Best Movies of 1999

"I see dead people..."

M. Night Shyamalan both wrote and directed this phenomenal thriller, marking his first work outside of family/comedy movies.

In this chilling psychological thriller, Bruce Willis is disheartened child psychologist Malcolm Crowe. After making a mistake with a patient, Crowe later discovers that he failed to help him. Several months later, Crowe learns of a young boy whose circumstances are similar to those of the ex-patient he failed to help. Hoping for redemption, Crowe visits eight-year-old Cole Sear (Osment) who claims he is visited by ghosts, and can "see dead people".

The Sixth Sense received acclaim from critics and audiences alike, and rightfully so. Not since Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho have audiences refused to give away the ending of a movie. The twist...is absolutely mind-blowing.

Shyamalan crafted the movie amazingly, and as a result upon our second viewing we can pick up clues that we missed the first time around. Aside from that, the film is incredibly intelligent and absolutely terrifying at times.

Unlike most thrillers, Shyamalan relies on psychology and our own imagination to scare us rather than using extensive gore. There are plenty of disturbing images throughout the movie as well.

Bruce Willis was absolutely exceptional in the lead role! Haley Joel Osment was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of the troubled young boy. He is extremely chilling at times, and some of his lines send chills down your spine. Toni Collette was also nominated for an Oscar, and rightfully so.

The Sixth Sense could be the best thriller film ever made. The film is brilliant. Pure and simple. Shyamalan's exceptional filmmaking techniques create some haunting moments and memorable creepy images that will still leave you terrified after the credits commence rolling. If you have not seen this movie then you have no idea what you're missing out on. It will blow you away. Watch out for a cameo appearance by director Shyamalan.

"I feel like I've been in a coma for the past twenty years. And I'm just now waking up."

American Beauty is a virtuoso, provocative, multi-faceted, incisive and unconventional drama that takes a comprehensive glimpse at the American dream gone wrong. I had approached this movie with a great deal of hesitation. There were reviews aplenty from people who praised this film as a wonderful masterpiece of the highest order. Before watching this film I could never have believed that making a film of such stature and power would actually be possible.


American Beauty is a magnificent psychological drama that takes a satirical at the American community. The characters are versatile and intricate. The movie demonstrates the darkest things of a person's personality. Even though the characters do some truly appalling things the audience can still be involved with the characters because although bad, they are still shown as unexaggerated and human.


Lester Burnham (Spacey) is a forty-something year old suburban father who is depressed and unhappy. He has a wife (Carolyn; played by Benning), who is looking for sexual pleasure elsewhere, and he has a daughter (Jane; played by Birch) who hates her father and falls in love with their new next door neighbour Ricky (Bentley). Lester's job is leading nowhere when his company decides they have to cut back on their staff due to money issues. Lester also becomes fascinated and infatuated with one of Jane's friends; Angela (Suvari). Lester's behaviour drives him further and further away from his family that already detest him. From there, we follow each family member who are on their own emotional journey of life.


American Beauty is an extremely powerful drama carried by some superb performances. The acting is truly amazing with Kevin Spacey in a performance that won him an Oscar. Spacey has the look and feel of your usual stereotypical suburban American father. He may seem conventional but these stereotypes are explored; revealing a personality with a lot more depth and complexity. There are several horrible character traits he exhibits; however it's impossible not to empathise with him. His family drifts away from him and we can genuinely feel his motivations.


The driving force behind the film is not only the performances but the screenplay. Each line of dialogue is intriguing and enthralling. There is never a wasted minute during the film's duration because of how meticulously the dialogue was written; intelligent, fascinating and profoundly insightful.


The direction, which also gained an Oscar, is utterly flawless. Sam Mendes compliments the great screenplay with equally accomplished directing. Each scene is both engaging and meaningful; it gives the audience further insight into the characters that are being examined so deeply. On top of this, it's compelling storytelling as well as being occasionally humorous.


