The Column Without a Name!
January 3, 1999
What's Ahead in 1999...
The movies in 1999 will be very different year from what we've seen so far this decade. Here's a few tid-bits on why this year is so special:

Living legends making a comeback: George Lucas and Stanley Kubrick, anyone? It's been 21 years for Lucas and 11 for Kubrick. Who will go home with an Oscar? How about both? Or maybe not?

Three Tom Cruise Movies: Unbelievable as it may seems the most popular actor of the new year will be Tommy. The eagerly awaited Eyes Wide Shut, the ensemble drama Magnolia and Mission: Impossible 2 (if it gets filming). Cruise who only appeared in 6 movies this decade but he's finishing the century with a BANG!!

No Bruckheimer for this Summer: For the first time since 1994 no Jerry Bruckheimer-produced movie will be released this coming summer. We're not even sure if Bruckheimer will even release a movie next year. The stuff he's got in development is still on the backburner...

The A-List will make an impact: 8 of the 9 members of the $20 million club will have one of their movies released this year. From Harrison Ford (Random Hearts), John Travolta (The General's Daughter), Leonardo DiCaprio (The Beach), Tom Hanks (The Green Mile), to Bruce Willis (The Sixth Sense), Arnold Schwarzenneger (End of Days), Mel Gibson (Payback) and Tom Cruise (Eyes Wide Shut). Only one member (Sly Stallone) might not have a movie come out in '99, although Detox could still make it by the end of the year. One thing's certain: star power will be important to survive the Star Wars hurricane.
 

My Top Ten Wish List of '99

10.Asterix and Obelix/Joan of Arc

Two French films make it to the tenth position. Asterix and Obelix is based on the legendary French comic-book and is the biggest French speaking film ever made. I grew up reading this comic-book and seeing it on the big screen will be an experience unlike other. An amazing cast which includes Gerard Depardieu as Obelix and Roberto Benigni (Life is Beautiful) playing a roman villain named Detritus. As for Joan of Arc, it will rock. Expect a solid R rating with battle scenes like you've never seen. Luc Besson, the French Spielberg,  directs his wife, the ultra-beautiful Milla Jovovich and an all-star cast composed of  John Malkovich and Dustin Hoffman.

9. Rules of Engagement

Early on this was an unusual Sly Stallone project. The project seemed to be in limbo before a strong rewrite sent it back into production mode. The first to sign was Tommy Lee Jones and it sounded like the perfect project for him. "A wounded ex-soldier who becomes a disillusioned lawyer, who goes up against the service to defend a soldier accused of inciting an incident that leaves many demonstrators dead. The lawyer's in no position to decline, since the potential client had heroically saved the lawyer's life in Vietnam." In early December Paramount announced they cast Samuel L. Jackson to play the soldier. My favorite actor (Jackson) playing against one of my favorite (Lee Jones) - but wait it gets better! Casting isn't finished and the studio is expected to cast several other prominent stars in the courtroom drama. There's only one problem: will it be released in 1999? Shooting begins in March...maybe we will see it before the next century.

8.For Love of The Game

Baseball is my favorite sport. A friend told me to buy a copy of the book. I read it in an afternoon. I consider Costner's Field of Dreams as the best baseball film ever. Believe me this film could be better.

7.Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me

As you may already know I've read the script. I'm sure the final product will be a little different, but by far this will be the comedy picture of the year.

6.Scream 3

Why so high on my list? First it's been close to 2 years since the second installment. Williamson has had plenty of time to ponder and think of a really amazing way to finish the franchise. It will also be Craven's swan song to the horror genre. I'm sure the Weinsteins will able to attract members of the twentysomething A-list to the cast. All of this will make it the last good movie of the century.

5.The Wild Wild West

I got a hold of the script a while back. A really early draft, which was funny, spectacular and really promising. I was against the casting of Will Smith as James West, but knowing Sonnenfeld I knew he was gonna use Smith wisely. After George Clooney left the project I was dissapointed till Kevin Kline's name arrived. I've been a fan of his for a while and after his In and Out success I knew he had to do a big commercial film. Add Kenneth Branagh as the machiavellian villain and this project was top ten material.
4.Toy Story 2
At first this was supposed to be another one of those cheap staright-to-video Disney sequels. Now it has a Thanksgiving weekend release date and a shot at being the most popular animated movie since The Lion King. A few even claim that the script is better then the original. We'll have to see...

3.Mission:Impossible 2

This one would have been in my top ten no matter who directed it. Now the coolest action director, John Woo, teams up with Tom and Ving for this new installment. I saw the first one three times in the theatre. I've seen almost every episode of the TV show. I adore the franchise. Add to it Tom Cruise and Ving Rhames are pretty fun to watch and Woo's direction is incredible, I'm already in line. The early casting shows promising coolness with Steve Zahn (Out of Sight), Thandie Newton (Beloved) and Dougray Scott (Ever After) who may be playing the villain.

2.Man on The Moon

The Truman Show was pretty high on my wish list of 1997. The trio behind one of the best biopics of the decade (The People vs. Larry Flynt) now team-up with Jersey Films (the company behind hits like Pulp Fiction, Get Shorty, Out of Sight) and the most popular comedian alive, Jim Carrey to make a biopic of one of the most outrageous comedians of his time, the legendary Andy Kaufman. I didn't really know Kaufman being a Nineties kid but 2 years ago I saw an NBC special on him. When I heard talks of a biopic I couldn't wait to see who would play him. If it would have been Nic Cage, Ed Norton or an unknown actor this film still would have been on this list. I hope Universal will change its mind and release it in the summer.

1.Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

The movie event of the decade. I'm already planning to see it three days in a row opening weekend. The first $100m opening weekend. Even the second trailer will be an event.

Honorary mentions to The Green Mile, The Mod Squad, Big Daddy, Magnolia, Notting Hill, Gladiators and The Haunting of Hill House.

What's yours Top Five Wish List of '99?

Feel free to e-mail your top 5 wish list of 1999. I can already predict that the #1 will be Star Wars: Episode One. But what will be #2?

Stay Tuned...

That's All Folks...

Image by Gary Hudson
Copyright © 1998-1999 Corona Productions

Jean-François Allaire is a 19 year old aspiring writer. Surfing the internet by night and stalking the streets of Montreal by day, he's always on the prowl for news from the set. J-F is a major contributor to Coming Attractions, always pushing himself to look for that story that needs to be told. If you work behind the scenes on a film production and you're just another name in the credits (or no credit given), and you feel that nobody cares, well guess again... Feel free to send him your funny, strange, and heart-warming set stories. Hell... he may even interview you!

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