Films I Recommend - Showing for the 1st Time in St. Louis in 1999 or late 1998

Below are the films I'd recommend and how I rated'em when I saw them. They are grouped by rating in the order that I saw them in. Only two 4* this year, which is in keeping with my usual harshness on new stuff. I didn't include pictures I'd recommend that are several years old or that I've seen before. My spin on each film follows afterwards. I hope you enjoy the spelling and grammar gaffes, as I haven't gotten any better:

****

02/05 A Simple Plan (1998)

12/04 Toy Story 2 (1999)

***+

03/10 Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1999)

04/09 GO (1999)

05/18 Election (1999)

08/13 Sixth Sense (1999)

09/15 Twin Falls Idaho (1999)

10/02 Three Kings (1999)

10/09 American Beauty (1999)

11/12 Dogma (1999)

11/26 Boys Don't Cry (1999)

12/11/99 Man of the Century (1999)

***

0/17 Waking Ned Devine (1998)

01/23 The Thin Red Line (1998)

2/06 Shakespeare in Love (1998)

02/12 Rushmore (1998)

03/06 The October Sky (1999)

04/26 The Matrix (1999)

05/29 Three Seasons (1999)

07/01 Limbo (1999)

07/02 Buena Vista Social Club (1999

07/18 The Winslow Boy (1999)

08/05 Run Lola Run (1998)

08/20 Mystery Men (1999)

09/06 Autumn Tale (1999)

11/14 Happy Texas (1999)

11/19 Being John Malkovich (1999)

12/06 American Movie (1999)

12/25 The Green Mile (1999)

12/30 All About My Mother (1999)

I'm not going to narrow this list of 30 to my 5-10 favorites/best of the year as I have in the past. But I will make a few general "BEST" statements:

Best 2 Film for Pulp Fiction Fans - Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and GO

Best Actor Kevin Spacey in American Beauty

Best Actress - Hilary Swank Boys Don't Cry but Annette Benning is also really good in American Beauty

Best Really Obscure Film that hasn't made it to St. Louis yet - Man of the Century

Most Over-Hyped/Rated Film of the Year - Although I didn't think it was possible after seeing the visually thrilling yet incredibly annoying Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, along came the truly awful The Blair Witch Project. On the positive side, it is nice to see and not like something that most everybody else loved, so that pleasant arguments can erupt.

01/02 "Broadway Melody of 1936" (1936

*** Eleanor Powell stars as a dancer from upstate New York, who tries to break into show business with old friend/flame, Robert Taylor, a big time Broadway producer. The sub-plots are enlivened by later TV favorites, such as, Jack Benny, as a gossip columnist and Buddy Ebstein, as half of a low brow brother and sister dancing act. Like most musicals of the 1930s the plot is pretty thin. 'The real star of the picture is the Arthur Freed and Nachio Herb Brown scoring, with You are My Lucky Star, I've Got a Feeling You're Fooling and Broadway Rhythm playing throughout (all appear in Singing in the Rain). You also can see why Powell was a star but Taylor seems a bit of a bim-guy in the picture ($0.00, Channel 9-PBS).

Unwatched rentals ($1.07, Schnucks Video)

01/14 Dancing at Lughnasa (1998)

**+ A film set in the beautiful Irish countryside with Meryl Streep in a heartfelt story of five single sisters scrapping by in the rural country side in 1936…I loved it right? No. I didn't connect at all. While the acting and characters may have been wonderfully developed, there really wasn't enough of a story line to hold the thing together for me ($6.50, Frontenac).

0/16 F/X(1986)

**+ Interesting premise of a special effects man being asked to fake a murder only to be on the run, when it turns out to be for real and the people who hired him want to tie up the loose ends. Plot twists are fairly predictable and nothing particularly noteworthy occurs, as film has the requisite chase scenes and final showdown. Sexist portrayal of women is laughably dated but than all the characters are fairly stereotypical, even if Brian Denninghe's disgruntled cop is likable. Admittedly seeing it on video with a group of people is perhaps the worst environment I can think of short of a plane ($0.00, Todd Lowe's, Todd, Kathy, Alex, Rebecca, Bill, Natalie, Traci, Bob)

0/16 F/X 2 (1991)

*+ My viewing suffered from seeing it right after the first, which had the effect of magnifying the striking similarities in the plot, while making the introduction of the "old friends" from the first film all the more stagey. I was also particularly annoyed by the blatant product advertising (e.g. Budweiser). Always a sign of a second rate product in my mind ($0.00, Todd Lowe's, Todd, Kathy, Alex, Rebecca, Bill, Natalie, Traci, Bob).

0/17 Waking Ned Devine (1998)

*** Charming tale of how villagers of a small county in Ireland conspire to keep the lottery winnings of friend who passed away from the shock of the news. There's not much to the plot beyond that but the it unfolds with good humor and is filled with wonderful, quirky characters, that have you rooting that they'll be able to deceive the lottery officials. I was slightly annoyed with the trailers, which were as charming as the film and got me to go but gave away ALL the plot, as well as showing many humorous scenes that didn't appear to late in the picture, so I was waiting for them. I also thought the mean spirited characterization of one villager was out of place and unnecessary ($5.50, Hi-Pointe, Julia).

01/19 Everyone Says I Love You (1996)

**** I love this film! But why should I be surprised, as it's a trifecta of my favorite genres: Woody Allen, romantic comedy and musicals. Yes, a musical filled with lesser known standards of the 1930s-40s (e.g. Enjoy Yourself, It's Later than You Think) and novelty numbers (e.g. Chiquita Banana, Hooray for Captain Spaulding, en Francais). Allen placed the cast under contract before showing them the script and that they would be required to sing. Some were a perfect fit (i.e. Goldie Hawn), while at least one, Drew Barymore, must have been tone deaf, as they dubbed her tunes. This is all the more telling after hearing Julia Roberts and Allen warble. Either way, I found the result to be quite charming, much like Jimmy Stewert's introduction of Cole Porter's Easy to Love. Ed Norton is lovably imperfect dancing and singing to My Baby Just Cares For Me. I'm disappointed it didn't do well enough to convince others to make this kind of film. The location shots of NYC, Paris and Venice are fabulous and used to good effect. If you can't fall in love in Venice, you can't fall in love ($1.25, Schnucks Video).

