What did you think was the best film of the year? Did you see "Fight Club?" "American Beauty?" "American Pie?" "Three Kings?" "Being John Malcovich?" "The Iron Giant?" "Dogma?" "Bringing Out the Dead?" "Toy Story 2?" "The Phantom Menace?" "End of Days?" "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo?"

What movie did you think deserved more recognition than it got? What film got too much?

What was your favorite? Which one made you wish you had your money back?

-- Anonymous, December 13, 1999

Answers

I didn't what was so fabulous about "Three Kings"....aside from the closeups of george clooney's oh so fabulous eyes.

Everyone else I know loved it.

-- Anonymous, December 13, 1999

The Three Best Movies of my Year

1. Being John Malkovich
2. Dogma
3. SLC Punk!

-- Anonymous, December 13, 1999

I loved "Dogma", "Being John Malkovich", AND "SLC Punk"!

I recommend them all.. but be aware that "John Malkovich" is probably way more sexual than one might think. At least, more than what I thought.

It's funny.. I used to want to see all the new movies and I was sad when I couldn't.. but I realized that it doesn't really matter. The movies that I see are sometimes the ones that make you think, sometimes the ones that just make you laugh, and the ones that are just fucking weird.

I also highly recommend "American Beauty".

Does anybody else get insulted by movies like "Dumb and Dumber" and "There's Something About Mary"? I feel like a snob when I say that, but I have no desire to see either of those.. or any Adam Sandler movie.. or "Deuce Bigalow, Male Gigalow". Am I a snob?

-- Anonymous, December 13, 1999

Fight Club would have to be my favorite... didnt see many of the other ones you mentioned.... have to wait for video i guess.. I enjoyed Dogma.. thought it was funny..that guy says 'fuck' funnier that anyone i have ever heard before... but it also had a lot to say about religion/christianity...i thought it was a pretty deep movie actually... what did you think of it pamie??

-- Anonymous, December 13, 1999

"Figh Club" and "The Matrix" were far and away my favorites of the year, with "American Beauty" and "Being John Malkovich" as honorable mentions. If someone had told me in January that my two favorite movies of the year would star Brad Pitt and Keanu Reeves respectively, I would have laughed in their face.

-- Anonymous, December 13, 1999

Eric liked "Dogma" much more than I did. I thought it was too many big names, too few jokes. They spent so much time trying to explain the plot (over and over) but still let the ending get away from them. It wasn't as funny as the other Kevin Smith films, and that's why I go to see them, you know?

Again, Salma needs some subtitles. Usually when she talks someone will respond with "You mean we have to jump off the building?" so I know what she just said, but they didn't do it in this one, so I got a bit lost.

I did like Alanis, though. And Alan Rickman. I thought that Kevin Smith wanted to write himself more lines and make himself in the film more, so he would just add a whole bunch of these "We have to hold Kevin back from beating this guy up" moments. I swear he did that like six times.

-- Anonymous, December 13, 1999

Yes! Someone else was annoyed by Salma Hayek. I liked Dogma a lot -- definitely my favorite of his movies. (I hated Chasing Amy. I'm really sorry, but I just hated it more than I can possibly say.) But there was entirely too much Salma.

My favorite movies of the year ... well, I didn't see many, and I only hated two of them -- Blair Witch and that Joan of Arc travesty. So my favorites would be all the others -- Sixth Sense, Dogma, the Matrix, Sleepy Hollow, and the Phantom Menace. (Sorry about that last one, but I really liked it.)

-- Anonymous, December 13, 1999

God, I hated "Dogma" I have never almost left a movie theater before, but that was almost the time I did. The only reason I stayed was because it was cold outside, and the theater seats were the kind that recline. I have loved everything else that Kevin Smith has done "Chasing Amy" was wonderful. What is going on with Linda Fiorentino and her acting? It was like she was in a coma. "The Insider" was my second favorite movie of the year, just barely finishing below "American Beauty" which deserves much more than just my praise.

