1998 Movies
OSCARS Won/Nominated
IMDB Top 250
IMDB Top 250
All I Wanna Do
Dir: Sarah Kernochan Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Gaby Hoffman, Lynn Redgrave, Rachel Leigh Cook So a bunch of rich white girls are mad that their prep school is going to go coed, so they bad together to nix the plans of the higher-ups to prevent the melding. If you can get past the unpleasant entitlement of these girls, there are a few fun laughs and scenes to be had here. Kirsten Dunst is especially charming and I like Cook's outcast. Still, in the 60s, there were a lot of people who had it a lot worse then these girls...so it is a bit hard to root for them. C+ DVD |
OSCARS
Best Actor
KEVIN'S PICK
Best Actor
Best Adapted Screenplay |
American History X
Dir: Tony Kaye Voices: Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Beverly D'Angelo, Fairuza Balk, Ethan Suplee, Elliot Gould, Stacey Keatch IMDB #33 Edward Norton's performance here as a Neo-Nazi who wants to leave the life for the benefit of his younger brother, is incredibly powerful. Early on, in one of the most excruciatingly violent scenes ever, we are immediately thrust into this outrageous world of hate. Derek is a devout follower, but his stint in prison helped him see the light, so he wants to dissuade his brother Danny from making the same mistakes. But this is a group that is not easy to leave...and the tempers, violence, and hatred bubble up with a serious vengeance. Watching this film, with its unapologetic bluntness of the racist point of view, will make you uncomfortable, disgusted, awkward, and frightened, and that is it's greatest achievement B+ DVD |
Antz
Dir: Eric Darnell & Tim Johnson Voices: Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Sylvester Stallone, Dan Aykroyd, Anne Bancroft, J-Lo, Jane Curtin In 1998, both Pixar and Dreamworks Animation were in their infancy. This pair of movies, A Bug's Life and Antz, was a good early litmus test and showcase as to what will differentiate the two studios. Antz is goofy fun with a great voice cast. It follows a neurotic ant (perfectly voiced by Woody Allen) who is sick of his structured, hierarchical society and has a chance encounter with the princess. It is a fun class struggle adventure that is pretty clever and funny. It is contrasted with the gorgeous, heartfelt A Bug's Life. And so the Pixar/Dreamworks rivalry seems to continue. Gorgeous heartfelt Pixar and good-looking romp Dreamworks. B |
OSCARS
Best Sound Effects Editing
Best Sound Best Visual Effects Best Original Song KEVIN'S PICK
Best Original Song
|
Armageddon
Dir: Michael Bay Stars: Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Billy Bob Thornton, Steve Buscemi, Michael Clarke Duncan, Owen Wilson, Peter Stormare, William Fichtner Of the two asteroid movies of 1998, this is by far the superior movie. Back in the 90s, Michael Bay was the master of adrenaline-fueled popcorn movies...and Armageddon may be one of the biggest examples of that kind of film, ever. All the characters are as broad as a barn, but that is what makes them fun. The premise of sending oil drillers up into space to shove a nuclear bomb into a Texas-sized asteroid is comically ridiculous...but the movie embraces it completely and pulls it off. It is just so big, and it relishes it's own bigness, and it is infectious. My only complaint, which is almost my complaint for every single Michael Bay film, is that his editing is so jarring that it becomes disorienting, nauseating, and confusing. Still, Come on...who doesn't love that climax? B+ DVD |
The Avengers
Dir: Jeremiah Chechik Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Uma Thurman, Sean Connery Long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe was conceived, "The Avengers" were personified by Ralph Fiennes and Uma Thurman. It has nothing to do with Marvel, but with a famous TV show with British Agents Sneed & Peele. Well...this Bondian garbage about stopping a megalomaniac and his weather control machine is one of the worst movies ever. It made Sean Connery retire from the business, ok? When the scene where a dozen colored bears are sitting around a board table, I gave up. It just isn't an F because it is entertaining a bit in its awfulness D- |
BASEketball
Dir: David Zucker Stars: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Jenny McCarthy, Yasmine Bleeth There are few people in the world that are smarter or funnier than Trey Parker and Matt Stone. That is undeniable. However, they don't quite pull it off in this silly farce. David Zucker should know better...but for spoof movies like this to work, the characters can't know they are funny and have to play it completely straight. it is the reason the second and third Austin Powers movies don't work nearly as well as the first. I laughed at this movie, but I got irritated at it as well. C+ |
KEVIN'S PICK
Best Supporting Actor
|
The Big Lebowski
Dir: Joel & Ethan Coen Stars: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, John Turturro 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die IMDB #168 The way the Coen brothers keep this outrageously complicated comedy moving forward is astounding. Bridges plays Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski, who early on is mistaken for Jeffrey Lebowski, the local millionaire. This sends him down an absurd rabbit hole of kidnapping, nihilists, bowling, pornography, and a rug that really ties the room together. It is absurdist comedy of the highest order, and I truly believe that this is the best thing John Goodman has ever done. To watch the Dude try and work his way through the most convoluted set of circumstances is hilarious and infinitely rewatchable. A- DVD |
Blues Brothers 2000
