1999 - How Two Films Changed my Life

1999. This was the year the cinema changed my life. It spanned throughout the whole year but I can narrow it down to a few weeks in September. In this span of time, two films came out: Fight Club and American Beauty.

While they could not be more different in terms of execution, they are remarkably similar in regards to theme, both dealing with the emasculation of the
American male in a play it safe culture.


 I was starting my junior year of high school the year of 1999. While I never had any problems with bullying or anything along those lines, I was never a very confident person walking the halls. If there was to be some sort of confrontation, I avoided it. I also did  not have any confidence when it came to talking to girls. What seeing both of these films back to back did for me was to give me the confidence I was missing. I was so invigorated after seeing Fight Club I felt I could take on anything. Similarly after seeing American Beauty the change in my perspective on what is important in life was so immediate, it was amazing.

I believe the combined revelation of the two films was to show me that each day is precious and life is fleeting. It could be gone tomorrow. Before this, I had gone through life afraid of physical pain and social embarrassment. These films made me realize that those things were inconsequential in the grand scheme and I strode forward into my life with a new sense of appreciation for what was around me. I may not have outwardly expressed this as strongly as I felt this feeling inside but that didn't matter to me. What mattered was that I was okay with myself, but more than that, I was truly happy to be who I was and where I was in my life.

Basically, I was done worrying about things I couldn't control. My demeanor was always positive and I pursued avenues that I would never have had the bravura to attempt prior to seeing these films. I got on the local news as part of a junior reporters program, joined a film class, shot a terrible short movie, and started writing more.I also became fully invested in film and the glorious medium that is cinema. The idea that a movie could be so powerful as to affect my worldview and change the course of my life was one that I took immediately to heart and admired. Film can be many things to many people.  To the right person, at the right time, in the right place, the right film can be life altering and I will always believe in the power of cinema because of two films I experienced in September of 1999.

Now, on with the rest of the year!

1974

I won't lie, this is one of my favorite years simply because of the top three films. Chinatown and The Godfather Part II are both in my all time top ten list so I had to put this year in almost by default.Throw in one of the great paranoid thrillers, Mel Brooks's best comedies, my favorite Godzilla movie and the last great Ray Harryhausen creature-feature and how could I resist this treat of a year. It had everything!

The Top Three
Chinatown, The Godfather Part II, The Conversation

Simply put this is the best written movie ever. Robert Towne's script is the measuring stick for screenwriters and none have matched the high water mark. Every line, every plot twist, every action is so crafted down to the most perfect detail that only in hindsight can the true beauty of what unfolds onscreen be appreciated.On top of the phenomenal script is one of the best performances of Jack Nicholson's and Faye Dunaway's respective careers. Their chemistry together and the way they play off each other is like an acting clinic. It's the example you show to others and say, "This is how you do it". The other important ingredient in the magnificence of this film is the utterly loathsome villain in the film, Noah Cross as portrayed by John Huston. I want to take a shower just thinking about him. Yeeuuck. What makes the film work for me mostly is the true sense of mystery surrounding the events with which Nicholson is presented. The audience follows the detective through every scene so that we know what he knows. This method of storytelling is extremely satisfying for grand revelations and the putting together of information. Even the poster (above) is my favorite for any film. When you sum it all up, you get one of the greatest films ever made. 

Speaking of greatest movies ever, here is another. The Godfather Part II is the best sequel in the history of cinema. The reason for this is it is a pure continuation of the original story and not a rehash of the first film with a different plot, as most sequels tend to be. In many ways, Part II is the better crafted film. Coppola uses the interweaving story lines of Vito Corleone's rise to power with Michael's assertion of power to maximum effect and the dichotomy between the two (as well as the similarity) is both romantic and tragic at the same time. Truly a masterstroke of filmmaking. Pacino's reserved, calculated performance does not get enough recognition but he turns in some of his best work here. Likewise, John Cazale uses his screentime to maximum effect and provides a much deeper, more sympathetic portrait of Fredo than was seen in the first film. Every scene brings you deeper and closer to the character of Michael, even as he pulls away from everyone and everything around him. The film is at the same time, a generations spanning epic and an intimate character study of a man who no longer trusts anyone, even those he loves the most. Most assuredly, this is one of the all time greats.

