This year was so hard, and I still have many more films to see from it. I could pick 10 strong nominees in almost all of these categories, but some people had to be left off, unfortunately. Some films I still need to see include The Dreamlife of Angels, Tumbleweeds, A Map of the World, Audition, Dogma, Flawless, Summer of Sam, Ride with the Devil, An Ideal Husband, Music of the Heart, Besieged, The Color of Paradise, Romance, Limbo, One Day in September, A Room for Romeo Brass, Stir of Echoes, Buena Vista Social Club, Life, Ravenous, Anna and the King, and Happy, Texas.
Notes: I count Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai and The Virgin Suicides as 2000 films.
Updated: 3/13/15
That was a damn good fucking year. So many good movies and plus, the arrival of new talents like Sofia Coppola, Spike Jonze, Julie Taymor, and Sam Mendes who will all take us into the new century.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I forgot how great that year was. Plenty of interesting films and new filmmakers to go around.
DeleteGreats choices! Probably my favorite year for cinema.
ReplyDeleteThere's an Iranian film The Colour of Paradise (1999), that's in my top 100.
I might include Zhang Yimou's The Road Home (1999) in the cinematography and original score categories.
Both those foreign films might not count, though, if you're going by US release dates. I used IMDb.
I also remember Polanski's The Ninth Gate (1999) had eye-catching art direction/production design, even though the film is not loved by many :)
Thanks Chris! It's one of the best.
DeleteThanks for the heads-up on those two films. I've added them to my watchlist. I might count them as '99 releases, as I look at each individual film to determine where I'll classify it. Using IMDb, I look at its original and US release dates, as well as its awards (particularly American ones).
Haven't seen The Ninth Gate, but it doesn't look award-worthy. That said, I'm more than willing to give it a chance. :)
OMG!!! I love all of these!!!
ReplyDeleteBoys Don't Cry kind of sweeps here for me, winning Picture/Director/Lead Actress/Sup. Actress but I love your Eyes Wide Shut love, and RUSSELL CROWE!!! This is one of my favorite years for film, and your awards are amazing!
Thanks man! I love this year too.
DeleteBoys Don't Cry is a solid winner, so it deserves a sweep. Knew you'd agree on Crowe, but I'm glad you dig the Eyes Wide Shut love as well.
Awesome list, glad to see all the love for Eyes Wide Shut! I'd probably nominate Insider in few other categories too. As for supporting actress this year is always impossible for me - it's a tie between Jolie and Sevigny, though the latter always gains even more on rewatch.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Eyes Wide Shut is my #11 favorite film, so it won easily. :) The Insider had more nominations when I was shortlisting the categories, but it lost a few after I saw some more '99 films. Jolie and Sevigny are a brilliant tie by the way!
DeleteGreat picks. 1999 was just a fantastic year, wasn't it? America got it right that year. Eyes Wide Shut, Magnolia, The Insider... perfection.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I really need to track down this Rosetta movie now, huh?
Thanks man. Just a brilliant year for film.
DeleteYes! Though Rosetta only got 2 nominations, it's easily my runner-up. It's one of the Dardennes' best films, and it even won 3 awards at Cannes, including the Palme d'Or. Am I selling it enough? ;)
I haven't seen many foreign films from this year. Both Run, Lola, Run and All About My Mother are on my list to see this year. I'm also missing Magnolia because of my dislike of Tom Cruise and Eyes Wide Shut for the same reason plus my aversion to all things Nicole Kidman with the exception of The Others.
ReplyDeletePicture:
The Cider House Rules
Election
The Insider
October Sky-Winner
The Sixth Sense
Love all these films but October Sky's simple focus on the power of a dream, determination and all around American can-doism punched across with an evocative score, one of the best and most fitting ever, is one of my all time favorite films.
Director:
Lasse Hallstrom-The Cider House Rules
Joe Johnston-October Sky
Anthony Minghella-The Talented Mr. Ripley
Alexander Payne-Election
M. Night Shyamalan-The Sixth Sense-Winner
Again solid work from all but Shyamalan's finely judged sense of menace and just right pacing seemed to herald a fantastic new talent. He turned out to be more or less a one trick pony but this is a great trick.
Actor:
Russell Crowe-The Insider
Matt Damon-The Talented Mr. Ripley
Jake Gyllenhaal-October Sky
Kevin Spacey-American Beauty
Bruce Willis-The Sixth Sense-Winner
Gyllenhaal's at the time gawky charm is put to excellent use in Sky, he's perfect in showing both the wonder of discovery and the resolve of youthful determination. Although I think he's been better elsewhere Spacey gives the overblown Beauty a strong center and Damon twists an underlying malice into his seemingly innocent preppy persona in Ripley. Crowe quite brilliant and all but unrecoginizable in The Insider is my runner up but Willis's complex work, his last really notable performance to date that I've seen, is my choice.
Actress:
Diane Lane-A Walk on the Moon
Frances O'Connor-Mansfield Park
Joan Plowright-Tea with Mussolini
Hilary Swank-Boys Don't Cry
Reese Witherspoon-Election-Winner
Six worthy performances and only five spots meant I had to leave Annette Bening off but it wouldn't have mattered anyway since the decision was between Swank and Witherspoon. Hilary is extraordinary in Boys Don't Cry but I still prefer Witherspoon turning her sunny personality to the dark side in a portrait of mad ambition and success at all costs but with a humorous twist.
I like Cruise and Kidman as actors, but to each his own. I'd recommend anything on my ballot except Eyes Wide Shut and Magnolia then. ;)
DeleteLove these picks, though I have a few blind spots in Best Actress. October Sky used to be one of my favorites as well, and that score is wonderful. Nice to see wins for Willis, Witherspoon, and Shyamalan. I'd love to give M. Night a win for something, but I've only managed to nominate him three times for Best Original Screenplay.
Supporting Actor:
ReplyDeleteMichael Caine-The Cider House Rules
Chris Cooper-October Sky-Winner
Michael Clarke Duncan-The Green Mile
Haley Joel Osment-The Sixth Sense
Christopher Walken-Blast from the Past
This is one of my favorite Caine performances and even though he's not my choice to win it's a wonderful piece of work. The same applies to Duncan and Walken, the very definition of the nutty professor in the charming Blast from the Past, and Osment is riveting in 6th Sense but since he never displayed that sort of power again I credit the director with infusing the performance with a great deal of its punch. Cooper, always superior, is a knockout as the hard, fair but conflicted father faced with a son he loves but doesn't understand in October Sky.
Supporting Actress:
Natalie Canerday-October Sky
Toni Collette-The Sixth Sense-Winner
Angelina Jolie-Girl, Interrupted
Julianne Moore-An Ideal Husband
Maggie Smith-Tea with Mussolini
Jolie, Moore and Smith are all customarily strong in their films but this was between the little known Canerday and the unique Collette as the two mothers struggling with conflicts. Canerday is all resolute grit and calm understanding in Sky but her showcase car scene aside, where she is utterly fantastic, Toni's mother requires her to run through pretty much every human emotion and she does so masterfully.
Duncan and Cooper (for either October Sky or American Beauty) just missed my top 5. Collette is a great choice for the win. I need to see An Ideal Husband and Tea with Mussolini.
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