Dir: John Landis Stars: Dan Aykroyd, John Goodman, Joe Morton There really is no reason for this movie to exist. Not only is the star of The Blues Brothers, John Belushi, dead, but Dan Aykroyd has not been relevant for years. The story of Elwood Blues getting out of jail and "putting the band back together" doesn't really make much sense either. But...the musical numbers are really fun and the talent John Landis recruited to participate is extraordinary. So the conclusion is that this is a pretty bad movie...but I very good concert film. C+ |
Bride of Chucky
Dir: Ronny Yu Stars: Brad Dourif, Jennifer Tilly, Katherine Heigl This is the film that brought the Child's Play franchise out of the horror realm and into goofball meta-comedy. The trope of the killer-doll-come-to-life was always tongue-in-cheek but it was treated a bit seriously for the slasher elements. This movie just goes off the deep end and gets ridiculous giving Chucky a bride. There are still some fun kills and the mets Jennifer Tilly/Tiffany stuff is pretty funny...but this is just absurd nonsense. C |
OSCARS
Best Original Score
|
A Bug's Life
Dir: John Lasseter & Andrew Stanton Voices: David Foley, Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Hyde Pierce, Denis Leary I think people forget how charming this early Pixar entry was. It is certainly the better of the 2 animated bug movies of 1998 (Look above for my Antz blurb). It is essentially that old Three Amigos/Galaxy Quest ideas where a group of people are hired to save a town (a colony threatened by grasshoppers here) but the group turns out to be actors/performers that are not up to the task. This really is a sweet hero's journey with that patented Pixar flair. Gorgeous, fun characters for the kids...mature, heartfelt themes for the adults. B+ DVD |
Can't Hardly Wait
Dir: Harry Elfont & Deborah Kaplan Stars: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ethan Embry, Charlie Korsmo, Seth Green, Lauren Ambrose, Peter Facinelli For all of the different high school hijinks that go one during this "last night of high school" movie, Can't Hardly Wait gets a lot of them right. It is not that it is a hilarious movie...but it is relatable. The guy who writes a note to his dream girl because it is his last chance, the girl who is done being treated like an object, the nerd who breaks loose, the friends who wonder why they grew apart...I really enjoy them all. None of these people, besides Embry, are very good actors, but the movie is decently written and paced to be enjoyable. B- DVD |
City of Angels
Dir: Brad Silberling Stars: Meg Ryan, Nicholas Cage, Andre Braugher, Dennis Franz I have always thought that there was a wonderful, heartfelt movie somewhere buried in this melodramatic mess. Nicholas Cage plays Seth, an Angel who arrives to escort recently deceased souls to the afterlife. He appears to a beautiful heart surgeon (Ryan) and not only does she become obsessed with the idea that sometimes, no matter what she does, she may not be able to save people, but Seth becomes obsessed with the human condition through this gorgeous woman. Fine...the stage is set for a good, serious romance. But what we get is overly-dramatic nonsense that becomes manipulative and ridiculous. Ryan is very good in her role but Cage is reduced to literally staring into the distance as an ethereal, pensive creature that no one can relate to. It is such prominent staring-into-space that it becomes distracting and comical. When all is said and done...it is just a snooze. C- |
Cube
Dir: Vincenzo Natali When filmmakers make a mind-bending, nerve-wracking sci-fi fantasy such as this, I get very excited. This movie has the audacity to have a single set piece, a cubic room with 6 trap door exits, which lead to 6 identical cubic rooms. Each room has a number puzzle at the trapdoor and solving such puzzles allow access to a safe room. If you enter the wrong room, a horrible death is your fate. The movie follows 6 strangers who awaken in one of these rooms, without an explanation, and they try to figure out their predicament. It is minimalist sci-fi at it's best. it is scary, interesting, and it boggles the mind. Some people will be off-put by the vagueness of the premise of the cube, but I was riveted. A- |
Dark City
Dir: Alex Proyas Stars: Rufus Sewell, Keifer Sutherland, Jennifer Connolly If it weren't for the haunting beauty and imagery of this wacky, reality bending film, it would be just a weird piece of work. The story focuses on a man, living his life through a "dark city" where he just feels things aren't the way they should be and he has fragments of memories in his head that he doesn't understand. White beings have been manipulating the populace and their environment as a way to study them and Sewell is the only one that seems to be catching on. It is frightening in ways, fascinating in others, and the art direction and cinematography really do set a tone that is hypnotic. B+ DVD |
Deep Impact
Dir: Mimi Leder Stars: Tea Leoni, Elijah Wood, Robert Duvall, Morgan Freeman The lesser of the 2 asteroid-end-of-the-world movies of 1998. Armageddon worked because Michael Bay threw caution to the wind and just pumped the movie with as much adrenaline as he could, and it was a fun ride. This movie wants to be a Roland Emmerich film, where a sprawling cast of characters are all dealing with the encroaching danger in different ways. The problem is, Mimi Leder doesn't know how to handle her actors. Almost every single actor is wooden and seem to be reading off cue cards. You don't feel the danger, the weight, or the fear of what is going to happen to the planet. The special effects are actually superior to Armageddon but there isn't a single character to root for, sympathize with, or relate to. So all that disastrous mayhem is for naught. D+ DVD |
