The last decade of the 20th century consolidated once again the fascinating power of the silver screen, both by looking to the future and drawing on the past. It's no exaggeration to say that never before had there been a time when the cinema focused so ironically on its own vanity, and never had it been so intensely preoccupied with itself as a medium. Filmmakers like Steven Soderbergh, David Lynch, Quentin Tarantino and Ang Lee created worlds that were as cryptic as they were disorientating, while James Cameron and Steven Spielberg conjured up ever more spectacular special effects.
