THE TEN BEST OF 1999
Jan 10 '04
The Bottom Line These ten films make up the nucleus of what must be regarded as one of the strongest and best film years in recent memory.
It's rather late, but with considerable hindsight and lots of chablis here's my favorites for the best film year of the 1990s.
1. AMERICAN BEAUTY--One of the most acclaimed and remarkable directorial debuts in years, British stage director Sam Mendes' Oscar winner invited viewers to look closer into pre-millennium suburban drudgery and potent middle and teen-aged angst. Working from a superb script by Alan Ball, pic follows the final months of Lester Burnham, whose male menopause receives a jolt of purpose upon meeting the sultry friend of his estranged daughter Jane, along with pot selling Ricky Fitts who moves next door with his military reared family. Kevin Spacey is exceptional as Lester, whose transformation from pathetic burn-out to formidable patriarch is a joy to behold and one of the actor's richest, most humane performances. Annette Bening is no less sensational as Lester's oppressive but emotionally frail wife Carolyn, who experiences a rejuvenation of her own courtesy of an affair with Peter Gallagher's real estate king. Thora Birch is wonderful as the withdrawn and self conscious Jane; Wes Bentley is haunting as the sensitive Ricky, whose lingering camcorder captures whatever remnants of natural beauty exist outside his abusive household; and Mena Suvari is both seductive and wilting as Angela, who conceals her own insecurities behind her jailbait image. Featuring a memorable turn by Chris Cooper as Ricky's brutal and conflicted father, along with great photography by Conrad Hall, AMERICAN BEAUTY exposes the dark underbelly of suburban domesticity in a funny, passionate and heart wrenching film.
2. ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER--Pedro Almadovar's career took a giant artistic forward with the release of this extraordinary film. Written and directed by the colorful Spanish auteur, pic is a marvelous union of mature emotional fireworks with the filmmaker's flair for raunchy melodrama. Cecilia Roth delivers a beautiful performance as Manuela, a nurse who relocates from Madrid to Barcelona in search of her ex-husband after the tragic death of her son. Circumstances there land her as an assistant to a successful actress and as caretaker to a pregnant, HIV infected nun. As the title suggests, pic is Almadovar's tribute to womanhood and the various roles--both professional and personal--they perform on a daily basis. As such, filmoffers a treasure trove of rich roles for actresses to sink their teeth into, and Almadovar's deliver big time. In addition to the mournful Roth, Marisa Peredes is sensational as Huma, a chain smoking diva with a fateful connection to Manuela's dead son. Penelope Cruz is lovely and vulnerable as Rosa, who stands on the brink of repeating the same mistakes that have dogged Manuela. And Antonia San Juan bursts off the screen as Agrado, Manuela's transvestite best friend whose emphasis on the physical make-up of women is the perfect counterpart to the nurturing, maternal image Manuela exemplifies. Bound by scenes of delirious campiness and heartbreaking earnest, ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER is Almadovar's best and most deeply moving film.
3. THREE KINGS--After two indelible independent features ("Spanking the Monkey" and "Flirting With Disaster"), writer-director David O. Russell struck out for the Hollywood big time with this exhilarating, surreal and deeply moving masterpiece. Starring George Clooney as Major Gates, pic follows four U.S. soldiers in the aftermath of the Gulf War who discover a map leading to stolen Kuwaiti gold. What begins as a simple tale of greed soon gravitates into a complicated tale of survival, heroism and humanity as Gates and his men come across Kuwaiti refugees destined for execution by the Iraq army once the U.S. evacuates. In addition to Clooney, pic also features Mark Wahlberg in a strong performance as Troy Barlow (Sequence where Barlow is tortured is haunting), director Spike Jonze as Conrad and even Ice Cube (You missed! And didn't hit the lynch mob either!) as Chief. Featuring innovative cinematography by Newton Thomas Sigel and an eclectic soundtrack, THREE KINGS is a unique and unforgettable experience with revealing questions about the U.S. involvement in the war.