American Beauty is a lot more complex and eloquent than it sounds; it's a brilliant and amazing story that constructs an indication of the sad reality of contemporary American society. I never expected a film like this to be as brilliant as it turned out to be. It's relevant to today's society, it carries a good message about life and it is extremely potent. Winner of 5 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Cinematography and Best Writing.

"Brilliant. So now we got a huge guy theory, and a serial crusher theory. Top notch. What's your name?"

Before I watched this movie I had not heard any information about the plot, I hadn't read the reviews and I hadn't seen what the numbers gave it. Hence, when I finally settled down to watch the film I was watching it with an open mind...and I absolutely loved it!

From start to finish, The Boondock Saints is pure awesome fun. It's the perfect mix of violent action, superb humour and fantastic characters. And above all, everything is realistic and credible; and that pulls this ultra-violent black comedy out of the "mindless action film" genre, and into the "pure genius" genre.

It was very overlooked when it was first released and slipped under the radar, but when it hit video people finally realised how innovative, brilliant and clever this film truly is. Since I had no prior knowledge of the plot and found it thoroughly enjoyable that way, I won't give too much away.

In Ireland, two brothers named Murph (Reedus) and Connor (Flanery) become targeted by the Russian mob after a bar brawl ends in the death of Russian mobsters. The two brothers have a vision that it is their duty to eliminate the mafia and dish out pure justice to those who deserve it.

Homosexual FBI agent Smecker (Dafoe) gets to know the brothers while tracking their crimes, and dismisses them as dishing out necessary treatment to people who deserve it.

It's a total blast from the get-go, with violent action scenes and humour that had me in stitches. Dafoe is remarkable here, as are the two main protagonists who create engaging, excellent characters.

There's lots of profanity though...and I mean lots. So I suggest you watch your ears.

The critics panned this severely, but audiences loved it. I know many critics dismissed this as too much of a Tarantino wannabe, but the Tarantino style works exceptionally well. The directing is great throughout, with all actors delivering fine performances. And the ending left me wanting more.

The Boondock Saints is terrific fun and a great night out at the movies. It's entertaining, fun and humorous. What more could you ask for? Quite simply one of the best films ever.

There are stories of coincidence and chance, of intersections and strange things told, and which is which and who only knows? And we generally say, "Well, if that was in a movie, I wouldn't believe it." Someone's so-and-so met someone else's so-and-so and so on. And it is in the humble opinion of this narrator that strange things happen all the time. And so it goes, and so it goes. And the book says, "We may be through with the past, but the past ain't through with us."

Magnolia is writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson's answer to Robert Altman's Short Cuts. The film is an epic mosaic of modern American life and a tightly woven tapestry of several interrelated lives in the San Fernando Valley over the course of 24 hours. The stories of these characters are told through a series of poignant vignettes - all characters are lost souls searching for redemption from the collective misery that is their tortured contemporary lives. What binds the diverse characters' stories into a complete and coherent whole are the various stimulating themes running the full length of the movie. In one thematic thread, Anderson proposes that life is not a succession of logical linear happenings that have a reasonable outcome. He suggests life is instead dominated by pure coincidence and chance. Secondly (and perhaps more centrally) the director explores the manner in which humans treat each other; specifically the relationships between parents and their children.

Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia is a film that deserves your attention. It won't be for all tastes, in fact many tag the film as overlong and self-indulgent (even the actors warned Anderson upfront of the film's over-length), but I found the film absolutely riveting and brilliantly engaging for its three-hour running time. From start to finish I was immersed in the filmmaking spell being offered - mesmerised, shocked, rapt and thoroughly engrossed. This is a remarkable, unique and magnificent production rich in underlying themes of coincidence and chance. Although it may not seem obvious, every piece of this 180-minute film is solidly there to serve a purpose. There are also various subtle inclusions that require additional viewings in order for one to absorb.

