The Year in Review- 1999

It was the year Brad Pitt and Edward Norton traded blows in David Fincher's pre-millennial mind-fuck. Woody and Buzz were welcomed back, M. Night Shyamalan didn't suck, and Kevin Spacey was creeping on a young woman. Keanu Reeves took the red pill, Tom Cruise was obsessed with sex, and Star Wars owned the early summer. Here are the ten best films in order for 1999.

1(tie). "Fight Club"(1999) Looking back, 1999 feels like the last gasp of a pretty bold, thematically-exciting cinematic era before Republican politics and 9/11 turned Hollywood into a risk-averse, franchise-fixated safe haven. Director David Fincher made "Seven" look like wholesome family entertainment with his blistering dissection of male discontent and our soul-crushing consumerist lifestyles. Brad Pitt got dirty in the '90s, and his impossibly cool soap-making psycho anarchist Tyler Durden remains his greatest role. Edward Norton looked like he was laying down a legacy with the one-two punch of his nameless narrator and "American History X". Can you imagine anything even remotely resembling Project Mayhem getting produced on a $65 million budget today? A vision THIS unfiltered has to be celebrated in an age of such sterile conformity. Chuck Palahniuk's therapeutic violence and nihilistic spirit gets right in our faces and under our skin and is here to stay.

1(tie). "Toy Story 2"(1999) Despite the groundbreaking success of the 1995 original, short-sighted Disney execs were initially planning to send this sequel straight to video. That was until they realized it was better than every movie currently in theaters. With a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, "TS2" would've fared pretty well against just any movie ever made. It's "The Godfather Part II" of animated sequels, with a deeper story that explores the limited lifespan of our favorite toys. Will Woody choose museum immortality over a few more years with Andy? Tom Hanks and Tim Allen returned to the recording booth to lend their irreplaceable vocals, and our joined by three talented new additions(Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammar, and Wayne Knight). Pixar is the house that Buzz built, and the studio has been an unstoppable powerhouse since the box office bonanza generated by this delightful encore.

2. "The Sixth Sense"(1999) Recent history has made it difficult to heap praise on M. Night Shyamalan, but I'm not here to talk about "After Earth" or "The Last Airbender". Or "The Happening". Try your best to block out "The Village" and "Lady in the Water", too. I'm here to talk about his 1999 megahit that had eager journalists crowning him the next Spielberg. Things didn't work out that way, but you can't accuse the man of not having talent, because it's on full dispay in the superior ghost story that was unburdened by the hype and heavy expectations that greeted his later projects. "The Exorcist" was the last scary movie to enter the zeitgeist with this much force, so it's easy to see why we got so worked up. Bruce Willis' subtle, understated turn as a sympathetic psychiatrist hints at the kind of actor he might have been, while Haley Joel Osment is a revelation as the frightened boy that sees dead people. The famous "shock" ending holds up to repeat viewings, so forget about Night's steep decline, and put this one back in rotation.

3. "The Matrix"(1999) Cyberpunk subculture, Hong Kong cinema, and the dystopian future popularized by the "Terminator" films were confidantly combined in the Wachowski brothers' instantly-iconic, career-defining achievement. Keanu Reeves put his blank-slate acting style to good use as a restless hacker drawn into a rebellion against sentient machines trying to subdue and enslave the human population in a simulated virtual reality. 'Neo' learns the truth from mysterious fugitive Morpheus(Laurence Fishburne) and leather-clad warrior Trinity(Carrie Anne Moss) until his destiny as the savior of mankind is slowly revealed. I'll admit that I didn't fully grasp these concepts on my first viewing. All I knew is there was a lot of cool stuff happening, in the most imitated actioner since "Die Hard"(not coincidentally, also produced by Joel Silver). A large cult-like fan-base emerged at the dawn of the new millenium, and two sequels arrived with substantial hype(but fewer plaudits) in 2003.

