Description
"From a veteran culture writer and modern movie expert, a celebration and analysis of the movies of 1999--arguably the most groundbreaking year in American cinematic history"--
Publication
Simon & Schuster (2019), 417 pages
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LibraryThing member ashleytylerjohn
First, the elephant in the room: was 1999 the best movie year ever?
Yes, IMO. I said so at the time. When I saw this book, I ordered it through Amazon, then ran around to all my friends and family waving it about and loudly declaring "Remember how I always said 1999 was the best movie year ever?
On Criticker.com (my equivalent of goodreads, I use it to track what I've seen and how much I liked it, and it recommends new films for me) it divides my films into 10 tiers, tier 10 being the set of films with my highest ratings. Of those 129 films in tier 10 (I watch a lot of films, I've rated about 1,600) 12 of them were from 1999 alone (my next fave years would be 1997 and 2001, both with 7 apiece).
My 1999 feeling was that each weekend I would see a film (or two), and it would be great. And every other weekend I would see something especially great, and about once a month I'd see something that jumped up to personal favourite, or instant classic. Raftery actually doesn't even cover some of my all-time favourites from 1999: the outrageous musical South Park Bigger Longer and Uncut, my fave Mike Leigh film Topsy Turvy, the incredibly well-cast The Talented Mr. Ripley (Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Philip Seymour Hoffmann, and a new-on-the-scene Cate Blanchett), or Toy Story 2, my favourite of the Toy Story films, complete with the Saddest Song of All Time.
So I'm firmly on board behind the premise of the book.
And then, rather than tell me a bunch of facts I already knew about the films (I am, after all, somewhat well-read and somewhat of a movie buff), he told me a bunch of facts that were mostly new and interesting. Hurrah! A well-written, well-researched book on a subject near-and-dear to my heart? What's not to love.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!
Yes, IMO. I said so at the time. When I saw this book, I ordered it through Amazon, then ran around to all my friends and family waving it about and loudly declaring "Remember how I always said 1999 was the best movie year ever?
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Well someone else agrees with me!"On Criticker.com (my equivalent of goodreads, I use it to track what I've seen and how much I liked it, and it recommends new films for me) it divides my films into 10 tiers, tier 10 being the set of films with my highest ratings. Of those 129 films in tier 10 (I watch a lot of films, I've rated about 1,600) 12 of them were from 1999 alone (my next fave years would be 1997 and 2001, both with 7 apiece).
My 1999 feeling was that each weekend I would see a film (or two), and it would be great. And every other weekend I would see something especially great, and about once a month I'd see something that jumped up to personal favourite, or instant classic. Raftery actually doesn't even cover some of my all-time favourites from 1999: the outrageous musical South Park Bigger Longer and Uncut, my fave Mike Leigh film Topsy Turvy, the incredibly well-cast The Talented Mr. Ripley (Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Philip Seymour Hoffmann, and a new-on-the-scene Cate Blanchett), or Toy Story 2, my favourite of the Toy Story films, complete with the Saddest Song of All Time.
So I'm firmly on board behind the premise of the book.
And then, rather than tell me a bunch of facts I already knew about the films (I am, after all, somewhat well-read and somewhat of a movie buff), he told me a bunch of facts that were mostly new and interesting. Hurrah! A well-written, well-researched book on a subject near-and-dear to my heart? What's not to love.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!
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LibraryThing member pomo58
Best. Movie. Year. Ever. from Brian Raftery makes a very compelling argument for 1999 being (one of) the best movie year ever.
The book is broken into chapters that cover one or a few films, usually grouped by some common element, each. Raftery walks a fine line between being too much film business
While the films mentioned are now almost universally known if not appreciated, many were not particularly successful when released. Their inclusion here helps to make this something more than just a "greatest hits" type book. It isn't simply about the box office or the profit, though that must be considered. This book really does make a case for 1999 being a great year in film. The best? That can be debated endlessly and never come to a satisfactory answer. But really, who cares? In retrospect, it really was a great year, even if it took a few years for us to fully realize it.
