Top 5 1999 Films
By Austin Johnson
1999 is famous for being a jam-packed year when it comes to pop culture. It was the end of a century and so many iconic films came out. It’s been twenty years since what some would call the best year in film history. The five highest grossing films from that year included three Disney distributions, a Warner Bros. production, and a Star Wars film. Seem familiar to what’s popular today? Brian Raftery wrote a fantastic book called Best. Movie. Year. Ever.: How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen. He was able to get access into some fucking awesome stuff that happened in '99, and it’s brilliantly written. This is my first Top 5 from a specific year, which proved to be very difficult. There are some films that I’m leaving off this list that would certainly make the cut in other years. I have some personal favorites from '99, and if you’ve read some of my shit before, this might be a little bit predictable, but let’s go for it.
5.) The Talented Mr. Ripley
“Don't you just take the past and put it in a room in a basement and lock the door and never go in there? That's what I do. And then you meet someone special and all you want to do is to toss them the key and say, 'Open up, step inside,' but you can't because it's dark. There's demons, and if anybody saw how ugly it is... I keep wanting to do that: fling the door open, just let light in and clean everything out.”
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I still can’t believe Matt Damon wasn’t up for Best Actor for his performance as Tom Ripley. This is the role that changed my opinion on Damon as an actor. He works alongside some other wonderful performers, but he carried an Anthony Minghella film, who was up for Best Screenplay at the 72nd Academy Awards. Rest in peace to that wonderful filmmaker. The Talented Mr. Ripley also received nominations for Best Original Score, Best Costume Design, and Best Art Direction. Those are categories that usually stood out in Minghella’s films. The only performer who got nominated in this one was Jude Law for Best Supporting Actor. That infamous scene on the boat between Damon and Law warrants serious recognition for both of them. Out of all the films on this list, I’d say this one holds the most riveting stuff acting wise. You got Damon, Law, Cate Blanchett, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Philip Seymour Hoffman just shredding each scene to bits with so much charm. PSH does this thing with the piano while he’s talking to Damon that gives me chills just thinking about. He was a truly mesmerizing performer, who will take part later on in this list.
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4.) Office Space
"So I was sitting in my cubicle today, and I realized, ever since I started working, every single day of my life has been worse than the day before it. So that means that every single day that you see me, that's on the worst day of my life.”
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Mike Judge is a comedic mastermind with projects like King of the Hill and Beavis and Butthead at the top of his resume. His debut film happens to be Office Space, which I see as a piece of gold in the comedy realm. It has risen above cult classic over time to a must see for anyone who enjoys a well crafted film. Most of the hit comedies from that decade came with a massive star carrying it. Guys like Jim Carrey, Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, and Mike Myers. Office Space works because it hits a timeless kind of note that is hilariously plain in style and philosophy. It needs the bland cast to make this film work, and I don’t mean that each actor is small, but in 1999 none of these actors were getting people out to the theater. It profited around two million dollars at the box office, but has made over five million dollars in DVD sales the past 20 years. I haven’t stopped quoting it since my first Initech visit. Every Monday, I think about Office Space at some point. Whenever I hear Michael Bolton, which is hopefully very little, I think about Office Space. Whenever I see a stapler, I think about Office Space. Anytime I see Ron Livingston, I think about Office Space. The film has embedded itself into pop culture, even being referenced in Family Guy. This is the definitive 1999 comedy for Filmgazm and you will definitely hear us quoting it on the podcast when we get the chance.
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3.) The Matrix
“Did you know that the first Matrix was designed to be a perfect human world? Where none suffered, where everyone would be happy. It was a disaster. No one would accept the program. Entire crops were lost. Some believed we lacked the programming language to describe your perfect world. But I believe that, as a species, human beings define their reality through suffering and misery. The perfect world was a dream that your primitive cerebrum kept trying to wake up from. Which is why the Matrix was redesigned to this: the peak of your civilization.”
