Perfect Storm/Three Kings

THE PERFECT STORM: Based on the engrossing nonfiction work by Sebastian Junger about the Andrea Gail--a commercial swordfishing boat that was lost at sea in October 1991--Wolfgang Petersen's THE PERFECT STORM brings the pages to life. The movie features a big-name cast (George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg) playing the gruff, edgy fishermen in the Gloucester, Massachusetts, port, as well as close-up camera shots of the boats moored on the wintry docks. Viewers are drawn into the closely knit New England community that is struck speechless by a fierce nor'easter made from three merging hurricanes. Meteorologists call it the Perfect Storm.

THREE KINGS: David O. Russell makes his entry into the major studio big leagues with the electric war dramedy THREE KINGS. The politically charged script, based on a fictional story by John Ridley, is a sly reworking of KELLY'S HEROES, and concerns four Gulf War soldiers who discover a map that may lead to an enormous stash of gold bullion. Russell gives actors George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube, and Spike Jonze a chance to shine, in roles that step outside the usual cinematic clichés and enable them to create human, believable characters, resulting in one of 1999's most exciting, original, and underrated motion pictures.