Column: 1999 or 2007: Which was a better year for movies?

In the past two decades there have been a lot of quality movies released. In the '90s one year stood out: 1999. Many of the movies on the top movies of the nineties belong to 1999, from Paul Thomas Anderson's "Magnolia," to the excellent adaptation of Palahniuk's "Fight Club," or even Mike Judge's workplace comedy "Office Space," '99 stood out in the best way.

But is '99 still the best movie year since 1990?

Until 2007 this question was debatable but considerably in favor of '99, now it's a deadlock between '07 and '99.

In the last year of the nineties, there was a good blend of popular movies. There were mind-blowing films like "The Matrix," "American Beauty," "Magnolia," "Being John Malcovich" and "Fight Club."

There was an amazing amount of movies that came out of nowhere, giving a boost to the careers of Guy Richie after his breakout "Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels."

Jim Jarmusch made his most accessible film "Ghost Dog." "American Movie" struck documentary gold, following an indie filmmaker during the production of one of his short films. Europe also produced another indie favorite with Irvine Welsh's short story collection, "The Acid House."

Last year produced some of the better dramas ever made. "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" was a classic tale retold from a different perspective, which is a risky move but it paid off here.

Despite a first-rate cast including Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck and Sam Shepard, the film didn't receive the mass attention of some of the other hits of '07, but that may have been for the best. The similar transitions and slowpaced plot earned this movie a lot of negativity.

"No Country for Old Men" delivered on every expectation and more. Great acting plus Cormac McCarthy plus the Coen brothers makes for an instant classic, and one that dominated the Oscars, bringing home four, including Best Achievement in Directing and Best Motion Picture of the Year.

Paul Thomas Anderson Struck again with "There Will Be Blood," a very loose adaptation of Upton Sinclair's classic novel "Oil." Daniel Day Lewis continues to impress and prove his best roles are not behind him. "Atonement" had some of the best cinematography ever; any other year and it would have dominated the Oscars.

"Michael Clayton" was intense and as confusing as you can get, but the awe-inspiring plot and dialogue outdoes other modern day lawyer thrillers by a long shot.

The level of quality is about the same between the two years, so quantity should decide it. 1999 has at least double the movies as 2007. However, a lot of these films like "American Movie," didn't receive mass attention until later on. There are still too many '07 stones left undisturbed to decide a clear winner. Until 2007 has some time to settle,the true gems won't become apparent. So for now, the case of the best movie year in the last two decades remains inconclusive.

Once everyone has time to see movies like Goran Dukic's look into the afterlife, "Wrist Cutters: A Love Story;" or "You're Gonna Miss Me," a documentary about the Thirteenth Floor Elevators lead singer, we can re-assess this one.

AUSTEN'S PICKS:

Top 10 Films of 1999 1. Magnolia 2. Being John Malcovich 3. Man on the Moon 4. Fight Club 5. American Movie 6. American Beauty 7. The General 8. Office Space 9. The Matrix 10. 3 Kings

Top 10 Films of 2007 1. No Country For Old Men 2. There Will Be Blood 3. I'm Not There 4. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford 5. Michael Clayton 6. Atonement 7. Into the Wild 8. You Kill Me 9. Wrist Cutters: A Love Story 10. Charlie Wilson's War

( Austen Leake is a freshman something major. He can be reached at sascamed@isugw.indstate.edu.)