Best. Movie. Year. Ever.

How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen

By: Brian Raftery

Narrated by: George Newbern

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.

In 1999, Hollywood as we know it exploded: Fight Club. The Matrix. Office Space. Election. The Blair Witch Project. The Sixth Sense. Being John Malkovich. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. American Beauty. The Virgin Suicides. Boys Don’t Cry. The Best Man. Three Kings. Magnolia. Those are just some of the landmark titles released in a dizzying movie year, one in which a group of daring filmmakers and performers pushed cinema to new limits - and took audiences along for the ride. Freed from the restraints of budget, technology (or even taste), they produced a slew of classics that took on every topic imaginable, from sex to violence to the end of the world. The result was a highly unruly, deeply influential set of films that would not only change filmmaking, but also give us our first glimpse of the coming 21st century. It was a watershed moment that also produced The Sopranos; Apple’s Airport; Wi-Fi; and Netflix’s unlimited DVD rentals.

Best. Movie. Year. Ever. is the story of not just how these movies were made, but how they remade our own vision of the world. It features more than 130 new and exclusive interviews with such directors and actors as Reese Witherspoon, Steven Soderbergh, Sofia Coppola, David Fincher, Nia Long, Matthew Broderick, Taye Diggs, M. Night Shyamalan, David O. Russell, James Van Der Beek, Kirsten Dunst, the Blair Witch kids, the Office Space dudes, the guy who played Jar-Jar Binks, and dozens more. It’s the definitive account of a culture-conquering movie year none of us saw coming...and that we may never see again.

©2019 Brian Raftery (P)2019 Simon & Schuster

Great book

I’m a huge fan of 1990s film and worked in a theater for about six years in my late teens and early twenties. This audiobook captures that era of my life perfectly and gives a lot of insight into my favorite films of 1999.

Well worth the time and Audible credit and the narrator is perfect😎

What WAS I doing in 1999?

Please invent that time machine RIGHT NOW!! or I will just go on admonishing myself for not seeing a lot of these movies in the theaters LIKE Fight Club or Election...If I was in any way religious, I would be beating my own back right now SIGH. Sorry Paul Bettany Yes I went there.
Anyways, I loved everything about this book from start to finish and am getting it in hardback for Xmas. Thank you Jonathan. I remembered to thank him even though I will never win an Oscar😁

Really quite good

Takes a solid if not exhaustive look at the seminal films of 1999. Makes a strong case for it being the best movie year, though, admittedly, some of the movies discussed are just too far out there (Magnolia, Being John Malkovich, Eyes Wide Shut). Good insights and backbstories throughout.

Way better than I expected!

I loved all the side stories mixed in with the movie facts and major events. Very nostalgic and very interesting.

Terrific!

A grand work that does everything a movie book should. Makes you want to rewatch or watch for the first time, all of the movies. Puts you in the time and place, gives context for everything, tells funny and interesting stories, and is a real page turner. Best book.

Surprisingly enthralling

This book about movies was so engaging, I almost sat down to listen to it with a bucket of popcorn. The level of detail the author goes into about how each film was made is astounding. I thought I already knew the stories of films like "The Blair Witch" and "The Matrix", but I came away with a deeper appreciation for them and their creators. Beyond the individual films, Raftery expertly paints a bigger picture of how these films represented—and further shaped—the era from which they emerged, and how their deep influence on culture overall has left a lasting (perhaps eternal) mark.

The narrator also did an excellent job with the material and was a good fit for the book. A professional reading, uncolored by personal interpretation. There are moments where it would be easy to take creative liberties with the work, especially when reading quotes from films and other pop culture touchpoints. It was jarring the first couple of times to hear such familiar lines delivered straight, but I came to appreciate that presentation. It felt like more of a serious (but enjoyable) retelling of history than a hey-'member-this fest.

If I could take away half a star, though, it would be for two reasons:

First, though I enjoyed Newbern's reading, there were a few pronunciation quirks that make my eye twitch. There's a whole section about "The Mummy", and every time he reads "Fraser" (should be pronounced "fray-sir") as "Frasier", I wanted to throw my phone across the room. There's a particular stretch where the name pops up several times in less than a minute. I was yelling, "Fraser! FRASER!!" by the end of it. That was the most prominent one, but there were a couple of others. However, that was my only gripe about the reading.

The other reason I'd take away the half star is for the epilogue. I get why, compared to a movie year like 1999, it's easy to lament the downfall of cinema and chalk it up to, "People don't like smart stuff anymore, they just want a hundred Avengers movies!" There's a half-hearted nod to current innovators like A24 and Annapurna, and an acknowledgement that doomsayers always wail when the youngins start up with their hippity hops and their color picture shows. But for all the focus this book puts on how the new kids in 1999 turned the entertainment world on its head, the lack of foresight and understanding is frustrating. Someone new always comes along, funneling their childhood influences through the latest technologies and trends, and makes something unexpected that shakes up visual storytelling as we know it. Who cares if we don't have 57 groundbreaking theatrical wide releases every year? There's still plenty of incredible and challenging filmmaking happening, more than most people can find the time for. Raftery does give this idea a mention, but the overall sense is a longing for the good ol' days when films were real films instead of movies and TV. I'd rather have ended on an optimistic note, excited for what a new generation's version of a 1999 will be. However, since this is such a comparatively short blurb at the end, it doesn't take away from the insight and entertainment of the rest of the book. So five stars it is.

Enthralling listen if you’re nostalgic for the era

This is exactly what I was hoping for. A comprehensive, film by film narrative of an excellent movie year

Like talking about movies with a friend

Was 1999 the best movie year ever? Who cares! The title is just a springboard to talk in-depth about a great year in American cinema.

I went through a divorce in 1999, and consoled myself by going to whatever the new movie was each Friday. Maybe that's why this story resonated for me so much.

But, if you're just a movie fan, this book will still be a great listen.

George Newbern is one of my favorite narrators, and he does a great job in bringing the listener into the book.

Wish I could find more books like this to read.

Great for movie lovers

Whether or not you’ve seen every movie discussed, the depth in which Raftery explores the winding paths and many obstacles that each film had to travel and overcome just to make it to the big screen is wholly satisfying, and enriches the film on a macro level in a way that movie lovers will love and appreciate. Learning about films within the broader cultural and political moments of the time is unendingly interesting and engaging. I wish this book existed for every movie year.

A Great Summation of my favorite movie year

Narration was a bit dry but I appreciated. It was, just as the title says, the Best Movie Year Ever