This week, we at entertainment.ie are celebrating our fifteenth birthday; not quite old enough to hit Coppers, not too young for a few shneaky cans down the back of the school. *Disclaimer: We're not at all condoning underage drinking here*. FYI, next year will be our Super Sweet Sixteenth so we'll be expecting lots of presents, maybe a car, a diamanté encrusted watch and a guest appearance from some rapper who's friends with our Daddy.
As we celebrate this momentous occasion, we're taking a little trip down memory lane to the year we were born; 1997. If you cast your minds back, you'll recall outfits you'd now like to have had incinerated - Umbro tops, 'mom jeans' that make your arse go on forever and the likes. You'll also remember 1997 as the year Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield's ear during a boxing match, leading to his inevitable suspension. Little did he know though, he'd wangle a career as a guest star in The Hangover franchise out of it.
One thing 1997 did right, though, was movies. Here we take a look out some of our favourites from the year that was.
1. Titanic. The film that went on for about three days (OK just three hours), in which Leo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet got hot and sweaty in the car hanger of the 'unsinkable ship' on her maiden voyage. Don't worry Jack, unlike Rose who wouldn't scooch over so you could avoid freezing to death, we'll never let you go.
2. Boogie Nights. One of Paul Thomas Anderson's finest films to date (we'll reassess that when The Master comes out) which chronicles the rise and fall of a well endowed 'big, bright, shining' star during the 1970s, otherwise known as the Golden Age of Porn. Mark Wahlberg as Dirk Diggler? Enough said.
3. As Good as it Gets. Oscar winning offbeat rom-com starring Helen Hunt, Jack Nicholson in one of his greatest roles, Cuba Gooding Jr, Greg Kinnear and the cutest little movie star dog we've ever seen. Some great lines too: "How do you write women so well?" says a young lady. "I think of a man and I take away reason and accountability." says Nicholson's character. Also, this is a film we can blame for our dislike of walking on cracks on the paths.
4. Good Will Hunting. A landmark movie that secured the creative duo that would become Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. Damon stars as the titular Will Hunting; a genius working as a janitor at MIT, offered the choice of going to therapy and attending advanced maths classes in order to avoid doing jail time. Robin Williams and Minnie Driver's jaw also star.
5. Grosse Pointe Blank. For an actress that we haven't had much use out of lately, it's strange that Minnie Driver would feature twice on our best of 1997 list. Here she stars opposite professional assassin John Cusack as they return to their 10 year High School reunion. A black comedy with a stellar soundtrack.
6. Lastly, 'cause we're Oirish 'n all, we couldn't cast our minds back to this particular year and leave out Neil Jordan's seminal The Butcher Boy; the bizarre and surreal tragicomic story of Francie, a young boy who, upon the death of both his mother and father, spirals into a state of near constant paranoia which culminates in the murder of his nasty neighbour, Mrs Nugent. A fine string to the bow of Irish cinema.