4. TOPSY TURVY--The "Amadeus" of the 1990s, Mike Leigh's extraordinary account of the tumultuous partnership of Gilbert and Sullivan is the British filmmaker's finest, and quite possibly the best movie about theater ever made. Written by Leigh with an astute love for detail, pic takes audiences back to a remarkably vivid 1880s London and the creation of The Mikado, one of the musical pair's most celebrated productions. Jim Broadbent and Allan Corduner are magnificent as the stuffy librettist Gilbert and the more cordial but no less venal Sullivan. With a splendid supporting cast that features Timothy Spall, a superb Martin Savage, Shirley henderson and Kevin McKidd, Leigh leaves no element of the production untouched which leads to several memorable and hilarious set pieces: Gilbert preposterously asking three Japanese women who don't speak English to amble down stage during rehearsals so that his actresses may walk "in the Japanese manner;" controversy over The Mikado's liberal costume design; the chorus banding together to ask the formidable Gilbert to reinstate an excised musical solo for one of the leads, etc. With impeccable direction and production craft that seamlessly captures the drama and sophistication of the times, and last but not least a treasure trove of Gilbert & Sullivan tunes, TOPSY TURVY is one of the most brilliant looks at art and entertainment ever made.
5. MAGNOLIA--Superstar auteur Paul thomas Anderson's three hour follow up to "Boogie Nights" is a spectacular, innovative and bloated masterpiece of dysfunction and forgiveness. Set in the San Fernando Valley and following the lives of a dozen principal characters over one day, pic examines the little miracles of emotional connection and catharsis that all too frequently pass unnoticed or unspoken between people, yet hold the fabric of fleeting happiness in our lives. Featuring a phenomenal ensemble of actors, the standouts include Jason Robards, Julianne Moore, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Melora Waters, John C. Reilly and especially Tom Cruise in a blazing tour de force of swagger and suffering as Frank TJ Mackey, a sex guru whose seminars boost the esteem of lonely men. Featuring superb editing by Dyaln Tichenor and an excellent song score by Amy Mann, pic is a showcase for Anderson to display (And at times show off) his extraordinary visionary talents. While film may be overlong and quite depressing, the brief but heartbreaking expression of joy that closes MAGNOLIA is well worth the anguish that precede it.
6. THE INSIDER--How do you follow up a film like "Heat?" If you're Michael Mann, the creator of Miami Vice and one of the most exceptional talents working in the medium today, by directing this suspenseful and altogether thrilling masterpiece. Working from a superb script co-written by Eric Roth, pic is a true account of "pro Zionist American media" 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman's efforts to lure fired Big Tobacco exec Jeffrey Wigand to blow the whistle on hazardous cigarette production ingredients. In careful detail, pic explores the mental, physical, legal and domestic trauma Wigand endures for telling thr truth, and even the corporate pressure behind CBS' decision to pull the segment from the air. Russell Crowe all but vanishes into Wigand's skin in an astonishing performance that loudly pronounced his rank as one of the best actors in film. As Bergman, Al Pacino gives a tight and forceful portrayal of unwavering dedication to journalistic integrity, regardless of the professional risks. Christopher Plummer is likewise excellent as the arrogant but consummate pro Mike Wallace, and even makes one forget that he once sang "Edelweiss." THE INSIDER is a superbly crafted David and Goliath tale of courage and the utmost conviction in the face of overwhelming corporate intimidation.
7. THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY--Writer-director Anthony Minghella's follow up to the Oscar winning "The English Patient" is a handsome and riveting thriller of la dolce vita, murder and identity. Adapted from the Patricia Highsmith novel, pic follows pathological liar Thomas Ripley from his squalid New York existence to the glorious vistas of 1950s Italy. Hired to persuade rich playboy Dickie Greenleaf to return to America after a chance encounter with the senior Greenleaf, the insecure Ripley falls in love with the vain expatriate's lifestyle and, more imporatantly, with Greenleag himself, a circumstance that will have fatal consequences. As the smitten, self loathing Ripley, Matt Damon delivers his riskiest and most accomplished performance. Jude Law explodes off the screen as the charismatic but shady object of Ripley's affections. With memorable supporting turns from Cate Blanchett, Gwyneth paltrow, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, as well as magnificent production design and photography, this MR. RIPLEY is a beautiful and dark film of loneliness and the searing, impossible desire to escape who you are.
8. ELECTION--Who would have thought MTV Films could be responsible for one of the finest films of the decade? Directed by Alexander Payne from a wonderful script by Payne and Jim Taylor (The team behind the ruthless abortion satire "Citizen Ruth"), pic is a fabulously funny and dark satire on ambition and ethics, and quite possible the best teen comedy ever made. Reese Witherspoon is superb as Tracy Flick, a lonely but driven overachiever running for Carver High School class president, and Matthew Broderick is pathetically hilarious as Mr. McCallister, the beloved teacher who sabotages her campaign. Pic features fine support from Chris Klein as Paul Metzler, the popular and honest jock McCallister persuades to run against Tracy, and Jessica Campbell as Paul's frustrated sister Tammy, who joins the race after Paul unwittingly steals her girlfriend. Full of scorching wit and potent insights, ELECTION is an exciting and brilliantly subversive comedy.
9. BEING JOHN MALKOVICH--What is this power that Malkovich exudes? Having left his visionary mark on MTV with his groundbreaking "Sabotage" and "Praise You" videos, Spike Jonze crashed the film industry with this startlingly original and surreal film. Working from a fascinating, convention defying script by Charlie Kaufman, pic involves frustrated New York puppeteer Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) who discovers a portal into...John Malkovich! Before long he's selling tickets at two hundred quid a pop for the fifteen minute privilege, and gradually finds he can actually control the acclaimed thespian from within. Featuring terrific supporting performances from an unrecognizable Cameron Diaz as Craig's wife Lottie, who experiences a sexual reawakening through Malkovich; Catherine Keenor as Craig's cold, sexual predator co-worker Maxine; and especially good sport Malkovich himself, who bravely pokes fun at his image and whose participation the whole film relies on; BEING JOHN MALKOVICH is a rich potpourri of diverse themes--metaphysics, loneliness, celebrity, sex, art and escapism--that coalesce into a spectacular and oddly compelling whole.
10. THE MATRIX--There is no spoon! You have to admire the wachowski brothers. First their lesbian noir flick "Bound" treaded on the overdone heist gone wrong formula and still managed to be taut, funny and surprising. But that was prologue. In 1999 Warner Bos. gave them buckets of money resulting in this lavish and exhilarating sci-fi thriller that, while hilariously derivative, still confounds with its gargantuan action sequences, nifty kung fu fighting and over the top FX. Pic is indebted to many sources it's hard to grasp any singualr identity among the rampaging images, but if one has a healthy suspension of belief, this is the film for you! Besides, any film with one too many stylistic, slow motion shots of bullet shells sprinkling by the thousands will find a place in my cool book. Keanu Reeves stars as Neo, a computer hack who discovers that the world is a simulated computer program called the Matrix which diverts his mind from the cold reality that hundreds of years in the future computers rul what's left of civilization and use the electrical impulses from the minds of all humans to fuel their energy. Huh? What's more, Neo has been tapped by a band of revolutionaries led by Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) to lead their crusade. Carrie Anne Moss projects agility, might, and a near lethal dose of cool as Trinity, the surrogate Sarah Conner role. Hugo weaving is a menacing delight as Agent Smith, the T-1000-esque computer robocop Neo must battle in the Matrix. Fast, highly charged and deliriously entertaining, THE MATRIX is one hundred percent huge.
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