Best Movies of the '90s (#6)

Periodically we’ve been counting down the best 10 movies from each year in the ‘90s, themselves counted down in order.

We now come to 1999. Many of the great films in ’99 I didn’t see until late (a fact owed in no small part to a new girlfriend.) I’ve seen most of them now, but some still remain.

Highly rated movies Hyperion hasn’t seen that might possibly make the top ten list if he had: THE INSIDER, THE STRAIGHT STORY, THE HURRICANE, CIDER HOUSE RULES, MAGNOLIA, THE GREEN MILE, BOYS DON’T CRY, THE END OF THE AFFAIR, THE WINSLOW BOY, THE RED VIOLIN, RIDE WITH THE DEVIL, THE WAR ZONE.

I was making an effort to see at least 7 of these films before doing my list, and then I thought screw it: You can see them if you want to (and you probably should), but that doesn’t make the 10 films I selected in any way unworthy.

Today we have #10 - #6….

#10 THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT – It became the fad to criticize this film, but that’s the way it is after something has phenomenal success. I saw it opening day, opening show with Bear and Carlos, when no one knew anything, and I’m telling you, it was freaky. Filmed in ultra low-tech (which actually means it would translate to video pretty well), and featuring three actors who were using their real names, in search of the mythical Blair Witch. Basically they took these three out into the woods and then did stuff to them. When one of them gets taken I think the other two are genuinely shaken (reminds me of the Stanford Prison Experiment), and by the end it’s obvious they are no longer acting; just hysterical. Maybe the best part is that the ending doesn’t hit you for a few seconds until after the credits are rolling, and then you’re like, “Gulp!”

#9 RUN LOLA RUN – Definitely the oddest choice. The movie exists as an experiment, to see if they could get the heroine (Franka Potente, of THE BOURNE IDENTITY fame) to literally run the entire film. (They come pretty close.) Our girl’s man is in trouble, and if she doesn’t get him a large sum of money, he’s dead. From this point on the girl is running, as there is definitely a clock on. You’d think this would be novel enough, but then a blast from the past; a “choose your own adventure” wrinkle is added. We see the girl running three different times. Small decisions going a different way have a huge impact on her and others. The film is in German, but there is very little talking and a five year old could understand. Highly entertaining.

#8 THE IRON GIANT – This gentle decent gem gets totally overlooked with the Disney Machine and the Pixar Revolution, but deserves acclaim in its own right. Based on a simple allegory of human behavior, THE IRON GIANT will have you rooting and cheering lustily by the end. Directed by Brad Bird (THE INCREDIBLES), with a soft deft touch and a beautiful 2-D palette that we unfortunately don’t see any more, GIANT lumbers into our hearts. The characters are familiar from movie cartoons, but somehow defy the easy stereotype that Disney shoe-horns in. A definite must-see for the entire family.

#7 AMERICAN PIE – Yes, it’s a teen sex comedy, filled with gross-out humor. And yet it’s hilarious, sexy, and dare I say filled with heart? Giving us two indelible characters—Eugene Levy as the Dad and the immortal Stiffler, not to mention his mom—AMERICAN PIE just flies off the screen. Other than people who do not want to watch a sex comedy (and I can respect that, if not understand), I defy anyone not to love this film. Try your best; it won’t work. And if that’s not enough, you have to see the film just for the Cherry Pie, the “pale” ale, and to find out what happened, “This one time, at Band Camp….”

#6 THREE KINGS – A cursory examination of Kings would conclude the message is anti-war, but I think it’s far more complicated than that. Set right after Gulf War 1, with Saddam crushingly defeated, but without that final push to Baghdad able to regroup. The entire country was in chaos (sound familiar?), with lawlessness all around. A legend of gold somewhere in the countryside, and several US military figures (George, Clooney, Spike Jonze, Mark Wahlberg, and an surprisingly effective Ice Cube) go looking for it. What they find is not what they expect. One other important note: this movie started the trend of following bullets inside people’s bodies, later made famous in the CSI world. A must-see. At one point I thought this might be the best film of ’99. That I somehow found five better shows you what a powerful year this was.

Tomorrow: The Top Five of 1999.