Salma should just be taken out back and shot. I know that's really mean, but she grated on every single nerve I had left.

and that is my really sweet movie review.

Nancey

-- Anonymous, December 13, 1999

Being John Malcovich was probably my favorite of the films I've seen this year... but I've not seen many of the ones you listed. I do want to see Dogma (I regret not seeing it last week instead of that James Bond thing). I would like to see Terminator 3 (oops, I mean End of Days).

Most of the films I've seen this year, either on the big screen or as video rentals, have been disappointing. I was surprised that I enjoyed Matrix. I've not managed to get to see Phantom Menace, will probably wait to rent it. I was disappointed in the South Park movie, it wasn't equal to their best tv efforts. I rented Thin Red Line the other night... and watched it all the way to the end, kept telling myself that at some point they would have to find a plot... what a pointless waste of effort. Arlington Road had a very complex plot that, in the end, was silly and beyond improbable, but pulled you along entertainingly until the final credits when you say "hey, wait a minute, that doesn't make any sense!"

Hey Emily, you really should see Something about Mary. It is very funny... it is very crude in places, but it is so damned funny, very nicely paced, neat to see how they plant little bits that will be used later on to drive a joke... [besides which, the Farelly brothers are from Rhode Island and the Providence scenes were really filmed there and that auto dealership commercial that is playing on his clock radio when he wakes up is a real local commercial, so Rhode Islanders find some extra laughs, but it really is funny][Please note that this is not an endorsement of Dumb and Dumber]

-- Anonymous, December 13, 1999

Only one mention of "The Sixth Sense" on the whole damn page? What's wrong with you savages? ;) A cool twist ending for the masses, but also lots of great acting and chemistry, the best child actor to come along since Hector was a pup, and cinematography that better supported the story than anything else, EVER.

After that, "American Beauty." My reasons for that are somewhat less coherent; there wasn't a single frame of celluloid in the final cut that wasn't brilliantly shot, but other than that, my enthusiasm is just the cumulative effect of brilliant acting by Spacey and Bening, fantastic music, great laughs, gut-wrenching drama, and, oh hell, just see it.

-- Anonymous, December 13, 1999

Was "Life is Beautiful" this year? Cause I adored that movie. I swear to god, subtitles and all (it was my first one). Umm...I also loved "The Sixth Sense". I hated "The Blair Witch Project". I thought it was crap. It was the very first movie I've ever fallen asleep in. Never saw "Dogma". I have a friend who is obbessed with Kevin Smith and made us all watch "Chasing Amy" at a party one time. I didn't like it. I probably would like his other movies though... Anyway. Off topic. I didn't get to see "American Beauty", but I wanted to. I hated "Eyes Wide Shut". Too long. Waaaaaaaaaaay too long. Plus I saw it with my mom, which made it very uncomfortable. Getting back to films I loved: "An Ideal Husband". GREAT movie. Though one of my friend's already claims him as her own, Rupert is yummy:) Madonna doesn't deserve him:)

-- Anonymous, December 13, 1999

Dogma was wonderful, because, not only was God a woman, but Canadian. Just warmed my little heart. And Blair Witch Project did not disappoint. Was Matrix this year? Well, I saw it for the first time this year, and it awed me. Being John Malkovitch was fun: we went to the press screening, and everyone in the audience was given little "Hello, My Name Is: John Malkovitch" stickers, and JM face masks.

-- Anonymous, December 13, 1999

Yeah, I second a lot of those. My favorites this year were American Beauty, Princess Mononoke, The Matrix, Life is Beautiful, Being John Malkovich (the most original and sad/funny movie I saw all year), The Green Mile, The Iron Giant (I cried like a little bitch), Run Lola Run, Austin Powers 2...

I was very disappointed with Dogma. The first half was okay, but it just wasn't funny enough. I expected much more because I loved Chasing Amy and Clerks. Ah well...

o.

