Beloved – American History X – Saving Private Ryan – Happiness – π – Velvet Goldmine – Psycho

1998: World Premieres
1998: U.S. Releases
1998: Still Left to See
1998: Cannes Festival

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The Movies of 1998: U.S. Releases
 By Title // By Grade, with Top Ten

This was the year I started the site. You'll notice the unusual profusion of reviews,
but I'd also stipulate my skepticism about some of these decades-old responses.


Complete Reviews
= Full Review   /   = Capsule   /   = Feature or Blog Post   /   = Review I Distrust!

 Affliction Dir. Paul Schrader. Nick Nolte, James Coburn, Sissy Spacek C+
 American History X Dir. Tony Kaye. Edward Norton, Edward Furlong B
 Armageddon Dir. Michael Bay. Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Billy Bob Thornton C–
 Artemisia Dir. Agnès Merlet. Valentina Cervi, Michel Serrault, Miki Manojlović B
 The Avengers Dir. Jeremiah Chechik. Ralph Fiennes, Uma Thurman D
 Babe: Pig in the City Dir. George Miller. Magda Szubanski, James Cromwell B–
 Beloved Dir. Jonathan Demme. Oprah Winfrey, Kimberly Elise, Thandie Newton B
 The Big Lebowski Dir. Joel Coen. Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore B–
 Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss Dir. Tommy O'Haver. Sean Hayes, Brad Rowe B
 The Brandon Teena Story Dirs. Susan Muska, Gréta Olafsdóttir. Documentary A–
 Buffalo '66 Dir. Vincent Gallo. Vincent Gallo, Christina Ricci, Anjelica Huston C–
 Bulworth Dir. Warren Beatty. Warren Beatty, Halle Berry, Oliver Platt C
 Clockwatchers Dir. Jill Sprecher. Toni Collette, Parker Posey, Lisa Kudrow B
 Dancing at Lughnasa Dir. Pat O'Connor. Meryl Streep, Bríd Brennan, Kathy Burke D
 Dark City Dir. Alex Proyas. Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, William Hurt B
 Deep Impact Dir. Mimi Leder. Téa Leoni, Robert Duvall, Elijah Wood B
 Great Expectations Dir. Alfonso Cuarón. Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow D
 Hands on a Hardbody Dir. S.R. Bindler. Documentary about an endurance trial B+
 He Got Game Dir. Spike Lee. Denzel Washington, Ray Allen, Hill Harper C
 High Art Dir. Lisa Cholodenko. Radha Mitchell, Ally Sheedy, Patricia Clarkson B
 High Art Dir. Lisa Cholodenko. Radha Mitchell, Ally Sheedy, Patricia Clarkson B
 The Hi-Lo Country Dir. Stephen Frears. Billy Crudup, Woody Harrelson D
 The Horse Whisperer Dir. Robert Redford. Kristin Scott Thomas, Robert Redford C
 How Stella Got Her Groove Back Dir. Kevin Rodney Sullivan. Angela Bassett C–
 Hurlyburly Dir. Anthony Drazan. Sean Penn, Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright Penn B
 Hush Dir. Jonathan Darby. Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Lange, Johnathon Schaech C+
 The Last Days of Disco Dir. Whit Stillman. Chloë Sevigny, Kate Beckinsale D+
 Life Is Beautiful Dir. Roberto Benigni. Roberto Benigni, Giorgio Cantarini C
 Little Voice Dir. Mark Herman. Jane Horrocks, Michael Caine, Ewan McGregor C
 Mrs. Dalloway Dir. Marleen Gorris. Vanessa Redgrave, Natascha McElhone B+
 Niagara, Niagara Dir. Bob Gosse. Henry Thomas, Robin Tunney, Michael Parks C
 The Opposite of Sex Dir. Don Roos. Christina Ricci, Martin Donovan A–
 Out of Sight Dir. Steven Soderbergh. George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez B
 Palmetto Dir. Volker Schlöndorff. Woody Harrelson, Elisabeth Shue B–
 Passion in the Desert Dir. Lavina Currier. Ben Daniels, Michel Piccoli B–
 A Perfect Murder Dir. Andrew Davis. Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow C
 Playing by Heart Dir. Willard Carroll. Gena Rowlands, Gillian Anderson D
 Primary Colors Dir. Mike Nichols. Adrian Lester, John Travolta A–
 Psycho Dir. Gus Van Sant. Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, Viggo Mortensen B
 Psycho Dir. Gus Van Sant. Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, Viggo Mortensen B
 Rear Window Dir. Jeff Bleckner. TV Movie. Christopher Reeve, Daryl Hannah C–
 Saving Private Ryan Dir. Steven Spielberg. Tom Hanks, Edward Burns B+
 Shakesepare in Love Dir. John Madden. Joseph Fiennes, Gwyneth Paltrow B+
 A Simple Plan Dir. Sam Raimi. Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Bridget Fonda C–
 Six Days, Seven Nights Dir. Ivan Reitman. Harrison Ford, Anne Heche C+
 Still Crazy Dir. Brian Gibson. Stephen Rea, Jimmy Nail, Bill Nighy, Juliet Aubrey C–
 Taste of Cherry Dir. Abbas Kiarostami. Homayoun Ershadi, Abdolhossein Bagheri A
 There's Something About Mary Dirs. Peter and Bobby Farrelly. Ben Stiller D
 The Thin Red Line Dir. Terrence Malick. Jim Caviezel, Sean Penn, Ben Chaplin A
 The Truman Show Dir. Peter Weir. Jim Carrey, Ed Harris, Laura Linney B+
 Velvet Goldmine Dir. Todd Haynes. Christian Bale, Jonathan Rhys Meyers A
 The Wedding Singer Dir. Frank Coraci. Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore C
 The Well Dir. Samantha Lang. Pamela Rabe, Miranda Otto, Paul Chubb C–
 What Dreams May Come Dir. Vincent Ward. Robin Williams, Annabella Sciorra C
 Wild Man Blues Dir. Barbara Kopple. Documentary about Woody Allen B+
 Wild Things Dir. John McNaughton. Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell, Denise Richards D–
 Wilde Dir. Brian Gilbert. Stephen Fry, Jude Law, Jennifer Ehle, Michael Sheen D+
 The X-Files: Fight the Future Dir. Rob Bowman. David Duchovny C–
 Your Friends & Neighbors Dir. Neil LaBute. Jason Patric, Catherine Keener C