Doctor Dolittle
Dir: Betty Thomas Stars: Eddie Murphy, Peter Boyle Eddie Murphy is just so above this, and ever since I saw this movie, you can almost see his paycheck bulging out of his pockets. The man who was so great in 1980s comedies has castrated himself to goofy, jeuvenile comedy that only appeals to small children and idiots. Man can talk to animals? Fine. But nothing clever or even very funny is ever done with it. Dull and a little embarrassing. C |
OSCARS
|
Elizabeth
Dir: Shekhar Kapur Stars: Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Fiennes, Richard Attenborough Of the two Elizabethan epics up for Best Picture in 1998, this was the more solemn, serious, and brooding of the two, and that means it was also less interesting and fun. Don't get me wrong, it is a beautiful production and Blanchett is her usual brilliant self as the somewhat rookie monarch trying to learn the ropes, but Shakespeare in Love was the far superior film. And that's ok...I feel like half of the cast of these movies are the same. B |
Enemy of the State
Dir: Tony Scott Stars: Will Smith, Gene Hackman, Jon Voight In 1998, the idea of the government being able to track you, erase you, and take over your life was a fanciful approach to a thriller. Unbeknownst to this action film, directed with full Tony Scott-ness flair and acted with full Will Smith-ness charisma, that it would be well ahead of its time. The things the government can pull off in this film against Smith is almost mundane by today's standards, so that hurts the film's longevity. Still...it is a reasonably solid thriller. B |
The Faculty
Dir: Robert Rodriguez Stars: Josh Hartnett, Elijah Wood, Jordana Brewster, Salma Hayek, Famke Janssen There really no reason on Earth this movie should work. The premise that a bunch of high schoolers suspect their teachers are murserous aliens is corny to a point where the filmmakers should not even bother. But it is in the hands of Robert Rodriguez, and he is too good to ruin it. This movie is fun, scary, gory, and appropriately R-rated. When Famke Janssen's head crawls away? I was hooked. B |
Godzilla
Dir: Roland Emmerich Stars: Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Hank Azaria I actually don't mind the effects, the action, and the destruction in this movie. After all, it is a Roland Emmerich movie and he does this stuff better than anyone. However, with the possible exception of Independence Day: Resurgence, this is his worst film. You never expect oscar caliber performances or writing in movies like this, but the performances are so atrocious and the misplaced comedy is so egregious, that it effectively ruins the entire movie. When a nuclear mutant lizard is tearing through Manhattan, killing thousands, is the quality of your coffee really the most important thing right now? Do you really care about your reporting career now? D+ |
Krippendorf's Tribe
Dir: Todd Holland Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, Jenna Elfman, Lily Tomlin, Natasha Lyonne, Stephen Root Dreyfuss is a famous Anthropologist who has squandered away grant money ever since the death of his equally famous Anthropologist wife passes away. Now he has to provide results, so he makes up a lost tribe that winds up capturing the imagination of his professional colleagues and the world, and he forced to keep lying about a tribe that doesn't exist. It is actually very funny. Dreyfuss plays Prof. Krippendorf as completely unhinged and you believe he would go to these lengths to keep up the ruse. When it turns into a sort of variation on Mrs. Doubtfire, it really shines. B DVD |
Lethal Weapon 4
Dir: Richard Donner Stars: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Jet Li, Joe Pesci, Chris Rock, Rene Russo It was by this fourth movie that the Lethal Weapon franchise just left the action behind and focused on the comedy. Well...the comedy is very funny...mostly because of the banter that Pesci and Rock provide. However, the arrival of Jet Li in the movie is never really paid off. Li is one of the world's greatest action stars, but these aging stars and comedians can't keep up with him so all of the fight choreography is spoiled by editing that overtly masks its shortcomings. Still...it is fun to see these guys back for one last romp. It still worked a bit better back in the day when Riggs was a suicidal, ticking, time bomb. B |
Lock, Stock, & Two Smoking Barrels
Dir: Guy Ritchie Stars: Jason Statham, Jason Flemyng, Dexter Fletcher, Vinnie Jones 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die This is the movie that catapulted Guy Ritchie into Hollywood. It is pretty much a comedy of errors surrounding a bunch of idiots who owe money to a mob boss. It shows Ritchie's patented style, for sure, but it is simply a lot of mayhem and not much to really sink your teeth into. It has flashes of a gritty, Britich Clerks, but it never reaches that sublime level. Vinnie Jones is definitely best-in-show, and the film is a bit hard to DISLIKE...but it just isn't anything incredibly special in my opinion. B- |
Lost in Space
Dir: Stephen Hopkins Stars: Matt LeBlanc, William Hurt, Gary Oldman, Heather Graham, Mimi Rogers, Lacey Chabert Matt LeBlanc was just not ready for the transition to the big screen. All the pieces were in place with the studio somehow getting Hurt and Oldman in this thing as Professor Robinson and Major West, respectively. But then up front in this sci-fi ridiculousness are LeBlanc and Graham, and they spoil it. LeBlanc is nothing but Joey Tribiani in a sci-fi costume. Graham has less emotive power than the "Danger Will Robinson" robot. And the pair has absolutely no chemistry. It makes the entire endeavor to remake the famous TV series corny and stupid...and that is a shame. C- |
Mafia!