I highly recommend this to readers who love the cinema and for those, like myself, who like remembering the past through artifacts from the time, in this case film. There is a definite nostalgia trip for those of us who remember 1999 clearly, but without degenerating into just being nostalgia. Understanding why some movies succeeded that year while others, equally good, took time to gain an audience also makes the reader think about how our own views about things have changed with time. Maybe even our feelings about some of these films.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
The book is broken into chapters that cover one or a few films, usually grouped by some common element, each. Raftery walks a fine line between being too much film business
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or too much just gossip. There is enough behind the scenes narrative to satisfy our curiosity, plenty of explanation of how and why each film was made (and often almost not made), and plenty of contextualization so we can place these films within the larger context of what was happening in the world. While the films mentioned are now almost universally known if not appreciated, many were not particularly successful when released. Their inclusion here helps to make this something more than just a "greatest hits" type book. It isn't simply about the box office or the profit, though that must be considered. This book really does make a case for 1999 being a great year in film. The best? That can be debated endlessly and never come to a satisfactory answer. But really, who cares? In retrospect, it really was a great year, even if it took a few years for us to fully realize it.
I highly recommend this to readers who love the cinema and for those, like myself, who like remembering the past through artifacts from the time, in this case film. There is a definite nostalgia trip for those of us who remember 1999 clearly, but without degenerating into just being nostalgia. Understanding why some movies succeeded that year while others, equally good, took time to gain an audience also makes the reader think about how our own views about things have changed with time. Maybe even our feelings about some of these films.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
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LibraryThing member gpangel
Best. Movie. Year. Ever. : How 1999 Blew up the Big Screen by Brian Raftery is a 2019 Simon & Schuster publication.
I love pop culture books, but they aren’t all created equal. At my age, what stirs up feelings of nostalgia are movies, television, and music which were popular a lot longer ago
Still, it is hard to believe the movies discussed in the book are already approaching the ‘classics’ stage.
While it is certainly debatable, and even dubious, especially for someone of my generation, to suggest 1999 was the best movie year EVER, there were some pretty good movies released in that year.
The author may be looking at all the movies released in the past eighteen or nineteen years and found them wanting, a lackluster reflection on the movie industry as whole, in my opinion, making a few of the movies listed here stand out more than they may have otherwise.
The nostalgic part, for me, about this book isn’t what these movies meant to me, but what they meant to my kids at the time. The Sixth Sense was a favorite for my daughter, while The Matrix was a favorite for my son. None of us liked ‘The Blair Witch’.
The surprise hits, the trends, the comedies, the social and political movies, all reflect the mindset of a generation. Yet, nearly anyone, who is so inclined, these days could compile a list of movies from any given year, add some Wikipedia knowledge to complement the list, such as who starred in the film, who directed it and produced it, and why it was included in the book, then organize it in some clever way, and then package it for a quick cash grab.
However, this book takes things a step beyond listing standout movies from 1999. It truly captures the mood of the country, explaining why a movie made an impact, even it wasn’t expected to, and reminds readers of popular television programs, political issues and world events that shaped the country and the attitudes of the American public.
To connect that mood and atmosphere via the art of the cinema is what really makes the book interesting and thought provoking. It also made me smile because to this day, an occasional quote from one of these movies comes to my mind, and I realize that while these movies may not have had an impact on me in the same way they did those younger than myself, I was affected by them more than I realized, and yes, I would, after some reflection, I have to agree that 1999 was a stellar year in films- still not saying it was the best year EVER- but it certainly is a contender!
I love pop culture books, but they aren’t all created equal. At my age, what stirs up feelings of nostalgia are movies, television, and music which were popular a lot longer ago
Show More
than twenty years. Still, it is hard to believe the movies discussed in the book are already approaching the ‘classics’ stage.
While it is certainly debatable, and even dubious, especially for someone of my generation, to suggest 1999 was the best movie year EVER, there were some pretty good movies released in that year.
