1999: The Podcast

Afleveringen

• 
  BICENTENNIAL MAN 05.08.2026 1u 5min

  Bicentennial Man was the 40th highest grossing movie of 1999, opening December 17th in 4th place and taking in $87 million dollars worldwide on an almost literally unbelievable $100 million dollar budget. It's also the one movie of the year to star the late Sam Neill. Directed by Chris Columbus with script by Elia Kazan’s son Nicholas Kazan, based on the short story “The Bicentennial Man” AND the novel “The Positronic Man” by Isaac Asimov, with perhaps the most phoned-in score James Horner ever wrote, Bicentennial Man stars Robin Williams, Sam Neil, Embeth Davidtz, Wendy Crewson, Oliver Platt, Kiersten Warren, Hallie Eisenberg, John Michael Higgins, Bradley Whitford, Stephen Root, and noted January 6th Capitol Insurrectionist, Jay Johnston. This week, John and Julia talk "family films", uncanny valleys, Williams, and, of course, Sam Neill.
• 
  TOY STORY 2 (Revisited) 21.07.2026 1u 19min

  This summer's Toy Story 5 is unique among Toy Story movies in that it's a direct continuation of the story of Toy Story 2, so we decided it was a great time to take a second look at Toy Story 2! Originally conceived as a direct-to-video sequel, Toy Story 2 opened November 19, 1999, bringing in $487 million worldwide and going on to become the 3rd-highest grossing movie of the year. The film brought back Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Annie Potts, Laurie Metcalf, R. Lee Ermey, Estelle Harris, from the first film, adding Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Wayne Knight, and Ariel the Little Mermaid herself, Jodi Benson as Barbie, and this time Randy Newman brought in Sarah McLachlan to help craft the most famously devastating three minutes in the whole series.
• 
  (Rerelease from 6/25) - AUSTIN POWERS: THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME - with Siri Dahl 07.07.2026 1u 35min

  Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me was the 4th-highest grossing movie of 1999, behind Toy Story 2, The Sixth Sense, and The Phantom Menace, opening on June 11 and taking in $55 million that weekend, going on to make $206 million at the domestic box office on a $33 million budget. Directed by Jay Roach and written by Mike Myers and Michael McCullers, The Spy Who Shagged Me saw Heather Graham stepping in to the Powers Girl role, replacing Elizabeth Hurley. The hugely anticipated and hyped sequel to the 1997 original, the movie came in with sky high expectations. The results were, well...mixed. But there's no question that Austin Powers was a huge cultural milestone, so we wanted to see how it held up. Helping us get the summer off to the most shagadelic start possible is actor, writer, podcaster, and activist ⁠Siri Dahl!⁠
• 
  See Also: HARDBALL (2001) - with Jacki Krestel 23.06.2026 1u 22min

  VARSITY BLUES director Brian Robbins follow-up was another inspirational, somewhat edgy sports movie HARDBALL - this time about baseball and set in Chicago. 1999 icon Keanu Reeves plays down-on-his-luck sports gambler Conor O'Neill who finds himself the head coach of an inner-city Chicago youth baseball team. Somehow, he makes the team better. Somehow, the team makes him better. Diane Lane is also involved for unclear reasons. Is HARDBALL a good baseball movie? No. But is it a good movie? Also no. But the kids are great, including a very young Michael B. Jordan. Anyway, since it's about baseball and set in Chicago, Jacki Krestel is once again with us to talk about how, if you're going to make a baseball movie, you gotta actually demonstrate that you love baseball!
• 
  VARSITY BLUES - with Jacki Krestel 09.06.2026 1u 29min

  We sadly lost 1990s icon James Van Der Beek in February, so we decided it was time to look at his most prominent non-Dawson's Creek role - the teen comedy-drama sports movie Varsity Blues. Released very early in the year on January 15th, Varsity Blues was the 45th highest grossing movie of the year. Opening as a surprise number, it made back most of its 16 million dollar budget in its debut weekend and would go on to gross an impressive 54 million dollars worldwide, but it really became a summertime hit in its home video release in June. Also starring Jon Voight, Paul Walker, Ron Lester, Scott Caan, Amy Smart, Ali Larter, and a little baby Jesse Plemons, and featuring an incredibly 1999 soundtrack including Foo Fighters, Green Day, Collective Soul, Third Eye Blind and Fastball, Varsity Blues has something of a cult status, in part due to one very memorable line delivery. But how does it hold up as a teen movie or a sports film? This week, our friend Jacki Krestel joins us to talk sports, teens, 90s tropes, and James Van Der Beek. Jack writes about baseball on her blog, Jack Likes Baseball.
• 
  See Also: PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE (2002) 28.05.2026 1u 6min

