Film Festivals 1999
1999's festivals were categorised by a stand-out crop of documentaries, 'Ghengis Blues', Werner Herzog's 'Little Dieter Needs to Fly', Ken Burns' 'Frank Lloyd Wright', Cuban music legends 'Buena Vista Social Club' and the hilariously insightful 'American Movie'. And along with these some highly imaginative and challenging features such as Lars von Trier's 'Idiots', Darren Aronofsky's 'Pi', Todd Solondz's 'Happiness', Tom Tykwer's 'Run, Lola, Run' and low-budget sci-fi hit, 'Cube' (pictured).
American Movie (1999)
7.9/10
Director: Chris Smith
Starring: Mark Borchardt, Mike Schank
A funny, acclaimed documentary focusing on Wisconsin filmmaker Mark Borchardt, a Hollywood wannabe who will do anything to finish his latest no-budget... Read more
Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows (1998)
8.2/10
Director: Paul Jay
Starring: Bret 'The Hitman' Hart
Fiction and reality collide in and out of the ring in this acclaimed documentary look at the life of pro grappler Bret "Hitman" Hart, a member of Cana... Read more
Run Lola Run ( Blu-ray ) (1998)
7.7/10
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Herbert Knaup, Moritz Bleibtreu, Franka Potente
Time is running out for Lola. She's just received a frantic phonecall from her boyfriend, who's lost a small fortune in cash belonging to his Mob boss... Read more
Windhorse (1998)
7/10
Director: Paul Wagner
Starring: Dadon, Jampa Kelsang, Richard Chang, Lu Yu
This compelling first feature from Academy Award-winning documentarian Paul Wagner tells the story of three young Tibetans and their search for freedo... Read more
Little Dieter Needs To Fly (1998)
8.1/10
Director: Werner Herzog
Starring: Werner Herzog, Dieter Dengler
A fascinating documentary about Dieter Dengler, born in the Black Forest of Germany. As a child, he watched his village destroyed by American warplane... Read more
My Name Is Joe (1998)
7.5/10
Director: Ken Loach
Starring: Peter Mullan, Louise Goodall, David McKay
Joe, a reformed alcoholic trying to maintain hope in grim, impoverished Glasgow, tentatively begins a romantic relationship with a sympathetic social... Read more
Cookie's Fortune (1998)
6.9/10
Director: Robert Altman
Starring: Glenn Close, Julianne Moore, Liv Tyler, Chris O'Donnell, Charles S Dutton, Patri...
Robert Altman's homespun comedy/mystery is set in a small southern town, where the suicide of wealthy, eccentric Cookie (Patricia Neal) brings out the... Read more
Hana-Bi ( Fireworks ) (1998)
7.8/10
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Starring: Kayoko Kishimoto, Ren Osugi, Takeshi Kitano
This original, offbeat, explosive drama showcases Takeshi Kitano as Nishi, a detective distraught by a number of troubles in his life. Pushed to the e... Read more
Men With Guns (1998)
7.6/10
Director: John Sayles
Starring: Federico Luppi, Damian Alcazar, Tania Cruz
From writer/director John Sayles comes this sobering and politically awakening film about a recently widowed doctor who returns to an unnamed Latin Am... Read more
The General (1998)
7.3/10
Director: John Boorman
Starring: Brendan Gleeson, Jon Voight, Adrian Dunbar
A gritty character study of a true-life Dublin working-class criminal known as the General. Writer/director John Boorman traces Martin Cahill's incred... Read more