1998: World Premieres
1998: U.S. Releases
1998: Still Left to See
1998: Cannes Festival
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The Movies of 1998: World Premieres
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 Review /
★ = Special Feature or Blog Post /
★ = Review I Distrust!
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| ★ | Affliction Dir. Paul Schrader. Nick Nolte, James Coburn, Sissy Spacek, Willem Dafoe C+ |
| ★ | American History X Dir. Tony Kaye. Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Avery Brooks B |
| ★ | Armageddon Dir. Michael Bay. Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler C– |
| ★ | The Avengers Dir. Jeremiah Chechik. Ralph Fiennes, Uma Thurman, Sean Connery D |
| ★ | Babe: Pig in the City Dir. George Miller. Magda Szubanski, James Cromwell C+ |
| ★ | 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, Ben Gazzara C– |
| ★ | Bulworth Dir. Warren Beatty. Warren Beatty, Halle Berry, Oliver Platt, Joshua Malina C |
| ★ | 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, Jennifer Connelly B |
| ★ | Deep Impact Dir. Mimi Leder. Téa Leoni, Robert Duvall, Elijah Wood, Morgan Freeman B |
| ★ | Great Expectations Dir. Alfonso Cuarón. Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Cooper D |
| ★ | He Got Game Dir. Spike Lee. Denzel Washington, Ray Allen, Hill Harper, Rosario Dawson C |
| ★ | The Hi-Lo Country Dir. Stephen Frears. Billy Crudup, Woody Harrelson, Patricia Arquette D |
| ★ | 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 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, Nina Foch D |
| ★ | The Last Days of Disco Dir. Whit Stillman. Chloë Sevigny, Kate Beckinsale D+ |
| ★ | Last Night Dir. Don McKellar. Don McKellar, Sandra Oh, Callum Keith Rennie C |
| ★ | Little Voice Dir. Mark Herman. Jane Horrocks, Michael Caine, Ewan McGregor C |
| ★ | My Son the Fanatic Dir. Udayan Prasad. Om Puri, Akbar Kurtha, Rachel Griffiths B– |
| ★ | The Opposite of Sex Dir. Don Roos. Christina Ricci, Martin Donovan, Lisa Kudrow A– |
| ★ | Out of Sight Dir. Steven Soderbergh. George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Ving Rhames B |
| ★ | Palmetto Dir. Volker Schlöndorff. Woody Harrelson, Elisabeth Shue, Gina Gershon B– |
| ★ | A Perfect Murder Dir. Andrew Davis. Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow, Viggo Mortensen C |
| ★ | Playing by Heart Dir. Willard Carroll. Gena Rowlands, Gillian Anderson, Angelina Jolie D |
| ★ | Primary Colors Dir. Mike Nichols. Adrian Lester, John Travolta, Emma Thompson A– |
| ★ | Psycho Dir. Gus Van Sant. Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, Viggo Mortensen, Julianne Moore B |
| ★ | Psycho Dir. Gus Van Sant. Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, Viggo Mortensen, Julianne Moore B |
| ★ | Rear Window Dir. Jeff Bleckner. TV Movie. Christopher Reeve, Daryl Hannah C– |
| ★ | Saving Private Ryan Dir. Steven Spielberg. Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore A |
| ★ | 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, David Schwimmer C+ |
| ★ | Still Crazy Dir. Brian Gibson. Stephen Rea, Jimmy Nail, Bill Nighy, Juliet Aubrey C– |
| ★ | There's Something About Mary Dirs. Peter and Bobby Farrelly. Ben Stiller, Cameron Diaz 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, Noah Emmerich B+ |
| ★ | Velvet Goldmine Dir. Todd Haynes. Christian Bale, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Ewan McGregor A |
| ★ | The Wedding Singer Dir. Frank Coraci. Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Christine Taylor C |
| ★ | What Dreams May Come Dir. Vincent Ward. Robin Williams, Annabella Sciorra C |
| ★ | Wild Things Dir. John McNaughton. Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell, Denise Richards D– |
| ★ | The X-Files: Fight the Future Dir. Rob Bowman. David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson C– |
