Was 1999 the year that changed movies? Looking back a decade later (part three)

July 21, 9:35 PMAtlanta Movies ExaminerRyan McNally

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This is part three of an article about how 1999 broke the rules of filmmaking and shaped the decade that followed. In case you missed it, check out “Was 1999 the year that changed movies (part one)" and part two.

6) Election
Then: The dark, edgy satire—the second feature from 38-year-old director Alexander Payne—unraveled in surprising ways, including pausing mid-frame so characters could narrate their thoughts. It won Independent Spirit Awards for Best Feature and Director and nabbed an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay.

Now: The film’s razor-sharp edge hasn’t dulled with time, though Election still isn’t for everyone. Payne went on to direct two of the best films of the ‘00s, About Schmidt and Sideways—winning an Oscar for the latter—before going on hiatus in the second half of the decade.

The film’s three stars—Reese Witherspoon, Chris Klein and Jessica Campbell—saw their careers progress in wildly different directions. Witherspoon became a box-office star and won an Oscar for Walk the Line, but Klein stumbled through most of the decade in unforgettable roles (see: Rollerball), and Campbell hasn’t appeared in a film since 2002.

7) Fight Club
Then: The controversial film from 37-year-old David Fincher (Seven) aimed to shock and disturb, piling on relentless visual overload (a splice of porn, anyone?) and brazen ideas about materialism, nihilism and modern-day culture. Though it was essentially shut out of the Oscars, it nabbed five nominations from a fledgling organization called the Online Film Critics Society, including Best Film and Best Director.

Now: The film’s cult following has grown larger and stronger with time, and Fight Club currently has an 8.8 IMDB user rating—placing it #20 all-time. I’ve always maintained that “the twist” undercuts the film, robbing it of much of its power, but it’s clear the vast majority of filmgoers disagree.

Director Fincher hasn’t directed anything quite as explosive in the decade since, but 2007’s serial killer thriller Zodiac won widespread acclaim, and last year’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button reteamed Fincher with Fight Club star Pitt and won three Oscars.

As for stars Pitt and Edward Norton—only 36 and 30 years old, respectively, at the time of Fight Club’s release—the film solidified their reputations as risk-takings stars and propelled each to considerable commercial and critical success in the ‘00s.

8) Go
Then: Playing with time, structure and perspective in unusual ways, 29-year-old screenwriter John August and 34-year-old director Doug Liman told the story of a drug deal gun awry in a way that was fresh and hilarious. Made for $6.5 million, it grossed $17 million and earned Independent Spirit Awards for Best Director and Best Supporting Actress (Sarah Polley).

Now: Go seems a somewhat forgotten movie, which is too bad, since it’s still a wild, fun ride. As for Liman, he went Hollywood after helming Swingers and Go, directing the superlative The Bourne Identity before fading badly with Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Jumper. August won a BAFTA nomination for writing Big Fish and penned several other Tim Burton films.

The film’s talented young cast, which included Timothy Olyphant, Taye Diggs, Scott Wolf and Jay Mohr, has had its ups and downs. Katie Holmes started the decade promisingly (Wonder Boys, The Gift, Pieces of April) but has stumbled since and now gets most of her attention for being Mrs. Tom Cruise. Co-star Sarah Polley flirted with megastardom (Dawn of the Dead), then turned to directing and writing, helming the deeply moving Alzheimer’s pic Away From Her, which won her an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay.

9) The Limey
Then: Thirty-six-year-old director Steven Soderbergh threw a wrinkle into this tale of an ex-con trying to figure out who murdered his daughter by hopping around between days--and decades—and daring viewers to keep up with the narrative. The Limey scored five Independent Spirit Awards, including Best Feature and Best Director, though it struggled in theaters, grossing just $3.2 million.

Now: The film’s 7.0 IMDB rating shows that the unusual editing style continues to divide audiences—does it elevate the story or distance the viewer from the characters? Regardless, the time-jumping technique has been imitated many times since.

A year after The Limey hit screens, Soderbergh scored TWO Best Director Oscar nominations, for Traffic (one of the decade’s best) and Erin Brockovich. In the years since, he’s alternated three mainstream Ocean’s movies with wildly ambitious films that continued to push the boundaries of the medium (The Bubble, Full Frontal, The Girlfriend Experience) and achieved varying degrees of success.

10) Magnolia
Then: Wunderkind Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights), a mere 29 years of age, threw the screenwriting book out the window with Magnolia, instead drawing inspiration from the Beatles and structuring his film like a song. Complete with frogs falling from the sky (!), Magnolia got people talking, even if box office was modest ($22 million versus a $37 million budget). And it nabbed three Oscar nominations, including a writing nod for Anderson.

Now: Magnolia still has a strong following (its 8.0 IMDB rating places it inside the all-time Top 250), and few films have dared to be as adventurous in the decade since. Director Anderson hasn’t been prolific, helming only two features since Magnolia, but some coined 2007’s bold There Will Be Blood an instant classic, and it scored Anderson his first Best Directing Oscar nomination.

See how M. Night Shyamalan, The Wachowski Brothers and others broke new ground in ’99 in “Was 1999 the year that changed movies? (part four)”

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