01/23 The Thin Red Line (1998)

*** Terence Malick's gritty picture of an Army battalion's taking of a fortified hill on Guadalcanal has lots of harsh visions of war, intermixed with moments of peace reflecting on the time before the battle has begun. Lots of excellent performances but on the whole it's overlong and seemingly unfocused. Maybe the advertising tag line says it best: everyone's war is different. Exceptionally well crafted, it appears to be the vision that Malick had in mind. The only problem is its philosophical and moody nature did not provide a clear idea or understanding to this viewer of what it was suppose to be about. It's a lot like poetry that you don't get. You know there is great depth and feelings to what's being presented but it fell on deaf ears ($3.25, Kenrick)

02/05 A Simple Plan (1998)

**** Taut thriller set in the snowy landscape of the Minnesota is unrelenting in it's presentation of how kernels of greed, mixed with good intentions can grow to tragic proportions. The story centers on three men who find a stash of millions in the snowy woods and decide to keep for themselves. Bill Paxton stars as the smart one with a good life, whose initially has reservations about the undertaking is good but the show belongs to Billy Bob Thorton as his slow brother, whose life is less ideal. His exceptional performance was defiantly deserving of the Oscar nomination he got. The script adaptation, editing, and direction are tight and I agree with what it said about humanity. The use of locations and colors heighten the plot's imagery of good and evil; almost Hitchcockian at times. Many reviewers likened it to Fargo based on it's being a crime thriller set amid the snowy landscape of the frozen north Midwest. However, this film offers none of the humor or good naturalness of the heroine Margie ($0.00, Tivoli, Maia).

2/06 Shakespeare in Love (1998)

*** Surprisingly, I was less then overly impressed with this romantic comedy about Shakespeare inspiration for Romeo and Juliet. I'm rather found of the Bard and familiar with a good portion of his stuff and am admittedly a soft touch when it comes to romantic comedies, though this one didn't do that much for me. Maybe I was expecting too much. I was really surprised by the amount of content driven reference and humor present. I don't know how many reviewers mentioned that knowledge of the Bard's works wasn't required but I disagree. Not that I'm saying the script isn't clever, it's just not all that accessible to the common audience. Much of the fun of the film is from the wry references to the Bard's other plays or his contemporaries, resulting into more pleasure for those most familiar. I think a lot of people who rent this, especially after winning numerous Oscars in March, are going to be disappointed. Still it was fun and nice to see the delightful Gwenth Paltrow with much less clothing than in the past ($3.25, Shady Oak, Natalie).

02/12 Rushmore (1998)

*** Max Fischer (Jason Shwartzman) is Mr. Extracurricular activity at the upscale private school he's enrolled in, which lends it's name to the film's title. Fencing, bee keeping, yearbook, debate, etc. he's in them all. Despite his leadership, and propensity for writing plays, he shows little academic prowess. The plot centers, sort of, on his attempts to stay in school and win the heart of a new first grade teacher with the help of a classmate's cocky father, Bill Murray (modeled on Ted Turner). Often funny and fresh, Wes Anderson's script and direction offers lots to interest the viewer visually. The result is a charmingly odd film echoing several quirky films of the late 1960's and early 1970s, particularly The Graduate. The soundtrack particularly aids in this endeavor. And maybe in the end that's what prevented me from totally enjoying it. It seemed more interested in echoing these films than for being it's own original movie ($5.75, Crestwood, Maia).

3/04 Alice in Wonderland (1999)

**+ Exceptionally well crafted and produced adaptation of Lewis Carrol's fantasy world of nonsense. Surprisingly faithful to the dialogue and scenes, even though many from Through the Looking Glass are merged, to create this beautiful and visually splendid retelling. That said, it doesn't really work that well. This version also appears geared to a more adult audience than kids. At 3 hours, it drags, especially when faithfully retelling topical jokes of a hundred years ago Victorian England (not to mention the ones just for the Lytle sisters). Granted it's an almost impossible tale to effectively bring to the screen but perhaps the Disney treatment wasn't so bad after all. Than again maybe I was just disappointed that they didn't do something with the Jabberwocky or with Humpty Dumpty (and of course the Un-Birthday thing) ($0.00, NBC movie).

3/05 That's Entertainment III-Director's cut (1994)

** Well crafted and produced but the best material was already mined out for the original two. What we have left are terrific tailings but they are only an echo of the standards in the first two pictures. For complete fans of the Freed MGM musicals it will be enjoyable but for the uninitiated, watch the first two to get the bug. The relatively frank discussion about the system wide production code racism that prevented Lena Horne from playing Julia in Showboat was insightful. I know it went completely over my head as a kid that Ava Gardner was suppose to be black in that role. I was also reminded what a blunder not filming Brigadoon on location was ($0.00, Laurel's video)

3/05 The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (1953)

*+ Misguided fantasy of a boy who dreams his piano teacher, has brainwashed his mother, plumber and everyone else in effort to mastermind an academy of 500 boys playing a 2 story piano. Based on a story outline by Dr. Seuss, who also helped design the sets, the film drags way past it's simple plot line and attempts to fill a huge sound stage without half the budget to carry it off. Some of the sets are cool (the staircases to no where) as are some of the lyrics to the songs (obviously Seuss' wording) but on the whole, it's not worth watching ($1.07, Schnucks).

3/06 The Miracle of Morgan Creek (1941)

*** Preston Struges wrote and directed this charming tale of a small town minor (Betty Hutton) who believes it's every girl's duty to dance and kiss the boys goodbye before shipping out for over seas. After a night of patriotic zeal, it appears she's married, though she doesn't remember to whom. Filled with plenty of character actors, such as William Demerest as her curmudgeonly pop, and Eddie Bracken as the nebbish, nervous banker, who's been denied enlistment numerous times due to the black spots he gets whenever he's in front of the draft board. Very funny topical film of the times ($1.07, Schnucks).