  Last time we looked at Paul Thomas Anderson's 1999 film Magnolia, so we decided to take a look at his follow-up, 2002's Adam Sandler-led absurdist romantic dramedy Punch-Drunk Love. Anderson's shortest and most overlooked film, Punch-Drunk Love is now considered by many to be among his best. At 95 minutes, the film never faulters and drags, and its balance of performance, direction, and musical score amount to so much more than the sum of their parts. It also has some interesting connection to 1999, not least because Anderson - a huge Adam Sandler fan - was determined to cast him in his film after seeing 1999's Big Daddy.
• 
  MAGNOLIA (Revisited) - with Holly Brown 12.05.2026 1u 27min

  We last talked about Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia nearly four years ago, so given Anderson recently (finally) won an Oscar for One Battle After Another, what better time than now for a revisit? Magnolia was a modest commercial success at the time but was lauded by critics, became something of a cult hit, and eventually worked its way into the cultural zeitgeist, in no so small part due to Tom Cruise's character Frank TJ Mackey (and his, uh...speeches). The film has, for a number of reasons, taken on new cultural significance in the ensuing years, and as Anderson's oeuvre grows ever larger, we wanted to know how and where Magnolia fits. Joining us this time is Holly Brown, Magnolia super fan and host/creator of the new podcast Everybody Knows But Me You can find out more about Holly at her website: https://www.hollyanabelbrown.com/
• 
  See Also: WAG THE DOG (1998) 21.04.2026 1u 9min

  A president faking a war to distract from a political scandal?? WHAT??? We’re doing a new See Also this week, related to some of the recent movies we’ve discussed. The 57th highest-grossing movie of 1997 and the 46th highest-grossing of 1998. Released limited on Christmas Day 1997 and wide on January 4th 1998 where it finished 4th behind Titanic, Good Will Hunting, and As Good As It Gets, it went on to gross 64 million dollars on a 15 million dollar budget Directed by Baltimore Barry Levinson and written by Hilary Henkin and David Mamet, and starring Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Anne Heche, Denis Leary, Woody Harrelson, Willie Nelson, Kirsten Dunst, Andrea Martin, John Michael Higgins, Suzanne Cryer, Hollywood’s most famous Albanian Jim Belushi, and William H. Macy, Wag the Dog found itself on several year-end Best Of lists. It is certified fresh on RT with a score of 86 and a strong Metacritic score of 74. It was nominated for 2 Golden Globes – Best Picture Comedy, Best Actor Hoffman, and Best Adapted Screenplay for Henkin and Mamet, along with 2 Oscars -one, for Hoffman and the other for screenplay. Does it hold up? Spoiler alert: Yes.
• 
  EDtv - with Will Weldon 07.04.2026 1u 49min

  EDtv opened in third place on March 26th right behind our last movie, Analyze This in 2nd and Forces of Nature in 1st, going on to gross $35 million worldwide on a budget of $80 million. Directed by Ron Howard, it is a remake of the 1994 Quebecois film Louis 19, King of the Airwaves, with a script adapted by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, it stars Matthew McConaughey, Jenna Elfman, Woody Harrelson, Ellen DeGeneres, Sally Kirkland, a frankly Oscar-worthy Martin Landau, Rob Reiner, Dennis Hopper, Elizabeth Hurley, Harry Shearer, Ian Gomez, Rupaul, Michael Moore, Jay Leno, George Plimpton, and Bill Maher. EDtv tells the story of a regular guy whose life becomes a 24-hour reality show. It did modestly well with critics, but it was drowned out by 1998's similarly-premised (but in no way similar) The Truman Show. Anyway, since it's the only 1999 movie to feature Bill Maher, we invited the host of the I Hate Bill Maher Podcast, comedian Will Weldon, to talk about this incredibly confused, frustrating movie, which remains notable for being the start of the McConaughey-Harrelson (possibly literal) Bromance! Will's on Bluesky and other social media @oldmanweldon
• 
  [RERELEASE]: FOR LOVE OF THE GAME: - with Jacki Krestel 24.03.2026 1u 14min

