5 Unforgettable Movies Celebrating Their 25th Anniversary This July — And Where To Stream Them
Cinephiles, assemble! It’s time to give some attention and pay our respects to films that were still released in the 1990s! It’s hard to believe that 25 years ago, it was 1999. This is the final year that movies under their 25th anniversary will have been released in the 90s and that feels like something special to pay attention to. So, without further ado, check out these five films this month as they achieve their 25th year on the big and small screens.
American Pie (July 9, 1999)
Starring Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Alyson Hannigan, and Eugene Levy, American Pie is such a raunchy classic. This very stereotypical ’90s high school movie follows Jim (Biggs) as he is on a desperate search to lose his virginity. Jim, his parents, and his friends find themselves in debacle after debacle, and shenanigans hand over fist. If you haven’t seen this already, you’re mostly missing out on plenty of double entendre and inappropriate jokes but it’s almost a rite of passage to watch if you are a ’90s kid. Watch American Pie on Peacock.
Lake Placid (July 16, 1999)
Have you ever thought there might be a giant crocodile-like creature hiding in your local lake? Lake Placid reinforces and validates that very fear. Bridget Fonda, Bill Pullman, and Brendan Gleeson are part of the cast that is tasked with figuring out what crazy croc attacked and killed a man in Maine. Of course, this unlikely team is forced to try and figure out how to stop this violent killer from attacking the secluded and otherwise safe lake. What makes the movie is really the screen time that Betty White gets. It’s a good movie, but sometimes a creature feature can be hard to sell. With Betty, it’s worth every second spent watching it. Watch Lake Placid on Amazon Video.
Deep Blue Sea (July 28, 1999)
Okay hear me out, Deep Blue Sea isn’t that bad. Sure, it’s a little cheesy and gimmicky, and watching it back in 2024 features more laughter than fear but it’s still a classic that needs to be celebrated. Samuel L. Jackson, Thomas Jane, LL Cool J, and Saffron Burrows star in this creature feature as a giant shark that attacks a research facility. While trying to study the brain tissue of sharks to hopefully find a cure for Alzheimer’s, something goes terribly wrong (as it always does) and now everyone in the remote ocean facility is in grave danger as the sharks swarm looking for food. There’s no shortage of action, some comedy, and even a little love in Deep Blue Sea, so if you’re looking for something to watch before or after Under Paris or even The Meg, this is the movie for you. Watch Deep Blue Sea on Amazon Video.
Runaway Bride (July 30, 1999)
Julia Roberts was American’s sweetheart in the ’90s, even when she was leaving grooms at the altar left and right. Runaway Bride stars Julia Roberts as Maggie and Richard Gere as Ike in this unlikely love story. After leaving three grooms at the altar, Ike writes an article naming Maggie the runaway bride and eventually chases her to her hometown to set the record straight on some of the things he wrote about her. While there, as you can expect, Ike starts to fall for Maggie and all of her antics. Gere and Roberts have great chemistry on screen, as seen in the wildly popular Pretty Woman, so if you haven’t seen Runaway Bride and love the Pretty Woman vibe, check it out. Watch Runaway Bride on Paramount+.
The Blair Witch Project (July 30, 1999)
At the time of its release, The Blair Witch Project was downright terrifying. All of the marketing for the film made it seem like it was a real documentary being released and no one ever denied that it wasn’t or confirmed that it was. People walked out of the theaters left and right and easily had one of the best marketing campaigns of all time. The Blair Witch Project is a found footage horror film about three film students who travel to a small town to get information about a local witch. Unfortunately for them, they get lost in the woods and the rest is all on film. If you love horror and found footage horror and haven’t seen this, stop what you’re doing right now and find it. Watch The Blair Witch Project on FreeVee.