Words have never been more important, nor as closely studied than they are by Gene Hackman in The Conversation. This is the kind of film that could be made in any decade with respect to the plot but it was uniquely meant to be in the 70's.There's a feel of pessimism and a weight throughout the film that I attribute to the way the film was shot, the wardrobe and the lethargy of the movement on screen. All of this is directly influenced by the time period. Nothing moves fast, there's no flash anywhere on this film. Instead you get a tense, cloying type of paranoia centered around a bit of recorded audio, the topic of which Gene Hackman cannot come to terms with. The progression of events continues to heighten the suspense and the plot twists are really great. This is a film that much like Chinatown was not nearly as great upon it's first viewing as it was upon each subsequent viewing. I think my initial expectations were off from what I was presented and that threw me a bit. However, I was curious to see the film again and that's when I totally got immersed. One of Hackman's best roles and a film that should never be glossed over or forgotten.

Best of the Rest
Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Murder on the Orient Express, The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad

There were a number of other great films this year, most notably the two Mel Brooks comedies, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein. Both are comedy classics and the classic scenes/moments are too many to list here. Then there's a nice thriller with Pelham and a classic murder mystery on a train (is there anything better than a murder mystery on a train?) with Orient Express. You also have the Golden Voyage of Sinbad, which is one of the better Sinbad films. John Phillip Law plays the titular hero though I will always know him as Calgone from Space Mutiny. The best part of the film is Ray Harryhausen's fabulous creatures and that glorious stop motion animation.The only thing better than stop motion animation is a man in a rubber dinosaur suit, destroying a miniature version of Tokyo. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla is my favorite in the Godzilla canon, mostly due to the fact that Godzilla "dies" at the beginning of the movie and then doesn't show up again until the finale to kick some serious metal-fake-imposter-Godzilla ass. In between there's a lot of gloriously terrible dialogue from the usual stable of Godzilla actors, scientists, aliens that turn into gorillas when wounded, a mythical statue, ancient prophecy...well you get the idea. It's sublime.


Other Films of Note
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Odessa File

Overall, this year is one that I have to see more films from in order to fully get a grasp on it. However, the films I have seen from this year stack up with some of the best of all time. I'm very excited to see what the rest of 1974 has in store for me.

2006

This was the year I went to the movies. Almost everything listed below was seen in the theater and there are a few that are not listed because they were terrible! (X-Men 3 I'm talking about you). Even though there were some disappointments, I found this year to be top heavy with really great films. Almost all of these films were better upon second viewing. It's such a rare thing to have a large number of films surpass the original experience, that 2006 is easily one of my favorite years. Now a lot of these films have flaws or caveats that one must look past. However, I had such an emotional connection with most of these films that any intellectual hang ups I had went out the window. These are films for which I will be an apologist and champion to anyone who will listen.

The Top Three
The Prestige, Pan's Labyrinth, Brick

 Are you watching closely? Thus is the tag line for The Prestige and the first lines as well, spoken by Michael Caine over an image of a giant pile of black top hats in a field. An iconic image and moment to be sure. The wonderful thing about The Prestige is how many twists, turns, double-backs and "what the hell"s it contains. What's even better is that these moments don't lose any of their impact upon repeated viewing. One of the interesting things about the structure of this film is that you have two characters that are simultaneously the protagonist/antagonist depending on what scene they are in and how much information the audience has at a given moment. That is an amazing piece of storytelling, regardless of the medium. The art direction and costumes are intricately detailed and give the film an authenticity that helps envelope the audience deeper into the story without their even realizing it. I think what I admire most about this picture is that it gets into some truly interesting questions at the end. I won't spoil anything here, suffice to say that the very last scene in the film and the depths to which one character has sinks always leaves me creeped out but oddly fascinated.

