Was 1999 the Best Year Ever for Movies?
Welcome to the last One Moore Hollywood Podcast episode of season one! Our three brilliant hosts, Chris Moore, Katie Marpe, and Dennis De Nobile, have guided us through 51 episodes of OMHP and are ready to take a hiatus for the summer to spend time with family and friends.
Before they say their temporary farewells, they have one final episode for us, discussing whether 1999 was the best year for cinema ever, as De Nobile strongly believes.
Let's get into it.
The Zeitgeist of Pop Culture
So, what makes the year 1999 so unique? According to our hosts, the movies that came out that year are some of the most quotable of our lifetimes–they are part of the zeitgeist of pop culture. Moore suggests that perhaps there is a kind of energy at the end of a decade that can push people in distinctly creative ways.
Among the many 1999 movies that have become permanent fixtures in pop culture are The Blair Witch Project, The Matrix, The Sixth Sense, American Pie, American Beauty, 10 Things I Hate About You, Fight Club, Boys Don't Cry, and But I'm A Cheerleader. Even films that didn't perform exceptionally well in the theaters when released in 1999 are now considered classics.
Not only are these some of the most quotable films, but The Blair Witch Project and The Matrix served as huge inspirations for future films. The former introduced the concept of "found footage," and the latter introduced innovative camera techniques that created its never-before-seen visual style.
It's also important to note that 1999-2005 was the heyday for DVDs in Hollywood. Because of this, creative innovation wasn't limited by finances as much as it is nowadays. In 1999, the entertainment industry was booming, so studios were much more willing to take creative risks. "Right now, everyone is being super conservative about greenlighting things because we're not printing money," Moore says. "[Back then], there was the freedom to spend money and see what works," De Nobile further explains.
Ultimately, our hosts agree that 1999 was a standout year in film. As this year marks its 25th anniversary, many articles are coming out celebrating the same idea (it looks like De Nobile is not the only one who thinks 1999 was extra special). There's no minimizing how these films play into the industry's consciousness to this day.
Now it's time to bid OMHP a brief farewell until season two, and until then, keep watching movies and supporting those theaters!
Listen to the entire episode here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or iHeartRadio.