Dir: Jim Abrahams Stars: Jay Mohr, Christina Applegate, Lloyd Bridges Abrahams is here doing spoof without the Zucker brothers, and he shows that they may have been the successful driving force behind their movies. In this one, mafia movies are in the crosshairs, and it sort of works because those movies are RIPE for skewering. The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, and Casino are the most prevalent, and you will chuckle a decent amount of time. But when a joke misses, it REALLY misses. You can see the hint of the Friedberg/Seltzer garbage spoof-comedy sneaking in here and there with pop culture references and really poor visual gags. Still...to see Lloyd Bridges do what he does best as the Don is a pleasure. C+ Bluray |
Major League: Back to the Minors
Dir: John Warren Stars: Scott Bakula, Corbin Bernsen, Ted McGinley, Dennis Haysbert, Walton Goggins How can a perfect R-rated comedy such as Major League first slip into PG territory with the sequel, and then down to such juvenile nonsense with the third film? Well...it did. Not a single team character, returning or new, is interesting, funny, or even welcome. Not Cerrano, not Rube, not Tanaka. Not even the great Walton Goggins can do anything worthwhile here. That all being said...Scott Bakula pretty much saves the movie from total disaster. He brings charm, wisdom, and intrigue to this washed up player now coaching the Minor League misfits. His banter with Bernsen and McGinley are always a hoot and he makes it all BARElY worthy of your time. C- DVD |
OSCARS
Best Sound Effects Editing
Best Sound |
The Mask of Zorro
Dir: Martin Campbell Stars: Antonio Banderas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Anthony Hopkins, Stuart Wilson I fell for this movie hook, line, and sinker. It is so perfectly cast and so wonderfully directed that is a swashbuckling adventure of which we haven't seen for many years. Honestly, nothing about the story is anything original or inspired, being that it is simply about a baron trying to exploit the peasants, and his old arch-enemy, the original Zorro, is a bit too old to exact vengeance so he trains up a new protege. Fine...straightforward...get's things moving. But how Martin Campbell and his cast portray this story is so enthusiastic, funny, clever, and action-packed that the plot's simplicity is irrelevant. A- |
OSCARS
Best Original Score
|
Mulan
Dir: Tony Bancroft & Barry Cook Voices: Ming-Na Wen, Eddie Murphy, BD Wong It was very refreshing that, for the first time in what seemed forever, Disney gave us a princess that was self-reliant, strong, and confident, instead of the mousy, weak princesses in need of saving of the classic Disney films. Today, these princesses are all over the place (Elsa, Merida, Moana) but they were rare 20 years ago. On top of that...this is an impressively epic story about the Chinese invasion of the Huns. My problem? I HATE Eddie Murphy's character of Mushu. It is so blatantly obvious that his inclusion in this movie is ONLY to sell merchandise because without him, this is a pretty serious war film that just happens to be animated. It spoils it. B- DVD |
The Negotiator
Dir: F. Gary Gray Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey, David Morse, Ron Rifkin, Paul Giamatti, JT Walsh This is a pretty solid hostage thriller. All the nonsense going on among the supporting actors and the reasons for Samuel L. Jackson taking hostages to prove his innocence is all dumb. BUT, this is Jackson and Spacey's movie, and to watch them act against each other is very riveting. They are both equally smart, equally determined, and they both know every single thing in the hostage negotiation playbook...so it is sort of an "unstoppable force meets the immovable object" scenario, and it's a lot of fun. B |
A Night at the Roxbury
Dir: John Fortenberry Stars: Will Ferrell, Chris Kattan, Colin Quin, Dan Hedaya, Chazz Palminteri There really is no reason on Earth that this movie should get a pass. It is an exceptionally stupid concept with incredibly broad humor based on one of the most absurd skits in SNL history. Still, just like with the Ace Ventura movies, you can't help but laugh at them. Watching these two doofuses trying to score chicks at the club, and not much else, is continually hysterical. I quote this movie all the time, and I am kind of embarrassed to say that I think it is one of the best SNL movies ever. B DVD |
OSCARS
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Editing |
Out of Sight
Dir: Steven Soderbergh Stars: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, Steve Zahn, Denis Farina, Catherine Keener Soderbergh's romp is a perfect example of how much you can get out of on-screen chemistry. This is the story of a few bank robbers who break out of jail and then head to Detroit for one last job. A federal marshal is hot on their tail and she is attracted to one of them and having reservations about doing her job. Simple enough...but the onscreen spark between Clooney and J-Lo is astonishingly good. It really is the ingredient that makes this movie as good as it is. That isn't to take away from the great words from the incomparable Elmore Leonard's novel...but it is so elevated by this combination. B+ |
The Parent Tap