4. "American Beauty"(1999) Daring first-time director Sam Mendes brought the same tar-black comedic approach to his celebrated portrait of a mid-life crises as Fincher brought to "Fight Club" in 1999's equally-ascerbic Best Picture winner. Kevin Spacey's quitely-desperate suburbanite Lester Burnham won him the Best Actor Oscar, completing an unlikely transition from superlative supporting player to unlikely leading man. You think marriage, fatherhood, steady employment, and stability equals happiness? None of that compares to potentially shagging your 17 year old daughter's best friend. The perennially-underrated Annette Bening shines bright as his shrewish wife, and Mena Suvari seemed headed for big things when she bathed in those rose petals. This was the year that a few subversive filmmakers asked us to face some uneasy truths and the world was a better place because of it. Middle-aged malaise has never been captured more beautifully.

5. "The Insider"(1999) The year before audiences were chanting 'Maximus', Russell Crowe was proving his worth in Michael Mann's captivating true story about a tobacco industry whistleblower selling his secrets to "60 Minutes". It's astonishing to see the 33 year old Crowe disappear into the part of pensive fifty-something family man Jeff Wigand in between his macho, star-making roles in "L.A. Confidential" and "Gladiator", as the multi-dimensional Australian left little doubt that he was here to stay. When has Al Pacino's involvement ever NOT been the first big selling point when discussing a film? Talk about a changing of the guard.

6. "Magnolia"(1999) Paul Thomas Anderson reassembles much of the cast of "Boogie Nights"(Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, Philip Seymour Hoffman, John C. Reilly, Philip Baker Hall) for this collection of wildly-different tales of love and loss in the San Fernando Valley. Tom Cruise seemed to be making a conscious effort to shed his normally affable persona(more on that later) and is the standout of this sparkling ensemble as flamboyant sex guru Frank T.J. Mackey. Jason Robards may be the greatest actor that never gets talked about, and his role as Mackey's estranged, ailing father was the last of his long and distinguished career. It may be difficult to pinpoint the overriding theme and message behind PTA's ambitious, emotional epic, but the melodious results are rarely less than engrossing.

7. "Boys Don't Cry"(1999) The tragic circumstances that led to the rape and murder of a transgender Nebraska teen in 1993 was recreated in devastating fashion, by director Kimberly Peirce in her critically-lauded film debut. Hillary Swank's fearless portrayal of Brandon Teena catapulted her to big screen stardom, quite a leap from "The Next Karate Kid" and "Beverly Hills 90210". Indie darling Chloe Sevigny deserved her Supporting Actress nod for her equally brave performance as Brandon's naive girlfriend. This gritty, challenging story barely scraped together enough funds to make it into theaters, and is far superior to your typical TV movie fodder.

8. "Eyes Wide Shut"(1999) Stanley Kubrick's haunting farewell is aging very well, and that was always his intention. Film is about much more than the opening weekend box office, and Kubrick's are built to last. The record length of the shoot(fifteen months), an inappropriate mid-summer release, and tabloid tales of Tom and Nicole made it easy to dismiss "EWS" in '99. But Cruise and Kidman were spellbinding as an upper-class couple in the middle of a quiet marriage crisis, that plays out in wholly unexpected ways over two nights in NYC(okay, London). We didn't think we wanted movies like this, until all those sexless superheroes showed up, and suddenly we weren't getting any entirely. My eyes were wide open.

9. "The Green Mile"(1999) It's incredibly fitting that we wrap up this '90s retrospective with the decade's benign poster boy. Tom Hanks headlines another heartwarming awards contender to make that latter-day Jimmy Stewart label really stick. Director Frank Darabont, of "Shawshank" fame, has the two-time Best Actor recipient AND the late Michael Clarke Duncan to thank for not making him a one-hit wonder. Darabont has a knack for adapting the literary works of Stephen King, but MCD's magical 1930s Death Row inmate is truthfully the main attraction. His burly breakthrough bolstered an already-stacked Best Supporting Actor race(Michael Caine upset Duncan, Cruise, and Osment), keeping this film from feeling like too much of a prison sentence during those bi-annual AMC viewings.