Pan's Labyrinth is unlike any film I have seen. The closest approximation I can give is that it's like a Miyazaki film come to life with rated R level violence and imagery. It is an adult story as told through the eyes of a child and contains a wonderful trick. It can simultaneously be viewed as a serious movie with no fantasy elements in the real world or it can be viewed where all the fantasy elements really happen in the course of the story. I prefer to believe in the second viewpoint not only because it's the more romantic version but because that piece of chalk holds the key to the film. Watch again and you'll see what I mean. Once again, here's another film where the art direction is top notch and the creature designs are phenomenally detailed and original. The icing on the cake is the performance aspect Doug Jones brings to all of these creations. For those who don't know, Doug is the guy in the green/blue suit that actually does the physical acting necessary for the creatures on screen, much like Andy Serkis as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings films. This is one of those films where the characters, story and execution all come together to produce that most rare quality in a film: magic.


There are films that I love and then there's Brick. This is the film I wish I had made or to put it better, a film that perfectly encapsultes everything I love in the movies. A Neo-Noir, with amazing dialogue, a serpentine plot, a lone detective (Joseph Gordon Levitt in a breakout performance), and a perfect ending. The first time I saw the film, I almost couldn't believe how perfect it was. This is literally something I would have written on my own if Rian Johnson hadn't got there ahead of me. In interviews he has said it took him roughly eight years to put the whole thing together so I'll concede this story to him and simply enjoy what's onscreen. What's onscreen is some of the best dialogue this side of Tarantino or Raymond Chandler. Johnson's beautiful use of language throughout the film is where the charm and the fun lies but it's with Joseph Gordon Levitt that we experience this mysterious underworld.His performance is a nuanced, complicated one and the audience doesn't always agree with his actions. This gives his character more depth than a typical noir detective and grounds the audience with a sense of realism in an unrealistic setting. Once again, the high school aspect adds a fresh spin on a fairly familiar story and the characters and archetypes take on a new dynamic.A film that deserves high marks all around for originality and plotting (one of the best architectures of story this side of Chinatown), I will always count it amongst my favorite films.

Best of the Rest
The Lives of Others, V for Vendetta, The Fountain, The Departed, Casino Royale, Letters from Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine, Children of Men

This is one of my favorite Best of the Rest sections since I have been running this series. You have two more fantastic period piece foreign films in The Lives of Others and Letters from Iwo Jima. While Letters is a touching drama done to perfection, there's a dramatic tension in Lives which gives it a little more heft as an emotional experience. Speaking of an emotional experience that is exactly what you will have when you see The Fountain. Darren Arronofsky's much maligned and confusing time-travel, love letter to death is simply an amazing experience that doesn't so much need to be understood intellectually as it needs to be connected to emotionally. There's also the return to form of James Bond in Casino Royale, one of the best in the series. It's kind of crazy that The Departed was the Oscar winner for Best Picture this year but at least Scorsese finally got his gold statue for directing. The film itself is full of scenery chewing performances and great lines, providing a kick in the gut with a suitably crazy ending. Little Miss Sunshine is exactly what an indie comedy should be. It not only delivers laughs but memorable characters as well. Children of Men has a few logical gaffes that I still wrestle with but the story is so compelling and the sequences so well done that I have to give it props for everything it does well. Lastly, there is the joy that is V For Vendetta. This film narrowly missed on on my Top Three for the year and I will always romanticize how I view the film. What I come back to most of all are Hugo Weaving's phenomenal physical performance, the story of the woman in the prison, Natalie Portman in the rain, the fireworks and that final crescendo ringing everything home with a rousing sendoff.

Other Films of Note
Black Book, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, Beerfest, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Borat, Blood Diamond, Mission Impossible III, Thank You for Smoking, Over the Hedge, Inside Man, The Illusionist, Dreamgirls, The Devil Wears Prada, The Matador, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Apocalypto

Overall, this year contains some amazing films that provide a true emotional connection. It was such a cool thing to be able to go to the theater week after week and not only not be disappointed but experience genuine enthrallment. This year was very similar to 2004 in that respect as it seemed like everything either lived up to or surpassed expectations. Truly an amazing year.

1995

1995

I like to dub this as The Year of Kevin Spacey. Without question the breakout actor of the year, he cemented himself as a great dramatic actor for years to come with his Oscar winning supporting turn in The Usual Suspects and his appearance at the end of Se7en. I subsequently saw everything he did from that point forward (ironically until Pay It Forward). This year is also important to me because The Usual Suspects is my favorite movie of all time. I spent much of this year (and a good portion of 1996) recommending this movie to everyone I knew. When I got it for Christmas on VHS, I would loan it out to people insisting they experience the magic I felt when I saw it. This was not a fantastic overall year for films but the good far outweighed the bad and it contained some truly great pictures as well.

