Films in History (Part 7)

1996-03-08 "Fargo" directed and written by Joel and Ethan Coen, starring Frances McDormand, William H. Macy and Steve Buscemi released in the US

1996-04-04 Revival of Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee's stage drama "Inherit the Wind", starring George C. Scott and Charles Durning, opens at Royale Theater, NYC; runs for 45 performances

1996-04-29 "Rent", starring Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs, opens at Nederlander Theater NYC

1996-05-10 "Twister" disaster film written by Michael Crichton starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton premieres

1996-06-14 "Cable Guy" starring Jim Carrey is released

1996-06-25 "Independence Day", directed by Roland Emmerich, and starring Will Smith, Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum premieres in Westwood, California

1996-06-28 "Nutty Professor" starring Eddie Murphy opens in theaters in the USA

1996-08-26 "7th Heaven", starring Jessica Biel, debuts on The WB

1996-09-20 Paramount Pictures releases cult revenge comedy "The First Wives Club" starring Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton, and directed by Hugh Wilson

1996-11-06 "The English Patient" based on the novel by Michael Ondaatje, directed by Anthony Minghella and starring Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche and Kristen Scott Thomas premieres in Los Angeles (Best Picture 1997)

1996-11-18 "Star Trek: First Contact" film directed by Jonathan Frakes and starring Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes premieres

1996-12-20 Horror film classic "Scream", starring Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox, is released

1997-03-10 "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" created by Joss Whedon and starring Sarah Michelle Geller premieres on WB Television Network

1997-03-21 Film "Selena" is released based on the life of singer Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, starring Jennifer Lopez in her breakthrough role, directed by Gregory Nava

1997-04-15 Disaster film "Volcano" directed by Mick Jackson, and starring Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche premieres in South Korea

1997-05-02 "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery", starring Mike Myers and Elizabeth Hurley, is released

1997-05-07 Science fiction film "The Fifth Element" written and directed by Luc Besson, starring Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich is released. Then the most expensive European film ever made.

1997-05-19 "The Lost World: Jurassic Park", directed by Steven Spielberg, and starring Jeff Goldblum and Julianne Moore, premieres in the US

1997-06-12 "Batman and Robin" directed by Joel Schumacher, starring George Clooney, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chris O'Donnell premieres in Los Angeles

1997-09-08 TV series "Ally McBeal" starring Calista Flockhart, created by David E. Kelley premieres on Fox in the US

1997-11-01 "Titanic" directed by James Cameron, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet premieres at the Tokyo International Film Festival (Academy Awards Best Picture 1998)

1997-11-07 "Bean" film directed by Mel Smith and starring Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean opens in the US

1997-12-08 Revival of Neil Simon's comedy "The Sunshine Boys", starring Jack Klugman and Tony Randell, opens at Lyceum Theater, NYC; runs for 230 performance

1997-12-09 "Tomorrow Never Dies", 18th James Bond film starring Pierce Brosnan and Michelle Yeoh, premieres in London

1997-12-14 Revival of Arthur Miller's dramatic play "A View From the Bridge", starring Anthony LaPaglia, Allison Janney, and Brittany Murphy. opens at the Criterion Theater, NYC; runs for 239 performance, wins 2 Tony and 4 Drama Desk Awards

1997-12-15 "Spice World" movie directed by Bob Spiers and starring girl pop group the Spice Girls premieres in the UK

1998-01-20 "Dawson's Creek" created by Kevin Williamson, starring James Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson premieres on WB in the US

1998-03-01 Yasmina Reza's French stage comedy "Art", starring Alan Alda, Victor Garber, and Alfred Molina opens at Royale Theater, NYC; runs for 600 performances

1998-06-06 TV sitcom "Sex and the City" premieres in the US on HBO, starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon

1998-07-17 "The Mask of Zorro" directed by Martin Campbell, starring Antonio Banderas, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Anthony Hopkins is released

1998-07-24 "Saving Private Ryan", directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Tom Hanks, Edward Burns and Matt Damon, is released (Academy Awards Best Director 1999)

1998-08-05 The American spin-off "Whose Line Is It Anyway?", starring Ryan Stiles, Colin Mochrie, and Wayne Brady, debuts on ABC

1998-09-18 "Rush Hour" directed by Brett Ratner, starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker released - Jackie Chan's Hollywood breakthrough

1998-11-03 "Shakespeare in Love" directed by John Madden and starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes premieres in New York (Best Picture 1999)

1999-01-10 "The Sopranos", starring James Gandolfini as mobster Tony Soprano, debuts on HBO

1999-03-24 "The Matrix" film written and directed by The Wachowskis, starring Keanu Reeve, Lawrence Fishburne and Carrie-Ann Moss premieres

