films of the year

TwentyFourSeven (Dir: Shane Meadows, 1998 UK) Drama
For my money this is the best film of the year.
Best in that it didn't cost a fortune but packs as much of an emotional wallop as James Cameron's absurdly expensive Titanic.
Bob Hoskins plays Darcy, the burnt out soccer coach whose past history is told in flashback through his diary.
It tells of how he trained up a team of no-hopers into becoming boxers with something to live for.
Shot in luminous black and white, the feature debut of Shane Meadows is a remarkably sensitive, blisteringly funny portrait of hopelessness in Nottingham.
The city has always had its problems but is also one of the most vibrant places on earth and Meadows captures the balance perfectly.
The sulphurous black and white photography adds much class to the production and the team of largely unknown actors handle things admirably.
The movie also features one of the most realistic fight scenes ever committed to celluloid when Hoskins and Coronation Street's Bruce Jones (Les Battersby) lay into one another.
Both actors walked away with broken bones and this is jut one element of why 24/7 is a cut above the average movie.
It's life captured on film with few romantic films. But the message is as powerful as one of Hoskins' punches in the ribs.
Meadows will inevitably get more money for his next picture and will no doubt be sucked into the Hollywood mainstream which will probably be the death of him.
If that happens, let's hope he doesn't lose sight of the genius which he embedded into every frame of 24/7.
If you liked this try these: Raging Bull; Rocky; Saturday Night Sunday Morning; Naked.
s *****

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Rush Hour (Dir: Some bloke, 1998 US) Comedy thriller
After years of trying to make the crossover from Hong Kong action star to US hero, Jackie Chan has finally managed it with this formulaid but enjoyable comedy thriller. It's a by-the-numbers affair with Chan as a Hong Kong detective seeking a kidnapped child in LA. Chris Tucker is the wise ass cop who's assigned as his partner. Tom Wilkinson (looking like he's walked in from another movie) is sorely wasted as the villain of the piece. However, this is good entertainment with Chan delivering some jaw-dropping stunts. ***

Out of Sight (Dir: Steven Soderbergh, 1998 US) Crime thriller
After making the ill-judged Batman and Robin, George Clooney makes good with this cracking Elmore Leonard-inspired thriller. A great soundtrack, the gorgeous Jennifer Lopez and a nice cameo from Michael Keaton, reprising his role from Jackie Brown. The perfect date movie with enough well-rounded characters to make up for the meandering plot. Look out for Samuel L Jackson at the movie's finale. *****


Blade (Dir: Stephen Norrington, 1998 US) Horror thriller
Vampire hunter Wesley Snipes tackles the undead in this slick, exciting adventure based on a little seen Seventies Marvel Comics. Great set design and an atmospheric score make up for Snipes' OTT posturing and Stephen Dorff's wimpish villain. A good performance by Kris Kristofferson as the hero's aide who, alas, has victim written all over him. A sequel is inevitable.*****


Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Dir: Terry Gilliam, 1998 US) Drama
Visually stunning but ultimately disappointing take on the cult drug culture novel. After Alex Cox bailed, it seemed that if Gilliam couldn't make a go of this unfilmable book, then noone could. Johnny Depp is superb as the twitchy journo who goes wild in Nevada with the aid of his attorney, played by a roly poly Benicio Del Toro. Good cameos from Christina Ricci, Ellen Barkin, Gary Busey and Cameron Diaz.*****


The Truman Show (Dir: Peter Weir, 1998 US) Drama
Visually stunning but ultimately disappointing take on American TV and the life of a man born into a fake reality. Not as good as the critics have said but Jim Carrey gives a good performance and Ed Harris is always watchable. The finale is great as Truman sails off into the artifical sunset. Alas, the final line reduces the whole thing to a movie of disposable merits.*****


Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (Dir: Guy Ritchie, 1998 UK) Drama
This British crime caper comes across like a cross between Pulp Fiction and The Long Good Friday. Violent, over-the-top and often hilarious.
Guy Ritchie's movie boats a great script and some sterling performances from Jason Flemyng and Nick Moran.
Even Sting isn't too cringe-worthy but the most amazing turn comes from Vinnie Jones, the big screen's best thug in a long time.
The plot is far too complex to do justice to without leaving some vital element out so in a nutshell here goes.
Eddy (Nick Moran) is an East Ender card sharp and con man.
Three of his friends (Flemyng, Dexter Fletcher, Jason Statham) pool their money to make up the stake in a poker match at porn king Hatchet Harry's place.
Needless to say without fear of letting the cat out of the bag, Eddy loses $500,000 (payable in a week) and has the unwelcome attention of Barry the Baptist on his heels.
A good engine for a story and here things really get going.
Eddy and his friends have to come up with cash quick, or suffer the consequences.
Thrown into the mix are drug dealers, ex-public schoolboys, antique shotguns and an assortment of petty and heavy duty criminals.
Good pacing, clever camera work and a superb soundtrack make this 107 minutes of your life well spent.And with a TV series on the way, thanks to ginger whinger Chris Evans, let's hope that Big Chris and company can better this offering.*****

There's Something About Mary (Dir: Peter and Bob Farrelly, 1998 US) Comedy
The utterly gorgeous Cameron Diaz makes just about every nutcase and bloke fall in love with her. This is not very hard to believe considering she has the sort of grin that makes grown men weak at the knees and a body to die for. Lovelorn Ben Stiller - still smarting over missing his prom night date with Mary years earlier decides to track her down with the aid of a sleazy detective (superbly played by Matt Dillon). Of course, Matt takes one look at Mary and falls for her himself. Before long, Stiller is mixed up with a host of suitors, a murderous hitchhiker and a conman posing as an architect (Lee Evans on fine form). Oh, and on top of that, there�s a rather irritating balladeer (Jonathan Richman). There are many hilarious moments in the movie. Stiller getting his wedding tackle caught in his zip - a scene which gives the audience a little too much information; the now legendary hair gel scene; and Dillon attempting to revive a comatose dog with the aid of exposed electric wires. The PC lobby will hate it as will the moral majority but there�s no doubt this is one of the funniest movies of the year, albeit half an hour too long.

