Taxi Driver and The Fast and the Furious aren’t alone at the birthday party this year, because Cineworld is celebrating 30 wonderful years. To mark the occasion in suitable cinematic fashion, we delved into the archives and looked back at some of the biggies from the past 30 years.
And because it’s our party and we’ll screen if we want to, we’re showing some of our favourite film releases throughout September. After all, when you’re 30, you need a whole month to celebrate, natch. Have a click on the button and flick through to see which films you’re going to want to book. (We’ll give you a clue: pretty much all of them.)
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Trainspotting, 1996 (1 September)
A film about addiction that’s stylishly bright and colourful, with great pop music yet doesn’t shirk from the lows – and the highs – of its subject. On paper it sounds unworkable; on screen, it was Trainspotting. A cult following ensued; the film infiltrated popular culture and has frequently appeared on lists of the greatest British films. It won the BAFTA for Best Adapted Screenplay and had a cultural impact. Want to see Begbie and the boys on the big screen? Choose Cineworld.
Independence Day, 1996 (7 September)
The alien invasion film, melded with a disaster movie, was a colossal success. One of the defining summer blockbusters of the 1990s had a bit of everything: sci-fi, big-spectacle disaster, military action, comedy, and family drama. No wonder it pulled in the crowds and made the big bucks. In that scene, we see the White House destroyed. Still shocking. It bagged a well-deserved Oscar for Best Visual Effects.
Fargo, 1996 (12 September)
The snow, Frances McDormand, inept thugs and bungled killings, and that Minnesota accent courtesy of the Coen brothers, leave an indelible mark. Genre-busting, the story mixed dark humour with bloody violence and pitched the bad-hearted Jerry (William H. Macy), who hatches a plot to have his wife kidnapped, against a stupid criminal (Steve Buscemi) and the good (Frances McDormand, the pregnant police officer tasked with sorting them out). A character forever in our hearts? You betcha.
The film was a major Oscars success, winning Best Actress for McDormand and Best Original Screenplay for the Coen brothers.
Jerry Maguire, 1996 (15 September)
If there was a film that captured the optimism of the 1990s, it was Jerry Maguire. From seeing Tom Cruise in what could be his most sincere role, to iconic lines like ‘Show me the money’ and ‘You had me at hello’, there’s so much about this unforgettable film. The film has so much heart, humour and emotion, plus it’s set in the world of sports business, which gives it energy. And it raises the question of life satisfaction – do we get that from work, or from love and play?
The Truman Show, 1998 (18 September)
The brilliance of The Truman Show still stands in our reality-show-obsessed world. Add influencers sharing their lives on social media and CCTV cameras seemingly everywhere, and the film's themes feel more relevant than ever. Its audacious premise follows a man born into a world that's actually a specially constructed film set. His family and neighbours are actors, his life is broadcast to billions, and he's the only person who doesn't know. Like we said: brilliant. No Oscars for Truman, but it did pick up three Golden Globes and three BAFTAs.
School of Rock, 2003 (21 September)
Musician-actor Jack Black in a musical comedy is the dream, and School of Rock was so successful it was the highest-grossing music-themed comedy (until Pitch Perfect snatched the mic in 2015). It also has the accolade of Led Zeppelin granting permission for the film to include one of its songs on its soundtrack – something the band have a long history of denying.
There was no fakery in the schoolchildren’s talents for this movie; director Richard Linklater searched the US for talented 13-year-old musicians to play rock and roll music in the film. There has been talk of a sequel, but it’s not time to get your plectrums out just yet…
Good Will Hunting, 1997 (23 September)
Written by then largely unknown friends Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in their twenties, they’d been friends since childhood but were as yet unknown actors, so it wasn’t easy to get off the ground. Not only did the film launch the careers of Damon and Affleck, but it also won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for Best Screenplay, and Robin Williams was awarded an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
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The Dark Knight, 2008 (26 September)
The superhero movie that heralded a new generation of modern superhero movies by moving away from comic-book style towards gritty crime drama. Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight featured Christian Bale as Batman, and Heath Ledger as the Joker. It went on to top many polls as ‘greatest’ on many lists: one of the greatest superhero films ever made and one of the best movies of the 2000s.
Tragically, Heath Ledger died the same year the film was released. Previously deemed a poor choice for the Joker, Ledger was posthumously awarded the Academy Award, BAFTA, and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, 2012 (28 September)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower took the coming-of-age film in a new direction. It turned its back on mean girls, teen romances, and high-school comedies, and gave us a real and heartfelt story that explored loneliness, friendship, and mental health. With a belting soundtrack that includes Bowie’s "Heroes" in a key scene, this is a film still enjoyed by teenagers and adults alike. And it was Emma Watson’s first chance to show off her range away from the world of Harry Potter.
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The Matrix, 1999 (30 September)
Widely regarded as one of the greatest sci-fi films ever made, The Matrix was ahead of the curve when it arrived in cinemas. Winning four Oscars and two BAFTAs in a year when it was competing against Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace is quite the achievement. It paved the way for future cinema in action, visual effects, and sci-fi storytelling, reaching far and wide. And of course, it reframed Keanu Reeves as a cultural icon.
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