03/06 The October Sky (1999)

*** Well done, but fairly predictable tale of four West Virginia high schoolers destined for a life in the coal mines, who are inspired by Sputnik to begin building rockets and dreaming of a life well above the ground, as opposed to the mines below. Although based on a true story, there are no surprises on how it ends, delivering what it promises. The cast includes Laura Dern and Chris Cooper, who as expected bring strength and dignity to their roles. ($6.00, Kenrick, Raye, Kelly and Teresa )

03/10 Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1999)

***+ Very enjoyable British crime farce of East London thugs, thieves, pot heads, porn kings, fences, drug dealers, career criminals and the near legitimate whose lives all get mixed up over a few jobs/schemes that go awry. The tight, well-written script is marked with a lot of humor, though lots of it flies past the viewer due to the unfamiliar slang and the thick accents. The large cast of British unknowns also makes it challenging to keep straight everything that's going on. It's worth the effort. Think of it as sort of a British Pulp Fiction mixed with a spot of Trainspotting; so yes there's lots of blood, violence and cursing that will offend some ($0.00, Tivoli-film festival pass, Julia).

03/13 Analyze This (1999)

** OK comedy of gangster (Robert DeNiro) who seeks the help o a psychiatrist (Billy Crystal) after a few stress related anxiety attacks. Basically a one-joke movie that works to a great extent on the charisma of the actors because the plot and scenes are silly, filled with stereotypes of the Mafia and quick, easy pop psychology. Lisa Kudrow is completely lost as Crystal's wife to be. I like the Louis Prima songs on the soundtrack though, which says a lot that that was one of the most notable points of the movie ($5.75, Crestwood, Julia).

03/17 Days of Heaven (1978)

***+ This was the first feature of a Terence Malick, retrospective double bill which gave me a much better understanding of his work and his style of filmmaking than this year's The Thin Red Line. The film is set in the Texas panhandle on the eve of WWI. The film stars Richard Gere, as a poor immigrant, who travels to the area with his two "sisters" to harvest the wheat fields of a wealthy, young bachelor (Sam Shepherd). The thing is that one of his "sisters" is actually his wife, who the bachelor takes a liking too. The film has a leisurely pace, lingering over the beauty of the wheat fields, the workers and the historic tractors. The script is not dialogued driven, with most of the plot progression coming from the actor's reactions and the few things said. The photography is spectacular, particularly the fire scenes. I'm getting a feel for some basic themes to Malick's films. The protagonist that do rather evil things, almost thoughtlessly, without malice at the time, raising questions about the morality of the character. Questions of loyalty also are thoughtfully brought up. A beautiful film whose images stay with long after viewing ($3.50, Hi-Pointe)

03/17 Badlands (1973)

***+ Terence Malick first film (?) stars Sissy Spacik as an awkward teenager who hooks up with James Dean wanna-be Martin Sheen. Martin, who bears an incredible resemblance to his son Charlie…oops Charles. can't even keep his job as a garbage collector. Spacik's father disapproves and Sheen's character sets off on a rather desperate crime spree from South Dakota to Montana. All the elements discussed above apply as Sheen's character does some pretty horrible thinks in a thoughtless and matter of fact kind of way. An interesting film in comparison to Malick's latter works, as well as other films of criminals on the run across the Great Plains ($3.50, Hi-Pointe).

03/20 Unforgiven (1993)

***+ Well written relook at the myth of the western, deflating all the fictions about good and evil; right and wrong; truth versus fiction. When people get shot, it hurts and they take a long time to die. Nobody shoots anyone with a pistol unless they are within 50 feet of them. Gene Hackman's sheriff Little Bill is a wonderful portrait of a violent man, who keeps order and justice in his town his own way. Morgan Freeman brings his typical dignity to a role and Clint is at his best. Defiantly looses something on the little screen but what doesn't? ($0.00, ABC)

03/25 Patton (1971?)

***+ Exceptional performance by George C. Scott as the brilliant yet flawed tank commander that lead American troops in North Africa, Sicily and north Europe during WWII. Scott's performance makes the film and nearly single handily established his standing as a star. Quick, can you name any of his other pictures? Neither can I. The film seems a little slow in places and their depictions of the scenes of war are dated compared to superior recent efforts. Still, as a film biography, it's among the best. A country needs men like Patton in times of war but God help us, and them, the rest of the time ($0.00, AMC-cable Charleston, SC).

03/29 Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1963)

***+ Stanley Kurbrick's black comedy of the break out of nuclear Armageddon is much better with a little age, experience and knowledge of this viewer. I know I saw it as an early teen but I didn't get it at all. Although most viewers note Peter Seller's fine portrayal of three roles, I found George C. Scott's over the top portrayal of Strategic Air Command (SAC) General a pure joy (and answer to my own question about what else Scott was in above). The impact of Slim Picken's ride down on the nuc looses much of its original impact as the image has passed into the lexicon of image literacy of the Cold War era. The film's feel of gung-ho paranoia seems right on and it generally looks terrific except for the special effects (i.e. the cheapo B-52 models scenes). The omnipresent signs of "Peace is Our Profession", appeared to be a sarcastic invention of the writers when in fact, it was SAC's motto. It's interesting to see James Earl Jones as a bombardier ($6.00, Tivoli).

