Author Topic: ~ Great Films of 1999 That Are Worth Your Time ~  (Read 1999 times)

Offline MysteRy

Re: ~ Great Films of 1999 That Are Worth Your Time ~
« Reply #15 on: October 07, 2014, 02:20:39 PM »
The Green Mile (Frank Darabont)



Consolidating on his exceptional directorial debut “The Shawshank Redemption”, director Frank Darabont created a handsome and involving adaptation of the six-part novel that author Stephen King had released a few years earlier.

Set on Death Row in the Thirties, this is a classic story beautifully told. For a three hour film, it’s never dull or boring. In his second film, Darabont proves himself to be a director of talent and class, with a significant love and affection for the material.

“The Green Mile” is a class act all the way, and never talks down to its audience as so many films are guilty of doing.

Offline MysteRy

Re: ~ Great Films of 1999 That Are Worth Your Time ~
« Reply #16 on: October 07, 2014, 02:22:19 PM »
Toy Story 2 (John Lasseter)



The follow-up to the ground breaking Pixar film “Toy Story”, the sequel deepens the affection we have, as lovers of cinema, for the characters presented in the story.

While telling a hugely enjoyable story, where “Toy Story 2” really hits the mark is how it depicts the way that, as people, we outgrow our toys and what happens to them as a result. That one thing alone totally endeared this film to many generations, not just the child audience it was intended for.

A classic case of a sequel expanding upon its original universe, “Toy Story 2” was one of the big success stories of the year, and further consolidated Pixar as the cutting edge of mainstream animation.

Offline MysteRy

Re: ~ Great Films of 1999 That Are Worth Your Time ~
« Reply #17 on: October 07, 2014, 02:23:41 PM »
The Talented Mr Ripley (Anthony Minghella)



Directed with class by the late Anthony Minghella and set in sun kissed Italy in the Fifties, “The Talented Mr Ripley” is a psychological thriller that compels and enthrals in equal measure.

Featuring a cracking cast including Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law and Philip Seymour Hoffman, this thoughtfully written and involving look at identity and being rarely gets a mention as a great film of the late nineties. More’s the pity, as people are missing out on a class act of cinematic storytelling.

Offline MysteRy

Re: ~ Great Films of 1999 That Are Worth Your Time ~
« Reply #18 on: October 07, 2014, 02:24:56 PM »
Election (Alexander Payne)



A total surprise and only the second film from Payne, “Election” was an incredibly funny comedy about high school politics. A metaphor for political campaigns in both America and across the world, “Election” really shone due to some great writing and acting, especially from Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon as opposing sides of the political fence in this microcosm of America.

Something of an underrated gem, this one.

Offline MysteRy

Re: ~ Great Films of 1999 That Are Worth Your Time ~
« Reply #19 on: October 07, 2014, 02:26:52 PM »
The Insider (Michael Mann)



Based on the true story of whistle blower Jeffery Wigand and his expose of Big Tobacco, “The Insider” is a compelling example of the intellectual and visual precision that is director Michael Mann.

With some brilliant, perceptive writing and a top notch cast, including Al Pacino and Russell Crowe, this is topical cinema at its finest. Criminally underrated as far as the Mann back catalogue is concerned, “The Insider” remains and intelligent and thoughtful work.

Offline MysteRy

Re: ~ Great Films of 1999 That Are Worth Your Time ~
« Reply #20 on: October 07, 2014, 02:29:54 PM »
The Matrix (The Wachowskis)



An intelligent and impactful work, “The Matrix” completely reinvented the ideas of both science fiction and action in the cinematic world. With visual style to burn, The Wachowskis, in only their second film as directors, created one of the most iconic works of the latter part of the Nineties.

To this day, some of the ideas, both regarding ideas and concepts, as well as the visual style, continue to influence the films that have been made over the past fifteen years. Although cheapened by two significantly lesser sequels (“The Matrix Reloaded” & “The Matrix Revolutions”), the original remains a true benchmark in science fiction cinema and cinema in general.

Offline MysteRy

Re: ~ Great Films of 1999 That Are Worth Your Time ~
« Reply #21 on: October 07, 2014, 02:32:14 PM »
Audition (Takashi Miike)



A big hit at many film festivals across the world, this was the first real time that Western audiences discovered the work of maverick Japanese director Takashi Miike.

A workaholic that can sometimes make up to five films a year, Miike is a director that specialises in pushing his audiences and taking them somewhere they’ve never been before.

In “Audition”, a widower who works in the TV industry stages ‘auditions’ with young girls, looking for a potential future wife. In one such girl, he gets far more than he bargained for.

The genius of this film is the way that it wrong foots its audience, playing like a melodrama for about two-thirds of its running time. It then takes one almighty left turn in its climax. Put it this way. When I first saw the film at Melbourne Film Festival, when the film did its turn, people didn’t just walk out, they ran!

A wild and unique talent, Takashi Miike has, over the past two decades, been one of the directors, along with Gaspar Noe and Darren Aronofsky, that has changed the face of cinema as we know it.

“Audition” is a fantastic place to start.

Offline MysteRy

Re: ~ Great Films of 1999 That Are Worth Your Time ~
« Reply #22 on: October 07, 2014, 02:36:36 PM »
The Sixth Sense (M. Night Shyalaman)



A film that never lets its audience feel comfortable, “The Sixth Sense” is director Shyalaman’s most complete work. A young child (Haley Joel Osmet) claims that he can ‘see dead people’. To tell you more would be a crime if you haven’t seen it.

