The Best Films of 1999: The Year that Changed Cinema

The world was bracing for a new millennium, Y2K was at a fever pitch, but even though it was not as widely seen at the time, 1999 will best be remembered by cinephiles as possibly the best year for film on record.

 

Here is our list of the five best films of 1999 and the next fifteen runner ups:

 

1. THE MATRIX

 

A trailblazing work that was so far ahead of its time, The Matrix spawned a generation of immitators and groundbreaking visual effects so incredbile they were immediately copied by everything from Swordfish to Doritos commercials. The original in the (now) quadrilogy is still the standout and most impressive of the series. It feels like it was so far ahead, the Wachowskis later efforts were even an copy in attempt to recreate once-in-a-lifetime lightning in a bottle.

 

2. FIGHT CLUB

 

Even though it bombed theatrically upon its release, the film, based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk went on to become a cultural phenomon and is still referenced to this day. It perfectly summed up a disenfranchised generation that felt left behind by the economic boom of the 1990s. In death a member of project mayhem has a name. His name is Robert Paulson. His name is Robert Paulson.

 

3. MAGNOLIA

 

Paul Thomas Anderson impressed with Hard Eight, he shock-and-awed with Boogie Nights, but Magnolia was really his career-defining and most influential work. A beautiful and ambitious work that featured one of the most incredible casts of the 90s, the film won at the Berlinale's coveted Golden Bear.

 

4. EYES WIDE SHUT

 

The final chapter in a legendary director's oeuvre, Eyes Wide Shut paired Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in the middle of their marriage at the height of the stardom. A dream within a dream, a puzzlebox that confused audiences at the time, but gains more respect with each passing year, it's incredibly fitting that Eyes Wide Shut landed in 1999.

 

5. ELECTION

 

The breakthrough film from director Alexander Payne, Election catapulted him onto the national scene after his indie debut, Citizen Ruth, and paved the way for his Oscar breakthrough film, Sideways.

 

And...

 

THE ADDITIONAL 15 BEST FILMS OF 1999:

 

10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU

ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER 

AMERICAN BEAUTY

AMERICAN PIE

THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT 

BEING JOHN MALKOVICH 

BOYS DON’T CRY 

CRUEL INTENTIONS 

GALAXY QUEST 

THE IRON GIANT 

OFFICE SPACE 

THE SIXTH SENSE 

SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER & UNCUT 

THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY 

THE VIRGIN SUICIDES