Dir: Nancy Meyers Stars: Lindsay Lohan, Dennis Quaid, Natasha Richardson What a showcase for a young Lindsay Lohan. She is super adorable, has good comic timing, and she was a great little actress. I have no problem with her at all in this movie. But the gimmick that two long-lost identical twins could successfully swap places without their parents noticing? That's pretty dumb. I realize that this is Disney fare and is meant to be fluffy nonsense...so I guess it is a success in that regard...it certainly is fluffy nonsense. B- |
OSCARS
Best Original Score
|
Patch Adams
Dir: Tom Shadyac Stars: Robin Williams, Monica Potter, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Bob Gunton If you look in the dictionary for "Sappy, Melodramatic tearjerkers", there is an enormous Patch Adams poster. It is a famous story about Hunter "Patch" Adams and his unique approach to medicine and the healing power of laughter and treating patients with respect and humanity. Robin Williams is too perfect for this role, but as he adventures through med school and upsets the status quo...the beats are all too familiar and the scenes where the water-works are supposed to start feel too manipulative. Still...it has a lot of heart and Williams does a superb job. Potter can't quite keep up with him but PSH is his usual brilliant self and has the best scene of the movie, where his Mitch defends his own approach to medicine to Patch...about how this is not a joke to him. It is powerful stuff. B |
Pi
Dir: Darren Aronofsky 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die Darren Aronofsky is quite an original filmmaker. The only misfire I have seen of his is Noah, which was still a bit impressive. The Wrestler and Requiem of a Dream are fantastic films. His first film, Pi, is madness...but a good madness. Watching this man either work out the mysteries of the universe or slip into insanity is very exciting. He is trying to find out an equation that can predict the stock market, which leads him to Jewish Mysticism, the Golden Ratio, and the madness that comes with unhinged obsession and genius. The High contrast Black & White are a nice touch since it just adds to the insane atmosphere. Quite original, and quite interesting. B |
KEVIN'S PICK
Best Supporting Actress
|
Pleasantville
Dir: Gary Ross Stars: Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, William H. Macy, Joan Allen, Jeff Daniels, Paul Walker, JT Walsh Gary Ross's first directorial outing is his masterpiece. This is a movie BURSTING with creativity, beauty, allegory, and just sheer brilliance. The audacity of believing the concept of zapping modern teens into what is essentially Leave it to Beaver sounds stupid...but this movie is a gorgeous, heartfelt take on what it means to feel, think, love, and express yourself...all done with an astonishing trope of the eventual colorization of the black & white populace. The allegories of Jim Crow South and Nazi Germany are immediately obvious but they make PERFECT sense in context and are not heavy handed. It is a masterstroke. I can watch this film over and over again...and my favorite stuff involves Macy and Allen, the 50s couple who come to understand exactly what they have and who they are. A DVD |
Psycho
Dir: Gus Van Sant Stars: Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, Viggo Mortensen I really don't understand why this movie isn't sheer plagiarism. Gus Van Sant remade Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho shot for shot, frame for frame, cut for cut. So if anything works in this film, direction wise, how can you give credit to Van Sant? He is only copying Hitchcock's shot except this time it is in color. It is just a terrible gimmick. We all know Psycho, and since this is an exact copy, nothing surprises us. I do have to give a little credit though. Even though Vince Vaughn is no Anthony Perkins...he is still decently creepy. D+ |
KEVIN'S PICK
Best Foreign Film
|
The Quiet Family
Dir: Jee-Woon Kim Stars: Kang-Ho Song, Min Sik-Choi I really have fallen in love with Korean cinema because it has the balls and the audacity to tell stories that are hard R, even their comedies like this, because sometimes the story calls for it and is better for it. This blackest of black comedies surrounds a family that has bought a mountain cabin, a kind of stopover for hikers, but they never have any visitors. When their first visitor commits graphic suicide, they feel like they have to cover it up or no one will EVER use their facility. Of course, their cover-up leads to worse and worse things happening and it is absolutely, hilariously dark. I loved Song in The Good the Bad the Weird and he is great as the idiot son. I loved Choi in Oldboy and he is interesting reserved, but still funny, as the exasperated uncle. Im going to keep delving into this Korean cinema...because it is unlike anything else I watch. B+ |
OSCARS
Best Original Score
|
The Red Violin
Dir: Francois Gerard Stars: Samuel L. Jackson Thirty-Two Shorts Films About Glenn Gould was quite an interesting film by Francois Gerard which really emphasized his love and the power of music. He does an equally admirable job with this film, which follows the famous Nicolo Bussotti instrument across three centuries of owners and musicians. To watch how the lives touched by such a legendary item span across 17th Century Italy, 18th Century Austria, 19th Century China, and present day Montreal really is a joy. The music, the visuals, the costumes, all play out like it is a Renaissance painting come-to-life. B+ |
Ronin