The Top Three
The Usual Suspects, Se7en, Heat


For me, this film is where it's at. It's my favorite genre (crime/noir) and done to perfection. I mean, my God there are good performances from Stephen Baldwin AND Kevin Pollack here! No other film can boast that. ;) Seriously, though the acting is superb, especially Spacey, Gabriel Byrne and Chazz Palminteri. However, the true strength of this film is the fantastic script by then first time screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie, who deservingly won an Oscar for his efforts. The plot serpentines around New York and LA, finishing with arguably the greatest ending of all time. I mean the moment Palminteri drops his coffee cup...pure cinematic gold. I get goosebumps every time, even now as I'm typing this sentence. This was the film that got me interested in serious cinema and the process of film-making itself. I have a soft spot for everyone involved with this film and I could go on and on about its greatness but I will restrain myself and simply reiterate that I love this film above all others.

The second half of my Kevin Spacey double bill lovefest is a bit on the strange side to put it mildly. Se7en is without a doubt one of the best high concept films because it actually works. Morgan Freeman is perfect as the grizzled veteran detective. In fact I think he was born to play exactly this character in this film, that's how perfect he is. There's also a very good performance from Brad Pitt though he was still early in his career and there are a few moments that are rough around the edges. However, the true star of this film are the crime scenes, each more horrific than the next.  I'm going to borrow from a critic I heard discussing this film in saying that "the death scenes in Se7en are art-directed to within an inch of their lives". The amount of detail on screen is a David Fincher trademark and it really began with this film. Like The Usual Suspects, this film has one of the best endings around and left everyone with that eternal line, "What's in the box!?".


For years, everyone in Hollywod had always asked themselves why Robert Deniro and Al Pacino had never been in a movie together. Arguably the two greatest actors of theirs or any generation, the wet dream of cinephiles everywhere finally came to fruition in the greatest way possible. Michael Mann's Heat is the quintessential cops and robbers movie, with one of the best heist sequences of all time. The great thing about this movie is that there is no good or bad. It's just people, with all of their issues and the cops have just as many (if not more) than the robbers. As is the case with all of Mann's films, the cinematography is almost a character in the film and the "cool blue" that bathes Los Angeles at night not only sets a perfect atmosphere but reflects the character's moods in their respective scenes when necessary. As great as all of the above is, the cherry on top of this film is the diner scene between Deniro and Pacino. It's not only a cool moment of the two actors going head to head but it's very rare that you have two characters in a film in that situation, each able to show mutual respect for the other while at the same time establishing their own dominance of the situation. A perfect scene.

Best of the Rest
Braveheart, Apollo 13, Babe, Crimson Tide, Devil in a Blue Dress, Toy Story, Goldeneye, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Friday, 12 Monkeys

There's such a diverse collection of films that were good this year that it felt like every genre was well represented. You had a crazy, bloody, historical epic in Braveheart on one hand and a restrained, calculated thriller in Apollo 13 vying for Oscar glory. A double shot of Denzel with Crimson Tide (one of the best submarine films ever) and Devil in a Blue Dress, which is a slightly flawed but highly underrated gem of a neo-noir. There was also the return of James Bond and the best since the original Sean Connery run in Goldeneye. Die Hard did indeed come back with A Vengeance after a lackluster sequel and Samuel L. Jackson continued his hot streak. Then you had the beginning of Pixar with the wonderful Toy Story and a very lovely family film about a talking pig with Babe. Round it out with a nutty Terry Gilliam time-travel sci/fi film in 12 Monkeys and a classic comedy from the hood with Friday and the year 1995 was pretty damn entertaining.

