My Must See Films of 1999 Part 2

Last week I counted down the first five films that I consider must see from 1999. They were a very diverse group of films but each possessed certain elements of pop culture stamina or brilliance that they couldn’t be ignored. The top five are just after the break and I’ve been anticipating this moment ever since I finished my research on the 1990’s. I’m bringing you this article a few days early because I’ve got some very important plans and maybe articles planned for this weekend and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do all the articles justice if I tried cramming them in altogether. It’s a few days early but here is the finale to my Must See Films of 1999.

My Must See Films of 1999: Part One

The year 1999 just might be the most event filled year I have covered during these articles. With my list exploding to ten films for this year, I contemplated leaving out the tidbits and facts from 1999 but upon further review, there was just no way could I do that. 1999 saw the world lose their shit with the prospect of the “Y2K” problem. People were stockpiling food and businesses were doing everything they could to ensure that infrastructures wouldn’t fail. By the time the ball dropped in Times Square though, everything would continue as it had for years before and we all survived the Y2K crisis. The population of our planet passed the six billion mark during the year. Dr. Jack Kevorkian is sentenced to prison for assisting in the suicide of one of this patients. Two high school students open fire at their high school in Columbine, Colorado, and killing 15 people including themselves. Lance Armstrong wins the Tour de France, the first of six victories, and the US Women’s Soccer team wins the World Cup. Internet Explorer 5 is released. Napster and MySpace are started and Bluetooth technology is announced to the world. MySpace was a virtual storage site before it became the social media juggernaut in the years to follow. As eventful as the year was for the world in general, it was just as eventful at the cinema.

My Must See Films of 1998

After the past two Must See Films reviews I’m so excited to jump into 1998. Not that the past two years haven’t been fun but they didn’t exactly get my creative juices flowing. That shouldn’t be a problem this week. 1998 saw some incredible scandals at the highest levels of political office but it also saw some amazing developments for peace. There were also devastating events triggered by Mother Nature that caused astounding levels of loss. President Bill Clinton was accused of having sexual relations with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. He denied these allegations but later admitted to having had an improper relationship with her. He was later impeached but was not removed from office. Northern Ireland signed the Belfast Agreement with Irish and British governments, ending years of terrorist bombings in all three countries. The European Union finally passes legislation allowing a European currency, the Euro, to be acceptable in every country. Hurricane Mitch makes landfall in Central America killing an estimated 18,000 people. Earthquakes hit a majority of the continents on the planet causing massive amounts of damage and loss of life. Exxon and Mobil merge their oil companies creating the world’s largest petroleum company. The world of film also mirrored the amazing diversity and change that was occurring in the world around it. There were 383 films released in the United States and they grossed a combined $6,520,965,179. 1998 just might be my favorite year of films that I have covered so far. There are so many films that were released in 1998 that I remember fondly and narrowing that list down to only five was a chore. The list is extremely strong on my opinion and I can’t wait to see what everyone has to say about it. Without any further ado, these are my Must See Films of 1998.

The Must See Films of 1997

1997 was a year of massive events, social and movie alike. The biggest event of the year was a tragic one. The former Princess of Wales, Diana, died in an accident in a tunnel in Paris. Her loss was felt around the globe and her funeral was watched by 1.5 billion people on television. That’s an amazing figure no matter how you slice it. China slaughtered every single chicken in their country after the first cases of humans contracting Avian Flu were traced back to chicken consumption. OJ Simpson was found guilty of murder by a civil jury panel. Microsoft becomes the most valuable company on the planet. Their net value is estimated at $261 billion. The Simpsons became the longest running prime time animated series of all time. Notorious BIG was killed in a drive by shooting. Lastly, a little known book was released in the UK and US called “Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone”. It was the beginning of a global phenomenon, the likes of which we’d never seen since perhaps the Beatles.

Movies weren’t much different from real life. The list of films that were released was defined by an event atmosphere. It was perhaps the beginning of the “event movie” mentality that we have become accustomed to in recent years. There were 329 films released in the US and they grossed a combined $6,394,300,156. In my opinion there were quite a few films that I would deem guilty pleasures released in 1997, so I found it extremely difficult to find five films that would be necessary viewing. The films that did make the list aren’t short on diversity but stacked up against previous years, like 1995, you’d be hard pressed to find two films from this list that would make that one. Without any further ado, these are my Must See Films of 1997.

SBS Top Ten Royal Rumble Match Moments

The Royal Rumble, which happens this on January 26^th, is an event that allows the members of Snowball Summit to get together and act like kids for a couple of hours. We routinely get together for the massive WWE Pay Per View events like the Rumble and Wrestlemania. We were all fans of wrestling growing up and with Gary and I, we are still fans. It’s still real to us damn it. So with the massively popular event on the horizon, Gary and I have joined forces and picked our favorite moments from the past Royal Rumble over the past 24 years. The moments are ranked in a list that Gary and I debated for some time but in no way are we claiming that they are the definitive moments in Royal Rumble history. Gary picked five moments that he remembers fondly and I’ve picked five moments that I found memorable and important to the business overall. The list speaks for itself so I’ll stop building it up and let you all enjoy the mayhem that ensues after the break.

