Brosnan finally seems to feel at home in the role of 007. He delivers one-liners with the same sort of non-chalantness that Sean Connery did. Plus Denise can practice fusion with me any time she wants.
8. “Being John Malkovich”
You wanna talk about originality. Hmmm….Let’s make a movie that revolves around people taking trips into John Malkovich’s mind 15 minutes at a time. Hell we’ll even sell passes! That is what you have in store for you if you take the trip that is “Being John Malkovich”. John Cusack and Cameron Diaz are barely physically recognizable in their roles as husband and wife. Completely original and blatantly hilarious, “Being John Malkovich” is a sure fire winner. I can’t remember the actor’s name, but he is the guy who plays Cusack’s senile boss. Anyway, that dude is hilarious, especially in the scene when he is lamenting the fact that his piss is orange from drinking too much carrot juice. Keep an eye out for him.
7. “The Green Mile”
I remember sitting alongside Dale as he cried like a baby for the last hour of this film. As I sat there I thought about how great the film must be to have that profound of an affect on someone. It did not touch me in quite the same way, but I did find it to be quite gripping nonetheless. Frank Darabont has outdone himself with this film. It’s a shame he doesn’t make more films, but at least when he does, he makes them of the utmost quality. All of the performances are done with an air of authenticity that lends a great amount of credibility to the story being told. Finally the scene of the failed electrocution was one of the most impactful scenes I have ever seen. Not for the faint of heart. That is a certainty.
6. “Cradle Will Rock”
Wow! What a pleasant surprise of a film this turned out to be. Tim Robbins once again proves himself to be one of greatest talents Hollywood has to offer with this directorial offering. It is the story of the play The Cradle Will Rock and the events surrounding it’s wayward path to being performed. The opening shot in this film is incredible, as it is one long take that lasts for seven minutes! Apparently Robbins was taking notes while on the set of Robert Altman’s “The Player”. The performances are all top shelf with notables being John Turturro, Hank Azaria and Emily Watson. Brilliantly filmed and masterfully put together “Cradle Will Rock” is a pure delight to behold. I felt compelled to stand up and applaud after the rousing conclusion to this film, even in the privacy of my own basement. Yes, it’s that good.
5. “Election”
What’s not to love about this film? You have the always adorable Reese Witherspoon playing the equally enviable and unbearable go-getter known as Tracy Flick. Matthew Broderick as Mr. McAllister, the teacher who gets a little too involved with the proceedings. A host of others round out the delightful cast of this witty little dark comedy that went largely unnoticed by the filmgoing community. Now you can make amends by going out and renting the number one comedy of 1999. For those of you who do, I foresee uncontrollable fits of laughter in your future.
4. “The Insider”
This movie really shocked me. As I said in my review, it’s one of those films that everybody told me was great, but I just really didn’t care at the time. Then the DVD came out, so twenty dollars left my wallet and the rest is history. Wow was the only word that came to mind after seeing this the first time. Shortly thereafter a whole question entered my mind: “What was I thinking?” Truly a film that needs to be seen to be believed. Russell Crowe sinks so deep into the character of Jeffrey Wigand that I am still trying to figure out how he got out in time to become General Maximus in “Gladiator”. Even Pacino is great for a change. He took a break from the overacting school to put together a performance worthy of his reputation. There is actually a moral center to his character for a change. It seems Michael Mann has a knack for bringing the best out of Pacino. First “Heat” and now “The Insider”. Every performance is dead on. Christopher Plummer is great, as is Diane Venora, and the list goes on and on. A beautiful film to watch. “The Insider” sinks the hooks in early and doesn’t let go until the final credits role.
3. “Eyes Wide Shut”
Thank goodness this wasn’t “Barry Lyndon” although to some people it exists in the same abyss, as the aforementioned. This film was sold as practically a late-night “Skinemax” feature by the media, when in reality it is a complex psychological study of the trust that exists in marriage and what it takes to maintain it. It also shows us what can happen when the boundaries of that trust are crossed. Visually this film is mesmerizing, as it languishes in a dreamlike state. Actions and the consequences of those actions are put under the microscope throughout the course of the film with the viewer left with their own interpretations and decisions to ponder as the closing credits roll. This film, along with the other constituents of the Top Three, had me locked me in so well that I found myself bolted into my seat as the credits came to an end. To me that is the mark of great filmmaking. Bravo Stanley. Thank you for one last showing of brilliance on your part. I will treasure it always.
2. “The Messenger”
Another film that took a lot of undo shit is “The Messenger”. I found this to be a truly captivating filmgoing experience. Luc Besson truly knows how to appeal to the viewer’s eye. The visuals in this film are so beautiful that mere words cannot describe them. In the past, I often said that I would give the award for cinematography to “Magnolia”, but now, after much reflection, I think that “The Messenger” is the one film truly deserving of such an honor. It is like watching a work of art come to life before your very eyes. Ms. Jovovich is spellbinding in the role of Joan. She has never had to show much range previously in her acting career, but with this performance she shows that she has all the necessary intangibles. She presents a depiction of a real life historical character (a very conflicted, strong-willed character) and breathes life into Joan, as she nails the performance to perfection. The only flaws this film may have are in the area of humor that is oftentimes misplaced, but after you watch the movie a couple of times you don’t even notice it anymore. This is one of the few films that actually brings me to tears. Powerful filmmaking to say the least.
1. “Magnolia”
Where do I begin? This movie is a tour de force of perfection in filmmaking. Not a single moment in this movie is flawed. Every last frame is captivating and meaningful. Every performance is sheer perfection. If there were a way to give out little gold guys to the entire cast, I would do it. Since I cannot do that, I will at least mention their names to give them some sort of recognition. Jason Robards as Earl Partridge, Phillip Baker Hall as Jimmy Gator, Melinda Dillon as Rose Gator, Melora Walters as Claudia Wilson Gator, William H. Macy as Donnie Smith, John C. Reilly as Jim Kurring, Julianne Moore as Linda Partridge, Henry Gibson as Thurston Howell, Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Phil Parma, Jeremy Blackman as Stanley Spector and last, but certainly not least, Tom Cruise as Frank T. J. Mackey. The stories of this motley crue of characters are masterfully woven together into a mesmerizing story of epic proportions. All of these people are having, for the most part, extremely shitty days. The sort of days we all hope we never have to go through. Director P.T. Anderson draws the maximum amount of emotion from his story by drawing out the tension in every scene to it’s absolute limit, as he builds towards the most shocking conclusion I have ever seen to a film. I salute P.T. for having the balls to conclude the film in the manner that he did. I can think of no other filmmaker who would have either the guts or the vision to realize it onscreen. I also salute Tom Cruise for delivering one of the best performances I have ever seen. A performance that manages to bring me to tears due to the incredible weight and power of the performance itself. Watch the bedside scene. Tell me you aren’t moved. You can’t. How he failed to receive the little gold guy is beyond me. On a final note. Kudos go out to the cast and crew for putting together the best film that has been released in the past thirty years: “Magnolia”.