04/09 GO (1999)

***+ Well-done film that is kind of a mix between Pulp Fiction and American Graffiti for contemporary times. The plot mostly surrounds a group of co-workers over the course of one night, when simple things go wrong and continue to spiral into ever growing levels of misadventure. Fun, interesting and fast paced. Many of the scenes and happenings are told several times from different views very effectively. I'm a little uncomfortable with its' casual attitude towards sex, drugs and violence, glamorizing them. Maybe I'm getting older and more conservative but I find it harder to approve and laud those. On the other hand, the film wouldn't have worked without most of it, so it was hardly gratuitous, except for the sex scene in the hotel room. Sarah Polley stars but several others in cast are also note worthy ($6.50, Crestwood, Julia)

04/13 The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967)

**** Completely charming French new wave 1960s musical that is probably more enjoyable now than when it was first released. It's a reteaming of the director, composer/writer and star (i.e. Jacques Demy, Michael LeGrand and Catherine Denevue) of the earlier hit The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, though reportedly it did significantly less well. The LeGrand score is terrific as almost the entire script is sung and the sets and costumes are the grooviest neon colors and styles of the time. It was filmed on location in Rochefort, which has to be one of the sunniest places on earth as the whole town is all bright and cheery all the time. Actually the film meant to be that way but I was still amazed given that it must have an extremely long shooting schedule as it was with all the dance scenes without adding the burden of the weather. The incredibly cheery plot revolves around the romantic pairings of a series of couples over the course of a weekend, with all the comic mistiming of a Shakespearean farce. The film starts with the arrival of the trade show carnies, one of which is George Charkis (the leader of the Sharks in West Side Story, for which he picked up an Oscar). Among others, they meet up with Catherine Denevue and her real life sister Francoise Dorleac play twins who teach dance and music but yearn to hit the big time of Paris. There's also Gene Kelly, who although he's got only a small part electrifies the screen for his numbers, which he obviously choreographed himself. Everything is sunshine and lollipops, including a song about an axe murder. I loved it and look forward to seeing it again, though I admit unless you love musicals and foreign films, you'll probably not appreciate this one ($4.00, Hi-Pointe, Tivoli Tuesday Talkies group).

04/26 The Matrix (1999)

*** Generally enjoyable mixture of several genres (i.e. kung fu, gunplay, sci-fi, Alien-esque machine monsters) which stars Keanu Reeves realizing his world is a fictitious matrix obscuring a much darker reality. Rises above the pack of lesser efforts with terrific special effects placed around a story line that while having many logic flaws, taps into a great many of the timeless myths of a "chosen one" and "epic journey" which connect the viewer to earlier stories. It doesn't break any new ground as much as it melds together a lot of old ones well. Definitely more of a guy film ($6.75, AMC-Oxen Hill, MD).

05/11 Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

***+Audrey Hepburn shines as Holly Golightly a winsome Manhattan party girl of questionable means. She captivates the screen in every scene with her beauty and charm. George Preppard, while attractive, doesn't have the same presence, as the neighbor / kept man of Patricia O'Neal. My appreciation of it now, as opposed to when I first saw it in my teens is much higher. Mickey Rooney's portrayal of the irate Japanese neighbor is dated and in incredibly poor taste by today's standards but it doesn't ruin the picture. Blake Edward's direction and Henry Mancini scoring are near their peak ($4.00, Tivoli, Tuesday Talkies group).

05/18 Election (1999)

***+ I knew next to nothing when going into this film and was pleasantly surprised by this funny, somewhat realistic, dark comedy of an Omaha civics teacher (Mathew Broderick) who gets involved in the high school student body president election with Renee Witherspoon. So much is right on the money about this film especially the details. Outside the mainstream and defiantly not a typical Hollywood glamorization of High School or the people in it. The kids actually look like high school students, as does the rest of the cast look like real people, as opposed to perfect people with great teeth. The plot is well done with lots of good symbolism and ironic twists. To say more about the plot would diminish the impact of the story as it unfolds. Not for all tastes, as it is a black comedy ($6.50, Chase-Park Plaza, Anne Becker).

05/20 Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999)

** Enjoyable for its incredible production values but all the critics are right, this lacked the human element, overly geared to 8 year olds with toy buying parents. My favorite bit of non-sense was the democratically elected teenage queen of Naboo. Let's hope next time, that Lucas leaves the final scripting and directing chores to someone else and keeps with what he does best: production and the outlining of a truly gripping epic tale ($6.50, Esquire, Todd Lowe and his pals )

05/29 Three Seasons (1999)

*** Modern day Saigon is the setting of this thoughtful film that revolves around 4 non-linear plot lines that are marginally connected. The poetic beauty of the scenery, particularly the vignettes in the lotus fields, frames the characters and plot, which display the dignity of human spirit in the face of poverty, juxtaposed to the wealth of the invading western culture. I was particularly touched by the story of the cyclo driver smitten with a prostitute. Harvey Keital has a part in one of the vignettes ($16.00, Tivoli-pass #1 & 2, Mike Mall).

06/05 Notting Hill (1999)

**+ Hugh Grant stars as an unsuccessful travel bookshop owner who meets up with uber-film star Julia Roberts. Any guesses on where it goes or how it gets there? The film gets most of its charm from the incredible attractiveness of the stars, as the plots is fairly standard, sinking occasionally to the total hackneyed (i.e. chase scene through the streets of London to get to a press conference; sub-character matching). I did keep feeling that a lot of characters and elements were brought up for no reason (i.e. the restaurant owning friend; why a travel book shop? He never traveled.). Still it has its moments. Roberts is gorgeous and Grant's befuddled, eye blinking isn't too annoying ($6.50, Crestwood, Raye and Kelly).

06/18 The General's Daughter (1999)

** Mindless and simple pop-psychology thriller of military criminal investigator, John Travolta looking into the violent murder and rape of a 4 star's daughter on base. The plot is too neatly written and filled with farfetched scenes, characters and plot lines that ties together in a Hollywood-ized vision of the Army. Wasn't in the mood for such silliness ($5.50, Wynnsong 10-Fort Benning, Doug, Jim, Paul and Dave).

06/20 Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)

**+ Exactly what you'd expect after seeing the first one. Mike Meters stars again as the randy, super-spy take off with lots of juvenile humor aimed at the teenage male movie goers (i.e. lots of scantily clad women, phallic symbols and bodily function humor). At least as funny as the first with some good cameos and a nice Robert Wagner impression by Rob Lowe ($5.50, Wynnsong 10-Fort Benning).