-- Anonymous, December 13, 1999

But the year's not over yet!

So far, I'm torn between "Run, Lola, Run" and "Toy Story 2" as my favorite films of the year. Both are perfectly told stories, use film in an entirely new way, and didn't strike a false note from beginning to end.

I thought "American Beauty" and "Fight Club" were overrated and nasty. Yeah, yeah, the suburbs are hell and it sucks growing up without a Dad. Get over your damned selves.

Films that I think didn't get enough attention were: "Boys Don't Cry," "Limbo," "The Iron Giant" and "Three Kings."

"The Blair Witch Project" re-instated a lot of the faith I'd lost in Hollywood. A good movie can find an audience, if there's enough grass- roots support behind it.

"The Matrix" was utterly cool.

The most underrated film of the year was "The Astronaut's Wife," which a lot of people dissed because they didn't get it. (Hint: Watch it assuming that Charlize Theron *isn't* carrying an alien child and see just what an incredible meditation on modern-day paranoia it really is.)

Most overrated film: "Star Wars 1: The Phantom Menace." Ugh. Blech. Ick. Yuck. Utter waste of film. Utter waste of time.

I'm still holding out on my best and worst picks until the end of the year, though. Christmas always brings out a few gems, as well as a few clunkers.

-- Anonymous, December 13, 1999

Yay, Princess Mononoke! I thoroughly enjoyed that... thanks for bringing it up, Omar, because in my workaday daze I had totally forgotten how I was entranced by that movie.

As for the others... well, those of us who work late hours don't get to see lots of movies, so from that list I've only seen Phantom Menace, and I was completely caught up in that from the very first trailer. The settings completely took my breath away (tho' I could have happily killed Jar-Jar.)

-- Anonymous, December 13, 1999

I missed about four months of movies from August to December living in Europe, but from what I saw, I'd have to say "the Matrix" was my favorite movie of the year. I mean, Keanu Reeves should still be dubbed, but it rocked.

I really liked "American Pie" and "Austin Powers : the Spy Who Shagged Me" as see-one-time-only movies. They were funny. I like to laugh, but I would never see them again.

For the record : I hated Blair Witch. Anyone who gets scared by that movie must first realize that if you're hiking around in woods that you KNOW are haunted and you lose the map and don't even have enough sense to walk downstream (rule of thumb - always follow water downstream if you get lost in North America, you will ALWAYS eventually get to civilization) you deserve whatever's coming to you. It's the way it is. Besides, I don't get frightened by shaky cameras and hysterical screaming. It just doesn't do it for me.

-- Anonymous, December 13, 1999

I actually saw Princess Mononoke twice and the second time was LOOOOOONGGGG... Don't get me wrong, it's fantastic, but it requires a little bit of patience and it's very lengthy. But if you can catch it, definitely check it out on the big screen.

omar

-- Anonymous, December 14, 1999

OK, here's my ten for 1999, in no particular order. 1. American Beauty. OK, this is in particular order. American Beauty was easily my favorite film of the year. Absolutley brilliant, and Kevin Spacey is a genius. Sam Mendes, directing first time in film, did a brilliant job. Lesson: bring in theatrical directors to film!

2. Being John Malkovitch. Also brilliant, creative, and in no way derivative of anything. My big gripe with it: Why is everyone in love with Maxine so much? She was a horrible, manipulative person. I didn't get it. If anyone deserved to be trapped in the end, it was her.

3. The Matrix. A Sci-fi movie with a brain behind it? Rarity of rarities! And good use of Keanu's strengths (i.e., playing someone who has no idea what's happening). The effects were great, but there was a solid script behind it. (George Lucas, I'm looking at you)

4. The Sixth Sense. The ending didn't blindside me, because I heard there was a clever ending, and my brain connected the dots. But it was still so well crafted.