Dir: John Frankenheimer Stars: Robert DeNiro, Jean Reno, Stellan Skarsgard, Sean Bean There is are two reasons why this movie shows up on nearly every top list of car chases in film. One, it is an incredibly well choreographed and filmed car chase. Two...it really is the greatest part of an otherwise mediocre movie. The film tried to get cute by calling mercenary specialists "Ronin". Nah...they are mercenaries. Fine...and a group of them are out to retrieve a McGuffin and all is not as it seems. It is kind of plain, and kind of boring, and doesn't offer anything you haven't seen a million times before...but that chase scene IS breathtaking,. B |
Rounders
Dir: John Dahl Stars: Matt Damon, Edward Norton, John Malkovich, John Turturro, Gretchen Mol, Martin Landau It is strange that this poker movie is so well written, so well acted, and so hyper-focused on Matt Damon's Mike McDermott, that an actor like Edward Norton is all but forgotten. He is good in the film...but we never really care what happens to Worm, mainly because he is a bit of an obnoxious prick. What we do care about is this straight-laced former gambler who has to go against every fiber of his being to help out a friend...and then gets in way over his head again. It is exciting and tense, and only people of Malkovich's and Turturro's caliber can pull off such cartoony supporting characters so perfectly. The relationship between Mike and his professor (Landau) is also the heart that the movie needs and shows up at exactly the right time. B+ DVD |
Rush Hour
Dir: Brett Ratner Stars: Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Tom Wilkinson, Chris Penn I come to Rush Hour for Jackie Chan, NOT Chris Tucker. Tucker is extremely annoying in almost every way and even though it may not be his fault, nearly every single joke in this movie is at Chan's expense, simply because he is Asian and speaks broken English. It gets real old, real fast. But then there is Chan, who is hysterical when he gives it back to Tucker, and he is at his Jackie Chan-iest best. His stunts are creative, exciting, and exhilarating ..and it is enough to make this a fun action movie. B DVD |
OSCARS
KEVIN'S PICK
Best Picture
Best Director Best Editing Best Cinematography Best Sound Effects Editing Best Sound |
Saving Private Ryan
Dir: Steven Spielberg Stars: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore, Barry Pepper, Giovanni Ribisi, Jeremy Northam, Adam Goldberg 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die IMDB #28 Can I really say anything else about this masterpiece epic, war filmmaking? It is simply one of the most astounding movies of all time. Spielberg really outdoes himself by creating one of the most viscerally real cinematic experiences that anyone could possibly have. The editing, the camerawork, and the astonishingly real sound design really drops the viewer right in the middle of the Normandy Invasion, takes time to give us a real, poignant, ragtag group of soldiers, and sends them out across Europe to find one man. It is just incredible. I really feel like these actors are soldiers, and it goes such a long way. This movie gives us the horrors of war, the futility of war, the honor of war, the loyalty of war...simply everything. Even though I ever-so-slightly prefer Shakespeare in Love as a movie in that famous rivalry for the 1998 Best Picture Oscar, mainly because a lot of Ryan is simply hard to watch, have to say Ryan deserves the gold. A DVD |
OSCARS
KEVIN'S PICK
Best Actress
Best Original Screenplay Best Art Direction Best Costume Design Best Makeup Best Original Score |
Shakespeare in Love
Dir: John Madden Stars: Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth, Ben Affleck, Judi Dench, Colin Firth, Imedla Staunton As stated above, if there ever was a movie that could compete with Saving Private Ryan for Best Picture of 1998, it was this gem. Where Ryan was a technical masterpiece, Shakespeare in Love is an emotional masterpiece. Tom Stoppard's brilliant screenplay puts us into Elizabethan England where Shakespeare is a struggling playwright. Stoppard's words emulate Shakespearean language perfectly, and when Joseph Fiennes is inspired by Paltrow's Viola, the storybook romance really sparkles. This world is dirty, and poor, and it feels so very real. The cross-drssing subplot is so perfectly Shakespearean. The overall point being...this is a story about Shakespeare's inspiration and creation of Romeo & Juliet...worthy of being written by the Bard himself. I honestly think it is that good. It is funny where it needs to be. It is tragic where it has to be. And most importantly...it is romantic where you want it to be. A DVD |
Six Days, Seven Nights
Dir: Ivan Reitman Stars: Harrison Ford, Anne Heche Ivan Reitman is not much of an action director. Ghostbusters, Dave, and Twins is more his speed. Harrison Ford is not much of an action star any more. He's just an aging curmudgeon that doesn't have much of his past bravado. Anne Heche isn't a good leading lady either. So to watch these two traipse through the tropical jungle isn't very entertaining. C |
The Siege
Dir: Edward Zwick Stars: Denzel Washington, Annette Bening, Bruce Willis I like this movie, even if it is a bit too broad and overblown. When the government kidnaps a terrorist and it sets off a wave of attacks on New York City, Bruce Willis declares Martial Law. The movie works because these actors are the best we can offer...and the power struggle is tense and interesting...because Willis's General Devereaux is not 100% evil. He is a soldier, doing his duty, and he believes it is the right thing to do to keep the populace safe. The film slips into corniness and cliche a bit when things come to a climax...but Edward Zwick knows what he is doing more times than not. B |
