The Belcourt Theater’s 1973 series was one of the highlights of last year’s local cinema calendar: 1973 was a staggeringly strong year for films at the height of America’s greatest era in world cinema. By 1999, the movie industry — and the art of filmmaking — had gone through a full cycle of corporatization, technical innovation and industry transformation, resulting in a new era of independent cinema and bold auteurial visions. The year 1999 at the movies is no match for 1973 at the movies. But it’s a milestone year on the calendar, and the best picks of the Belcourt’s 25 film series showcase early efforts from directors who’ve defined American cinema in the early 21st century.
The 1999 series kicked-off with Paul Thomas Anderson’s second feature — his first masterpiece — Magnolia. Anderson’s There Will Be Blood remains the best American film of the 21st century and Magnolia is an early look at Anderson’s genius as a writer/director of acting ensembles. The movie is full of unforgettable scenes of grief and family strife, modern love and just enough magical realism to splatter viewers with un-ironic hope and joy. It’s a miraculous magic trick of a film.
The Animatrix cartoon is the only sequel to The Matrix that’s worth your time and attention. The original film was successful because it was unique and mysterious, but none of the follow-ups have that luxury. The original remains relentlessly watchable 25 years after its release. In 1999, The Matrix felt like a Jet Li flick, wrapped in an X Files episode with a go-for-broke effects budget. Today the advent of AI, the expanding surveillance industrial complex, and a robust conspiracy conversation in the counterculture make this film more relevant than ever.
Sophia Coppola’s directorial debut revealed a fully-formed auteur with an abiding interest in the interior lives of her characters and an eye for everyday iconography. Copolla’s adaptation of Jeffrey Eugenides’ novel The Virgin Suicides marks her first collaboration with actress Kirsten Dunst and features immersive snapshot scenes brought to life by the nuanced and moving performances of her cast of young actresses.
Wes Anderson hinted at his signature aesthetic in his debut feature, Bottle Rocket. But it wasn’t until he doubled his budget with Rushmore that he was able to make the first proper take on a “Wes Anderson Film.” Anderson perfected his form with his third feature — his first masterpiece — The Royal Tenenbaums. But Rushmore shows viewers a fascinating transition that’s full of laughs, romance and Jason Schwartzman’s film debut as the unforgettable Max Fischer — one of American cinema’s great underdog teen heroes.
In 1999, Mike Judge’s Office Space delivered the greatest workplace comedy since Caddyshack. The movie, its copy machine, and Jennifer Anniston’s hair are all quintessentially of the 1990s, but the movie’s themes of contemporary alienation and radical liberation couldn’t feel more timely.
Fight Club is a masculine rites-of-passage fable wrapped in a social satire that only a Generation X filmmaker could dream of. David Fincher’s underground-fighting-story-turned-collectivist-nightmare is one of the most misunderstood films of the past 50 years. It was high culture-jamming when the art of creative corporate message mangling was at its peak, and its blending of irreverent humor, schizo philosophizing and bareknuckle gore make for one of the most intense cinematic experiences in this series.
1999 runs through the month of June at the Belcourt Theatre. It’s a big series with each film only screening a few times. Go to www.belcourt.org for dates and times, and to check out the full series and five-movie ticket pack options.
Joe Nolan is a critic, columnist and performing singer/songwriter based in East Nashville. Find out more about his projects at www.joenolan.com.