TOP TEN OF 1999
TOP 5 OF 1998
1. OPEN YOUR EYES (dir Alejandro Amenabar): Easily the most exhilaratingly clever film of the year. Amenabar constructs his thriller like a constantly shifting puzzle, melding realism and surrealism with the grace of a major film artist. [Grade: A]
2. OUT OF SIGHT (dir Steven Soderbergh): George Clooney and Jennefer Lopez truly light up the screen with enough chemistry to ignite a New Years Eve fireworks display. Soderbergh's film plays like an homage and deconstruction of 1970's heist films (THE HOT ROCK, DOLLARS). Ultimately it's more about the characters then the heist. [A]
3. BUFFALO 66' (dir Vincent Gallo): Unabashedly impudent tale about a just released convict kidnapping a tap dancer (a deft Christina Ricci), and forcing her to pose as his wife. Gallo wrote, directed, and starred as the convict. At first BUFFALO 66' looks like another faux-hip indie shot with grainy film stock, but beneath the grime, there is a heart. And it's funny, too. [A]
4. THE CELEBRATION (dir Thomas Vinterberg): A wealthy family reunites for a turbulent weekend. Vinterberg shot the entire film with hand held digital cameras, a gambit that proves effectively jarring in the film's displays of unleashed dysfunction. Sporadically boring and gripping, this film isn't for everyone. [A-]
5. DARK CITY (dir Alex Proyas) The majority of mainstream audiences didn't "get" this creative sci-fi masterpiece. True its characters are forgettable, and the story is simplistic, but nonetheless, Proyas has beautifully combined the richest visual aspects of sci-fi and film noir. [B+]