5. 10 Things I Hate About You. Yeah, you heard me. That's right. Shut up. If you didn't see it, then shut up even more. Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger did a great job, the script snapped and crackled and popped, and the whole thing was smart and clever. One of the best modernizations of Shakespeare to date.

6. The Iron Giant. I don't care what Pamie says. This was one of the best animated movies I've seen. Disney, watch this fifty times and try and take a page from it. And Harry Connick was perfect.

7. Eyes Wide Shut. So many people whined about this one, "Oh, it was long. Oh, it was wierd. Oh, it wasn't 2001" Bite me. Half the whining was because they expected Kubrick's first film in 12 years and his last film ever to be so brilliant that it would bend over off the screen and blow them. Sorry, folkes, file that under "unrealistic expectations." I was personally engrossed. So bite me.

8. Run Lola Run. Hyper-kinetic. Proof that action movies don't need explosions, effects, whatever. They need Franka Potente. That girl can RUN. Brilliant script as well.

9. Mystery Men. Again, you heard me. Critics were pretty evenly split on this one. But this hysterical movie of third-string heroes struck some real chords with the comic-reading-Superfriends-watching-kid I once was. We all have the fantasy of being able to be more than we are, and in a world with a Captain Amazing in it, some of the rest of us just might take that extra step and put on the suit ourselves.

10. South Park. Funny as all hell. If they don't get some sort of original song nod at the Oscars the whole thing is a sham.

-- Anonymous, December 14, 1999

Marshall, I think you misunderstood. I loved The Iron Giant. In fact, I loved it so much I snotted on the cat. I'm just saying you won't look cool when you're watching it because you're a big blubbering ball of sad.

I just saw Life is Beautiful last night for the first time. You know, when I first heard about this last year, I swear to you I thought that the film was a musical about the Holocaust. Then I thought it was about a man and a little boy trying to escape the Holocaust by playing a game and making the Nazi's laugh.

Well, the film wasn't anything like anyone described it to me. Roberto was all jibbering around and smiling and making jokes about princesses falling from the sky and Eric turned to me and asked, "Is this the kind of man women fall in love with?"

"No," I said.

-- Anonymous, December 14, 1999

Ah. I did misunderstand you, Pamie. My apologies.

Life is Beautiful (which I didn't see) was actually last years movie. That's why we had Roberto wanting to make love to EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US at the Oscars this year.

Hey, folkes, which films do you think will (not should) get the Oscar nods this year?

Here's my worst movies of the year. Any takers?

1. Wing Commander. It really boggles the mind. The movie spawns from a video game, and the movie segments on the GAME have better performances and production values. It hurts the soul to say, and mean, "Mark Hammill was better".

2. Wild, Wild West. You know, I go into Barry Sonnenfeld movie expecting little more than fluffy entertainment. The Addams Family movies have no plot at all, but they're fun. Not so much here. Kevin Kline didn't completely embarrass himself, though. Oh, and Kenneth, I know it was only for the paycheck. I understand. I'm not hurt. But stop it.

3. The Haunting. Lily: Shame on you.

I'm sure there is plenty of other suck out there, but I didn't even bother with it.

-- Anonymous, December 14, 1999

The Green mile was FABULOUS, FABULOUS, FABULOUS...but also long, long long. If you've not seen it yet, DO SO!!

I also loved American Beauty, The Bone Collector, and Message in a Bottle.

Pamie is right about Iron Giant. I cried too, and my 3-year-old daughter loved it - she's getting the video for Christmas.

Anyone seen Deuce Bigelow yet? It looks hillarious!!

-- Anonymous, December 14, 1999

I don't remember who said it at Mighty Big TVM, but someone said that Deuce Bigalo was the first film that they've ever wanted their money back just from watching the trailers.

tee-hee.