  57th on the 1999 box office chart, For Love of the Game marked director Raimi’s first foray into big-budget, mass-market filmmaking (which would ultimately pave the way for being handed the enormous task of finally bringing Spiderman to the screen in 2002) But love and baseball was very different territory for Raimi, and his inexperience in the realm of pop movie making (as well as in directing romance) proved to be a hindrance. For Love of the Game is, unofficially, the third and final entry in Kevin Costner's baseball trilogy, following 1989's Field of Dreams and 1988's Bull Durham. The film tries to balance its dual nature as a romance and a straight sports movie, and while it occasionally hits the mark, most critics agreed: For Love of the Game is pretty great when it's about the game, and not so great when it's about the love. But it's baseball season, and this was by far 1999's biggest baseball-themed movie, so we asked friend of the show - and White Sox diehard - Jacki Krestel to help us call some balls and strikes on this one!
• 
  OSCARS SPECIAL 2026 14.03.2026 56min

  It's Oscars Weekend! 1999 was a weird year in Oscar history, as the awards held that year saw one of the most controversial Best Picture wins ever (SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE) and the awards held the following year honoring the awards of 1999 gave the Best Picture Oscar to a film that, well, has not aged well at all (AMERICAN BEAUTY) So to mark the weekend, we took some time to discuss those two films and their legacies and discussed our picks for some of the worst Best Picture wins in recent history. We talk FORREST GUMP, BRAVEHEART, ANORA, CRASH, and more!
• 
  ANALYZE THIS - with Chase Mitchell 24.02.2026 1u 22min

  Analyze This was the 18th-highest grossing movie of 1999, opening on at #1 March 5th – the same day as Cruel Intentions, which opened number 2 - and taking in $177 million worldwide on an $80 million budget. Analyze This gave us the unlikely comedy duo of Billy Crystal and (a then new to comedy) Robert DeNiro, alongside Lisa Kudrow, Chazz Palminteri, and Joe Viterelli Directed by the late great Harold Ramis and written by Ramis, Peter Tolan, and, somewhat shockingly, Kenneth Lonergan, Analyze This made a lot of its then very novel premise of a gangster getting therapy...but also happened to be released a few months after the premiere of the The Sopranos. This week, we're rejoined by our friend, comedy writer Chase Mitchell. Chase is on the socials at @ChaseMit
• 
  See Also: WHEN HARRY MET SALLY (1989) - with Dan Colón 13.02.2026 1u 24min

  It's Valentine's Day, so we're taking one last look at the non-1999 landscape before we return to 1999 next week with the movie that reset the standard for romantic comedies, Rob Reiner's When Harry Met Sally. Joining us is returning friend of the pod Dan Colón, co-host of our podcast network's very own The Monsters that Made Us. We talk Crystal, Ryan, Carrie Fisher, Barry Sonnenfeld, and if we've really seen a romantic comedy since (not called Notting Hill) that has come close to reaching its considerable romcom heights.
• 
  See Also: FATHER MOTHER SISTER BROTHER (2025) 13.01.2026 57min

  This week, Julia reports back from the screening she attended of "Father Mother Sister Brother", the latest from "Ghost Dog" writer/director Jim Jarmusch. "Father Mother Sister Brother" is an anthology dramedy starring Tom Waits, Adam Driver, Mayim Bialik, Charlotte Rampling, Cate Blanchett, Vicky Krieps, Sarah Greene, Indya Moore, and Luka Sabbat. Julia and John discuss the film and take another stab at what makes a Jarmusch film a Jarmusch film, the career of Tom Waits, great casting, and some of their favorite anthology films.
• 
  THE STORY OF US/In Memory of Rob Reiner (1947-2025) - with Nitish Pahwa 30.12.2025 1u 28min

  In honor of the late Rob Reiner we are looking at The Story of Us, the 74th highest-grossing movie of the year, finishing just ahead of earlier entry Blast from the Past. Opening #2 behind Fight Club on October 15th and going on to gross $59 million worldwide on a $50 million dollar budget. Starring Bruce Willis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Reiner himself, Rita Wilson, Julie Hagerty, Paul Reiser, and Tim Matheson, The Story of Us is one of Reiner’s worst-reviewed movies, who, after an unbelievable run of movies in the late 80s and early 90s started running into trouble in the late 90s and early 2000s with the likes of this, Rumor Has It, and the aggressively sentimental and fluffy The Bucket List. Is The Story of Us as bad as critics said? Or does it belong alongside When Harry Met Sally, Reiner's romcom masterpiece that it goes so far out its way to evoke? We welcome Slate's Nitish Pahwa to discuss marriage, casting, bad writing, unnecessary monologues, and the greatness of Rob Reiner. Nitish is on Bluesky @nitishpahwa.com
• 
  See Also: A VERY ALTERNATIVE CHRISTMAS 24.12.2025 1u 26min

