A Very Good Year

About 10 years ago, Entertainment Weekly published a cover story that proclaimed 1999 as “The Year That Changed Movies.”

While I’m not enough of a cinematic scholar to confirm or deny the magazine’s claim, a decade later, I can say with utmost confidence that 1999 produced a slew of movies whose impact is still felt today and many that — even more importantly — are still a lot of fun to watch.

First there were the game-changers, like “The Matrix,” whose jaw-dropping, ground-breaking and other hyphenated-adjective-inspiring special effects are now so commonplace as to be annoying. But when Keanu Reeves first dodged bullets in that virtual world? Wow.

Another landmark film of the time was “The Blair Witch Project,” a documentary-style horror movie that relied on atmosphere rather than gore to scare the heck out of the audience, a fear that lingered long after the haunting final scene. Its descendants today include “Cloverfield” and “District 9.”

A more polished scary movie, “The Sixth Sense,” also launched the career of M. Night Shyamalan, with one of the great all-time plot twists.

Another 1999 film whose plot — and a lot else — were twisted was “Fight Club,” with Brad Pitt and Edward Norton as men getting in touch with their primal side and rebelling against the trappings of society.

Even more unconventional was “Being John Malkovich,” in which John Cusack and company found a portal into the offbeat actor’s mind. Director Spike Jonze will have a new film in theaters next month with his adaptation of the children’s classic “Where the Wild Things Are.”

Jonze also starred in a terrific 1999 film, “Three Kings.” Along with George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube, Jonze was part of a quartet of American soldiers hunting for Saddam Hussein’s gold during the Gulf War. The film raised moral questions with a gripping combination of humor and drama.

Hollywood tried to tap into fears of the coming millennium with “End of Days,” which was little more than a typical Arnold Scwarzenegger vehicle until the very end, which featured a scene I was shocked — and overjoyed — to see in a major motion picture. The problem is you have to sit through the rest of the movie to get to it (I recommend fast forwarding).

Along with these films are movies that are noteworthy simply because they stand the test of time.

“Mystery Men,” based on a group of characters from a comic (“The Flaming Carrot”) so obscure that I’ve never read it, remains my favorite comic book-based movie, over higher profile franchises like “Spider-Man” and “Batman.” A dream team cast — including William H. Macy, Ben Stiller, Janeane Garafalo and Hank Azaria — bring this tale of wannabe superheroes to riotous life, along with a surprisingly strong emotional core you might not catch on your first viewing (I didn’t).

The year also brought us “The Iron Giant,” the moving animated tale of a boy who befriends a giant robot who may also be the deadliest weapon on Earth. And then there’s “Deep Blue Sea,” which is a rare creature — a good shark movie without the word “Jaws” in the title.

The year also featured Jim Carrey’s Oscar-worthy performance in “Man on the Moon,” the irreverent-yet-pro-God “Dogma,” the hilarious “Bowfinger” and the premiere of the first “Star Wars” prequel (noteworthy, even if you didn’t like it).

Any way you slice it, 1999 was a very good year to go to the movies.