07/01 Limbo (1999)

*** Good but weaker than normal John Sayles picture (wrote, directed and edited) set in the mythical town of Port Henry Alaska. The plot centers on a handyman/former fisherman's wooing of a small time singer, who has bounced into town with her daughter. As implied by the title, they don't have much direction in their lives until a few unforeseen twists place them in another type of limbo (saying more would spoil the fun of the plot). Sayles' standard plot devise of exposing multiple view of a time and place form different characters seems a bit formulamatic and uninspired here. Part of why I didn't connect with this film was my annoyance with the singer's character. She just grated on me in nearly every scene. But it was more than that, it just didn't seem to have as much to say. High marks for the actress playing the daughter ($6.75, Frontenac)

07/02 Buena Vista Social Club (1999

*** Wim Wenders ("Wings of Desire," "Paris, Texas") directs a documentary on the recording of the Grammy winning album of the title. The album/film centers on musician/composer Ry Cooder reassembling the nearly forgotten legends of Cuban music /jazz. Wonderful characterization of the differing musicians set amongst the backdrop of present day Havana, with its poverty and time warp of automobiles from 40 years ago. At the risk of sounding simple, it felt a bit like The Blues Brothers, with a couple of young musicians gathering the greats together to form the best band ever. More than just a documentary of the musicians or concert film, it's a glimpse of the social history of the times in Cuba. I really liked the scene of the piano player in the youth athletic hall playing Cole Porter's Begin the Beguine, one of two songs I recognized, neither of which made the album I'm sure. An absolute must see if you're a fan of the music ($0.00, Tivoli pass #3, Amy and Dave).

07/07 The Waterboy (1998)

** Adam Sandler plays a goofy Cajun, mama's boy who gets promoted from waterboy to tackle based on his envisioning his opponents as the people who have been mean to him all his life. His skills propel his inept Louisiana college to a bowl win, at the demise of the big school rivals. Ooh, I've given away the whole plot, not that you couldn't have figured it out in the first 3 minutes. Surprising funny and better than expected given the sophomoric jokes and tired plot line. A good example of how doing the simple things right, can always work and will appeal to a wide spread audience. Reminded me of any number of Abbot and Costello vehicles; nothing particularly thought provoking but they were THE most popular box-office stars though the early 1940s by providing reliable low brow comedy. ($0.00, video, Raye & Kelly)

07/18 The Winslow Boy (1999)

*** David Mammet wrote and directed this English period piece of a father (Nigel Hawthorne) and older daughter (Rebecca Pigeon) who devote themselves to clearing the name of their 12 year old son/brother accused of stealing at a naval prepatory school. There are no chase scenes, violence or gratuitous sex, just excellent acting and writing. Maybe there is a slight sex angle as something about Rebecca Pigeon is completely captivating here, as well in last year's Mamet film The Spanish Prisoner. It might have something to do with being married to the writer/director and being always shown in the best possible light or maybe it's the strong willed smart woman thing. ($0.00, Chase Park Plaza 5, Jake)

07/25 Drop Dead Gorgeous(1999)

**+ Laugh out loud funny, crude pseudo documentary of small town beauty pageants. Kristie Alley and Ellen Barkin have a field day as former winners of the Mount Rose, MN Miss Teen pageant whose daughters vie for the current title. Doesn't hold back any punches, as it seeks to offend all, in the spirit of one of the Farley Brother comedies. It stumbles a bit in its mean spiritedness towards its characters, especially near the end. Attempting to poke fun of the mentally handicapped didn't come off at all but was a general reflection of an uncaring and negative attitude toward all the characters, including the heroines. Could have been better but worth seeing if you can appreciate it's high points, while forgiving it's low ones. It's one of those films that I enjoyed more while watching than I care to admit in retrospect. ($4.75, Kenrick, Mike Mall)

07/29 The Blair Witch Project (1999)

* This over hyped indie-film that captured the attention of Sundance Film Festival is the first movie I've walked out on in well over a decade. Mostly it was a function of the cinema verte-bouncing camera that made me incredibly nauseous. Still, when at the hour point, I was actively hoping the witch would appear and eat the heroes (?), I realized it was time to go. The plot surrounds three moronic film students at what has to be the least prestigious school of that sort, set off to document a witch myth in the wilds of Maryland. None of them appears to have ever handled a camera or camcorder. I can see the actual filmmakers arguing amongst themselves about having to reshoot a scene because it wasn't amateurish enough. My ex-mother-in-law's videos of Christmas weren't this poorly done, and there was a witch angle there too (OK that wasn't' completely fair but I thought it'd make for a good joke). If I'm going to watch idiots on a ghost hunt, I rather sit and watch Abbot and Costello or even the Bowery Boys do it. At least they're playing if for laughs. There are so many holes in the plot, that any sort of reflection, makes you see it for what it is: a poorly prepared (actually it was nearly completely improvised) and executed film. I'm afraid the success of this film is going to encourage more films of this ilk. I should give the improvised nature of the flick some credit, the dialogue of the characters comes off as very believable, albeit not in a particularly flattering way ("Fuck I can't believe we're lost. Fuck.."). It's hard to imagine how unwatchable this was before the post Sundance reediting and sound recording at 7 times the original $50K cost. Like Titanic or Field of Dreams, I am almost completely baffled at the popularity of this one. It's probably got something to do with the power of Internet for today's film going audience. I heard about this picture three months ago with the quote "It's got the BEST web page", which I suppose sums it up ($0.00-film festival pass, Tivoli, Julia).

Afterthought: Still think I'm too harsh, exactly which Oscar category of excellence in filmmaking would you even consider nominating anything in this film for?

