15 Movies That Transformed Cinema In 1999

By Michael Perone /

3. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut

The only movie title to rival the length of Star Wars' in 1999, this film's raw crudeness and near brilliance in its dead-on parody of American small towns (and small-town thinking), war, the MPAA, parent-child relations, and two little lovebirds named Satan and Saddam Hussein shocked the sh*t out of the movie-going public. And it was an R-rated cartoon musical to boot! The music itself was so successful, one of its songs, "Blame Canada," was nominated for an Academy Award - with no less than Robin Williams singing it live during the ceremony. Fifteen years and over 100 South Park episodes later, the movie is still somewhat shocking (in a good way), despite the fact that we now know Saddam Hussein was killed by hanging, not mauled by a pack of wild boars, as the movie so vividly reports. Sad to say Simpsons fans, but South Park fared better on the big screen than your beloved yellow family. I know, I know: blasphemy! Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone would go on to write the equally blasphemous Broadway musical The Book of Mormon, which won nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Is a South Park musical bound for the boards as well? Only time will tell, but we sure do hope so.