What were your favorite movies of 1999?

I filter heavily before I see them; most all that I saw this year were great. Mystery Men, however, topped my personal list.

Yay, Mystery Men!

Tip: Get several cans of Dinty Moore stew (or make your own if you can do that) and rent Ravenous at your local video store. Half way through watching the movie, pause it and go prepare the stew. Eat the stew for the second half of the movie.

'Happiness' is my number 1 of 1999.

Blair Witch.. The Bone Collector is the best book I've read in a long time...

Bill: The music is what freaked me out.

Notting Hill, Drive Me Crazy, She's All That, October Sky, Muppets from Space, Brokedown Palace, American Pie, Drop Dead Gorgeous, and Blair Witch.

'Happiness' was a great movie.
they - yeah, the Ravenous soundtrack is um... interesting.

South Park, The Phantom menace, Blair Witch, and The Spy Who Shagged Me.

bill: I haven't seen Ravenous yet so don't spoil it for me.

The Matrix!!!!!!!
Blair Witch
Jawbreaker
Phantom Menace
The Mummy
She's all that

In that order...these are the only films on this list I watched last year. I also loved the movie "Kissed" but do not know if it was released in 1999? I think it was.

The worst movies of 99:
Wing Commander (I was SO disapointed, being such a huge fan of the video games)
Eyes Wide Shut (the most boring movie I've ever seen. Even with all the sex!)
Universal Soldier: The Return

Matrix, TPM, Wild Wild West! :)

Mummyt and Matrix

Princess Mononoke

My favorite movie from this year would be a tossup between The Matrix, American Beauty, Fight Club and The Iron Giant. I thought South Park, Sixth Sense, Toy Story 2, The Thomas Crown Affair, and An Ideal Husband were really good as well. All in all, I thought it was a good year for movies for me.

BTW, I like this survey for asking for "favorite" movies and not "best" movies.

tough call

I didn't like South Park.

Seriously? I really didn't like South Park... I think the show is much funnier... the movie sucked... but I thought The Mummy sucked too and people have picked it... so maybe I suck.

How did South Park suck? I thought it was hillarious.

Better Than Chocolate. Princess Mononoke.

Oh, and Happiness.

ugg... what a list! I love movies and saw a lot of them this year. Was American Beauty pre-released in 98? I didn't see it on your list though it might be there somewhere. I think that was probably one of the very best films of the year. That and South Park.

Brian: I thought The Matrix sucked too

topper - it's there on the list, got 12 votes so far

topper: No, American Beuaty was not pre-released in 98.

they: The Matrix I was kinda iffy on.

Guess I don't get out much I only seen one of those .

Plus: The Hurricane, Last Night, Genghis Blues, Boys Don't Cry, Magnolia, Election, Hands on a Hardbody, Limbo, The Limey, Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, The Red Violin, Snow Falling on Cedars, The Straight Story, Twin Falls Idaho and The War Zone.

I was vaguely interested in seeing Happiness (it was on in a double with Hana-Bi which I wanted to see), but knew basically nothing about it. The fact that several people here have mentioned it gives me renewed interest... anyone willing to point me in the direction of some kind of review/synopsis?

I would recommend that you just see "Happiness". Keep in mind that the title is ironic or sarcastic. This is a harsh film that takes you places that will not feel good at all, but it doesn't flinch and it doesn't pull any punches. Some of the scenes in it are brilliant (the opening scene is one of them).
A synopsis might weaken the punch of the film, as would critical commentary - in my opinion.
If you saw "Welcome to the Doll House" and liked it (it's by the same film maker), you'll probably like "Happiness" (I'd say "Happiness" is a much better film and I really like "Welcome to the Doll House").

I picked nearly every one I saw since with only a couple of exceptions I only went to see movies I really liked a lot. And you only listed one of my exceptions (Election).

I also voted for a few movies I haven't seen but wish I had.

You left off 'Shakespeare in Love'. I know it was released in 1998, but it was still the best movie in 1999. It will probably be the best movie in 2000, too.

bill: Hana-Bi is a similar kind of film, hence the pairing. I've seen it now though, so if I see Happiness it will likely be by itself. I'll get around to it eventually


Another film not listed (not surprisingly) is the Australian film Two Hands... very very good.

Boy am I out of the movie "loop"!

