Twenty years, it sounds far. It seems old. When you are young twenty years is your age, or close to age. After time we understand that two decades is not that long. Actually, according to some researches we are going to live over one hundred years; twenty years does not sound too long with these numbers.
Why am I talking about this period? In 1999, the world released an important number of good movies. Movies you can watch today and they will make you be scared, anxious, sad, happy or in love. Maybe the best of the movies in 1999 is they were original stories; the world could survive without movies about superheroes or remakes (I like superheroes movies, but lately, Hollywood does not have any new ideas).
1. “The Matrix.”
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"The Matrix" changed the history of sci-fi movies and made us change the way we saw the world. This film told us we live in a society that we know does not exist; machines control us and we are a kind of sub-world where we stillborn and our brains are connected to the machines or "The Matrix" who makes us think we have normal lives. Yes, it is complicated and scarring (and maybe it is true).
The creators of this film (and its sequels), the Wachowskis, improve sci-fi movies in other ways; for example, they implemented new cinematographic techniques, such as, "bullet time" where they used many photographic cameras at the same time; then, they had different points of view of the same sequence (just check the scene when Trinity is going to kick the bad guy).
Also, Keanu Reeves was perfect in this film. He played Neo the hero who does not want to be a hero, who does not believe he is a hero, but who in the end understands his role.
If I have to choose my favorite part of "Matrix," I will say the conversation between Mr. Smith and Morpheus where Mr. Smith explains why humans are a virus.
2. "The Sixth Sense."
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If you have not watched "The Sixth Sense," please go a watch it. Don't let anyone tell you the end because the end of this movie surprised millions of people twenty years ago. This film has everything: Bruce Willis, Tony Collette, a fantastic boy actor, ghosts and the best ending ever.
"The Sixth Sense" is a must in our lives.
3. “American Beauty.”
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"American Beauty" won five Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography. It is a movie which criticizes American society and what we hide in our homes. The perfect family is not perfect at all. The cast could not be better: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Allison Janney, Peter Gallagher, Mena Suvari, Wes Bentley, and Chris Cooper.
It is ironic; Spacey won the Oscar as Best Actor playing a pervert guy who has sexual attraction for a teenager. Even still, "American Beauty" is a new classic.
4. “The Blair Witch Project.”
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You love, or you hate "The Blair Witch Project." I love this movie. I think it is smart, different and well done. For a moment, you think it is not a movie; it is reality TV. Then, you feel you're in that forest waiting for the witch to attack. "The Blair Witch Project" shows how a small-budget-film can be a success. There is no movie which made me more anxious than "The Blair Witch Project."
5. “Being John Malkovich.”
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"Being John Malkovich" is one of the craziest screenplays I have ever watched. Actually, "Being John Malkovich" is one of my favorite movies. I don't know where to start; I only can say that being John Malkovich is cool. The story is unique and wonderful. The performance of all the actors could not be better, even John Malkovich himself is amazing. Please, go and enjoy it.
6. “Notting Hill.”
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"Notting Hill" is the classic 90's romantic movie. It has the queen of the 90s, Julia Roberts and the king of romantic comedies, Hugh Grant. The story is placed in London and it adds some Hollywood background. It is the impossible becoming possible: the big Hollywood star falling in love with the owner of a bookstore.
After watching "Notting Hill," you will always remember these words: "After all, I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her."
7. “Fight Club.”
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What could be better than watching 90s-Brat-Pitt? Watch a lot of handsome guys fighting with no shirts. At the beginning "Fight Club," it is another action movie, but only at the end, you can see this film is more than a simple movie.
Writing this article shows me that 1999 was a good year for the seventh art. I am also going to recommend other movies: "Toy Story 2," "American Pie," "Magnolia," "Cruel Intentions," "10 Things I Hate About You," "Big Daddy," "Girls Interrupted," "Boys Don't Cry," and "Thomas Crown Affair."
They are the proof that a good movie will be a good movie forever.
