Second audio tracks: If you aren't familiar with DVD's, they usually contain deleted scenes and a second audio where you watch the whole movie with commentary by the director or screenwriter or someone else associated with the movie.  The ones done by actors are usually boring.  Anyway, you can get a whole different appreciation for a movie by watching these.  You learn how the movie was made, choices they made along the way, why they did things a certain way.  Some movies I like a lot more after seeing the commentary track.  (But always watch the movie through by itself first.)
 

Definitely Worth Seeing

What Dreams May Come, 1998 (Robin Williams)  - A great movie about death and the afterlife, and soul mates.   ****

Cast Away, 2000 - A great movie.  The part in the middle where Hanks is on the island is the least interesting.  It was more interesting to see how it changed him.  Good for people in mid-life crisis's or who need to be reminded of what's important. ***

O Brother, Where Art Thou?, 2000  - Worth watching.  Read up on the web for references to Homer's the Odyssey. ***

Pay It Forward, 2000  - Great movie about doing good deeds for other people (pay it forward instead of paying back) ***

Waking Ned Devine, 1998 - A great British comedy about a guy that wins the lottery and dies from the shock, and his friends try to cash in. ***  

Saving Grace (2000) - An even funnier British comedy about an older woman horticulturist who grows dope to pay off her deceased husband's debts. ****

The End of the Affair, 1999 - Film noir style, very good movie set during WWII in Europe.  You slowly piece the story together as it is told from multiple perspectives.  ***

Magnolia - My favorite movie in a long time.  Hard to describe why.  This is a movie people either love or hate.  Tom Cruise has a small part, and it's the best acting I've seen from him in many years. ****

Girl, Interrupted (1999) - An interesting story about a teenager that is erroneously sent to a mental hospital in the 60's. ***

The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) - Excellent movie.  I learned a lot about golf, but it's not really about that.  It's about getting over tragedy and finding yourself again.  You have to get into the mythology angle to enjoy the film.  ****

Red Violin (1999) - Excellent.  Traces a violin through many centuries as it passes hands, and is involved in a modern day mystery.  ****

Meet Joe Black (1998) - Should have had more editing as there are pieces that were not required and make it extra long.  But I liked the story. ***

Three Kings (1999) - Very realistic view of the Gulf War. ***

Erin Brockovich (2000) - Entertaining look at the true story of one woman's fight to sue PGE for contaminants which led many people in a town to become sick and die.  The second audio track and deleted scenes told me even more about Eric that they cut out of the movie, such as the fact that she was becoming sick herself from the investigation. ***

Life Is Beautiful (1997) - The first half is a light story about a man who meets a woman, falls in love and has a child.  In the second half they are sent to a concentration camp.  It is a beautiful and moving story.  ****

Frequency (2000) - A time travel story where a man gets to talk with his father who died when he was young. ***

Good Will Hunting (1997) - A great story about a genius to has to learn to heal from the past in order to get on with his life. ****

Toy Story 2 (1999) - Funny, just like the original. ***

The Green Mile, 1999 - Very good, moving film. ****

The Horse Whisperer (1998) - Robert Redford is a little to perfect, but you come to love the scenery and lifestyle of Montana.  And learn a lot about horses. **

The Mummy: Collector's Edition (1999) - Action flick that is much more entertaining than most.  ***

Almost Famous (2000) - Kind of an homage to rock and roll.  Pretty entertaining story about a teenager who tours with a rock band to write an article for rolling stone. **

Billy Elliot (2000) - A pleasant, feel good story about a boy who becomes a dancer. **

Out Of Sight: Collector's Edition (1998) - One of the better action films.  The characters have real motivation, the acting is good, and the story unpredictable. ***

American Beauty (1999) - One of the best movies ever.  It has so many different levels.  There is satire and caricatures going on here to make much more important points about life, so if you don't like to look past the surface, don't bother.  ****

Pleasantville (1998)- Great movie that makes you feel good about humanity. ****

Chocolat (2000) - A gypsy woman's chocolates free a self-enslaved town.  Makes you feel good about people. ***

Being John Malkovich (1999) - Excellent movie.  Innovating concept.  Kept laughing at the wackiness of it all.  But it worked because it was well done and well acted. ****

Chicken Run (2000) - Great animation about chickens trying to gain their feedom. **

Shakespeare in Love (1998) - Didn't love as much as everyone else.  Was entertaining.  **