This is Paul Thomas Anderson's third feature film. He's a director who shows improvement with each new outing. Hard Eight and Boogie Nights were merely stepping stones to assist the director in reaching his zenith. Further exemplification of this point is in Anderson's 2007 film There Will Be Blood. Whether you're a lover or a hater of Anderson, it's difficult to deny his deft and dexterous touch behind the camera.

The opening sequence (narrated by Ricky Jay) explains a number of remarkable coincidences. For example: in the 50s a young man committed suicide by jumping off the roof of a building. Mid-fall he's hit with a shotgun blast before continuing to fall into a safety net that had been installed days earlier. The shotgun was fired by the young man's mother who accidentally fired the gun during an argument with the young man's father. As it turns out, the young man had loaded the shotgun a few weeks earlier in the hope his parents would get into a brawl and accidentally kill each other. All of this is allegedly true. This theme of outlandish coincidences is layered thick throughout the duration of Magnolia. The ten vibrantly-drawn protagonists lead seemingly unconnected lives, yet over the 24-hour period their lives converge either through chance meetings or lifestyle similarities. Presented as a collage of tangential sub-plots, Magnolia tracks each of these characters as they undertake an emotional journey. Each is pushed to the edge of despair by circumstances out of their past, and ostensibly beyond their control.

Excellent scripting and directing, as well as a terrific ensemble cast make Magnolia a poignant and powerful cinematic experience. There is no central narrative, no single protagonist, and no top billing. Each of the film's sub-plots (presented concurrently) offers a profoundly moving and incisive character study - each a well-crafted drama. The directing and editing are so effective that as Anderson cuts back and forth between various stories he builds a compelling dramatic tension that leaves one awe-struck. Each of the sub-plots feeds the dramatic tension at just the correct rate, simultaneously culminating in an apocalyptic, shocking climax of Biblical proportions. It's a bit of a shame, though, that Anderson annoyingly cuts away from a story just as it's getting interesting.

Three hours is a long time to keep an audience involved, but Anderson almost pulls it off. One of the reasons why the movie's energy level remains high is due to the way Anderson and his cinematographer Robert Elswit (the two also collaborated on Hard Eight and Boogie Nights) vary the film's visual style. Aside from the customary variety of quick cuts and intense close-ups, there's a curiously large number of long-lasting, unbroken takes. Music plays an imperative role in Anderson's approach as well. Not only are Aimee Mann's songs meticulously woven into the movie's fabric, but the score (courtesy of Jon Brion) is virtually omnipresent. During the first two hours of Magnolia, just about every scene is bestowed with background music. Only throughout the third hour are there a larger number of sequences that have been traditionally scored.

Magnolia is lengthy and occasionally tedious, nevertheless it's utterly enthralling for its duration. Anderson provides ample time for the characters to develop - just letting the camera track his actors and allowing them to flourish. Some may feel that Magnolia is the worse for it, as Anderson seeming drags out each chunk of exposition into excruciating monotony. For others (myself included), writer/director Anderson has created marvellous characterisations brought to life by capable performers. Granted, there is a bit of a lag during the initial parts of the third hour, but an astonishing occurrence towards the film's end (that I described as being of Biblical proportions) re-invigorates the proceedings. The climax will unquestionably be the most hotly debated feature of the film. For some it may be too unbelievable, and may ruin an otherwise deeply penetrating examination of human behaviour and interaction. On the contrary, those who share my opinion will collectively agree it simply elevates the movie to a new level. Nothing prepared me for the film's stunning conclusion.