Other Films of Note
Casino, Kids, Get Shorty, Mallrats, Bad Boys, Tommy Boy, Billy Madison, Desperado, Trapped in Paradise, Strange Days, Empire Records, Outbreak, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls

Overall, this year for me was very personal as I started seeing more mature films and really expanded my film repertoire. I discovered my favorite film of all time and was well on my way to experiencing films in a different way. Before this year, I had always just watched movies as a form of entertainment. After this year, I began to appreciate the art form and the collaborative process that goes into making it. To say the least it was a very important year in my film life. It was the year when things took on new meaning.

1957

There seems to be a year every now and then that is rife with "important" films. Usually these films are not so much 'important' as they are simply great dramatic stories told extremely well, sometimes with unhappy endings. 1957 feels like such a year to me (see 2007 for a recent example). My list does not even include the classic dramas An Affair to Remember, Wild Strawberries, Nights of Cabria, A Face in the Crowd, Sayonara, and The Cranes Are Flying. Did no one want to laugh this year? :)

The Top Three
12 Angry Men, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Sweet Smell of Success


This is one of those films that is universally recognized as great. It's a great high concept film for the time. 12 jurors, one case, one room, no names, all talking...and it's riveting! As the hours where on, you really get a sense of each character's motivations and their moral compass, not just in terms of the case but in terms of life. This is also one of the great collections of acting talent ever on screen. I won't list off the names, suffice to say that everyone brings their A game. The moment when Fonda produces his duplicate evidence is one of the classic "gotcha" moments in cinema. There are many other moments in the film and almost all of them showcasing a different character so everyone has room to stretch their acting muscles. Truly on of the greatest pure dramas ever.

The Bridge on the River Kwai is another film which has a strange fascination over me. It could be the stubbornness of the British pitted against the equal stubbornness of the Japanese compared with the common sense survivalism of the Americans. It could be the epicness of the film, as it was David Lean's first really big (in terms of scale) movie. It might just be the amazing scene of that bridge blowing up and the train diving headlong into the shallow river below. Whatever the reason, it is an amazing film with an equally amazing performance from Alec Guiness. His battle of wills against Col. Saito is so damned entertaining even though virtually no action takes place. It's a staring contest and when Saito has to blink first, it's a great moment of triumph. Amidst all this is the undercurrent of the absurdity of war itself and the actions taken by individuals which make no sense, even in times of conflict. Truly "madness".

Sweet Smell of Success is the film that made me realize Burt Lancaster is a great actor.Up until this film I had seen him in strictly lead protagonist roles where he played the morally strong hero. This film turned that completely upside down as he schemes and connives and twists Tony Curtis until there's nothing left. Not to say that Curtis himself is all shiny in this film because he most certainly is not. When I heard the line, "The cat's in the bag" and Curtis responds with "and the bag's in the river", I knew exactly what kind of character I would be getting the rest of the film. The dialogue exchanges between the two stars are the highlight of the film for me and each scene feels like a fight with words. This is one of those films that bears fruit upon repeated viewings because the nuances in each performance really add to the lines once you hear them a second time. A real boiler of a picture.

The Best of the Rest
Throne of Blood, Witness for the Prosecution, Night of the Demon, The Seventh Seal

Two amazing foreign dramas, one of the best courtroom classics ever and an underrated horror gem round out the best of this dramatic year. When it comes to Kurosawa films Throne of Blood would not probably be on the top of anyone's list...but it would almost always be in the top five. It is a true piece of cinematic art. Likewise The Seventh Seal holds a similar position among Bergman fans, though this one might be more likely to top a few lists. I love Charles Laughton in Witness for the Prosecution. He just perfectly exudes the arrogance necessary to his character and his curmudgeonly attitude only helps to endear him to the audience. Night of the Demon is perhaps the film I will always recommend as an underrated classic. It's not perfect but what it does almost as well as any film I have seen is set atmosphere and mood. I don't know if I've been more on the edge of my seat than when Dana Andrews is creeping around the forest in the fog. Also, the creature/demon is pretty terrifying as well for a 50's film. 

Other Films of Note
The Enemy Below, 20 Million Miles to Earth, The Spirit of St. Louis, Paths of Glory, Old Yeller

Overall, this year was the year of the drama. No matter what form it took, be it war, courtroom, show business, biography, submarine, Shakespearean samurai or playing chess with Death itself, this was a serious year for serious films.