The Magnificent Seven
(The Best Movies of 1999)
When film buffs look back on 1999, they’ll most likely lean back for a pensive moment, squint wistfully, and proclaim with all the authoritative weight of wine experts, “Yes, that was a good year… a good year indeed.”
It was a year in which more records were broken than at an anti-disco rally, thanks in large part to a certain movie about some kid named Anakin. At the same time, it was a year that brought a whole new legitimacy to the cinematic equivalent of the garage band—people like Eduardo Sanchez and Dan Myrick, whose Blair Witch Project became the most successful home movie in history. Independent movies continued to be a force in the industry. Even the animated fare, from the laugh-a-millisecond South Park to the Japanese classic Princess Mononoke to Pixar’s superior sequel Toy Story 2 and Warner Bros’ The Iron Giant, was consistently strong.
Was the year perfect? Of course not, but we here at Screen & Noted prefer not to dwell on crap, so we’ll avoid discussion of abortions like Wild Wild West, End of Days, or even the super-pretentious The Thin Red Line (all of which seem like Citizen Kane compared to uber-stinkers like Life and Black Mask). Suffice it to say we sat through ‘em so you wouldn’t have to.
Instead, we’ll focus on those films that entertained us, that made us think, that attempted to do more than simply make money. And now, because this is our inaugural year, because we didn’t see a lot of movies, because we really like David Fincher, and most of all because you’re probably sick to death of hearing the “Top Ten” or “Top Five” movies, we are pleased to present our “Top Seven” films of 1999.
There are so many other fine films we’d love to mention, but these seven are, we think, the best summation of what 1999 was all about: originality, creativity, and artistry. We can only hope that 2000 is half as good a year for the movies.
OUR TOP SEVEN
(presented in alphabetical order)
American Beauty – Sam Mendes’ humorous and contemplative study of middle-class suburban dissolution told us to “look closer” to find the true source of happiness.
The Blair Witch Project – It wasn’t as slick as The Sixth Sense, but more than made up for it in originality. More than just an exercise in building hype, it was a truly unique film (witness the endless parodies), and one that horror fans have long craved—the one that scared us by leaving everything to the imagination.
Go - An outstanding, eclectic young cast (including Canadian Sarah Polley) headed this commercial flop that was marketed to the Gen X set. John August’s carefully crafted story ended up over their heads but scored big with adult critics. Call it “Quentin Tarantino Lite.”
The Green Mile – Frank Darabont proved he’s the undisputed king of King with a superbly faithful, brilliantly acted translation of the author’s best-selling serial novel. The best example of cinematic literature the year had to offer.
The Matrix – The Wachowski brothers fused a metaphysical premise with the best wire-work outside of Hong Kong martial arts flicks to create the most eminently watchable movie of the year and restore Keanu Reeves to coolness. In a word… “Whoa.”
The Sixth Sense – Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan and whiz kid Haley Joel Osment combined to give us a genuinely creepy experience, not to mention the coolest twist ending of the year.
South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut – This one made the cut thanks to its relentless fusillade of jokes, pop-culture skewering, and most of all, its utter refusal to cave in to the MPAA. Trey Parker and Matt Stone struck a blow for freedom of expression, and made a damn hilarious movie to boot.
As always, we want to hear from you. Drop us a line and let us know which films you think should have made the list, and which ones don’t belong there. We’re always happy to hear the opinions of others before disregarding them completely.