At the film's heart, the smart writing and dexterous direction are only half the battle...the actors are the ones that have to carry the show. There's a terrific ensemble cast to behold. The standard for each actor is uniformly excellent.
This is a new revelation for Tom Cruise. Cruise was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance as the egotistical, misogynistic sex guru who offers advice to horny and frustrated male bachelors. Cruise is given a number of absolutely wonderful lines of dialogue to work with. Like when his character's secret past is revealed by a TV reporter...Cruise sits silently and informs the reporter "I'm quietly judging you".
John C. Reilly takes an unexpected turn with his endearing portrayal as a moderately incompetent policeman. He's a good guy with good intentions. He's basically among the few characters in the film who actually acts like an adult and looks beyond pitying himself in order to extend a hand to others. He's rather awkward when on a date with a girl, and is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but who really knows how to do everything perfectly 24 hours a day? His compassion offers hope in an otherwise thoroughly depressing film.
Melora Walters is utterly stunning as a struggling drug addict. She unreservedly lavishes her rage and anguish until she realises it'll completely consume her. Walters is compelling, powerful and unflinching.
William H. Macy, as always, is among the strongest actors in the cast. Macy is definitely one of the greatest actors of this current filmmaking generation.
The rest of the cast never tread a foot incorrectly. From Philip Seymour Hoffman's thoroughly passionate (and fascinating) performance as a nurse, to Julianne Moore's performance as a suicide-prone almost-widow, to Philip Baker Ball, Alfred Molina, Jeremy Blackman, Jason Robards, Melinda Dillon and even Ricky Jay - there isn't a faulty performance in sight.

Despite its three-hour length, Magnolia is undeniably a masterpiece. Each story is well-written, the directing is so proficient, and the acting is so moving that we can almost forgive Anderson for being a tad self-indulgent. Some of the film's highlights include a number of beautiful montages that are topped off with poignant narration. Magnolia demands a lot from its audience. A single viewing is barely adequate to absorb all the intricate details. Yet it supplies a satisfying and exhilarating cinematic experience - one that lingers long after the credits roll.

"Peter, what's happening?"

Office Space is a film I had no interest in seeing at all. The front cover of the DVD was something that never sparked my interest; the cover was not enticing and it made the film look like some silly child comedy. But I am very glad that I finally took the time to sit down and watch this gem.

The first shot was enough to have me allured. And after the opening scene I was already laughing and clapping due to the comedic genius of the whole thing. And yet the whole film maintains this high level of comedy genius.

No matter how many times I watch it I have a tremendously good time. I had no idea the film was going to be this enjoyable. Office Space is bright and funny; it contains a sleuth of fantastic, quirky characters and amusing one-liners that will have the audience laughing the whole way through.

Peter Gibbons (Livingston) lives a mundane life. He despises his miserable dead-end job, finds out his girlfriend is cheating on him and has an irritating neighbour. For Peter, everyday is the worst day of his life. At his job he's forced to spend the whole day in a cubicle in front of a computer screen and has a sleazy boss named Bill Lumbergh (Cole). At the request of his girlfriend Peter sees a hypnotherapist who dies before releasing Peter from a state of complete and total bliss. He is then free of worrying about making a living; instead just not caring anymore about the company he works for. Instead he decides that he just won't go to work anymore. Ironically the more Peter malingers, the more he's seen as management material by the idiotic consultants. To add further insult to the situation, two of his hard-working co-workers are set to be dismissed from the company. To get revenge the three men team up and hatch a cunning plan that will rip off the company.

Office Space is excellently played out like a simple comic strip, and it works. The film is based on comic strips conceived by director Mike Judge. He skilfully retains this charm. But I think many audiences like this film so much because of its accuracy in displaying the dull life of sitting in an office cubicle all day long. The surrounding characters are all 100% accurate! I loved the way that the actors executed their roles.

Ron Livingston was very good as Peter Gibbons. He was accurate and wasn't too over-the-top. Stephen Root was the stand out here for me. He nailed his character. Every time he says a line it was enough to make me chuckle. Gary Cole was also a stand out as the sleazy boss. His droning voice is an aspect of a boss that we can all relate to. Cole delivers his lines in a memorable fashion. Heck, I could go on about every cast member present here but this review would go on for ages. I loved each and every person present in the cast. They all had their moments of genuine hilarity.

Office Space is hands down one of my favourite films of all time. The whole film is surprisingly unpredictable with an ending that is highly unconventional and unexpected. I cannot express how much I love this movie. Needless to say, you must see it without hesitation.