Snake Eyes
Dir: Brian DePalma Stars: Nicholas Cage, Gary Sinese, Carla Gugino I rarely buy in to Brian DePalma. A lot of his movies are gorgeous technical exercises that seem to fall apart narratively. Snake Eyes is no exception. In the first 20 minutes of the film, as we are introduced to Rick Santoro at a big Vegas boxing event, all leading up to the assassination of the Secretary of Defense, this movie is spectacular. It is all done as one continuous shot and it is as good as any filmmaker has pulled off the entire year. But then the film noir mystery about conspiracies and femme fatales kicks into gear and I found myself caring less and less, and less. Rent to movie for those first 20 minutes...and then you can just move on to something else. C+ |
Sphere
Dir: Barry Levinson Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, Samuel L. Jackson, Liev Schreiber, Queen Latifah, Peter Coyote I know this movie isn't that great, but I can't get enough of it. Based on my second favorite Michael Crichton novel, starring and incredible cast, and pretty well directed by Levinson, this movie is slow, deliberate, patient, and fun. It kind of pulls off the scientific expedition leading to manifestation of fears and desires a la Solaris but I like it so much better. Sure...it doesn't explain Jerry as well as the novel, and kind of doesn't know how to end, but it is good food for that Sci-Fi brain of mine. B DVD |
There's Something About Mary
Dir: The Farrelly Brothers Stars: Ben Stiller, Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon, Chris Elliot 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die The Farrelly brothers had already conquered hysterical comedy with Dumb & Dumber and Kingpin...but with their third outing, they really knocked it out of the park by injecting a bit of heart into their outrageous sense of humor. Cameron Diaz has never been better then as the titular character, and to watch the men in her life fall over themselves just to be close to her gets funnier and funnier. I would never dream of giving away any of the gags here, but Matt Dillon is brilliant and totally outshines every other actor in this fantastic comedy. "No one's going to tell me who I can and can't work with right?" One of the most brilliant jokes in a brilliant screenplay. A- DVD |
OSCARS
Best Picture
Best Director Best Adapted Screenplay Best Editing Best Cinematography Best Sound Best original Score |
The Thin Red Line
Dir: Terrence Malick Stars: Jim Caviezel, Nick Nolte, Sean Penn, George Clooney, John Cusack, 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die After seeing Terrence Malick's The New World in 2005, I understood why English settlers would contemplate their place in nature and the order of the universe...mostly because they were integrating themselves into the world where Native Americans seemed so knowledgable about such musings. The same can't be said about his The Thin Red Line. It is a compulsively watchable movie, especially since it is 3 hours long and has some very slow points...but to believe that soldiers were thinking about THEIR place in the natural order while participating in the Battle of Guadalcanal...stretches credulity. I was reading Roger Eberts account of the film and he was exactly right. The thoughts and philosophical rants about the universe in such a movie are shared by scholars and philosophers...not by the soldiers themselves....and thus the movie is incredibly uneven. That being said....it IS enjoyable to watch because Malick is a master photographer and the performances by the ensemble cast are superb. B |
OSCARS
Best Director
Best Supporting Actor Best Original Screenplay |
The Truman Show
Dir: Peter Weir Stars: Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Ed Harris, Noah Emmerich, Paul Giamatti, Natasha McElhone IMDB #192 This movie was so incredibly ahead of its time, at least a decade before our society really did start recording every single second of our lives and broadcasting them. In 1998, it was high fantasy but it was executed in such a wonderful way. This story about a man who is the unknowing star of a twenty-four-hour-a-day television show that is shown around the world. It really touches upon heavy themes like solipsism, god complexes, trust, and how we accept or reject our place in the universe...but Carrey's performance is so innocent and charming that is lightens everything up. Weir's direction, the perfect production design, and the haunting Philip Glass score really crate an otherworldly experience and will have you cheering at the end. A DVD |
Urban Legend
Dir: Jamie Blanks Stars: Jared Leto, Alicia Witt, Rebecca Gayheart, Joshua Jackson, Tara Reid, Robert Englund After the enormous success of Scream, studios were clamoring to cash in on this new style of meta-horror. Urban Legend feels like a total gimmick. Not only is their hook that someone is killing people according to famous "Urban Legends". Not only did they cast Robert Englund as a professor. But they even hired the hot Noxzema commercial girl...because she is hot. I guess there are some good deaths here, and it isn't too insulting. Just feel like it is an enormous cash grab. C |
U. S. Marshals
Dir: Stuart Baird Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Wesley Snipes, Robert Downey Jr Did someone actually think that The Fugitive was such a rousing success because of Tommy Lee Jones and his ragtag bunch of agents? I mean...TLJ was solid in that film, but I NEVER agreed with his oscar win. So they pretty much put his character in another cat & mouse thriller, and it is worse than The Fugitive in every single way. It is watchable because of the caliber of talent involved...but it really has no business exisiting. C |
