Year #8: 1999

So, we've finally reached the modern era and we're going to party like it's 1999. This is the first year we have selected in which we were actually alive at the time of the movie's release. So it should be fun times. Things were good back in 1999. The music was good. Oh no, wait, I'm mistaken - the music was GREAT. Ahhh...weren't those the days? It just so happened that the movies weren't so bad that year either (I know, some of you are still thinking...he picked "Nookie"? Really?) The Best Picture from '99 is quite simply one of the best movies ever made, and if you have never seen it, you should truly be ashamed of yourself. In fact, if you haven't seen it, stop reading right now, get in your car and RENT it. NOW. Watch it tonight. Twice. You owe it to yourself. Please. But since you have seen it, because come on, no one could possibly deprive themselves like that, you can stay right in front of the computer and read away. Oh, by the way, the Best Picture I'm talking about was American Beauty.

When we started our enormous task of watching every Best Picture since 1928, we were scared. There were A LOT of movies we had never even heard of, much less seen. Of the movies we had seen, there were only a handful of them we owned or had seen more than once. American Beauty was one of the very few that we not only owned and seen more than once, but we actually watched it quite frequently. It is probably on my Top 5 list and not much further down on Kim's list. Suffice it to say, this movie was a comfort during our challenge, knowing that at some point we were going to choose it. For those who don't know (and you do know), American Beauty stars Kevin Spacey and is about a normal American family that is anything but normal. It is a great blend of humor, drama and suspense, while also throwing in a touch of bizarre. I gave it a perfect 5 without hesitation, and the much tougher critic Kim gave it a 4.875. That totals a very solid 9.875, one of the highest scores in our challenge.

And that brings us to our selections. Let me tell you, there was A LOT to choose from. Especially in the more recent years, we could have been looking at hundreds of movies released in any given year (if you were wondering, we did most of our research on the world wide web, but who doesn't these days?) We each could have picked at least 10-15 movies we wanted to watch. I'm sure if you looked at a list just from 1999, you would feel the same way. But we did each have to choose only one, and here is what we picked...

Adam: The Virgin Suicides
Kim: The Green Mile

My pick, The Virgin Suicides, was originally a 1993 novel that I had come across every now and then during my days at Barnes & Noble. In fact, my first year at B&N was 1998, so I'm sure the release of the film a year later increased the number of copies circulating through. I have never read the book or seen the film (Kim has never even heard of it), but I remember both were well received. There were plenty of movies that I had seen and liked from 1999, and in some years I will pick that kind of movie, but this year I'm rolling the dice and taking a chance. Results to follow.

Kim went in the direction of "seen and liked" movies this year, but had a tough decision between Fight Club and The Green Mile. Both movies she had, you guessed it, seen and liked. I have seen and liked them both as well. But ultimately, Kim went with John Coffey and the gang. It's a long one, but a goodie, so it should be a pleasant evening in front of the tube.

Alright, so that's all I have for tonight. Just one last thing as you all know. Which one is your favorite? American Beauty? Virgin Suicides? Green Mile? What would have been your 1999 selection? Go nuts and have fun with it! We'll post back soon!