| ★ | Your Friends & Neighbors Dir. Neil LaBute. Jason Patric, Catherine Keener, Ben Stiller C |
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Full Listing of Films Screened
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54 Dir. Mark Christopher. Ryan Phillippe, Mike Myers, Salma Hayek, Breckin Meyer D
Affliction Dir. Paul Schrader. Nick Nolte, James Coburn, Sissy Spacek, Willem Dafoe C+
After Life Dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda. Arata Iura, Erika Oda, Kei Tani, Susumu Terajima A–
American History X Dir. Tony Kaye. Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Avery Brooks B
Among Giants Dir. Sam Miller. Pete Postlethwaite, Rachel Griffiths, James Thornton C
The Apple Dir. Samira Makhmalbaf. Ghorban Ali Naderi, Massoumeh Naderi, Zahra Naderi A–
Armageddon Dir. Michael Bay. Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler C–
The Avengers Dir. Jeremiah Chechik. Ralph Fiennes, Uma Thurman, Sean Connery D
B. Monkey Dir. Michael Radford. Jared Harris, Asia Argento, Rupert Everett 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
The Barber of Siberia Dir. Nikita Mikhalkov. Julia Ormond, Oleg Menshikov C+
Bedrooms & Hallways Dir. Rose Troche. Kevin McKidd, James Purefoy, Jennifer Ehle C
Beloved Dir. Jonathan Demme. Oprah Winfrey, Kimberly Elise, Thandie Newton B
Besieged Dir. Bernardo Bertolucci. Thandie Newton, David Thewlis, Claudio Santamaria 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 Book of Life Dir. Hal Hartley. Martin Donovan, PJ Harvey, Thomas Jay Ryan B+
The Brandon Teena Story Dirs. Susan Muska, Gréta Olafsdóttir. Documentary A–
Buffalo '66 Dir. Vincent Gallo. Vincent Gallo, Christina Ricci, Anjelica Huston, Ben Gazzara C–
Central Station Dir. Walter Salles. Fernanda Montenegro, Vinicius de Oliveira, Marilia Pêra C+
A Civil Action Dir. Stephen Zaillian. John Travolta, Robert Duvall, William H. Macy B+
Claire Dolan Dir. Lodge Kerrigan. Katrin Cartlidge, Colm Meaney, Vincent D'Onofrio A–
Croupier Dir. Mike Hodges. Clive Owen, Gina McKee, Alex Kingston, Kate Hardie B–
The Cruise Dir. Bennett Miller. Documentary about tour guide 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, Jennifer Connelly B
Death: A Love Story Dir. Michelle LeBrun. Documentary about final stages of cancer B–
Deep Impact Dir. Mimi Leder. Téa Leoni, Robert Duvall, Elijah Wood, Morgan Freeman B
Desert Blue Dir. Morgan J. Freeman. Brendan Sexton III, Kate Hudson, Casey Affleck C
The Dreamlife of Angels Dir. Erick Zonca. Élodie Bouchez, Natacha Régnier A–
Earth Dir. Deepa Mehta. Maia Sethna, Nandita Das, Aamir Khan, Rahul Khanna B
Edge of Seventeen Dir. David Moreton. Chris Stafford, Tina Holmes, Stephanie McVay B
Elizabeth Dir. Shekhar Kapur. Cate Blanchett, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Kathy Burke C+
The Emperor and the Assassin Dir. Chen Kaige. Li Xuejian, Gong Li, Zhang Fengyi B
Endurance Dir. Leslie Woodhead. Haile Gebrselassie, Yonas Zergaw B+
Eternity and a Day Dir. Theo Angelopoulos. Bruno Ganz, Achileas Skevis, Isabelle Renauld B+
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Dir. Terry Gilliam. Johnny Depp, Benicio Del Toro D
Finding North Dir. Tanya Wexler. Wendy Makkena, John Benjamin Hickey, Molly McClure C–
The First Night of My Life Dir. Miguel Albaladejo. Leonor Watling, Carlos Fuentes B–
Flowers of Shanghai Dir. Hou Hsiao-Hsien. Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Michiko Hada B
Following Dir. Christopher Nolan. Jeremy Theobald, Alex Haw, Lucy Russell, John Nolan B
Frogs for Snakes Dir. Amos Poe. Barbara Hershey, Robbie Coltrane, Lisa Marie D+
Get Real Dir. Simon Shore. Ben Silverstone, Brad Gorton, Charlotte Brittain B–
Gods and Monsters Dir. Bill Condon. Ian McKellen, Brendan Fraser, Lynn Redgrave B–
Goodbye Lover Dir. Roland Joffé. Patricia Arquette, Dermot Mulroney, Don Johnson D+
The Governess Dir. Sandra Goldbacher. Minnie Driver, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers C
