Moviegoing 1998!

1999, Christian Sauvé

  1. INTRODUCTION: Well...
  2. THE TOP TEN LIST: A must for every end-of-year retrospective...
  3. OTHER WORTHWHILE MENTIONS: Definitely worth a rental
  4. PLAY THE LOTTERY!: You might like them, or you might not.
  5. DON'T RENT UNLESS...: The 1998 movies to avoid.
  6. A QUICK GUIDE TO OTTAWA-AREA THEATRES: For once, some regional content.

0. INTRODUCTION

I stared at my end-of-year list and couldn't quite believe it.

Forty-six movies!

Understand that I do not consider myself a cinephile. I essentially never went to the movies during high school. My parents brought me to see E.T. in 1983, and the next film I saw in theatres after that was STAR TREK 6: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY... in 1991. I did see JURASSIC PARK on my last day of high school. That was in 1993, and it wasn't a common occurrence.

Then, sometime during my university years, I began to go to the movies. Again. And again.

And so we come to 1998, and in my year-end tally, I saw... forty-six movies. Incredible.

Like most wannabee movie critics with too much time on their hands, I find myself uncontrollably eager to do a top ten list. Given that I've already spent too much time discoursing on the Summer Movies of 1998 already, I'll try to keep this short.

 

1. THE TOP TEN LIST

Everyone and his dog is making top ten lists nowadays. Here's mine, in rough order of preference:

1. DARK CITY

Ah, the power of a well-done science-fiction film... Barely literate by written SF's standard, but much better than the usual SF movies, DARK CITY is a mesmerizing exploration of human identity-through-memory, boosted by a superb visual style and some offbeat acting. My only big complaint about the movie is the god-awful voice-over at the beginning, which gives out much information too soon; use your remote's mute button. A powerful mortal-against-the-gods story, DARK CITY is, hands-down, my favorite movie of the year.

2. SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE

I'm not normally a guy who enjoys romantic comedies, but when it's as cleverly done as in SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, it's really hard to resist. A perfect mixture of honest romance and raucous humor (of both the lowbrow and highbrow variety), this movie is a winner from start to finish. Spot the anachronisms, be carried away by the romance, learn a bit about Elizabethan times, be impressed by Queen Elizabeth and feel the power of the theatre: See SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE as soon as possible!

3. THE MASK OF ZORRO

We needed that film. At a time where too many action movies rely on high-tech gadgets and machinery, it was a welcome relief to see the return of the classical swashbuckler, Zorro himself! A rare blend of wonderful action, romance and comedy, THE MASK OF ZORRO is how summer blockbusters should be. I was surprised to find out that I wanted even more of that stuff.

4. PLEASANTVILLE

An overlooked gem of a film, this powerful fable makes perfect usage of cinematographic tricks to tell a story that wouldn't have been nearly as good on any other medium. That the message is positive without being simplistic is even better. I have smallish issues with the script, but I though it was a great movie. Rent it along with THE TRUMAN SHOW.

5. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

Sure, this movie was overrated. Sure, the script isn't as good as it could have been. Sure, it's a conventional war movie sandwiched between two spectacular battle scenes themselves sandwiched between two ineffectual present-day vignettes. But still; what an extraordinary movie! I have a fondness for so-called "docu-fiction", and I think that SAVING PRIVATE RYAN will endure as a memorial to the sacrifices of World War II. It deserves it.

6. ANTZ / A BUG'S LIFE

Unlike many critics, I refuse to name an overall "winner" between these two films. They're so good that at any other time, both would have been great movies; why should they be diminished by proximity? In any case, ANTZ is more adult and meaningful, but A BUG'S LIFE perhaps more strictly enjoyable. See them both.

8. BLADE

Oh, come on... every critic is entitled to a weird choice. Plus, few people will argue that BLADE is the coolest B+ movie of the year. It's got a kick-butt hero, big weapons, dramatic showdowns, quotable lines and the most exciting character intro of the year. It's not what one would call a good film, but it's certainly entertaining.

[If anyone argues, I'd be willing to replace BLADE by A SIMPLE PLAN, finally seen in early February 1999.]

9. THE TRUMAN SHOW

Not as good as it might have been, or even as some critics wanted it to be, THE TRUMAN SHOW is nevertheless a cleverly-crafted, thought-provoking motion picture about keeping your humanity amidst media omnipresence. Jim Carrey turns in a good performance, some of the script is clever, the morals aren't cumbersome and it's fairly original. On the other hand, it loses a lot of steam by the end of the movie, though the final line brought back this movie in my Top Ten.

10. OUT OF SIGHT

I was curiously underwhelmed when I came out of the theatre after seeing OUT OF SIGHT. I was a wonderful movie, but I felt somehow disappointed by this non-spectacular, simple love/crime story. But on the other hand, it was one of the best scripts I had seen in a while, and both lead actors turned in memorable performance (not to mention the excellent editing). Several months later, I find myself holding a more favorable opinion of OUT OF SIGHT than many of the other 1998 movies. So that's why it's included in this top ten list. It might even be better on video.

 

2. OTHER WORTHWHILE MENTIONS

Chances are that ten recommended movies won't last you forever in video stores. Let's see about other worthwhile choices, in no particular order...

 

3. PLAY THE LOTTERY!

Average movies: Pro versus cons.

 

4. DON'T RENT UNLESS...

I know nobody will listen to me when I say to avoid the following movies, but don't rent...

 

5. A QUICK GUIDE TO OTTAWA-AREA THEATRES

The Ottawa area is a pretty decent place to see movies. Sixteen theatres (two of those on the Quebec side of the border, two chain discount theatres, one independent discount theatre and one independent "art house"), nearly a hundred screens... chances are that most movies, even the less successful, are shown somewhere around here. The quality of the moviegoing experience is generally pretty good too: I have never encountered severe projection mishaps and patrons are generally well-behaved, with seldom a rude patron in earshot.

(Kanata, Bytown, St-Laurent, Sommerset, Cinema 9 and Westgate Cinemas are not included in the following reviews. Also; keep in mind that I work in downtown Ottawa, but live in Rockland, forty kilometres east.)

 

And that was the year that was. Hopefully, 1999 will be better.