Favorite Movies of 1999

My Favorite Movies of 1999

1. Run Lola Run >> Red-haired punk, Lola has 20 minutes to come up with 500,000 Marks or her boyfriend will be killed by his drug dealer boss. What ensues is a fast-paced adventure with Lola running through the streets of Berlin to techno beats in the background. Similiar to the smart movie "Sliding Doors," three versions of Lola's path in which she attempts to come up with the cash to save her boyfriend are shown. Each minor change in her course causes a chain reaction effect in the next reality. Hold on to your seats for this non-stop action-packed flick.

2. GO >> Set to a phenomenal soundtrack, this non-stop pulp fiction-like adventure centers around three separate stories which all begin at the same point. There's Ronna (Sarah Polley) and Clare (Katie Holmes) who are trying to get their hands on some fast cash. Their plan involves drugs, a rave and undercover cops, but things inevitabley get out of hand. During the fast-paced events that follow, the two cross paths with a colorful cast of hip young twenty-somethings including gay lovers (Jay Mohr & Scott Wolf) a sarcastic drug dealer (Timothy Olyphant ) and a horny english guy (Desmond Askew). This witty, dark comedy is one of the best movies I've seen this year, so "GO" rent it now!

3. Election >> This witty, smart, dark comedy is the only watchable high school movie to come out in years. Reese Witherspoon is Tracy Flick, the annoying over-achieving student whose campaign for class president becomes the object of her teacher's obsession. Matthew Broderick does an excellent job as the wimpering teacher, but it's Witherspoon whose dead-pan approach as the over-zealous student we all remember in high school, should deservedly receive an oscar nomination. This film boldly tells the story of the price of success and why some get it and others don't. The dialogue is honest and does not sugar coat the truth. And, that alone makes this little seen gem, one of the year's best.

4. Three Kings >> First off, let me preface this by saying, I hate war movies. But, Kings is not your typical war movie. The setting is the end of the Persian Gulf War, the troops are partying and not sure what they've just accomplished. Three soldiers, George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube get their hands on a map showing where Saddam's stolen gold is hidden, and then the real fun begins. Of course the plan to get the loot goes awry and the three find themselves helping Iraqi rebels make their way safely into Iran. The film's center is the dark humor that shows the reality of war but in essence the story is a nail-biting ride with great performances from a top-notch cast. Wahlberg is excellent as always along with Ice Cube and Spike Jonze. Director David O. Russell who also brought us the very funny dark comedy "Flirting with Disaster" has done it again, with "Three Kings" which should be an oscar contender.

5. American Beauty >> American Beauty takes an honest and daring look at the dysfunctional Amercan family and suceeds. As crude as reality is, Beauty, does a beautiful job telling it like it is. The entire cast turns in phenomenal performances with Spacey as Lester Burnham, the middle-aged dad who has a mid-life crisis and begins acting like he's 16 again, smoking pot and listening to Led Zepplin in the garage. Bening is the control freak miserable wife and Birch plays the confused teenage daughter. Suvari is the sex-pot best friend of Birch who Spacey lusts after. Wes Bentley plays the eerily calm drug dealer next door who Birch falls for. In the end, this often shocking story turns out to be the beautifully told tale of sad souls trying to make sense of it all. Add the visually stimulating cinematography, and Beauty is by far one of the best films of the year.

6. All About My Mother >> Spanish film-maker Pedro Almodóvar tells the delicate story of the relationship between mother and son and the price one woman paid to protect her son. In this character driven story there are many twists, turns and happy coincidences which make the story so interesting. Almodóvar's original screenplay, colorful characters and his great visual style combined with a heart-felt story make this one of the years best.

7. Boys Don't Cry>> This is the disturbing true story of Teena Brandon, a wayward teenage girl from Nebraska who decides to pass as a boy back in the early 90s. Brandon is brought to life by HiIlary Swank whose portrayal is eerily true to life. Chlöe Sevigny is Brandon's girlfriend and is also great in her role. In this bizarra tale that one would expect to see on Jerry Springer, the actors bring to life one woman's pain and search for identity. Although often hard to swallow because of the subject matter, Boys really makes you think.

8. The Limey>> Steven Sodenbergh who brought us last year's "Out of Sight," has done it again with the Limey, the story of a rough Englishman in search of answers to his daughters death. Terence Stamp is phenomenol in the role of the smart Englishman out for revenge and Peter Fonda does well as the Hollywood producer involved in the mystery. The film alternates between flashes of the present and past but never loses the audience. In the end we learn that revenge isn't always the answer to our problems as Stamp painfully discovers. Always engaging, interesting and funny this film is definitely one of the year's best.