Great Expectations Dir. Alfonso Cuarón. Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Cooper D
Happiness Dir. Todd Solondz. Jane Adams, Dylan Baker, Philip Seymour Hoffman B–
Hard Dir. John Huckert. Noel Palomaria, Malcolm Moorman, Charles Lanyer C
He Got Game Dir. Spike Lee. Denzel Washington, Ray Allen, Hill Harper, Rosario Dawson C
Head On Dir. Ana Kokkinos. Alex Dimitriades, Paul Capsis, Julian Garner, Elena Mandalis C–
Hideous Kinky Dir. Gilles Mackinnon. Kate Winslet, Bella Riza, Carrie Mullan B–
High Art Dir. Lisa Cholodenko. Radha Mitchell, Ally Sheedy, Patricia Clarkson B
Hilary and Jackie Dir. Anand Tucker. Emily Watson, Rachel Griffiths, David Morrissey C+
The Hi-Lo Country Dir. Stephen Frears. Billy Crudup, Woody Harrelson, Patricia Arquette D
The Hole Dir. Tsai Ming-liang. Yang Kuei-mei, Lee Kang-sheng, Miao Tien A–
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, Nina Foch D
I Stand Alone Dir. Gaspar Noé. Philippe Nahon, Blandine Lenoir, Frankye Pain B
The Idiots Dir. Lars von Trier. Bodil Jørgensen, Jens Albinus, Nikolaj Lie Kaas B
In Search of Kundun with Martin Scorsese Dir. Michael Henry Wilson B–
Jeanne and the Perfect Guy Dirs. Olivier Ducastel, Jacques Martineau B
Just a Little Harmless Sex Dir. Rick Rosenthal. Robert Mailhouse, Alison Eastwood D+
Just the Ticket Dir. Richard Wenk. Andy Garcia, Andie MacDowell, Richard Bradford B
Last Night Dir. Don McKellar. Don McKellar, Sandra Oh, Callum Keith Rennie C
Late August, Early September Dir. Olivier Assayas. Mathieu Amalric, Jeanne Balibar B
Life on Earth Dir. Abderrahmane Sissako. Abderrahmane Sissako, Nana Baby A–
Little Voice Dir. Mark Herman. Jane Horrocks, Michael Caine, Ewan McGregor C
Living Out Loud Dir. Richard LaGravenese. Holly Hunter, Danny DeVito, Queen Latifah B–
Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels Dir. Guy Ritchie. Nick Moran, Jason Flemyng B–
Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon Dir. John Maybury B+
Lovers of the Arctic Circle Dir. Julio Medem. Fele Martínez, Najwa Nimri, Nancho Novo B
The Mask of Zorro Dir. Martin Campbell. Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins C–
The Master's House Dirs. Marianna Kirejewa, Alexander Iskin. Documentary F
Midnight Dirs. Walter Salles, Daniela Thomas. Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos B
The Mighty Dir. Peter Chelsom. Elden Henson, Kieran Culkin, Sharon Stone C+
Mulan Dirs. Barry Cook, Tony Bancroft. Animated. Voices of Ming-Na Wen, B.D. Wong B–
My Name Is Joe Dir. Ken Loach. Peter Mullan, Louise Goodall, David McKay A–
Nō Dir. Robert Lepage. Anne-Marie Cadieux, Alexis Martin, Richard Fréchette B–
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, Lisa Kudrow A–
Out of Season Dir. Jeanette L. Buck. Carol Monda, Joy Kelly, Dennis Fecteau C–
Out of Sight Dir. Steven Soderbergh. George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Ving Rhames B
Panic Bodies Dir. Mike Hoolboom. Six-part exprimental film about bodies and illness B+
A Perfect Murder Dir. Andrew Davis. Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow, Viggo Mortensen C
π Dir. Darren Aronofsky. Sean Gullette, Mark Margolis, Ben Shenkman, Pamela Hart B+
Playing by Heart Dir. Willard Carroll. Gena Rowlands, Gillian Anderson, Angelina Jolie 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, Emma Thompson A–
The Prince of Egypt Dirs. Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, Simon Wells. Animated B+
Psycho Dir. Gus Van Sant. Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, Viggo Mortensen, Julianne Moore B
Rear Window Dir. Jeff Bleckner. TV Movie. Christopher Reeve, Daryl Hannah C–
The Red Violin Dir. François Girard. Samuel L. Jackson, Irene Grazioli, Carlo Cecchi B–
Relax...It's Just Sex Dir. P.J. Castellaneta. Mitchell Anderson, Jennifer Tilly C–
The Replacement Killers Dir. Antoine Fuqua. Chow Yun-Fat, Mira Sorvino C+
Return with Honor Dirs. Freida Lee Mock, Terry Sanders. Documentary B+