Full Listing of Films Screened

54 Dir. Mark Christopher. Ryan Phillippe, Mike Myers, Salma Hayek D

Affliction Dir. Paul Schrader. Nick Nolte, James Coburn, Sissy Spacek C+
American History X Dir. Tony Kaye. Edward Norton, Edward Furlong B
Armageddon Dir. Michael Bay. Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Billy Bob Thornton C–
Artemisia Dir. Agnès Merlet. Valentina Cervi, Michel Serrault, Miki Manojlović B
The Avengers Dir. Jeremiah Chechik. Ralph Fiennes, Uma Thurman D

Babe: Pig in the City Dir. George Miller. Magda Szubanski, James Cromwell C+
The Baby Dance Dir. Jane Anderson. TV Movie. Stockard Channing, Laura Dern B
Beloved Dir. Jonathan Demme. Oprah Winfrey, Kimberly Elise, Thandie Newton B
The Big Lebowski Dir. Joel Coen. Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore B–
Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss Dir. Tommy O'Haver. Sean Hayes, Brad Rowe B
The Brandon Teena Story Dirs. Susan Muska, Gréta Olafsdóttir. Documentary A–
Buffalo '66 Dir. Vincent Gallo. Vincent Gallo, Christina Ricci, Anjelica Huston C–
The Butcher Boy Dir. Neil Jordan. Eamonn Owens, Stephen Rea, Fiona Shaw B–
Central Station Dir. Walter Salles. Fernanda Montenegro, Vinicius de Oliveira C+
A Civil Action Dir. Stephen Zaillian. John Travolta, Robert Duvall B+
Clockwatchers Dir. Jill Sprecher. Toni Collette, Parker Posey, Lisa Kudrow B
The Cruise Dir. Bennett Miller. Documentary about Timothy "Speed" Levitch B

Dancing at Lughnasa Dir. Pat O'Connor. Meryl Streep, Bríd Brennan, Kathy Burke D
Dark City Dir. Alex Proyas. Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, William Hurt B
Deep Impact Dir. Mimi Leder. Téa Leoni, Robert Duvall, Elijah Wood B
Down in the Delta Dir. Maya Angelou. Alfre Woodard, Al Freeman Jr. C+
Drifting Clouds Dir. Aki Kaurismäki. Kati Outinen, Kari Väänänen, Elina Salo A–

East Palace, West Palace Dir. Zhang Yuan. Han Si, Hu Jun, Ye Jing, Zhao Wei B
Elizabeth Dir. Shekhar Kapur. Cate Blanchett, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush C+