  Merry Christmas and happy every other holiday! In this episode, John and Julia each recommend five of their favorite "alternative" Christmas movies. The like of It's a Wonderful Life, Home Alone, Love Actually, Miracle on 34th Street, and, yes, even Die Hard are off-limits. Instead, we present 10 movies that are maybe not in your annual Christmas rotation but ought to be! Enjoy! Julia's picks: The Ref (1994) Carol (2015) The Man Who Came to Dinner (1941) A Christmas Tale (2008) The Shop Around the Corner (1940) John's picks: Rare Exports (2010) A Midwinter's Tale (1995) 8-Bit Christmas (2021) About A Boy (2002) Little Women (1994)
• 
  GHOST DOG: THE WAY OF THE SAMURAI - with Sean Malin 16.12.2025 1u 38min

  It's Christmas time, so we're looking at a movie that tells the story of a mysterious man who spends a lot of time on the roof with his animal friends and has the ability to sneak into your house undetected as if by magic: Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai! Ghost Dog appears nowhere on the 1999 box office charts because it technically didn’t have a major theatrical release in the US until March of 2000 (it did begin its festival run in 1999, starting in May at the Cannes Film Festival where it was nominated for the Palme D’or) Starring Forest Whitaker and written and directed by Jim Jarmusch with a score by Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA, Ghost Dog is a movie unlike any other, aggressively defying genre and staying laser-focused on its bizarre but endearing vision. This week, John and Julia are joined by returning guest Sean Malin, author of the just-released book The Podcast Pantheon to talk Whitaker, Jarmusch, podcasts, Jon Hamm, and Christmas movies!
• 
  See Also: SHATTERED GLASS (2003) 26.11.2025 58min

  The first of what will be a series of smaller episodes where we take a look at a movie that is somehow related to our most recent subject. This time, our See Also recommendation for The Insider is Billy Ray's superb 2003 docudrama/thriller Shattered Glass. Featuring incredible performances from a uniformly excellent cast, especially Hayden Christensen as the title character and Peter Sarsgaard as New Republic editor Chuck Lane, Shattered Glass deserves it place among the best movies about journalism and the best movies of 2003. It's also newly relevant in the midst of the Olivia Nuzzi of it all, and we talk about how the cult of personality around "The Writer" has impacted journalism for the worse. You can watch Shattered Glass right now for free on Tubi.
• 
  THE INSIDER - with Lindsay Beyerstein 18.11.2025 1u 13min

  Michael Mann's The Insider is easily the most glaring omission from the our initial 18, universally regarded as one of the best – if not THE best – movie of 1999. Finishing in 69th place, sandwiched between two previous entries, Girl Interrupted at 70th and Mystery Men at 68th, The Insider stars Russell Crowe, in an Oscar-nominated performance, and Al Pacino alongside an incredibly deep supporting class (including the greatest character actor alive, Stephen Tobolowsky) Directed by Michael Mann and adapted from the 1996 Vanity Fair article "The Man Who Knew Too Much" by Marie Brenner, The Insider received rave reviews, wound up on countless year-end top 10 lists, and was nominated for a slew of Oscars, including Mann for directing and screenwriting, but was shut out by the juggernaut that was American Beauty. Since it's widely regarded as one of Mann's best films and one the best films ever made about journalism, we invited investigative journalist Lindsay Beyerstein to tell us how well the movie mirrors real life and to dig into what it's like to watch a movie about CBS News struggling to maintain its integrity as a journalistic entity in the bleak future of 26 years later. Lindsay is on Bluesky @beyerstein
• 
  TRUE CRIME (1999) and JUROR #2 (2024) - with Aaron from HIT FACTORY 04.11.2025 1u 50min

  True Crime was the 94th-highest grossing movie of 1999, grossing just $17 million on a $50 million budget with a fairly limited release. Starring and directed by Clint Eastwood, True Crime was largely forgotten and remains overlooked most likely due to its release at what can be described as Eastwood’s most prolonged artistic lull in the mid 1990s, starting with 1997’s Absolute Power and Midnight in the Garden of Eden, 2000’s Space Cowboys, and 2002’s Blood Work. That lull would end with 2003’s acclaimed Mystic River, which earned Oscars for both Sean Penn and Tim Robbins as well as Best Director and Best Picture nominations for Eastwood. But True Crime is still an interesting entry on Eastwood's resume, exploring many of the themes of injustice and moral ambiguity that he frequently explores in his work. So does the similarly-themed 2024 film Juror #2, which Eastwood directed in his mid-90s. So this week we're talking about them both, and joining is us is Aaron from the podcast Hit Factory.