Revisiting 1999: The (sorta)Forgettable Films

As I mentioned in my last post 1999 was like my film school. I remember it with great fondness. It was the moment I realized what could be accomplished when you not only took film seriously, but when you seriously dissected it. Over the next few months I'll attempt to revisit some of the more popular or famous films (and some not so famous, but still great), and some of my personal favorites. However, so I don't kill myself (because I'm trying to write-up a final exam for my English class and do wedding stuff) by trying to do all of those single reviews right out of the chute, I figured I could get some less worthy titles out of the way -- these are what I would call the more forgettable films of 1999. Sometime this week I'll take a look at some bad films of 1999 by good directors, movies that don't hold up, and some forgotten gems; mixing in group reviews for the stuff I don't want to spend too much time on, and singling out the more important films or the one's that really missed the mark. Sooooo...

One of my fondest memories of 1999 (and I mention this a lot during these reviews) was when I was working at a video store. I made it my mission to recommend different kinds of movies to people. I lived in Keizer, Oregon, about 30 miles south of Portland, so it wasn't like I was in the art house mecca of my state. The people I rented movies to usually just wanted to dumb down there brain on a weekend night. Nothing wrong with that, but I loved stretching the customers and trying to get them to go outside of their comfort zone. I'll never forget when I got someone to not rent Double Jeopordy and instead pick up Being John Malkovich. I also made it my mission for everyone to see Bringing Out the Dead and Magnolia. Needless to say, more and more people stopped seeking my advice (I did manage to convince a few customers that my choice in movies was good).

Why bring up this little anecdote? Well, the movies I'm about to talk about are a product of working in a video store. When you work a weeknight, and you're bored out of your mind, what better way to kill some time then by watching Deep Blue Sea. Plus, these are the movies my co-workers raved about. Anyway....here are the more forgettable, and in some crowds well regarded, films of 1999:


8mm:

Nic Cage in a dark, gloomy suspense film that totally isn't trying to be Seven. It's that Joel Schumacher's film is terrible, it's that it tires a little too hard to be 'shocking'. I will say this: Cage isn't half bad here, staying away from the overacting that he's known for in roles like this. James Gandolfini and Joaquin Phoenix co-star and are completely watchable here. The problem with this film is that it has a "been there, done that" feeling to it, and when you're dealing with the subject matter of snuff film and other elements of the seedy underground, that's not the feeling you want your film to have....you just feel wrong after watching it. That scene at the end with the record player is creepy as hell though.



Analyze This:

This was the film where everyone praised Robert DeNiro for poking fun at all of his serious mobster roles. Little did they know what this role would turn DeNiro into. The film has some funny and inspired moments (especially involving Lisa Kudrow), but really the parody grows tired by the end, and the fact the film ends in a shootout just shows how conventional the film is, no matter how many times director Harold Ramis wants us to believe it's funny because DeNiro is playinig against type. I hate Billy Crystal, too. Maybe that has something to do with it. No one really talks about this one anymore thanks to DeNiro's much better (although equally annoying) performance in Meet the Parents.



Deep Blue Sea:

Ahh, Renny Harlin how I love thee. This movie is about super smart sharks that kill people. L.L. Cool J raps about 'em at the end of the film. It also has super hot Saffron Burrows in it, and yup, she finds away to get in the water with just a white t-shirt on. September 11th killed the action genre as I knew it growing up, and Harlin was a product of that now-classic style of action filmmaking. Deep Blue Sea is a call back to the Aliens formula, and really nobody remembers it except for one kind-of-famous scene involving Samuel L. Jackson... which I will post for you so you don't have to waste your time trying to find it.





Dick:

Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams are super cute in this pretty harmless (and funny) political satire. Really though, Dick Nixon and Watergate jokes are just as tired as George W. jokes. Really, the only thing memorable here is Dan Hedaya's performance as Nixon.