The Sixth Sense (1999) - Great eeiry movie.  Amazing I didn't see it coming.  **** 

Remember the Titans (2000) - A feel good movie about interracial tensions in a high school football team.  **

Run Lola Run (1998) - This was a critically acclaimed movie from Germany, with subtitles.  It took a while to grow on me.  I think the movie would have benefited by editing out a few minutes of running (you'll get it when you see it) but overall it was very good.  The same events played out multiple times, each time a little differently, and you got to see how actions changed other outcomes.  ***

The Sweet Hereafter (1997) - Nominated for two Academy Awards (1997 Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay).  Another movie I wasn't sure I liked at first.  But the characters were very interesting, and the way the story unfolded.  I could imagine people not liking this, especially if you like action movies and you tend to say "I don't get it" about more subtle movies.  But for me it was good.  ****

Hudson Hawk (1991) - This was an early Bruce Willis movie that we had always heard was a bomb.  Looking at reviews it appeared to be a cult classic so we checked it out and all were very entertained.  It was a little bizarre, almost like a super hero Batman movie.  ***

Shrek (2001) - Animated adventure.  OK.  Not as funny as many animated shows.  **

Armageddon (1998) - I completely did not expect to like this movie, it was basically panned by critics.  But for what it was I found it very entertaining.  ***

It Depends

Happiness, 1998  - A satire; very dry.  I liked it, but I don't know many other people who would like it. 

Deconstructing Harry, 1997 - Typical Woody Allen.  You like them or you don't.

The Secret of Roan Inish, 1993 - A fairy tale like story about half human/half sea creatures in Ireland. Well done and held my interest, but no real substance.  *

Best in Show, 2000 - A comedy about a dog show.  Funny, pretty dry humor.  Probably too dry for some tastes.  ** 

Traffic, 2000  - More of a documentary on drugs than an actual movie with a plot.  You don't care about any of the characters.  But an interesting look at the drug trade.

Days of Heaven, 1978  - In many lists of great movies.  Was ok, but doesn't really hold up to modern movies.  Is a good look at life during the depression.  The cinematography is good.  **

Gods and Monsters: Collector's Edition (1998) - 

Saving Private Ryan - I know, it won all the awards.  But I didn't need to see the realism at the beginning, and the rest of the movie didn't really hold up.  If you watch on a cheap set without good visual and sound effects, probably is more tolerable.  

Bringing Out the Dead (1999) - 

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) - Some good fight scenes, but a lot of "fairy tale" stuff built in, like flying across the tree tops.  I didn't get it.  My Chinese friend said I wasn't accepting the Chinese mythology which is that you can get to a high enough mental level that you can fly.  

The Big Lebowski (1998) - 

Double Jeopardy (1999) - Typical action movie.  Not bad for the genre.  Rather predictable. 

The Bone Collector (1999) - A typical "catch a serial killer" movie.  Not bad.

The Contender (2000) - A woman vice presidential candidate gets raked over the coals by the press and the other party for her past.  Not great, but not bad.  **

Not Worth Seeing

The Beach, 2000 - Leonardo DiCaprio... a weird movie and I didn't really get the point.  But I was interested all the way through.

A Map of the World, 1999 - Without realizing, had just read this on an airplane.  A woman is babysitting for a friend when her friend's daughter drowns.  I thought the book was good, but couldn't really stand the movie.  Maybe if I hadn't read the book..  

Eyes Wide Shut (1999) - Strange and I didn't really get it.  I didn't believe Tom Cruise's character at all.  I can see why he and Nicole Kidman divorced soon after.

Mission Impossible II - Laughable story, I would say plot holes but there was no plot.  

Arlington Road - Interesting concept, but laughable plot holes and melodramatic acting. You had to take so many leaps of faith to get into this movie that you were way beyond the willing suspension of disbelief.

Hannibal (2001) - Only good thing is Anthony Hopkins' acting.  Story was ok, but kind of gory.  And although I like Juliane Moore I didn't think she pulled this off half as well as Jodie Foster did. 

The Tao of Steve (1999) - A very low budget independent movie, and it showed.  Had it's moments so I can see why some critics really liked it, but didn't really hold my interest. 

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Note: My tip on watching British movies is to turn on the closed captioning.  I find it much more interesting to watch them when I can actually understand what they are saying!