A psychological horror film that never fails to involve its audience, “The Sixth Sense” was one of the best films of its type to come out in the latter part of the Nineties.

Offline MysteRy

Re: ~ Great Films of 1999 That Are Worth Your Time ~
« Reply #23 on: October 07, 2014, 02:38:44 PM »
The Straight Story (David Lynch)



This could be director David Lynch’s most controversial film. A G-rated film with a linear narrative made for the Disney Corporation!

“The Straight Story” is a beautifully written, heartfelt road movie about an old age pensioner travelling on a ride on lawnmower across America to visit his sick and estranged brother.

Disarming in its simplicity, this is a film that truly lives up to its title. It also possesses an emotional warmth that can sometimes be missing in other films directed by David Lynch.

Offline MysteRy

Re: ~ Great Films of 1999 That Are Worth Your Time ~
« Reply #24 on: October 07, 2014, 02:41:01 PM »
Being John Malkovich (Spike Jonze)



A highly idiosyncratic look at fame and being famous, this was one completely out of the box. Written by Charlie Kauffman and directed by former music video maker Jonze, this posited the idea that one could inhabit the mind of a famous celebrity quite literally!

Featuring a game cast including John Cusack, Catherine Keener and Mr John Malkovick himself, this was an astoundingly original and fresh cinematic experience. Ostensibly a comedy, it was one with a highly dark and serrated edge to it. A true original.

Offline MysteRy

Re: ~ Great Films of 1999 That Are Worth Your Time ~
« Reply #25 on: October 07, 2014, 02:51:54 PM »
Fight Club (David Fincher)



We’re breaking the first two rules of ‘fight club’ here. On only his fourth film, director David Fincher created what many to this day still consider to be his masterpiece.

Based on the novel by Chuck Palhinuik, “Fight Club” is a bold, challenging work attacking the way that corporations seem hellbent on taking over the world with, at the same time, a deeply affecting look at what it means to be a man. Unique, riveting and brilliant, there truly is no other film out there that is quite like this. “Fight Club” was truly a case of everyone involved, from Fincher to his stars, Brad Pitt and Edward Norton, really pushing the envelope to see how far it would go.

While something of a flop at the box office upon release, it rightly found its audience in the home market. A film impossible to ignore and a true love it or hate it experience, this is filmmaking at its ballsiest and most uncompromising.

Offline MysteRy

Re: ~ Great Films of 1999 That Are Worth Your Time ~
« Reply #26 on: October 07, 2014, 03:51:06 PM »
Magnolia (Paul Thomas Anderson)



After the excellent “Boogie Nights”, this epic three hour meditation on life and being saw director Paul Thomas Anderson truly find his voice as an artist. Set on one day in Los Angeles, “Magnolia” is a deeply felt, challenging and, at times, deeply moving look at the human condition, flaws and all.

Featuring an utterly electric cast, including Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macey, John C. Reilly and an absolutely heartbreaking performance from Melora Walters, “Magnolia” really takes the viewer out of their comfort zone and makes them think about the world around them.

Another film that can enthral cinema goers as much as it can repel others, “Magnolia” is a truly unique work.

Offline MysteRy

Re: ~ Great Films of 1999 That Are Worth Your Time ~
« Reply #27 on: October 07, 2014, 03:52:00 PM »
American Beauty (Sam Mendes)



A lacerating black comedy looking at the ‘American Dream’, namely those ideals of ‘success’ and ‘happiness’, this was British theatre director Sam Mendes’ stunning debut behind the camera. What he created in this funny and remarkable work was one of the most assured and accomplished debut films ever made.

With a brilliant script by Alan Ball and a cast to match, featuring Kevin Spacey and Annette Benning at their finest, this was very much a comment on Middle America at the turn of the century. Fifteen years later, it remains a timely and compelling work.

Offline MysteRy

Re: ~ Great Films of 1999 That Are Worth Your Time ~
« Reply #28 on: October 07, 2014, 03:52:42 PM »
Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick)



After a twelve year absence from the screen, master director Stanley Kubrick made “Eyes Wide Shut”, after which he subsequently passed away.

This was a bracing, unflinching look at marriage and fidelity, featuring then-married couple Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Attracting controversy for its frank depiction of sex and sexuality on screen, this was no less than a challenging and unflinching work, which, over decades, we’ve come to expect from Kubrick.

A visual treat, this proved to be a fitting and uncompromising swansong from one of the all-time greats of cinema.

Offline MysteRy

Re: ~ Great Films of 1999 That Are Worth Your Time ~
« Reply #29 on: October 07, 2014, 03:53:35 PM »
All About My Mother (Pedro Almodovar)



Winner of the 1999 Oscar for Best Foreign Film, this saw the bad boy of Spanish cinema, Pedro Almodovar, break out to a larger audience. Toning down some of the on-screen excesses that personified and, in some cases, limited his earlier work, “All About My Mother” was a deeply felt comedy-drama about love and loss.

Beautifully written, acted and directed, this really saw Almodovar mature as a filmmaker and a storyteller, while never losing his highly personal view of the world. Looking at ‘marginal’ characters such as transvestites and pregnant nuns suffering from HIV, “All About My Mother” is always a warm and deeply compelling work, looking at the role of women in the world.

This is nothing short of a masterwork from one of the brightest of cinematic talents.