-- Anonymous, December 14, 1999

The Matrix tops my list even though it had plot holes you could lead a pink elephant through. Even if it had wings. The Sixth Sense comes in second. It was one of the scariest movies I've seen and it didn't even try to be scary. I loved the way it was shot and the ending took me completely by surprise. I really liked the puppet sceens in Malcovich. Toy Story 2 was excellent, but to sweet on the how good it is to be a toy thing. It's also frightening to think about getting your arm ripped off or stuffed into storage for years. Sounds like something Dante would get off on. Or the band Tool.

The Phantom Menace made my stomach hurt the first time I saw it. Then a friend played a boot leg copy over and over at a party one night and now I'm brainwashed into liking it. But now for some reason I can't listen to Bach.

-- Anonymous, December 14, 1999

My favorites in order

American Beauty

The Sixth Sense

American Pie

After I saw American Beauty, I thought about it for weeks after. I could not stop reviewing and recommending it to everyone I talked to. The movie really touched me, and I thought Kevin Spacey(actually the entire cast, yummy wes bentley included) was amazing.

I loved The Sixth Sense, I love to be scared but more than that I love to feel connected to and care about the characters. The Sixth Sense gave me both. (In contrast, I hated The Blair Witch Project, I thought the cast was annoying, after the last scene all I walked away thinking was that it was about time those annoying shits died).

As for American Pie, I saw it twice. I have such a soft spot in my heart for little boys who are only interested in one thing. I will own this movie, and it will go along side my beloved treasures like Caddyshack and There's Something about Mary. Because I happen to love vulgarity, especially good dick jokes and funny sex scenes. Throw in a seemingly timid girl who likes to fuck and take control, well that's pretty much all I need for a good laugh.

I saw The Green Mile this weekend, I thought it was very good. But I am so damn sick of Tom Hanks. I think he is lovely and a wonderful man, but damn does he have to be in every damn movie?

I am still waiting for Man on the Moon, I have never much cared for Jim, but I have always loved and been intrigued by Andy.

I never saw Boys Don't Cry, Fight Club, The Insider, or Being John Malcovich, so maybe I should not even be putting my two cents in.

-- Anonymous, December 14, 1999

Two words: Fight. Club. I was the first one in the theater for the first showing of it when it came out here. They had me when I heard them using the Pixies in the commercials. And when it was over, I was just sitting there, slack-jawed. Blew. Me. Away.

(and pamie (and everyone else, for that matter), as someone who works in a movie theater, I'll tell you that the best way to get problems with the sound or picture fixed in a theater is to go tell someone at the concession stand. They have orders to call up and tell the projectionist if something's up, even if there are people waiting in line for them. That's how it is at my theater, anyway...)

-- Anonymous, December 14, 1999

Wow, a category aimed straight at me!

I saw a lot of movies that were actually released in 1998 after the first of this year, so I won't include those. (I did manage to see ALL the Oscar.-nominated films of 1998 though!) I agree with a lot of the movies mentioned here, too, so I shan't go into those either.

I'm glad someone mentioned "Limbo." John Sayles is brilliant, and this movie further proves it. I loved how everyone in the theatre groaned at the ending, which I thought was perfect.

Please forgive me in advance for how long this posting may be: I've already seen 68 films (at the theatre) this year! There were a lot of good ones -- this has been a truly great year for film in ChickenGrrl Land. These aren't necessarily what I thought were the BEST movies of 1999, but I thought I'd list some I thought were great that no one else has mentioned, and deserve a look (in no particular order, except the order I saw them in):

"Cookie's Fortune": Robert Altman strikes again, with great success. I'm not a huge fan of Chris O'Donnell or Liv Tyler, but thankfully they weren't in it too much. It was awesome to see Patricia Neal on-screen again! Great, eccentric cast, good story.

"Go": Kind of a teenage "Pulp Fiction," only different. Way underrated, and left theatres way too quickly.

"Election": I can't believe no one's mentioned this great movie! Total brilliance. Loved seeing Matthew Broderick complete his High School Circuit, going from playing a rebellious student to being a teacher and having to deal with one. This movie did not receive nearly enough notice, except from critics.

