Favorite films of 1999
Asian, European and African films
1. The Wind Will Carry Us Abbas Kiarostami (Iran)
2. Darkness and Light Chang Tso-chi (Taiwan)
3. So Close to Paradise Wang Xiaoshuai (China)
4. Xiao Wu* Jia Zhang Ke (China)
5. The Power of Kangwon Province* Hong Sang-Soo (South Korea)
6. The Wet Nurse Marco Bellocchio (Italy)
7. The Other Youssef Chahine (Egypt)
8. Shadows in the Dark Pankaj Butalia (India)
9. Aksuat* Serik Aprymov (Kazakhstan)
10. Dreamlife of Angels* (and The Little Thief) Erick Zonca (France)
*Released earlier, I only saw them this year
US films
1. The Thin Red Line Terrence Malick
2. The Insider Michael Mann
3. Election Alexander Payne
4. A Simple Plan Sam Raimi
5. Rushmore Wes Anderson
6. Boys Don't Cry Kimberly Pierce
7. True Crime Clint Eastwood
8. Eyes Wide Shut Stanley Kubrick
9. The Limey Steven Soderbergh
10. Being John Malkovich Spike Jonze
Favorite films of the 1990s
1. Through the Olive Trees Abbas Kiarostami, 1994 (Iran)
2. Close up Abbas Kiarostami, 1990 (Iran)
3. Goodbye South, Goodbye Hou Hsiao-hsien, 1996 (Taiwan)
4. Postman He Jianjun, 1995 (China)
5. Dr. Akagi Shohei Imamura, 1997 (Japan)
6. A Borrowed Life Wu Nien-jen, 1994 (Taiwan)
7. Salaam Cinema Mohsen Makhmalbaf, 1995 (Iran)
8. Naked Mike Leigh, 1993 (Britain)
9. Slacker Richard Linklater, 1991 (US)
10. Buffalo `66 Vincent Gallo, 1998 (US)
Honorable mention: Heartbreak Island (Hsu Hsiao-ming, 1995); Darkness and Light (Chang Tso-chi, 1999); Schizopolis (Steven Soderbergh, 1996) Van Gogh (Maurice Pialat, 1991); For Ever Mozart (Jean-Luc Godard, 1996); Safe (Todd Haynes, 1995); The Thin Red Line (Terrence Malick, 1999); The Neo-Fascist Trilogy (Amos Gitai, 1994); Xiao Wu (Jia Zhang Ke, 1997); Tired Companions (Zoran Solomun, 1996)