The author may be looking at all the movies released in the past eighteen or nineteen years and found them wanting, a lackluster reflection on the movie industry as whole, in my opinion, making a few of the movies listed here stand out more than they may have otherwise.
The nostalgic part, for me, about this book isn’t what these movies meant to me, but what they meant to my kids at the time. The Sixth Sense was a favorite for my daughter, while The Matrix was a favorite for my son. None of us liked ‘The Blair Witch’.
The surprise hits, the trends, the comedies, the social and political movies, all reflect the mindset of a generation. Yet, nearly anyone, who is so inclined, these days could compile a list of movies from any given year, add some Wikipedia knowledge to complement the list, such as who starred in the film, who directed it and produced it, and why it was included in the book, then organize it in some clever way, and then package it for a quick cash grab.
However, this book takes things a step beyond listing standout movies from 1999. It truly captures the mood of the country, explaining why a movie made an impact, even it wasn’t expected to, and reminds readers of popular television programs, political issues and world events that shaped the country and the attitudes of the American public.
To connect that mood and atmosphere via the art of the cinema is what really makes the book interesting and thought provoking. It also made me smile because to this day, an occasional quote from one of these movies comes to my mind, and I realize that while these movies may not have had an impact on me in the same way they did those younger than myself, I was affected by them more than I realized, and yes, I would, after some reflection, I have to agree that 1999 was a stellar year in films- still not saying it was the best year EVER- but it certainly is a contender!
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LibraryThing member saroz
Fun book. It's a little like reading 20-odd behind-the-scenes articles, connected by a loose thesis and a thread of cultural history; the book has a very superficial momentum. However, it's neat to consider Raftery's position, which I hadn't previously - that 1999 was an original and game-changing
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movie year - and to look back on movies I saw as a late teen (or at least, saw as trailers!). It's a good, quick library read - which is, cheerfully, exactly how I read it. Show Less
LibraryThing member BenKline
A very fun look at an extremely interesting year in cinematography and film and Hollywood history. Mainly the explosion of indies and lower-budget films and 'wild chance' or 'wild card' movies being made or at least being released in that year. I was 14-15 in 1999 and it was certainly a crazy and
There was a ton of big movies that came out that year, most I only recognized and got to watch later on; movies like - The Phantom Menace, Eyes Wide Shut, The Insider, Boys Don't Cry, Fight Club, The Matrix, The Virgin Suicides, American Beauty, Election, and Office Space; and thats just to name a few.
I think the epilogue was interesting in how he tried to paint this as a seminal year and one to never happen again. And I suppose in some ways it is, but I think its really not that different. There is still big 'thinking' movies being made, like There Will be Blood, The Irishman, Wolf of Wall Street, etc; it just seems that maybe their fewer and far between now than in the past, maybe 1999 was a seminal year in sheer amount of audacity and audacious movies, but I still think they are being made. We are just getting inundated more and more with sequel syndrome and Marvel's cookie-cutter machine made movies, and something Star Wars was getting close to doing before recent movies bombed out.
Overall the book was great and gave a lot of background information. The epilogue was just maybe a little too much of 'the past is better' or 'nostalgia yee-hah!' type thing, but thats a minor quiver with this. Each segment of the book details different movies, how they were made, why they were made, the process, how they got their start, their finish, their impact, etc. From The Blair Witch Project to Magnolia. A lot of ground is covered and this is a very entertaining read too.
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interesting year; least of all for film.There was a ton of big movies that came out that year, most I only recognized and got to watch later on; movies like - The Phantom Menace, Eyes Wide Shut, The Insider, Boys Don't Cry, Fight Club, The Matrix, The Virgin Suicides, American Beauty, Election, and Office Space; and thats just to name a few.
I think the epilogue was interesting in how he tried to paint this as a seminal year and one to never happen again. And I suppose in some ways it is, but I think its really not that different. There is still big 'thinking' movies being made, like There Will be Blood, The Irishman, Wolf of Wall Street, etc; it just seems that maybe their fewer and far between now than in the past, maybe 1999 was a seminal year in sheer amount of audacity and audacious movies, but I still think they are being made. We are just getting inundated more and more with sequel syndrome and Marvel's cookie-cutter machine made movies, and something Star Wars was getting close to doing before recent movies bombed out.