Ringu Dir. Hideo Nakata. Nanako Matsushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, Katsumi Muramatsu B–
Run Lola Run Dir. Tom Tykwer. Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu, Herbert Knaup B+
Rushmore Dir. Wes Anderson. Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Olivia Williams B–
Safe Men Dir. John Hamburg. Sam Rockwell, Steve Zahn, Paul Giamatti, Michael Lerner C+
Saving Private Ryan Dir. Steven Spielberg. Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore A
Shakesepare in Love Dir. John Madden. Joseph Fiennes, Gwyneth Paltrow B+
Show Me Love Dir. Lukas Moodysson. Rebecka Liljeberg, Alexandra Dählstrom 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–
Sitcom Dir. François Ozon. Évelyne Dandry, François Marthouret, Adrien de Van B
Six Days, Seven Nights Dir. Ivan Reitman. Harrison Ford, Anne Heche, David Schwimmer C+
So Close to Paradise Dir. Wang Xiaoshuai. Shi Yu, Guo Tao, Wang Tong, Wu Tao B+
Soldier Dir. Paul W.S. Anderson. Kurt Russell, Connie Nielsen, Jason Isaacs D
Stepmom Dir. Chris Columbus. Susan Sarandon, Julia Roberts, Ed Harris, Jena Malone B+
Still Crazy Dir. Brian Gibson. Stephen Rea, Jimmy Nail, Bill Nighy, Juliet Aubrey C–
The Terrorist Dir. Santosh Sivan. Ayesha Dharkar, Parmeshwaran, Banu Prakash, K. Krishna C
The Theory of Flight Dir. Paul Greengrass. Kenneth Branagh, Helena Bonham Carter C–
There's Something About Mary Dirs. Peter and Bobby Farrelly. Ben Stiller, Cameron Diaz D
The Thin Red Line Dir. Terrence Malick. Jim Caviezel, Sean Penn, Ben Chaplin A
This Is My Father Dir. Paul Quinn. Aidan Quinn, Moya Farrelly, James Caan C–
The Truman Show Dir. Peter Weir. Jim Carrey, Ed Harris, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich B+
Under the Sun Dir. Colin Nutley. Rolf Lassgård, Helena Bergström, Johan Widerberg C–
Velvet Goldmine Dir. Todd Haynes. Christian Bale, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Ewan McGregor A
Waking Ned Devine Dir. Kirk Jones. Ian Bannen, David Kelly, Fionnula Flanagan C+
The Wall Dir. Alain Berliner. Daniel Hanssens, Pascale Bal, Michaël Pas, Peter Michel B–
The Wedding Singer Dir. Frank Coraci. Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Christine Taylor C
What Dreams May Come Dir. Vincent Ward. Robin Williams, Annabella Sciorra C
When Love Comes Dir. Garth Maxwell. Rena Owen, Simon Prast, Dean O'Gorman C+
Wild Things Dir. John McNaughton. Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell, Denise Richards D–
The X-Files: Fight the Future Dir. Rob Bowman. David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson C–
Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl Dir. Joan Chen. Li Xiaolu, Lopsang, Qian Zheng B+
Your Friends & Neighbors Dir. Neil LaBute. Jason Patric, Catherine Keener, Ben Stiller C
You've Got Mail Dir. Nora Ephron. Meg Ryan, Tom Hanks, Greg Kinnear, Parker Posey B–
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In Need of Reappraisal
The memories are fading, but they're somewhere in my brain
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Bulworth Dir. Warren Beatty. Warren Beatty, Halle Berry, Oliver Platt, Joshua Malina
The Celebration Dir. Thomas Vinterberg. Ulrich Thomsen, Henning Mortizen
Celebrity Dir. Woody Allen. Kenneth Branagh, Judy Davis, Famke Janssen, Joe Mantegna
City of Angels Dir. Brad Silberling. Nicolas Cage, Meg Ryan, Dennis Franz, Andre Braugher
Cousin Bette Dir. Des McAnuff. Jessica Lange, Elisabeth Shue, Bob Hoskins, Aden Young
The Gingerbread Man Dir. Robert Altman. Kenneth Branagh, Embeth Davidtz
Hope Floats Dir. Forest Whitaker. Sandra Bullock, Mae Whitman, Harry Connick, Jr.
The Last Days of Disco Dir. Whit Stillman. Chloë Sevigny, Kate Beckinsale
My Son the Fanatic Dir. Udayan Prasad. Om Puri, Akbar Kurtha, Rachel Griffiths
Palmetto Dir. Volker Schlöndorff. Woody Harrelson, Elisabeth Shue, Gina Gershon
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