08/05 Run Lola Run (1998)

*** Fast paced German film looks at several different ways a series of events could turn with ever so slightly different timing. It centers on Lola needing to race to the rescue of her boyfriend who lost 100,000 marks of the wrong person's money. There are guns and if I had to place it in a genre, it would be with hip 90's crime auctioneers such as Pulp Fiction, GO and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The editing camera movement and scoring are all very modern and fuel the flow of the picture more then a standard plot with typical character development. Still the overall effect works well, particularly the interesting snippets on the side characters. The differing scenarios are similar to last year's Sliding Doors, though this is far less cerebral or romantic. It's closer to Kurasowa's classic Rashamon, though not nearly so good ($7.00, Tower Theatre-Sacramento).

08/06 Buffalo 66 (1998)

**+ Vincent Gallo wrote, directed and stars in this odd romance of Billy Brown, who upon release from prison kidnaps a tap dancer (Christina Ricci) to take home as his wife to impress his hateful parents. Billy's lies and anger are almost constant but he has moments of tenderness. The film is basically a character study of a very damaged person who doesn't know how to cope with people. It's an independent film but oddly enough, the supporting cast is made up of lots of stars such as Ben Gazarra, Rosanna Arquette, Mickey Rouke and Angelica Houston. I watched it on video while kind of tired so I'm not sure I trust my opinion but I did enjoy it in a thought provoking way ($0.00, Le Video-San Francisco, Jake and Cindy).

08/12 Celebrity (1998)

** Second rate Woody Allen film doesn't have anything specific to say as it makes general stabs at the silliness surrounding America's fascination with the beautiful and famous. The difference from earlier works is that Kenneth Branaugh plays Allen's typical whinny over sexed character. The problem is that he is only slightly more believable than Allen in the fantasy that the cast of gorgeous women fall into his waiting arms and loins. I just don't see supermodels looking for nebbish men. It has it moments but on the whole it's forgettable ($0.00, video, Jenn, Amy, Dave and Julia)

08/13 Sixth Sense (1999)

***+ Much better than average horror/thriller staring Bruce Willis as a child psychologist that is called upon to help a deeply disturbed boy, who sees things that other don't. The child actor is exceptional and makes believable what appears to be a difficult role. The writing and direction are also top notch, in glaring contrast to the poorly conceived and executed (i.e. not even half-baked) The Blair Witch Project. The Philadelphia locations were a welcome change from the Hollywood standard ($6.50, Crestwood, Raye).

08/14 Circle of Friends (1995)

**+ Minnie Driver stars in this pleasant period piece of three Irish girls in 1957 attending college in Dublin and finding love. No surprises except the absence of the gratuitous sex scenes, though I did see this on regular TV. ($0.00, TV)

08/20 Mystery Men (1999)

*** Very funny script and excellent cast (Hank Azaria, Bill Macy, Paul Reubans, Ben Stiller, Jeannine Garafalo) highlight this tale of would be superheroes battling evil arch criminal Geoffrey Rush when the real super hero is captured (Greg Kinear). It's kind of mix between the Batmans: the campiness of the 1960s TV show with the gothic darkness of Tim Burton's films. Therein may lie the problem as it can't decide what it wants to be. The jokes are subtler than slapstick. ($0.00, Crestwood, Julia)

08/22 The Third Man (1949)

**** One of my personal favorites as director Carol Reed makes excellent use of post-war rubble Vienna in Graham Greene's tale of intrigue. Joseph Cotton stars as an American pulp fiction writer looking for his college buddy Harry Lime (Orson Welles). Anton Karas's playful haunting theme music is one of the best scoring jobs ever and adds just the right tone to the film. The Oscar wining cinematography is superb and filled with some of my favorite images on screen ($6.75, Chase-Park Plaza Cinemas)

09/06 Autumn Tale (1999)

*** Slow moving but charming French romance of a middle aged winemaker woman whose friends look to find her love. Refreshingly un-American in its presentation of relationships between men and woman. ($4.50, Frontenac, Russ Bowen and Mike S.)

09/15 Twin Falls Idaho (1999)

***+ Brothers Mark and Michael star in the film they wrote and directed about conjoined twins finding love. A bit heavy handed with the symbolism at times, it generally a tender and sympathetic look at them, and their friend/prostitute Penny. The photography and art direction are terrific ,if not a bit blue and moody (the hotel is very reminiscent of Lynches' Blue Velvet). I enjoyed it much more than I ever thought I would from the short reviews I read ($0.00, Pass #4, Tivoli, Tuesday Talkies).

09/17 Tea with Mussolini (1999)

**+ More accomplished actresses than you can shake a big stick at, star in this story of British and American art lovers living in Florence in the 1930s and war years. They take a young boy under their wings, giving him love and an introduction to the arts. The story line and writing are pretty heavy handed. Cinematic WWII cliché like hearing the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor are scattered throughout the script in a very simplistic, obvious manner. The direction is weak as Cher, Dench, Plowright, Maggie Smith, Lilly Tomlin have a field day overacting. The costumes and sets were good though (Cher looks fantastic). OK but disappointing ($6.00, Kirkwood).

09/18 Horseman on the Roof (1990)

**+ Romance set in post-Napoleonic southern France has an Italian revolutionary in exile who meets up with countess Juliette Binoche. For drama, there are some Austrian bad guys chasing him and cholera is pilling up the bodies in every village but it's mostly beautiful people, in terrific costumes riding horses through fabulous scenery. Probably lost a lot on video ($1.07, Schnucks)

10/02 Three Kings (1999)

***+ George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube star in this story of 4 Americans in the days following Desert Storm looking for gold the Iraqis stole from the Kuwaitis. It does a fairly good job exploring the morals contradictions of the US's participation, execution and cease-fire. Writer and director David O. Russell has created another strong film that will appeal to much larger audience than his two earlier screenplay/directorial outings Spanking the Monkey and Flirting with Disaster, there is much less sexual edginess and controversy here. Slows a little in the second half, as the story along with the protagonist start picking up refugees, giving their morning mission a new turn ($6.75, Chase Park Cinemas, Maia)

10/03 Mumford (1999)

**+ Lawrence Kasdan wrote and directed this tale of a slightly unorthodox psychologist who arrives in the small town of Mumford, immediately gaining quite a following and helping them. Perhaps too simplistic in the presentation of counseling (ok definitely too simplistic and Hollywood) but it's general message is one worth hearing and thinking about. I enjoyed and was charmed by it quite a bit while watching it but was less enamored with it upon reflection and nearly forgot about it several weeks later. Charming and interesting tale, similar to Kasdan's earlier Grand Canyon in feel but without the depth. Jason Lee and Mary McDonnald are among the stars. Worth renting ($4.50, Crestwood).