1999-03-31 "10 Things I Hate About You", a modernization of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, starring Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger, is released

1999-05-04 "The Mummy" film directed by Stephen Sommers starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz and John Hannah premieres in the US

1999-05-19 "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace", directed by George Lucas, starring Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Liam Neeson, is released in cinemas

1999-06-18 Hindi film "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam" premieres directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, starring Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn and Aishwarya Rai

1999-07-09 Coming of age film "American Pie" is released, directed by Paul Weitz, starring Jason Biggs, Eugene Levy, and an ensemble cast

1999-08-02 "The Sixth Sense", starring Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, and Haley Joel Osment, premieres

1999-09-02 "Being John Malkovich" premieres directed by Spike Jonze, starring John Cusack and Cameron Diaz

1999-09-08 "American Beauty", directed by Sam Mendes and starring Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, and Thora Birch, premieres in Los Angeles (Best Picture 2000)

1999-09-10 "Fight Club" film based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk, directed by David Fincher and starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt premieres at the Venice Film Festival

1999-09-22 "The West Wing" created by Alan Sorkin and starring Martin Sheen, Rob Lowe and Richard Schiff, debuts on NBC

1999-11-13 "Toy Story 2", directed by John Lasseter, starring Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, premieres in the US

2000-05-01 "Gladiator" directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix premieres in LA (Best Picture 2001)

2000-05-25 53rd Cannes Film Festival: "Dancer in the Dark" directed by Lars von Trier and starring Björk (Best Actress) wins the Palme d'Or

2000-10-03 TV series "Dark Angel" created by James Cameron and Charles H. Eglee and starring Jessica Alba premieres in the US

2001-01-19 Cult film "Donnie Darko" written and directed by Richard Kelly, starring Jake Gyllenhaal premieres at the Sundance Film Festival

2001-04-23 Fatboy Slim releases single "Weapon of Choice", music video directed by Spike Jonze starring Christopher Walken dancing

2001-05-16 "Mulholland Drive", directed by David Lynch, starring Justin Theroux and Naomi Watts, premieres at the Cannes Film Festival

2001-06-15 Indian epic "Laagan" directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, starring Aamir Khan and Gracy Singh premieres

2001-06-18 "The Fast and the Furious" film directed by Rob Cohen starring Paul Walker, Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez premieres

2001-07-09 "The Office" mockumentary created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, starring Ricky Gervais and Martin Freeman premieres on BBC Two in the UK

2001-07-16 "Jurassic Park III", starring Sam Neill and William H Macy, premieres in the US

2001-07-29 "The Princess Diaries", starring Anne Hathaway (in her film debut), featuring Julie Andrews, and directed by Garry Marshall, premieres at El Capitan theater in Hollywood

2001-10-02 "Scrubs", starring Zach Braff as Dr. John "J.D." Dorian, premieres on NBC

2001-11-04 "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" 1st film adaptation of the book series by J. K. Rowling starring Daniel Radcliffe, premieres in London (Titled "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in some markets)

2001-11-16 "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone", 1st film adaptation of the book series by J. K. Rowling starring Daniel Radcliffe, premieres in US (Titled "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's's Stone" in some markets)

2001-12-10 "The Fellowship of the Ring" Lord of the Rings film directed by Peter Jackson and starring Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen premieres in London

2002-03-09 Financial advice TV show The Suze Orman Show" starring Suze Orman premieres on CNBC

2002-05-03 "Spider-Man", starring Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin, premieres

2002-05-16 "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones" directed by George Lucas, starring Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman, opens in cinemas

2002-06-02 Crime drama "The Wire" created by David Simon and starring Idris Elba and Dominic West debuts on HBO

2002-10-24 Wuxia film "Hero" directed by Zhang Yimou, starring Jet Li released in China (US release 2004)

2002-12-06 "Adaptation" directed by Spike Jonze, starring Nicolas Cage and Meryl Streep premieres

2002-12-18 "The Hours" premieres in the US, based on the novel by Michael Cunningham and starring Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore and Nicole Kidman

2002-12-18 "The Two Towers", 2nd of the Lord of the Rings films is released. Makes US$62 opening weekend and $926 million total worldwide.

2002-12-20 "Gangs of New York", starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Cameron Diaz, is released

2002-12-27 "Chicago" (Best Picture 2003), film based on John Kander and Fred Ebb's musical, directed by Rob Marshall, starring Renée Zellweger, Richard Gere, and Catherine Zeta-Jones released.

2003-05-30 Animated fish tale "Finding Nemo", directed by Andrew Stanton, and starring Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres premieres in US and Canada

2003-06-28 "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl", directed by Gore Verbinski, starring Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom, premieres at Disneyland