Must See Films of 1996

1996 was a year of celebration and change in the United States but a troubling trend of terrorist action and senseless attacks on civilians really was the top headline of the year. Atlanta, Georgia welcomed the world by hosting the Summer Olympics. The Olympics were a great event but a bomb was detonated in a park towards the end of the event. Bill Clinton won the Presidential election in the fall to remain the White House for four more years. There were terrorist attacks in England and France while gunmen attacked innocents in Scotland and Tasmania. Prince Charles divorced from his wife, Princess Diana of Wales, ending what most considered to a real life fairytale. Scientists were able to successfully clone a mammal for the first time when Dolly the sheep was cloned. eBay and Ask Jeeves were launched and the number of internet users exceeds ten million. 1996 saw 310 films released domestically, raking in $5,670,137,686. You’d think that with 310 films to choose from that it’d be really tough to pick only five but I didn’t have too much difficulty with this year. For one of the first times, I actually saw a great deal of films from 1996, so there weren’t too many omissions because I haven’t seen them. Five films made the finals so let’s see who won the gold for my Must See Films of 1996.

Jeremy’s Most Anticipated Movies of 2012!

There is no way around it. Aside from being the year that is prophesied to doom us all, there is at least a silver-lining in the fact that this year (as long as we survive it) will be fondly remembered as a touchstone in cinema. With how cyclic of a nature movies are nowadays, it’s expected for there to be a period of good movies and a period of bad movies. But sometimes the stars align in such a way that humanity is bestowed great copious amounts of fortune. It’s just the natural ebb and flow of life and art. With 2012, we movie aficionados are graced with a year that will be revered for years to come.

Join me in discovering what some of the most exciting films of 2012 are.

Must See Films of 1995

We’ve reached the midway point in our journey through the decade we know all too well. 1995 saw some significant advances in technology but it were still natural disasters and combat that stole the headlines throughout the year. America was rocked from coast to coast by the worst domestic terrorist attack in history when a truck bomb ripped through an Oklahoma City building, killing a 168 people. Bosnian Serbs attacked and took the city of Srebrenica from peace keeping troops and started the worst atrocities of ethnic cleansing since World War II. They killed 7,000 Muslim men and raped hundreds of Muslim women. Terrorists released Sarin nerve gas in a Japanese subway station killing twelve people and sending 5,000 people to the hospital. OJ Simpson was found not guilty of murder in the most popularized trial this country had ever seen. JavaScript was introduced, which is now used in almost each and every website on the internet. Windows 95 is released and The New York Times and Washington Post publish the 35,000 word manifesto of the Unibomber.

1995 saw the beginning of an upswing in the amount of films released domestically that would trend throughout the rest of the decade. There were a total of 273 films released that year and they grossed a combined $5,432,460,192. 1995 saw some of my favorite films released and deciding which five should be picked as the Must See of that year was very difficult. There were plenty of films that I could have included for personal reasons but in the end I was able to decide on five films that were more important than the rest. These are my Must See Films of 1995.

Must See Films of 1994

1994 is a year that saw a lot of surreal moments. Major League Baseball went on strike and the entire season was lost. The completion of the English Chunnel was completed, connecting England and France. Tonya Harding was stripped of her figure skating gold medal after it was found out she had orchestrated an attack on her rival, Nancy Kerrigan. OJ Simpson and his now infamous white Ford Bronco fled police in Los Angeles. People flocked to the theaters more than ever in 1994. There were a total of 223 films released in the United States and they grossed a total of $5,058,943,669. Out of those 223 films only five could make the cut as the Must See Films of that year and I’m sure there will be some heat for one film that didn’t make the cut.

Must See Films of 1993

1993 is a year that was full of world events, domestic happenings and film openings that not only changed our lives but the lives of people all over the globe. It’s hard to pick out any one year and say that it was more important than another year but 1993 is definitely a very significant year. 1993 is a year dominated by terrorism, domestic and international, and natural disasters. The World Trade Center was bombed for the first time. A compound in Waco, Texas was raided by government officials resulting in the deaths of every member inside the compound. Earthquakes rocked Asia resulting in several thousand deaths in Japan, India, and Indonesia. Not everything that happened in 1993 was destructive though. Intel introduced their first Pentium Processor, which helped revolutionize the way computers could perform, and one of the biggest toy crazes of the decade was launched when Beanie Babies hit the streets. As crazy as the world was around us, the films being released that year were just as devastating and awe-inspiring. There were a total of 207 films released in the United States and they grossed a combined $4,873,434,102. Normally I find that task of choosing only five films a very difficult process and with 1993 it wasn’t any different. In fact it was impossible. 1993 produced seven films that I feel are the Must See Films of that year and for the first time, there is a tie. So without any further build up and hype, these are my Must See films of 1993.