10/09 American Beauty (1999)

***+ Perhaps the best the movie this year with excellent acting, direction, screenwriting and cinematography. It offers a harsh view of the underside of American, suburban utopia, that we don't like to admit is far more prevalent than the "reality" of Father's Knows Best, et al. Kevin Spacey is superb, as is Annette Benning and the rest of the cast (except maybe Chris Cooper, whose character is a bit one dimensional and stereotypical; not at all an example of his capabilities). The characters come disturbingly close to a variety of friends, acquaintances and myself. Oscars nominations for many of the actors are probable. The film has moments of true brilliance, particularly Spacey though the kid next door is also great (e.g. "Never underestimate the power of denial"). It stumbles a bit based on what it attempts to be, a Great American movie along the vein of the Great American Novel, Play, etc. Although quite good, it doesn't reach that lofty goal (though what does I'm not sure of). The ending seemed a bit of simplistic high drama that you know is coming from the first couple minutes based on the narration. The form it takes also seems a bit trite which is worthy of further discussion amongst those who seen it ($4.50, Crestwood).

10/12/99 Black Cat White Cat (1998)

**+ Slapstick farce of love and romance among the con artists/gangster/gypsies living along the Danube River in the near present. Eschewing professional actors, almost all the roles are played by locals with great faces (and few teeth) providing a wonderful, carefree sense of life amongst the cartoonish violence and silliness. It reminded me more than once of one of Shakespeare comedies in its general plot structure and treatment of the characters. A couple Serbian immigrants joined the discussion group afterwards and explained many of the references lost to us in the translation. They were less amused by the picture, reading a lot of politics into it and having little respect for the gypsies. I think they missed the point ($0.00-pass, Tivoli, Tuesday Talkies).

10/26 La Grande Illusion (1937)

**** Jean Renoir's classic story of French WWI POWs being befriended by a German officer when first shot down, who they meet again later as a commandant of the POW camp. More of an examination of the class and national differences than of a condemnation of the horrors of war a la All Quiet on the Western Front, still it's very moving and filled with story elements echoed in later films and television, such as the singing of La Marseilles in Casablanca, the tunnel building scenes in the Great Escape of some of the characters in Hogan's Hero. ($25.00#1 of a 5 pass, Chase Park Plaza)

11/03 To Catch A Thief (1955)

***+ Cary Grant and Grace Kelly in an Alfred Hitchcock film on location in Southern France; how much else needs to be said? All are at their peak and look fabulous in this romantic thriller about a series of jewel heists that seem to be the work of a former cat burglar. The real thrill is the sizzle between Grant and Kelly ($0.00, AMC-DPG).

11/12 Dogma (1999)

***+ A new Kevin Smith is always a treat to be looked forward to, even if this one not as obscenely funny as his earlier works. The film is definitely more thought provoking as he treads the blasphemous ground of questioning the Catholic Church. The plot is rather complicated and better left unfolded as you watch. Suffice it to say there's angels, prophets, priests, apostles, muses, Satan's minions and even God. The usual cast of characters and actors (Affleck, Damon, and Jason Lee) in a Smith film are present including the perennial Jay and Silent Boy as unsuspecting prophets. There are nice roles for Matt Alan Rickman, George Carlin and Linda Fiorentino. Not overly kind to the Catholic Church, it is definitely pro-faith. Jake and I were there the first night but the protestors were all at the Esquire instead, so alas no additional minutes of fame on the local airwaves ($0.00#2 & 3 of a 5 pass, Chase Park Plaza, Jake).

11/14 Happy Texas (1999)

*** Pretty funny film, but definitely a bit of fluff, about two escaped cons who end up impersonating a pair of traveling gay men who put on beauty pageants for young girls in small towns across west Texas. They plan on robbing the local bank but …well you can figure the rest out. Bill Macey, as the town sheriff, is terrific as always. Having visited the Fort Davis area, where the story is suppose to take place. several times in the last two years, I could tell it wasn't filmed there ($0.00#4 & 5 of a 5 pass, Chase Park Plaza, Jake).

11/19 Being John Malkovich (1999)

*** Very creative and quirky idea of an out of work puppeteer (John Cusak) getting a job as a filing clerk on the 7 ½ floor who discovers a portal into John Malkovich's head for 15 minutes at a time. Some great scenes, especially the John Malkovich in a room of only him (technology allows for a very impressive trick of seeing the face of a character on all the people in a room which has been done at least since the silent films of Buster Keaton). Lots of interesting ideas and themes are presented, with lots of special effects but it doesn't really go anywhere and there's a general lack of connection to any of the film's lead characters. They are all self absorbed and not shown with much sympathy, particularly the women. Cameron Diaz is nearly impossible to recognize as Cusak's wife. The picture also one of the most unappealing posters I can recall ($7.75, Avalon-Chevy Chase/Washington DC).

11/26 Boys Don't Cry (1999)

***+ Incredibly well done tale of a young woman, Teena Brandon, who leaves Lincoln, Nebraska and travels to Fall City, passing herself off as a boy Brandon Teena, in hopes of finding love. She/he makes friends among the lower fringe of society with very mixed results. The writing and direction are sharp and sincere and Hilary Swank is fantastic and should get an Oscar nomination. Not for all tastes but definitely one of the best films of the year ($0.00, Tivoli pass #5 o f 5, Kent Lynn & Mike Mall).