The End of the Affair:

Ah yes, I remember this as the other movie from 1999 where Ralph Fiennes shows us his penis. This has great acting, great direction, and some great atmosphere (not to mention great source material), but the problem was that around this time films like this were a dime a dozen. Nothing awful, but when you think Ralph Fiennes and Julianne Moore, you don't think about this film. Harmless and forgettable.


eXistenZ:

This was when I thought Jude Law could do no wrong (I was still singing his praises from The Talented Mr. Ripley). I'm usually a huge huge fan of Cronenberg, but I just wasn't feeling this one. And it wasn't just a case of being 17 and not liking Cronenberg's deliberate pace, I watched this film recently and it feels a tad dated (as dated as a ten year old film can be) and really I already mentioned Law's better film that year, and this was really something I don't consider to be one of Cronenberg's more memorable films. Maybe it was the fact that The Matrix overshadowed the film, and other movies like The Thirteenth Floor were flooding the cinema with futuristic-y thrillers. I don't know, I just remember not feelin' this movie.



The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc:

It was right around this time I was beginning to see Luc Besson as the fraud he is. When I was 13 I used to think The Professional was the coolest movie ever, man. Therefore I thought everything Besson touched turned to gold. I remember thinking The Fifth Element was some kind of work of art, simply because it looked neat. I also pretended not to be bored to tears with stuff like La Femme Nikita because I was projecting my feelings about Besson's more recent films onto his old ones. Well, when I saw this on DVD as the "International Version" (ugh, which just meant it was longer), I realized that I not only hated this movie with a passion (ha!), but I started to see the huge flaws in Besson's filmmaking style. The man can't direct, and it's no surprise that all he does now is produce crap like The Transporter. Milla Jovovich as Joan of Arc? Get real. She's still hot, no matter how much you try to make her look like a boy. Completely forgettable.



Payback:

This movie actually isn't that bad. It's vintage Mel Gibson (read: ultra-violent) and actually a lot of fun to sit through. The problem: nobody remembers this because it was made back when Gibson was still kind of normal. I remember thinking that it was pretty cool and way different than most action films that were made then, but I forgot that it even came out in '99 until I started researching all of the films that were released that year, then I remembered, "oh yeah, I kinda liked that." Once again, another example of a harmless movie, but totally forgettable.



Pushing Tin:

I was torn on whether to put this one on this list or my Forgotten Gems list. This odd film starring Billy Bob Thornton, John Cusack, Cate Blanchett, and Angelina Jolie is actually so odd and out there that it's worth checking out if you haven't seen it. Some of the "out there" stuff completely misses on a comedic level (usually dealing with the eccentric character Thronton plays), but director Mike Newell gives the viewer a glimpse into a world not explored often (if ever before) in film: the air traffic controller. It's actually pretty fascinating stuff, but if you want to see a better movie starring Thornton and Cusack rent The Ice Harvest.


Snow Falling on Cedars:

Hey whatever happened to Scott Hicks? He directed Shine and this picture, based on the best selling David Gutterson novel, and then did Hearts in Atlantis (which was pretty good) and then kind of disappeared. I really didn't think much of this film, but that may be due more to the fact that I loved Gutterson's novel and had just finished it for the second or third time by the films release. It was the same feeling I had in regards to Atonement. When you're that close to the source material, it's hard to remember anything about the film that isn't in direct correlation to its shortcomings adapting the source material. There is some amazing cinematography in this film, but that's about the only thing memorable about this film. It was one of those throw-away film of 1999 for me. Which is sad, because I remember being really psyched for it.


Three Seasons:

Forgettable art house film that is no more distinguishable from other films of its ilk. Vignettes tell different stories that take place in Vietnam, all three have beautiful cinematography. This was one of those films that I remember going to see at the local art house theater, but by the time they got their new film for the week in, and I was buying my ticket for that movie, I had already forgotten Three Seasons. Still, not bad to look at.



The Third Miracle:

Sort-of interesting theological film about the legitimacy (and processing) of miracles. The way the film shows how the Cathloc church goes through a meticulous process of determining the authenticity of miracles is interesting, and the acting by Ed Harris and Anne Heche is pretty good. But the film is not an incredibly deep or memorable religious film. Still, worth checking out if you've never seen it.


So there ya have it, some kind-of forgettable films from 1999. All of these movies had one or two elements that made me not think it was too bad (and some just plain sucked, and are therefore forgettable), but all-in-all they are harmless enough movies. Next I'll take a look at films directed by acclaimed directors that really make you scratch your head and wonder what went wrong. Until then...