Since there has been a monumental drop off in movie quality here in the year 2000, I figured it wasn't too late to look back and see just how awesome last year was. 1999 was quite simply the best year for movies in recent memory. There were so many strikingly original and amazing movies that I was almost overwhelmed. Almost. I saw somewhere around 50 movies in theaters last year, and to my surprise, many of those movies were actually good. Below is a list of my favourites as well as some that didn't quite make the cut and some that I probably should have seen. Comments should be sent to kaedrin@crosswinds.net, so that I may laugh at them.

• The Matrix: The Wachowski brothers' action packed roller coaster was fun to watch and it actually provoked some thought and discussion. What made this movie great was that its intelligence wasn't overshadowed by its mind bending effects and Woo-worthy action sequences. The only unfortunate thing is that idiots think they are being intellectual when they discuss this movie...
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• Run Lola Run: Inventive and relentless flick which is so quickly paced that you hardly notice the subtitles. With its pulsing soundtrack and unconventional structure, this movie rockets along never giving you a chance to really see where your going. Its like getting hit by a truck (metaphorically speaking, of course).
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• The Blair Witch Project: This movie taps into our natural fear of the unknown, and it relies on your imagination to provide the scares as opposed to the heavy gore factor. I loved the mood swings and the interpersonal relations between the 3 main leads. Hats off to Myrick and Sanchez for producing such an ambiguous and cryptic film that you just don't see too often in Hollywood (its the "anti-scream", if you will). Full Review
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• Being John Malkovitch: One of the weirdest, most amazing movies of the year. Great performances by John Cusack, Catherine Keener, and the man himself, John Malkovitch (who is a great sport, btw, for taking this role). The film's most valuable asset is its absurdity, and it is truly absurd.
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• Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels: Sweet merciful crap, what an all-around great film. Great script, direction, and acting contribute to making a fast-paced, action packed, hugely entertaining flick. Can't wait for Guy Richie's follow-up, Snatch...
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• American Beauty: Interesting flick about the oddity of "normal" people. A good script and fantastic performances all around, especially by Kevin Spacey, bring you closer to the reality of normality.
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• Eyes Wide Shut: Kubrics final masterpiece about marital fidelity (and infidelity). I like Kubrick because he exhibits a certain stylistic control over his films that make them so much deeper than they appear. Fantastic direction that takes full advantage of the gaudy, high contrast, lighting of Christmas; just one example of Kubrick's attention to detail. It ends a bit abruptly for my tastes, but it's still a great movie. Full Review
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• Princess Mononoke: WOW. A great sweeping epic that knocked me on my arse. The more I think about this movie, the more I like it. Filled with breathtaking visuals, Mononoke takes full advantage of the animation medium. Wow, dammit, WOW.
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• Fight Club: I am Jack's awestruck face. I really don't know where to start - there are so many great things about this movie. Brilliant adaptation, stylish direction, superb acting, pulsing soundtrack... this list goes on and on and on and on... This movie is likely to join the cult status of A Clockwork Orange and Taxi Driver. Full Review
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• The Insider: This year was filled with unconventional and ground breaking films, but The Insider managed to put a fresh spin on conventional filmmaking. Michael Mann has crafted an intelligent, compelling study of morality and motivation that kept me enthralled. Superb acting, fantastic direction, and a subtle but gripping plot.
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• The Sixth Sense: A movie that didn't deliver on its potential, but it was saved by its surprise ending. Haley Joel Osment put forth the best performance I have ever seen in a kid that young. And Willis did a decent job not talking down to him... Full Review
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• The Green Mile: A good movie that just didn't live up to its predecessor, The Shawshank Redemption. Since Green Mile was produced by pretty much the same team (King and Darabont), the comparisons were inevitable and Shawshank is just a better movie.
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• South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut. : Parker and Stone were not only able to make the transition from TV to Film (its gotta be difficult to extend a half-hour animated TV show to a feature length film), but they also made the best musical in years! I was pleasantly surprised to see that Blame Canada got nominated for an Academy Award.
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• Dogma: Not as funny as I had hoped (it should be a crime to have Jason Lee in a Kevin Smith film and not give him any good lines!), but Dogma made some good points, and thats what is important. Its all about the ideas. Theres always the Buddy Christ!
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• Toy Story 2: A nice looking cute Disney film that is just as good, if not better, than the original. I found the idea of a child losing interest in his or her toys to be a touching subject for this sequel. I certainly felt bad for my G.I. Joes and He-Men...
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• Go: This teen Pulp Fiction clone was actually pretty damn good. A hip cast of up and coming young actors and a good story make a good follow up for director Doug Liman (director of the super-cool Swingers).
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• Man on the Moon
• Magnolia
• The Cider House Rules
• Iron Giant