11/27 The World is Not Enough (1999)

** Typical James Bond film, though I maybe I'm just getting too mature for these things, as I laughed several times at the absurdity of the action or dialogue (e.g. the skiing chase and gunfight scene, actually all the chase gunplay scenes, "Oh James its too risky."). Pierce Bronson makes a good Bond and Judi Dench is a treasure as M but the rest of the cast is pretty much the standard fodder of actress nee models, cartoonish characters of evil or buffoonery to make the hero seem all the more suave, viral and potent. I know most people will excuse the mindless excess of it all as only fantasy but my fantasies are a bit more refined ($3.75, Crestwood, Mike Mall).

12/04 Toy Story 2 (1999)

**** Wonderful follow up to the original 1995 tale of the rivalry and friendship between a cowboy doll, Woody and the new space Ranger, Buzz Lightyear. The script is well written and multi-layered, so adults are going to enjoy it as much as kids, especially the humor with numerous jokes and visual references to other films and genres (e.g. Jurassic Park, Westerns, 1950s children's TV). Based on the ones I barely caught (i.e. Napoleon of Animal Farm), there were a lot more, that sailed on past. The themes and morals are deftly handled and of value, as opposed to other missteps in G rated family film genre. The voices and animation are terrific and the whole thing is just about perfect for what it set out to accomplish ($14.00, Creve Couer 12, Stephanie).

12/06 American Movie (1999)

*** Interesting, revealing and touching documentary film about extremely low budget Wisconsin film maker Mark Borchardt as he works to complete his horror short Coven. While Borchardt is extremely perseverant, he's low on skilled or intelligent help. The picture he was making reminded me of the quality work I did with Jake for film class or the Swaine/Fraser high school schlock films like Exerfish, only without the humor. Documentarian Chris Smith does the near impossible by showing us these generally untalented people without making fun of them. A must see if you've ever made you own films in your youth ($7.00, Tower-Sacramento).

12/11/99 Man of the Century (1999)

***+ Charming tale of Johnny Twenties (Gibson Frazier) an arch-type, fast talking ace reporter, spouting cliches from the 1920s ("You're the bee's knees baby!") who lives in the modern world. The film gets its humor from the juxtaposition between Hollywood's presentation of the two time periods. Farzier co-wrote the film with director Adam Abramson. It's a well-written script, tuned for dialogue and phrasing of the Twenties. Excellent scoring with nice cameos (e.g. Bobby Short, Frank Gorshwin). I really enjoyed this film and look forward to seeing it again ($17.00, Opera Plaza-San Francisco, Jake).

12/19 The Insider (1999)

** Needlessly long retelling of the true story of a 60 Minutes producer's (Al Pacino) fight to get the full story of a tobacco company's research scientist whistle blower (Russell Crowe) testimony on the air. The testimony confirms what we all suspected anyway, that tobacco execs think of cigarettes as a nicotine delivery system. Good acting is lost amongst the poor direction and editing, which allowed this film to go on 40 minutes longer than needed. The plodding story line seems to take forever to go anywhere. It's gotten a fair number of good reviews, which I attribute to a confusion of an important and good story, poorly done with good cinema ($4.50, Crestwood, Julia).

12/23 All About Eve (1950)

**** Brilliant dark comedy of theatre star Margo (Bette Davis) who takes in the "innocent and mousy" Eve (Anne Baxter), who is more than she appears to be. The cast is terrific as is the direction by Joseph Mankiewicz but the real treasure is the sophisticated and cynical script, which is among the wittiest and best I can recall. George Sanders as the critic and Thelma Ritter get the choicest lines. One of the best films of the century ($10.00, Westport, Bethany Sage).

12/23 White Christmas (1954)

**+ Fairly simple story of song and dance team Crosby and Kaye helping their former WWII CO who operates an inn in Vermont with love interests provided by the sister act of Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen. The rather dopey dialogue is boosted by the Irving Berlin's score and the Kaye and Ellen dance routines (Crosby and Kaye doing the Sisters number is a real gem). Still, the film gets most of its charm from the sentimentality of the seasonal setting. Take that away and you have a standard musical of the time ($0.00, Bethany's video, Jason, Jenny, Rosemary, Micah, Elisabeth)

12/25 The Green Mile (1999)

*** Reteaming of The Shawshank Redemption creators (i.e. Stephen King novella and Frank Darabont direction) with another period story set in an oppressive state prison. Tom Hanks plays the professional head guard for Louisiana's death row in 1935. He oversees an interesting mix of characters who guard those sentenced to a date with Sparky (i.e. the electric chair) in this drama of justice, good, evil and compassion with definite Twilight Zone overtones to it. A little long at 3 hours, it's not really noticeable and methodical pacing decidedly helped at several points ($10.00, Kenrick, Mom).

($1.07, Schnucks videos)

12/30 All About My Mother (1999)

*** Spanish writer and director Pedro Almodovar examines womanhood, particularly the care giving and actress portions, from an offbeat, Non-American view point in this tale of a woman who returns to Barcelona (?) after a 19 year absence to reunite with friends and lovers, she hasn't talked to since leaving. The characters are almost all women including a couple of the men (i.e. transsexuals). Recounting much more of the plot would be a disservice. I was somewhat surprised at the interesting parallel and allusions to All About Eve and A Street Car Named Desire, as seeing and understanding both of them adds to the experience. Not exactly what I was expecting from a Spanish film ($0.00-passes from Traci, Chase Park Plaza, Bethany).

12/31 The Long Hot Summer (1958)

**+ Fairly good retelling of William Faulkner story of a drifter, oft accused of barn burning (Paul Newman) who arrives in French Bend, MS and ingratiates himself into the family of the town boss (Orson Welles), wooing the reluctant intelligent daughter (Joanne Wooward). The ending is marred by 1950s Hollywood provincialism ($0.00, video, Bethany).

Total Number of Movies Not Seen Before 56

Total Number of Movies Seen again 8

Total Money Spent - $248.39