PRINTThere’s something about ’98
Another generation of moviemakers took detailed notes on 1998’s successful films
May 15, 2008 | 12:00 a.m. CST
It is easy to say that any year was a transitional year in Hollywood, but for 1998 that statement is actually true. Movie studios were in an uproar after a record-breaking year in 1997, which had the highest grossing movie of all-time, Titanic, and the most profitable movie of all-time, The Full Monty. A year later The Blair Witch Project trumped Monty’s mark, which left movie studios confused about what exactly the public wanted.
In ’98, movie studios started throwing money at types of films they never had before, says Ron Falzone, screenwriter and film professor at Columbia College Chicago. Because moviegoers scored with a wide variety of films that year, Vox looks back at some decade-old films and analyzes their impact on recent releases.
Of all of the filmmakers to break out in the past decade, none is as influential as Wes Anderson. A true auteur, Anderson writes, directs and produces all of his films, which gives him total control over the final product.
In the past 10 years, Anderson has released Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The Darjeeling Limited. Anderson’s style is so unconventional that critics and audiences often are split on how they feel about his films.
Jeff Millar of the Houston Chronicle writes in a review of Rushmore in 1998: “This film is so not-from-the-cookie-cutter, so unaccommodating of our expectations, that we can’t anticipate where Anderson’s going to take us. Every scene is a discovery or sly diversion.”
Anderson’s influence on recent releases from major studios has also been noteworthy. Movies such as Juno and Little Miss Sunshine, which were both more successful at the box office and the Academy Awards than any of Anderson’s films, share a lot of style and quirks with Anderson’s films, including characters that rely on sardonic dialogue and a slight detachment from reality.
“There has definitely been a series of indie-adolescent movies over the past few years,” says Brian about films such as Juno and Little Miss Sunshine, but also about indie dramedies such as The Squid and the Whale and Thumbsucker.
Although Anderson’s style is sometimes off-putting to more conventional audiences, young people and hipsters can’t seem to get enough. Regardless of whether he is loved or hated, no one can say that he doesn’t take risks with his style of filmmaking. His impact on Hollywood (and on the careers of Luke and Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman and Anjelica Huston) doesn’t go unnoticed either.
American History X
American History X confronts racism head-on and shows the consequences of such prejudice. Edward Norton was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as a guy who transforms from a white supremacist to a clear-headed, reformed man during his time in prison.
Seven years later, the racially charged Crash won three Oscars, including Best Picture. Looking back, it seems Hollywood and American moviegoers alike weren’t quite ready for an intense drama about racism in ’98. Perhaps American History X’s extreme portrayal made it easier for Crash’s more subtle use of racial tension to be accepted by film audiences.
The Big Lebowski
Even though it wasn’t a hit at the box office, The Big Lebowski has gained much popularity over the years. “It has got to be the biggest cult film right now among young people,” says Falzone. The Coen brothers’ use of surrealism has shown up in recent releases, says Falzone.
I Heart Huckabees and Lars and the Real Girl are two comedies that try to recreate a sense of distorted reality similar to Lebowski’s. And aside from other movies, cult fans everywhere dream of one day being as cool as The Dude, who is the Arthur Fonzarelli of a new generation.
Blade
Nothing brings nerds out of their parents’ basements more than R-rated movies featuring their favorite superheroes. The first Blade movie was released before X-Men, Spider-Man and the hordes of other comic book movies that followed. Before its release, no other notable comic book movies had attempted to soak the screen with so much blood.
2005’s V for Vendetta followed Blade’s lead in that they both had stylish action, a noble protagonist and popularity with comic book and graphic novel fans. Both films had much more violence than their PG-13 brethren, and both Blade and V beat down bad guys with more style than anyone else, caped or not.
A Bug's Life
Toy Story was a big hit at the box office, but Pixar proved that computer-animated films were here to stay after releasing A Bug’s Life in 1998. The cute, talking insects helped the movie gross $162 million that year.
Of course, computer-animated movies are commonplace now, and Dreamworks Animation’s Bee Movie has some obvious similarities with A Bug’s Life — namely the rebellious talking insect protagonists.
Gods and Monsters
A recent revival in Hollywood is the biopic. Biographic films weren’t popular movies before the release of Gods and Monsters, which profiled the director of the original Frankenstein. “These movies did a good job of reminding us that real people are more interesting than fictional people,” Falzone says.
Audiences have shown their love for these films with high dollars and high awards. Since 2005, Jamie Foxx, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Reese Witherspoon have each won Oscars for portraying real people in biopics.
Godzilla
Really? That pile of garbage with Matthew Broderick and a stupid-looking monster is considered an influential film? Well, few filmmakers were taking notes on the acting or plot, but the past decade’s producers were taking notes on the potential success of big-budget monster movies.
Giant monsters attacked New York City in both 2005’s King Kong and 2008’s Cloverfield. Godzilla wasn’t a great picture, but it seemed to inspire Hollywood to throw some money at monsters.
There's Something About Mary
There really is something about Mary. This film and others established the Farrelly brothers as the kings of gross-out humor in the ’90s. It also helped launch Ben Stiller’s career into orbit.
So a Farrelly brothers and Ben Stiller reunion movie was sure to be a hit, but unfortunately 2007’s The Heartbreak Kid provided more yawns than laughs. “The Heartbreak Kid tried really hard to be a Farrelly brothers movie but also with a mix of Judd Apatow’s style,” says Mitch Brian, screenwriter and visiting professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. It ultimately failed, grossing a paltry $37 million at the box office compared to Mary’s $176 million. Perhaps the Farrelly brothers should use some more “hair gel” to keep their career erect.
Rushmore
Wes Anderson was a breath of fresh air when he released Rushmore in 1998. It was Jason Schwartzman’s debut film, and it features dry humor and unorthodox story lines.
The success of Rushmore and other Anderson films showed that indie movies with quirky characters could be successful. Big hits Juno and Little Miss Sunshine both share a tone and style similar to Anderson’s films.