"The Thirteenth Floor": See it on video if you didn't see it at the theatre. I thought it was also underrated, with the same sort of question-reality theme as "Dark City" and "The Matrix."

"Tea With Mussolini": A little overblown, with Cher and Lily Tomlin giving totally over-the-top performances, but beautiful to look at, with a great cast of Grande Dames.

"An Ideal Husband": Think this has already been mentioned, but it deserves to be again!

"Summer of Sam": Got very mixed reviews, but I thought it was great. Loved seeing Michael Badalucco as Berkowitz.

"Drop Dead Gorgeous": Came out yesterday on video; I ordered mine weeks ago! Mean-spirited, vicious, and completely hilarious.

"Bowfinger": In the word of Eddie Murphy's hilariously dimwitted character: "Awesome!"

"The Minus Man": Wow. Took my breath away. Very quiet movie about a very quiet serial killer. Owen Wilson gives a fine, understated performance. Also stars Janeane Garofalo and Larry Miller, which makes it a must-see in my book anyway.

"Boys Don't Cry": Think someone already mentioned this movie, but it definitely deserves another mention. If Hillary Swank doesn't win an Oscar. nomination for Best Actress for this (and maybe Chlok Sevigny for Best Supporting Actress), there is no God. A beautiful, poignant film that stuck with me for weeks after I saw it. I'm reading the book ("All She Wanted," by Aphrodite Jones) right now.

"After Life": One of the best foreign films I've seen. From Japan, it explains how you spend eternity, in a very low-tech way. You must pick one memory from your life, and they make it into a film. Then you lose the rest of your memories and spend eternity with this one. Brilliant and sweet, but not at all cloying.

Honorable Mentions:

"Playing by Heart": Not great, but enjoyable, and good performances. Gena Rowlands rocks.

"200 Cigarettes": Again, definitely not great, but it was too much fun not to mention. Elvis Costello (my personal savior) is in it, but not really!

"Pushing Tin": Total weirdness, but fun performances. Gotta see anything with my man Cusack in it.

"10 Things I Hate About You": Fun, if bad. Some good stuff though. And the aforementioned Larry Miller is in it -- that alone makes it worth the price of admission!

"Goodbye Lover": Total crap, and I loved every minute of it. Check it out on video. Really weird cast: Ellen DeGeneres, playing a hateful, bitchy, hilarious cop; Patricia Arquette, Don Johnson, Dermot Mulroney, Mary-Louise Parker, Vincent Gallo. Bizarre and hilarious.

"The Muse": Not Albert Brooks' best, but not bad either. I am NOT a fan of Sharon Stone, but this was the part she was born to play.

"Outside Providence": I think my husband and I are the only people I know who actually saw this movie. He hated it, I loved it. Different for the Farrelly brothers; think that Shawn Hatosy is destined for stardom, or something.

"Stir of Echoes": Too bad they released this so quickly after "The Sixth Sense," because it just got buried, but definitely worth a look. Especially if you're a fan of Kevin Bacon, as I am. Great neighborhood atmosphere scenes too.

Totally overrated or crappy altogether:

"EdTV": Didn't hate it, but didn't particularly care for it either.

"The General's Daughter": Only went to see it because my friend (OK, acquaintance, really) from college, John Benjamin Hickey, is in it, playing James Woods' lawyer. John's also in "The Bone Collector" (as Denzel's doctor) and "Finding North" this year.

"The Haunting": Ugh! What was Lily thinking?

"Arlington Road": Got very caught up in it, then the ending made me go, "Whaaaa?" Performances by Jeff Bridges & Tim Robbins were completely over-the-top (and they're usually in my top 10 faves), but Joan Cusack was hilarious.

"Notting Hill": Yawwwwwn.

"Mystery Men": Wanted desperately to love it. Just couldn't. Some moments of true brilliance, though.