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Dir. Terry Gilliam. Johnny Depp D
Full Speed Dir. Gaël Morel. Pascal Cervo, Meziane Bardadi, Élodie Bouchez C+
Funny Games Dir. Michael Haneke. Susanne Lothar, Ulrich Mühe, Arno Frisch B

The Governess Dir. Sandra Goldbacher. Minnie Driver, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers C
Great Expectations Dir. Alfonso Cuarón. Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow D

Hands on a Hardbody Dir. S.R. Bindler. Documentary about an endurance trial B+
The Hanging Garden Dir. Thom Fitzgerald. Chris Leavins, Troy Veinotte B–
Happiness Dir. Todd Solondz. Jane Adams, Dylan Baker, Rufus Read B–
He Got Game Dir. Spike Lee. Denzel Washington, Ray Allen, Hill Harper C
Henry Fool Dir. Hal Hartley. Thomas Jay Ryan, James Urbaniak, Parker Posey B
High Art Dir. Lisa Cholodenko. Radha Mitchell, Ally Sheedy, Patricia Clarkson B
Hilary and Jackie Dir. Anand Tucker. Emily Watson, Rachel Griffiths C+
The Hi-Lo Country Dir. Stephen Frears. Billy Crudup, Woody Harrelson D
Hope Floats Dir. Forest Whitaker. Sandra Bullock, Mae Whitman C+
The Horse Whisperer Dir. Robert Redford. Kristin Scott Thomas, Robert Redford C
How Stella Got Her Groove Back Dir. Kevin Rodney Sullivan. Angela Bassett C–
Hurlyburly Dir. Anthony Drazan. Sean Penn, Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright Penn B
Hush Dir. Jonathan Darby. Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Lange, Johnathon Schaech D

Life Is Beautiful Dir. Roberto Benigni. Roberto Benigni, Giorgio Cantarini C
Life of Jesus Dir. Bruno Dumont. David Douche, Marjorie Cottreel B
Little Voice Dir. Mark Herman. Jane Horrocks, Michael Caine, Ewan McGregor C
Live Flesh Dir. Pedro Almodóvar. Liberto Rabal, Francesca Neri, Javier Bardem B+
Living Out Loud Dir. Richard LaGravenese. Holly Hunter, Danny DeVito B–
Love and Death on Long Island Dir. Richard Kwietniowski. John Hurt B
Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon Dir. John Maybury B+

The Mask of Zorro Dir. Martin Campbell. Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins C–
The Mighty Dir. Peter Chelsom. Elden Henson, Kieran Culkin, Sharon Stone C+
Mother and Son Dir. Aleksandr Sokurov. Aleksej Ananischnov, Gudrun Geyer B+
Mrs. Dalloway Dir. Marleen Gorris. Vanessa Redgrave, Natascha McElhone B+
Mulan Dirs. Barry Cook, Tony Bancroft. Voices of Ming-Na Wen, B.D. Wong B–

Niagara, Niagara Dir. Bob Gosse. Henry Thomas, Robin Tunney, Michael Parks C

The Object of My Affection Dir. Nicholas Hytner. Paul Rudd, Jennifer Aniston C+
One True Thing Dir. Carl Franklin. Renée Zellweger, Meryl Streep, William Hurt B
The Opposite of Sex Dir. Don Roos. Christina Ricci, Martin Donovan A–
Out of Sight Dir. Steven Soderbergh. George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez B

Passion in the Desert Dir. Lavina Currier. Ben Daniels, Michel Piccoli B–
A Perfect Murder Dir. Andrew Davis. Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow C
π Dir. Darren Aronofsky. Sean Gullette, Mark Margolis, Ben Shenkman B+
Playing by Heart Dir. Willard Carroll. Gena Rowlands, Gillian Anderson D
Pleasantville Dir. Gary Ross. Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, Joan Allen B
A Price Above Rubies Dir. Boaz Yakin. Renée Zellweger, Christopher Eccleston C–
Primary Colors Dir. Mike Nichols. Adrian Lester, John Travolta A–
The Prince of Egypt Dirs. Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, Simon Wells B+
Psycho Dir. Gus Van Sant. Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, Viggo Mortensen B

Rear Window Dir. Jeff Bleckner. TV Movie. Christopher Reeve, Daryl Hannah C–
The Replacement Killers Dir. Antoine Fuqua. Chow Yun-Fat, Mira Sorvino C+
Rushmore Dir. Wes Anderson. Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Olivia Williams B–