Soft Fruit - it's an Australian film about a dying mother who brings her 4 adult children home for her final few weeks. Sad and funny and realistic.

There are lots of movies on this list I still haven't seen and want to see, so my vote might change, but for now The Matrix is definitely at the top. eXistenZ was good too.
I saw Happiness on a first date. It's not a date movie, although we both really liked it. It's just not something you can hold hands through. Also, didn't it come out in 98? I saw it that November.

The Acid House and Asterix

Wow, I'm surprised no one has mentioned Being John Malkovitch yet. There's also Illuminata which has a very scary Christopher Walken in it.

Christopher Walken is a god

Jenny McCarthy was on Stern and said Christopher Walken smelled weird, and stuck a half eaten apple in his pocket in the morning, saving it for the afternoon... I don't think she's a very good source... but now I want to smell him.

I wouldn't care if he smelled like rotting corpses and maggot crap. I'd want to kneel at his feet and worship him.

Have you seen Suicide Kings?

nope.

The Red Violin

they: was that the one Walken film that totally sucked? I saw one on video some time last year which was totally crap, but it's the only bad Walken film I can think of. Unfortunately I can't remember the title, but that does ring a nasty bell

Just had a thought... the one I am thinking of might actually be called "The Funeral"

There is yet another one I am thinking of which might be "Suicide Kings" and if it's the later it's actually pretty good Argh, I need to go to imdb and find out I guess

Suicide Kings was pretty good.. I don't know about The Funeral.

I've added The Matrix and Galaxy Quest to my list.

Being John Malkovich

I canīt believe The Matrix got so many votes. Iīve never seen a worse film than this one. Pathetic story, terrible special effects and we all know by now that Mr. Reeves just canīt act.
At the IMDb I gave this movie a 1.

vos: I won't argue about the story or the acting, but "terrible special effects"?!? Did we see the same movie? I thought the special effects were awe-inspiring! What about them disappointed you?

I think vos is just hateful he didn't think of it himself.

It's OK vos. I've been there.

vos: By the way, if you've never seen a worse movie than The Matrix, go rent Rushmore. It's far worse. A comedy without humor!

ILJ: No way! Rushmore is so funny!!!

Enh: I watched it twice trying to find the criteria by which the movie is considered a comedy and failed utterly. There's the "O.R. scrubs" line, which is funny, but I couldn't find another joke. None of the characters struck me as inherently funny, nor did any of the situations they were in. No jokes + no funny characters + no funny situations = comedy? I guess I just don't get it. Then again, I love "That 70s Show" so maybe I'm just brain damaged...

ILJ: I really like "That 70s Show" too! And I don't remember what I found specifically funny about Rushmore, but I know I liked it! Maybe I'll watch it again so I can give a more informed opinion!

Enh: I should watch it again too. Sometimes if I'm not in the right frame of mind, a movie will really hit me the wrong way. This could be such a case. Another chance is clearly in order.

p.s. New episode tonight! Woo-hoo!

ILJ: you're right.. Rushmore was UNfunny.

ILJ: Just think about the beginning of the movie, where they jump like 100 feet... Hello.. great special effects.. NOT!!

Brian: Iīm hateful because I didnīt write the script for this movie?? Is that what you mean?

I agree with vos. This movie sucked BIG time.What a waste of money this movie was!!

I was very disappointed in The Matrix because it was majorly over-hyped. I was expecting some kind of plot twist only to find that it was just a hollow shell, but the shell was very impressive :) I'm sure I would have liked it a lot more if the friggin' ads hadn't given everything away and hyped it up.

vos: That's exactly what I meant.

SVML: I loved it. I think it's one of only two Cyberpunk movies that actually WORKS! The other of coursemis Blade Runner. Every other CP movie has sucked giant portions of ass.

vos: I think they looked pretty cool when they jumped. I mean they took off, arced a couple hundred feet or whatever, and landed pretty hard. What was it supposed to look like?!? I've never seen someone jump that far, but I imagine that's what it would look like...

Brian: Hmm.. I had never thought of The Matrix as cyberpunk, but now that you mention it I have to concede that technically it is... it just lacks something for me to have associated with it as being cyberpunk (depth is probably it )

supplicant: Then I'd say you've been fortuitous in the cyberpunk you've encountered.

quark: I have encountered admittedly little of it. A small handful of anime movies, Bladerunner, a few books... that's about it. So most of my thoughts on it are possibly what it *should* be and not what it actually *is*

supp.- wouldn't you say that finding "The Matrix" to be a hollow shell, is completely fitting for the philosophical ground it covers? Ignore the shallow explanation of the 'intelligent machines' and the 'human-batteries,' they're just stupid writing, but the rest is pure maya...