"Brokedown Palace": Oh please. Why did I waste my money? Oh yeah, I'd already seen everything else I wanted to see, and Clare Danes was in it. Oh well.

"Double Jeopardy": If you've seen the trailer, you've seen the movie.

"House on Haunted Hill": What a mess. Great visuals, a la Nine Inch Nails or Marilyn Manson, though.

"Anywhere But Here": Hmmm. Could've been great, was only semi- good. Brilliant performances, though, but I would expect nothing less from Sarandon or Portman. They needed a better vehicle.

I also saw "Dr. Strangelove" and "The Bridge on the River Kwai" for the first time this year (on the big screen). Total greatness, and how awesome for the first time to be on the big screen.

There. That was way too long, but now hopefully you all have ideas of what to rent (or not to rent!) at the video store.

OH, and P.S.: I have a much larger vocabulary than this posting might suggest!

-- Anonymous, December 15, 1999

Chicken Grrl,

I thought The Boyfriend and I were the only ones to see "Goodbye, Lover." Knowing Don Johnson was in it almost had me clicking the remote, but I stayed for Patricia Arquette (I have an unshakeable loyalty to her because of "True Romance"). Glad to hear we weren't the only ones!

Wacky movie, huh? At the end, we shifted our eyes slowly from the screen, looked at each other, and said, "What the #!@&?" Ellen DeGeneres was cool, in a wacky kind of way.

To the person wondering about the "Green Mile" book/movie connection: Ohhh, yes. Darabont got it right. Not to be a total...um...pimp-whore, or anything, but I have a little scribble up on epinions.com about it:

http://www.epinions.com/mvie-review-1372-159AFA2-3852DB0E-prod2

Mostly it's a meditation about King, his adaptations, and why they work/don't work. I've been reading him since "Carrie" in '74 and like him just as much now if not more. Tell me he's not the Dickens of his age.

And let me know what you think of the book, after you've read it. -- Sei.

-- Anonymous, December 15, 1999

That was a great essay, sei -- I think you captured it just right. It was great when Shawshank Redemption got all those nominations because all of a sudden people took King's work a little more seriously. Before, everyone thought "Stand by Me" was just a fluke and not a lot of people had read "The Body."

I think it takes just the right material to translate well. King just insn't a very cinematic writer. I just watched The Stand again, and the horror segments (the first 1/3 of it) were fantastic, but everything after that was a trite mess. And I don't think it was on the fault of any of the actors (except maybe Molly Ringwald) or the director -- I think the material just doesn't translate well without seeming foolish. those of us who read the book know it works magnificently on the page, but the miniseries fell flat.

the Green Mile was lucky enough to benefit from an all around fantastic cast and crew and a story that lent itself to being translated.

Personally, I'd really like to see an adaptation of Bag of Bones done really well. With the right actors, it could work.

I hear they're supposed to be doing The Mist, too -- I don't remember if Darabont was attached or not, but it would definitely be a good one for a movie...

o.

-- Anonymous, December 16, 1999

Sei,

Great essay/review. I agree with almost everything you wrote. (Although I'm not sure to which Delacroix moment you are referring -- I'm drawing a big blank for some reason.)

I, too, had the same unusual experience in the theatre where I saw it, in that there was none of the usual rustling and fidgeting and talking. People were riveted for the entire three hours (plus trailers). Never experienced anything anywhere like that with any other movie, no matter how brilliant.

-- Anonymous, December 19, 1999

i loved "the celebration" and "gadjo dilo (aka 'the crazy stranger')-" both foreign, both amazing. "american beauty" was wonderful, and so was "american movie."

looking forward to "man in the moon," though the little voice in my head says not to get too excited. it's going to be this year's christmas movie (our family always got bored and went to the theatre on christmas, a tradition i wanna start with my brand-new hubby).

-- Anonymous, December 23, 1999

I'm not sure if this movie was released this year or last year, but I thought I'd mention American History X. Damn, was that a good movie.

-- Anonymous, December 23, 1999