10. "Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace"(1999) Yes, I'm putting George Lucas' much-maligned(and unfairly so) return to the "Star Wars" universe on this list. You can whine about Jar Jar Binks, Jake Lloyd, and the Trade Federation all you want, but the fact remains that you can't talk about 1999 without talking about the unprecedented fanfare that accompanied the decade's runner-up for the box office title(only "Titanic" brought in more $$$ in the '90s). Bashing the prequels is so cliched, so I'll be original and list the positives- Liam Neeson, Darth Maul, the podrace, and the three-way lightsaber battle. The saga is far from over thanks to Disney's deep pockets, so just admit it. You're glad Star Wars didn't end WAY back in 1983.

Honorable Mentions- "She's All That"(1999) Freddie Prinze Jr. helped close out the '90s. "Gloria"(1999) Sharon Stone stars in Sidney Lumet's remake of John Cassavetes. "10 Things I Hate About You"(1999) Heath Ledger enters our lives in this high school comedy. "True Crime"(1999) You can always count on Clint. "8MM"(1999) Nick Cage + Joel Schumacher= guilty pleasure. "Analyze This"(1999) Billy Crystal analyzes Robert De Niro. "Election"(1999) Alexander Payne's cult comedy pits Reese Witherspoon against Mathew Broderick. "Office Space"(1999) Work sucks. "Cruel Intentions"(1999) An attractive young cast updates "Dangerous Liasons". "A Walk On the Moon"(1999) Diane Lane does her best work when she's unfaithful. "Notting Hill"(1999) Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant in a classy romcom. "The Mummy"(1999) Brendan Fraser's franchise starter. "Tarzan"(1999) Phil Collins concludes the Disney Renaissance. "Big Daddy"(1999) Adam Sandler's best comedy? "The General's Daughter"(1999) John Travolta's last stand as a top-tier leading man.

"Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me"(1999) This Mike Myers sequel was much bigger than it's predecessor. "Summer of Sam"(1999) Spike Lee lets us relive New York in 1977. "The Blair Witch Project"(1999) This indie chiller and it's 'found footage' was a pop culture phenomenon. "American Pie"(1999) Teen sex makes a comeback. "Bowfinger"(1999) Eddie Murphy and Steve Martin are a comedy lover's dream. "The Iron Giant"(1999) Old-school animation isn't dead yet. "A Midsummer Night's Dream"(1999) Shakespeare with Kevin Kline and Michelle Pfeiffer. "Runaway Bride"(1999) A "Pretty Woman" reunion for Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, and Garry Marshall. "Sleepy Hollow"(1999) Johnny Depp and Tim Burton firm up their friendship.

"Double Jeopardy"(1999) Ashley Judd is the 'fugi-chick'. "Three Kings"(1999) George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg are soldiers for David O. Russell. "Sweet and Lowdown"(1999) Woody Allen and Sean Penn tell the tale of troubled 1930s jazz guitarist Emmett Ray. "Being John Malkovich"(1999) Spike Jonze is cinema's quirkiest auteur. "Bringing Out the Dead"(1999) Nick Cage is a NYC paramedic. "The Limey"(1999) Terence Stamp tears through Los Angeles. "The Cider House Rules"(1999) Michael Caine wins an Oscar for his delivery of one line. "Life"(1999) Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence serve hard time. "Dogma"(1999) Kevin Smith crushes Catholicism. "Any Given Sunday"(1999) Oliver Stone's indictment of pro football. "The World Is Not Enough"(1999) Pierce Brosnan's third stint as 007. "Girl Interrupted"(1999) Meet Angelina Jolie. "The Hurricane"(1999) Denzel Washington is a knockout as imprisoned boxer Rubin Carter. "Bicentennial Man"(1999) Robin Williams reteams with his "Doubtfire" director Chris Columbus. "Music of the Heart"(1999) Meryl Streep gets her twelfth nomination. "Man on the Moon"(1999) Jim Carrey's Andy Kaufman deserved a nomination. "The Talented Mr. Ripley"(1999) Matt Damon as a murderous con man. "The End of the Affair"(1999) Ralph Fiennes romances Julianne Moore in Neil Jordan's WWII-era London. "Galaxy Quest"(1999) "Star Trek" spoof with Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver. "Stuart Little"(1999) Michael J. Fox's cute CGI mouse made $140 million in the U.S.