Sorry, I don't think I managed to follow your point there Are you saying it should be as it is because it's best to leave it open for personal exploration? Or am I missing it entirely?

Dogma
The Thirteenth Floor
The Sixth Sense
The General's Daughter
The Matrix
South Park

Oh, I dunno about "should" or anything, I was just responding to your saying that Matrix was a hollow shell- I was amused that you called it that, since it was trying to point out that all of what you see in life is a hollow shell, so it was making its point in a kind of meta-way, by not being any deeper than it claimed to be. Maybe I'm giving it *way* too much credit, but I liked the movie a lot and have always figured that the bullets-flying-action-plot part of it was only a lure to hook movie viewers into a deeper philosophical way of thinking.

topper: you could be right, and it's an interesting thought, though I suspect you are giving them too much credit I have forgotten large parts of the film I must admit (it's very fun and whizz-bang, but I've found it very forgettable), but I seem to recall it was not the lack of philosophical exploration I was miffed about and more to do with the repercussions on the people living in the real world fighting against the computers. I'm really not sure. Oh well, maybe the sequels will keep me happy

I just saw Stir of Echoes and really liked it.. I also saw Summer of Sam and it was just mediocre.

they: Say no more abou Summer Of Sam. I have not seen it yet, I would like to see it, don't say anything, OK?

My lips are sealed :)

In limited release in 98, went wide in 99, The Thin Red Line. I thought it was a really good movie. I was moved to tears. Not by the deaths, or the war, but the Dear John letter the movie's hero received near the end. Did that scene piss you off as much as it pissed me off?

I was moved to tears because my poor little rump got sick of sitting there for 3 hours

The Matrix!! I also really liked The Mummy. I guess it wasn't very popular, but I thought it was funny.

Geez, I guess most people either loved The Matrix or hated it. I liked it a lot the first time, then saw it again and really loved it. What is wrong with Keanu Reeves' acting? I think he does just fine.

mandy - We saw Wild Wild West, too. You're just trying to forget!

I was very disapointed in Double jeapordy and The Ideal Husband sucked bad

SueBee: I was pleasantly surprised by The Mummy. It was full of lame jokes and stereotypes, and yet they were funny anyway I don't know how they did it but they did

supp - I guess most people were expecting something seriously scary. I was, but I could see that it was intended to be humorous. Maybe other people weren't able to shift gears when it wasn't what they expected.

God, I don't know.

I enjoyed The Matrix, but my favorite was The Insider.

Adam Sandler ROCKS! Big Daddy was not his best movie but still a good movie.

Summer of Sam should be rated THE WORST MOVIE EVER! What a waste of money!

by the way, Any Given Sunday was the worst movie I'd ever seen. I literally walked out of it. The Blair Witch project was pretty bad too.

by the way, any given sunday was the worst movie i'd ever seen, and the blair witch project was pretty awful too.

Bloodraven: I liked Bliar Witch, but to each his own. As for Any Given Sunday, as a fan of both Pacino and Stone, I don't doubt I'll enjoy this when I finally get around to seeing it.

How come the Hurricane wasn't on the list?! It was an awesome movie!

Read the explanation text:

The list is not all inclusive. Does not include movies that were in limited release in 98 but went wide in 99. Also removed movies that are only in limited release right now, but will go wide in 2000.

The Huricane didn't go wide until January 2000.

I really liked Arlington Road.

Oh. I didn't know it was out in 2000. Are you from the States? I think it was out earlier in Canada. Around November or December 99

they: Yeah, that was a great movie! But then again, I really like Tim Robbins.

Lake Placid was hillarious!

This isn't what this question is asking, but at least it's about movies: I saw a totally amazing movie last night, but it's from 1968. It's called "Who's That Knocking at My Door," and it's Martin Scorsese's first feature film, starring Harvey Keitel. Has anyone seen it? I was completely blown away by how good it is.

I thought the beginning and ending scenes were great... and yeah, Tim Robbins kicks ass.

Is it me, or does it seem like the number of movies put out in one year has gone up dramatically since I was a kid?