Most people know It’s a Wonderful Life as a happy Christmas movie. But that’s not really what it is. The film opens with a man in trouble, not joy. There are no lights, no carols—just quiet prayers for someone who’s about to give up.

Auteur filmmaking is about unmistakable voice. These are movies where you can feel the director’s fingerprints in every frame, from dialogue and camera movement to themes and tone. Whether wildly stylized, politically charged, or structurally daring, each of these films helped define what it means for a director to fully own their vision.

Relive one of the most legendary years in film history with Before The New Millennium: The Greatest Movies Of 1999. This article revisits 25 iconic movies—from The Matrix and Fight Club to The Sixth Sense and Toy Story 2—that reshaped cinema, defined genres, and continue to influence movies and television today.

Hollywood loves big ideas, bold visions, and the promise of a blockbuster payday. What it doesn’t always love is what happens when those visions spiral into endless reshoots, technical experiments, and production chaos. Some movies creep over budget quietly. Others go straight through their financial limits and keep going.

Not every hero starts their journey with a tragic backstory, a billion-dollar suit, or a mysterious glowing object falling from the sky. Some are people who absolutely should not be trusted with the fate of reality—but somehow end up holding it anyway. These movies thrive on the idea that heroism isn’t about perfection, power, or even competence. It’s about stepping up when everyone expects you to sit down.

Some great directors struggle their entire careers trying to get films made. While others somehow keep getting chance and chance despite delivering poor to mediocre results. But just like how a broken clock is right twice a day—these lesser directors have managed to make something really good once (or even twice) along the way.