Movies 1999
1999 Movie Awards:
most underrated--Fight Club.
most needed to be killed at script stage--Tie: Wild Wild West and Magnolia.
most likely to spur all future DVD movie sales--The Matrix.
most likely to be watched repeatedly on DVD in future--Notting Hill.
most original--Eyes Wide Shut.
The Straight Story. (12/19/99) Quiet. Good music. Blue sky. Perfect for cleaning out brain. Lingers. Smallest audience I've ever been in (3).
The World Is Not Enough. (12/16/99) "My name is Bond, James Bond." Say it 3 times or 4? A reason to see again? Perhaps not. Next time, more skin please.
Dogma. (12/9/99). First half was best. Some very funny, some very Catholic. The green light on funding as surprising as the movie itself. Is the primary source of irony the fame/background of the cast or the content?
Anywhere But Here. (11/13/99). Good. No more. But no less. A month later I remember more of it (Portman) than Malkovich.
Being John Malkovich. (11/6/99). Been there. Done that. Original, funny. Very light. Hungry later.
Fight Club. (10/99). Despite the controversy, entertaining. Energetic. Pressed enough of my buttons, some long unused.
American Beauty. (10/99). Very good and not just because the male lead extracts himself, however oddly, from the rut of his life.
For Love of the Game. (9/18/99). Wonderful. On exiting, heard a guy say "That was not a baseball story. It was a love story." Nah, it was a baseball story.
The Muse. (8/28/99). Mediocre. Easily missed. Why does Albert Brooks get so much attention?
Sixth Sense. (8/15/99). Well-made, worked well. For a movie about a boy who sees dead people, it is a spectacular success. Do not understand those who go twice.
Run Lola Run. (8/14/99). Okay. Fast. Stylish in German way. Innovative credits. Less there than meets the eye.
Runaway Bride. (8/9/99). Liked it. Nothing like low expectations to help make a movie enjoyable.
Mystery Men. (8/9/99). Never lose the ability to walk out of a movie.
The Thomas Crown Affair. (8/8/99). Own the original (better done) on DVD but this version turned my crank, too. Rich, attractive bored people having fun still works. Why two middle-aged (40s?) stars?
Blair Witch Project. (8/3/99). Didn't work for me. Did not walk out. Have all the reviewers lost their minds? HR (above) reports only 68% audience approval. Agree.
American Pie. (7/28/99) Funny. Far too vulgar. A little Breakfast Club in it. Chris Klein from "Election" does another good job.
Eyes Wide Shut (7/22/99) Original. Good sound, good texture. Too long. Plot watery. Wears well. Good movie.
Wild Wild West. (7/5/99). Awful, just awful. Why was it made?
The Red Violin. (6/26/99). Good movie. Died at box office.
Austin Powers II: The Spy Who Shagged Me. (6/23/99) Very funny. Over $200 million.
Notting Hill. Good. Saw second half twice (see Entrapment). Saw beginning of first half a second time. Film gets better each visit. Same box office as "You've Got Mail."
Star Wars I: Phantom Menace. Very good. Second visit 6/29. Film fell apart. Very flat. Over $400 million at domestic box office.
Entrapment. Good. Saw first half a second time, then left to avoid flat 2nd half.
The Love Letter. Good. Oldest audience I've ever been in.
Go. Okay. To what purpose?
Election. Okay. Dark film. Why was it made? Why did I watch it?
10 Things I Hate About You. Okay. Youngest audience I've ever been in.
The Matrix. Very good. Been twice. Will buy DVD later. (Done!)
Analyze This. Good. Funny. Doubt if I will rent later; once is enough.
The Mummy. Good. Funny for a pseudo-horror movie. Good to see George of the Jungle and male lead of "Sliding Doors" again. Female lead was good also. Once is enough.
Shakespeare in Love. Wonderful.
Forces of Nature. Fair. Ben Affleck and Sandra Bullock are not a couple.
EDtv. Good. Really liked female lead (Dharma).
Payback. Good.
Rushmore. Saw on DVD only. Wonderful. The writers deserve an award.
Gods and Monsters. On DVD. Fair. Much more colorful and better cast than expected. Not a riveting tale.
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