Safe Men Dir. John Hamburg. Sam Rockwell, Steve Zahn, Paul Giamatti C+
Saving Private Ryan Dir. Steven Spielberg. Tom Hanks, Edward Burns B+
See the Sea Dir. François Ozon. Sasha Hails, Marina de Van, Paul Raoux B
Shakesepare in Love Dir. John Madden. Joseph Fiennes, Gwyneth Paltrow B+
The Siege Dir. Edward Zwick. Denzel Washington, Annette Bening, Bruce Willis B
A Simple Plan Dir. Sam Raimi. Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Bridget Fonda C–
Six Days, Seven Nights Dir. Ivan Reitman. Harrison Ford, Anne Heche C+
Skin & Bone Dir. Everett Lewis. B. Wyatt, Alan Boyce, Garrett Scullin C+
Soldier Dir. Paul W.S. Anderson. Kurt Russell, Connie Nielsen, Jason Isaacs D
The Spanish Prisoner Dir. David Mamet. Campbell Scott, Rebecca Pidgeon B–
Sphere Dir. Barry Levinson. Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, Samuel L. Jackson D–
Stepmom Dir. Chris Columbus. Susan Sarandon, Julia Roberts, Ed Harris B+
Still Crazy Dir. Brian Gibson. Stephen Rea, Jimmy Nail, Bill Nighy, Juliet Aubrey C–

Taste of Cherry Dir. Abbas Kiarostami. Homayoun Ershadi, Abdolhossein Bagheri A
The Theory of Flight Dir. Paul Greengrass. Kenneth Branagh C–
There's Something About Mary Dirs. Peter and Bobby Farrelly. Ben Stiller D
The Thin Red Line Dir. Terrence Malick. Jim Caviezel, Sean Penn, Ben Chaplin A
The Truman Show Dir. Peter Weir. Jim Carrey, Ed Harris, Laura Linney B+

Under the Skin Dir. Carine Adler. Samantha Morton, Claire Rushbrook B

Velvet Goldmine Dir. Todd Haynes. Christian Bale, Jonathan Rhys Meyers A

Waking Ned Devine Dir. Kirk Jones. Ian Bannen, David Kelly, Fionnula Flanagan C+
The Wedding Singer Dir. Frank Coraci. Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore C
The Well Dir. Samantha Lang. Pamela Rabe, Miranda Otto, Paul Chubb C–
What Dreams May Come Dir. Vincent Ward. Robin Williams, Annabella Sciorra C
Wild Man Blues Dir. Barbara Kopple. Documentary about Woody Allen B+
Wild Things Dir. John McNaughton. Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell, Denise Richards D–
Wilde Dir. Brian Gilbert. Stephen Fry, Jude Law, Jennifer Ehle, Michael Sheen D+

The X-Files: Fight the Future Dir. Rob Bowman. David Duchovny C–

Your Friends & Neighbors Dir. Neil LaBute. Jason Patric, Catherine Keener C
You've Got Mail Dir. Nora Ephron. Meg Ryan, Tom Hanks, Greg Kinnear B–

In Need of Reappraisal
The memories are fading, but they're somewhere in my brain

Bulworth Dir. Warren Beatty. Warren Beatty, Halle Berry, Oliver Platt

The Celebration Dir. Thomas Vinterberg. Ulrich Thomsen, Henning Mortizen
Celebrity Dir. Woody Allen. Kenneth Branagh, Judy Davis, Famke Janssen
City of Angels Dir. Brad Silberling. Nicolas Cage, Meg Ryan, Dennis Franz
Cousin Bette Dir. Des McAnuff. Jessica Lange, Elisabeth Shue, Bob Hoskins

The Eel Dir. Shohei Imamura. Kôji Yakusho, Misa Shimizu, Mitsuko Baisho

Fallen Angels Dir. Wong Kar-wai. Leon Lai, Michele Reis, Takeshi Kaneshiro

The Gingerbread Man Dir. Robert Altman. Kenneth Branagh, Embeth Davidtz
Gods and Monsters Dir. Bill Condon. Ian McKellen, Brendan Fraser, Lynn Redgrave

The Last Days of Disco Dir. Whit Stillman. Chloë Sevigny, Kate Beckinsale
Lolita Dir. Adrian Lyne. Jeremy Irons, Dominique Swain, Melanie Griffith

Men with Guns Dir. John Sayles. Federico Luppi, Damián Delgado

Palmetto Dir. Volker Schlöndorff. Woody Harrelson, Elisabeth Shue, Gina Gershon