Overall the book was great and gave a lot of background information. The epilogue was just maybe a little too much of 'the past is better' or 'nostalgia yee-hah!' type thing, but thats a minor quiver with this. Each segment of the book details different movies, how they were made, why they were made, the process, how they got their start, their finish, their impact, etc. From The Blair Witch Project to Magnolia. A lot of ground is covered and this is a very entertaining read too.
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LibraryThing member Paul_S
OK, so it was a good year for the cinema but the book itself is doing little beyond celebrating it and sharing some admittedly interesting trivia.
LibraryThing member m_k_m
You can guess someone's age from the film years they eulogise. The movies of 1999 came along just as I was beginning to pay attention to films not made by Disney, and via DVDs and TV repeats would hang around right through my adolescence. I have never been as excited for a film as Star Wars:
And, like anyone, I'm going to enjoy a book that tells me my own personal experience was special and better than other people's.
A compliant audience I may be, but Raftery makes a convincing argument for the importance of 1999 in film history. Even if you're not convinced by his claim that it represented a "30-year harvest", he's persuasive that in its films you can see many important changes occurring – as well as excellent filmmaking. There's the decline of the star vehicle, the emergence of vocal online communities, and the emergence of the studio franchise mega-movies that dominate cinemas today.
It's also difficult to deny the influence of many of the movies that came about that year. Doubtless they were helped by arriving at the perfect moment to ride the explosion in content-hungry TV channels, and the arrival of DVD (the lower unit cost of which made it much more affordable to buy movies to keep). But the novelty and inventiveness of films such as The Matrix, Blair Witch and American Pie is hard to deny when their imitators clogged up cinema screens for much of the following decade.
It's easy, as a film fan, to look back on a time when executives believed complex, difficult-to-categorise films could draw large audiences, but, as David Fincher observes in this book, those executives were wrong. Many of these now-lauded films – Fight Club, Office Space, Election – flopped at the box office and some created serious headaches for their studios. Whether we like it or not, good movies that don't make money will wreck a studio. That's why the mid-budget movie died.
For better and for worse, 1999 set the stage for the films we get today, and Raftery's book is a very good explanation as to why.
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Episode I – The Phantom Menace, never been as scared by one as I was by The Blair Witch Project, and doubt I'll ever again feel the illicit thrill I got from watching American Pie for the first time.And, like anyone, I'm going to enjoy a book that tells me my own personal experience was special and better than other people's.
A compliant audience I may be, but Raftery makes a convincing argument for the importance of 1999 in film history. Even if you're not convinced by his claim that it represented a "30-year harvest", he's persuasive that in its films you can see many important changes occurring – as well as excellent filmmaking. There's the decline of the star vehicle, the emergence of vocal online communities, and the emergence of the studio franchise mega-movies that dominate cinemas today.
It's also difficult to deny the influence of many of the movies that came about that year. Doubtless they were helped by arriving at the perfect moment to ride the explosion in content-hungry TV channels, and the arrival of DVD (the lower unit cost of which made it much more affordable to buy movies to keep). But the novelty and inventiveness of films such as The Matrix, Blair Witch and American Pie is hard to deny when their imitators clogged up cinema screens for much of the following decade.
It's easy, as a film fan, to look back on a time when executives believed complex, difficult-to-categorise films could draw large audiences, but, as David Fincher observes in this book, those executives were wrong. Many of these now-lauded films – Fight Club, Office Space, Election – flopped at the box office and some created serious headaches for their studios. Whether we like it or not, good movies that don't make money will wreck a studio. That's why the mid-budget movie died.
For better and for worse, 1999 set the stage for the films we get today, and Raftery's book is a very good explanation as to why.
Show Less
ISBN
9781501175404