Very Bad Things
Dir: Peter Berg Stars: Christian Slater, Cameron Diaz, Daniel Stern, Jon Favreau, Jeremy Piven This comedy is pitch black to the point where it is a bit too much. It is a story about a bachelor party where a stripper winds up dead in a horrific fashion. After the group of freaked out, juvenile man-boys try to cover up the death, things just get worse and worse for them. A lot of it is pretty funny, and the desperation of these guys is enjoyable, but things go so far off the deep end of logic that the black humor starts to become just absurd and unbelievable. B- |
The Waterboy
Dir: Frank Coraci Stars: Adam Sandler, Henry Winkler, Kathy Bates, Fairuza Balk I like Adam Sandler, but the further his characters get from anything relatable or believable, the worse he gets. Jack & Jill, Little Nicky, and now The Waterboy. He is playing a simpleton who lives in the backwater of Mississippi, loves his Mama, and discovers an uncanny ability to destroy people on the football field when he imagines them as those who have ridiculed him throughout his life. Being the Coraci/Sandler combination, you will squeeze a few laughs out of it, but it is just so monumentally stupid. C |
The Wedding Singer
Dir: Frank Coraci Stars: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Christine Taylor, Allen Covert This movie is really where Sandler shines, playing a loveable loser who is down in the dumps, who only bursts out into patented Sandler lunacy on special occasions. A big plus for this romance is the nostalgia and the music, so perfectly capturing the 80s. Sandler and Barrymore have loads of chemistry so you are always invested in their blossoming friendship and their eventuality of something more. This is the first of 3 times Sandler and Barrymore got together, and it always works. With the possible exception of 50 First Dates, this may be Sandler's most well-rounded comedy. B+ DVD |
OSCARS
|
What Dreams May Come
Dir: Vincent Ward Stars: Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding, Jr, Annabella Sciorra, Max Von Sydow An incredibly heavy movie, dealing with the death of children and suicide, leading to travelling through the afterlife to save a loved one from hell. That is a LOT to handle in a movie, but I think this film handles it all perfectly. Williams's performance as a man discovering and enjoying heaven only to realize his wife has killed herself due to unbearable grief. His journey to the underworld to save his wife is a beautiful, epic adventure that is dazzling to the eyes. What the filmmakers pull of with showing how a man's imagination can paint his concept of heaven is unlike anything you have ever seen. If you can get past the incredibly sad subject matter that gets us to the afterlife, you will be in for one hell of an experience. A- DVD |
Wild Things
Dir: John McNaughton Stars: Kevin Bacon, Matt Dillon, Denise Richards, Neve Campbell This film tries REALLY hard to try to convince you that it is a good movie. It isn't. It has a few clever twists with the story of a high school guidance counselor being accused of sexual misconduct, but this movie is so exploitative that it feels dirty. The filmmakers knew there was one reason people were going to see this movie, and that is the threesome scene. The world learned early on that the bombshell Denise Richards would be going topless in a sex scene for this movie, and that is all this movie was obviously counting on. Because there is almost nothing else to it. C DVD |
Wrongfully Accused
Dir: Pat Proft Stars: Leslie Nielsen, Richard Crenna When Leslie Nielsen is in full blown spoof mode, I am almost always forgiving, even with the bad ones. Superhero Movie, Spy Hard and Repossessed aren't great comedies, but Nielsen is so much fun to watch that I give them a pass. This one is just a terrible film. Pat Proft should no better, being the writer of a few Scary Movies, the Naked Guns, and the Police Academy movies. It isn't a bad idea to spoof The Fugitive, but hardly any of the jokes are funny. This is Friedberg/Seltzer-level bad. D |
The X-Files: Fight the Future
Dir: Rob Bowman Stars: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi, William B. Davis I like this movie because I was a huge The X-Files fan. If you aren't a fan, even though this movie is well-made and well-acted for a big budget sci-fi film, it is not for you. The story takes place between the Season 5 finale and the Season 6 premiere, so it drops us right into the middle of the story and doesn't have time for the uninitiated. For X-Files lovers, we all know the series began to go a bit downhill after Season 5, and this is the start. B DVD |
You've Got Mail
Dir: Nora Ephron Stars: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Greg Kinnear With Ephron, Hanks, and Ryan, giving us a story about business enemies striking up an anonymous online romance is perfectly pleasant. These are some of the most likable actors portraying some of the most likable characters...so it is nearly impossible not to enjoy yourself. However, this film is light as a feather and complete fluff. It isn't going to change the world or make you see the world differently...but it might get your significant other to cuddle in to you a little closer. B- DVD |