Was 1999 the greatest movie year ever?
Exactly a quarter century ago, Hollywood peaked.
25 years since the cyberpunk wonders of The Wachowskis and Jim Levenstein's apple pie fiasco first flashed on screen, it's now clear that 1999 was probably the greatest-ever year for the movie business.
Never before or since has such a varied catalogue of stone-cold classics hit cinemas across a calendar year; '93 and '07 certainly had their moments with Schindler's List, Jurassic Park, No Country for Old Men, and There Will Be Blood, but the final dozen pre-Millennium months are just so stacked they're impossible to argue against.
Check out what Tinsel Town treated us to right here...
The Green Mile
Directed with heartbreaking lightness and buoyancy by Frank Darabont, this Stephen King adaptation saw Michael Clarke Duncan shine the brightest as superpowered Death Row inmate John Coffey, with Tom Hanks, Sam Rockwell, Jeffrey DeMunn and Michael Jeter providing exquisite support.
American Pie
The one that kickstarted the horniest franchise out there, American Pie cast Jason Biggs as the hopeless high-schooler Jim Levenstein, whose laugh-out-loud mission to lose his virginity may well have inspired The Inbetweeners.
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Marking the directorial feature debut of Guy Ritchie, this endlessly quotable, low-budget gangster flick launched the careers of Jason Statham, Dexter Fletcher, Nick Moran and Jason Flemying.
Fight Club
Brad Pitt's most iconic performance unfolds across David Fincher's searing comment on capitalism and identity. Ed Norton and Helena Bonham Carter are equally as unforgettable in their respective roles as The Narrator and Marla Singer.
The Sixth Sense
Master of the twist ending M. Night Shyamalan announced himself on the world stage with this understatedly intense chiller. "I see dead people", whispered by child star Haley Joel Osment's character Cole, has since entered the cinematic lexicon.
The Matrix
Keanu Reeves' first encounter with The Matrix will always be the best. Forget the three sequels; Neo's bullet-time fisticuffs with Agent Smith start and peak right here.
American Beauty
Lead by an Oscar-winning Kevin Spacey, this mesmerising suburban black-comedy sees an advertising executive become infatuated with his teenage daughter's best friend. American Beauty was the first movie from filmmaker Sam Mendes, too.
The Cider House Rules
Tobey Maguire, Charlize Theron and Michael Caine all excel in this tender tale of an orphan leaving his community for the first time to discover a whole world out there. There will be tears.
The Mummy
There's not a lot of prestige attached to The Mummy, but if you're wanting an old-school action-adventure with colourful characters and nightmare-inducing scarab beetles, you're in perfect company.
Notting Hill
Considered up there with the finest romantic-comedies ever made, Notting Hill follows the unlikely relationship between Hugh Grant's bookseller and a Hollywood A-lister played by Julia Roberts.
The Iron Giant
A beautifully animated story set during the Cold War; young Hogarth befriends an alien robot capable of annihilating humanity. The Iron Giant tops most of Pixar's output, it's just that good.
