Was 1999 The Greatest Year For Movies Ever?

The year is 1999 and I am 16 years old.

“American Beauty,” “Being John Malkovich,” “The Blair Witch Project,” “The Boondock Saints,” “Eyes Wide Shut,” “Fight Club,” “The Green Mile,” “The Hurricane,” “Man on The Moon,” “The Matrix,” “Office Space,” “The Sixth Sense,” “Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” and “Toy Story 2.”

What you have before you is, (in my humble opinion,) a list of some of the most influential and talked-about movies of modern time… and all of them released in the same year! I came across a very intriguing article that argued how the year 1999 opened Pandora’s Box with every facet of filmmaking. From digital effects, animation, original and adapted stories, cinematography, and even acting; no creative stone was left unturned.

This was the year that truly paved the way for independent filmmakers that blew the roof off the idea that only experienced filmmakers were capable of making truly amazing pieces of cinematic art for the mainstream. The Matrix, Fight Club,  and American Beauty were all independent projects, and in some cases, the first feature films for their respected directors.

I’m gonna go down the line and tell you very briefly why I think each of these films is still so relevant today and how they’ve influenced filmmaking ever since.