The Best Movie Year Podcast: Complete Collection
A podcast series on the films of 1999
Was 1999 the best year for movies? That’s certainly the case made by Brian Raftery in the book “Best. Movie. Year. Ever!”. Upon reading Raftery’s book, I began to see the makings of an entertaining podcast series, one which would take a look at either one of multiple movies, based on a conspiring chapter.
Whether or not 1999 is truly the best year for movies eventually became irrelevant. After all, there are compelling cases to be made for 1974, 1939, 1982, 2007.
What the series’ larger mission became was a chance to look back on movies as they were, at a period of time when they were arguably the centerpiece of popular culture.
Today, movies feel like they’re in a binary. There are massive franchise blockbusters that break all kinds of records and smaller niche properties that don’t always get the same mainstream attention. But, 1999 offered a wide range of movies from a variety of different genres both high and low.
Master auteurs like Kubrick, Mann, and Lucas put out new pictures, while a new generation (Fincher, Anderson, Jonze, etc.) staked their claim, making some of the most enduring films of that year.
And, while some films (“Fight Club”, “Election”) took time to find an audience beyond their initial run, others such as “The Sixth Sense” or “The Matrix” became instant phenomenons, demonstrating a willingness by audiences (and studios alike) to embrace the new and take gambles.
However, above anything else, this series presented the opportunity to explore movies from 20 years ago through the prism of today. Many hold up, others do not. Yet, in every picture, my guests and I found a way to talk about the world, politics, and entertainment of today. Movies after all, often allow us to examine something about the times we live in and these offer a chance for us to view how we’ve changed in the last 20 years.
Please enjoy!