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The Matrix is what I see as the most 1999 film from 1999. The film was a massive success then and it continues to be seen now because of it’s timeless backbone of a plot. The red and blue pills break all language barriers because of what they represent philosophically. The anticipation still feels natural when you see Neo and Morpheus face off in a kung fu showdown that is the definition of rewatchable. This was one of those movies I heard my older cousins talk about, but it was understood that my little brain couldn’t handle the plot or the R-rating. Now, it’s a film that has changed the color green for me completely. The Matrix was up for four technical Oscars and won them all to no one's surprise. The Wachowskis made a timeless film when it comes to sci-fi and it is by far their best project. Some fans like the sequels, but they just aren't for me and I think V for Vendetta is a very solid film, but nothing of theirs comes close to the magnitude of The Matrix. There could be 40 John Wick installments and I will still see Keanu Reeves as Neo first. Morpheus or Laurence? Still not sure which one he really is… and what do you think makes Agent Smith smile?
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2.) Fight Club
“Tyler sold his soap to department stores at $20 a bar. Lord knows what they charged. It was beautiful. We were selling rich women their own fat asses back to them.”
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Fight Club appeared at the number three spot on my Top 5 David Fincher list. It's always really fucking difficult for me to decide between this and The Social Network for my second favorite Fincher film. This time around, I have no problem sliding it into the number two spot. It's certainly stood the test of time as I have seen it way more times than the other films on this list. It's been on TV ever since I can remember and I still stop whatever I'm doing to watch if it's on. I felt Fight Club elements in Todd Phillips’s Joker. It’s crazy how it still has a hold on pop culture 20 years later. Fight Club holds what might be Norton, Pitt, and Carter’s best performances. There’s plenty of other great roles for each of them, but Narrator, Tyler Durden, and Marla Singer will always have their say. Just the other day, I was just watching the clip where Durden spits blood back up into Lou’s mouth while laughing like a goddamn maniac. It’s the only film that every friend I have has seen and agrees on. The lack of nominations it received is sort of laughable, but Fight Club is obviously not trying to get trophies. I just think it’s funny when I look back and see that Richard Farnsworth was nominated instead of Brad fucking Pitt. When I watch Fight Club, I feel like I’m with some of my old friends and we are invincible. Fans of this film have this understanding that it isn’t about the fighting at all, but the lasting imprint of its underlying messages. As for rule number 1, I will be breaking that forever.
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1.) Magnolia
“The book says, "We might be through with
the past, but the past ain't through with us." |
No surprise here as Magnolia isn’t just my favorite film from '99, but my favorite film of all time. Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the greatest directors of all time, and this is definitely his most ambitious film to date. He was 29 when Magnolia came out and coming off a ridiculously powerful sophomore effort in Boogie Nights. He got the creative green light in every way possible after the success of Nights. Magnolia has extremely mixed reviews, which is expected for a three hour film that focuses on average people in the San Fernando Valley. At the 72nd Academy Awards PTA was up for Best Screenplay, Tom Cruise for Best Supporting Actor, and Aimee Mann for Best Original Song but walked away with no wins. I love Michael Caine, but it is an absolute travesty that Cruise didn’t win for his performance as Frank T.J. Mackey. It’s probably the most challenging work he has ever done at a fascinating time in his career. He had just done Mission Impossible and Jerry Maguire In '96, and then worked on Magnolia and then Eyes Wide Shut, which is Stanley Kubrick's last film. It is one of the most lopsided three year spans a movie star has ever had. PTA used a big chunk of the Boogie Nights cast in Magnolia including Philip Seymour Hoffman, John C. Reilly, Julianne Moore, Melora Walters, Philip Baker Hall, William H. Macy, Alfred Molina, Luis Guzman, Ricky Jay, and Thomas Jane. The stand out scene from the film only contains one of those actors though. Frank T.J. Mackey is confronting his very ill father Earl Partridge who is played by Jason Robards. Robards passed away about a week after Magnolia’s theatrical release which gives extra weight to this performance as you watch it now. The third actor in that scene is PSH, who is serving as a sort of lifeline for the audience during a bone chilling moment. The film is filled with emotional outbursts and self realizations that are so damn normal it hurts. Every actor is really going for it in Magnolia and the man behind the camera went for it harder than anyone. PTA was dating Fiona Apple during Magnolia’s release and there is a fascinating video of Apple acting as if she is the film and PTA is yelling negative things at her, representing critics who will bash Magnolia. He was in rare form, rocking bucket hats and Adidas sweatpants while on set, at his all time peak creatively. Magnolia would top the list no matter what year we are talking about. '99 and all-time, it’s Magnolia.
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