Armageddon (Dir: Michael Bay, 1998, US) Action thriller
Remember the 1979 Sean Connery flick Meteor? A dreadful movie by all accounts with an, ahem, rock-solid premise. Huge boulder swooping towards the earth; Those on terra firma have to do something about it while chunks of the rock burn through the atmosphere and turn under-populated areas to smoking craters.
With a rather large rock currently heading in our general direction, Hollywood was quick to jump on the bandwagon, keen to take the premise, throw lots of money at it and hopefully cash in. Deep Impact, the first of the year's meteor remakes I've not seen, nor want to.
It had one of the longest trailers of the year which usually means it's a stinker and the producers are desperate to persuade Joe Public that what they have is actually quite good if we'd only give it a chance.
From the outset, Armageddon was the killer rock movie for me. Even the slagging the 50 minute trailer received at Cannes wouldn't deter me.
With Bruce Willis starring, Michael Bay (maker of The Rock- a better title surely) directing and even Jerry (Top Gun) Bruckheimer producing, this looked like good value for money.
Now bearing in mind I went to see this on my 30th birthday, I wanted something good to commemorate the occasion, and Armageddon delivered - in spades.
The plot is completely over-the-top but the fact that two spaces shuttles have to sling shot around the moon, weave in and out of stray rock fragments, land on the thing and then blow it up is so outrageous, you can't help but admire the writer's front.
Great special effects, a fine turn from Willis - whose characters now seem to have reached a certain God-like status, and good dialogue here and there from Jonathan Hensleigh make this one of the best films of the year.
If you liked this try these: The Rock; The Dirty Dozen; 12 Monkeys; The Right Stuff.
*****


Godzilla (Dir: Roland Emmerich, 1998, US)Sci-fi action thriller
Judging by the critical backlash Roland Emmerich received after Independence Day, you'd think he's made the worst movie in history judging by some of the reviews for this giant monster flick.
Yes, it ridiculously expensive and yes some of the effects are a little ropey but after all, this is Godzilla.
The original movies were hardly a work of art so what can one expect from a movie given the source material?
The film's strengths are in its casting.
Matthew Broderick is perfect as the boyish scientist; baggy eyed Jean Reno suitably enigmatic and charming as the French secret service agent.
Maria Patillo meanwhile is pretty and functional enough as the wannabe reporter who will do anything for a good story.
The result is engaging take on Jurassic Park with some great set pieces, a white knuckle cab chase and a helicopter vs lizard encounter that looks like it would be more at home on your Playstation.
Not the worst film of the year by any means, this is good, stupid fun with enough highpoints to leave Emmerich suitably proud of making a silk purse out of a lizard's ear.
If you liked this try these: Independence Day; Jurassic Park. ***

The X Files (Dir: Rob Bowman, 1998, US) Sci-fi action thriller
With Chris Carter's supernatural series making a fortune on the box, it didn�t take a genius with a film degree to realise Carter would be working on a movie version.
However, Fight The Future is a strange hybrid.
One of the most intelligent sci-fi movies in years, it certainly packs a punch for the first half when a bunch of kids discover a bizarre black oil in a Texas catacomb.
A virus is released, nasty aliens monsters start roaming around and general chaos is unleashed.
All good, scary stuff with enough twists and turns to keep you hooked.
However, things become rather formulaic by part two.
Any film fans knows that all movies follow a certain pattern. When you can see one emerging, it's often a good bet that everything will proceed in the usual order.
This one, strangely, reminded me of Superman II with Mulder (David Duchovny) searching for a kidnapped Scully (Gillian Anderson) in the Antarctic.
Too many lucky coincidences and some rather dull turns from the stars made this look like an overblown episode.
One of the problems was Mulder and Scully had too much space to run around in.
Wi th less cash and a more claustrophobic feel, this would have been a genuine classic.
As it was, it was just a diverting feature film which didn't really go anywhere.
If you liked this try these: Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Aliens.

Lost in Space (Dir: Stephen Hopkins, 1998 US/UK) Sci-fi action thriller
The latest Sixties TV series to get the big screen treatment is a delight on just about every level.
From the first five minutes when daredevil pilot Don West (a beefy Matt Le Blanc) tackles alien invaders in his star fighter, viewers are introduced to a stunning future world bristling with more gadgets than James Bond could ever dream of.
The movie boasts the most effects ever used in a film and you can tell where most of the $80million budget went.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about the film is the story.
There is one.
Something unique in any summer blockbuster these days.
William Hurt plays John Robinson, a scientist attempting to save the world by building a stargate which will enable intergalactic travel.
Together with his family - Mimi Rogers, Lacey Chabert, Heather Graham and the excellent Jack Johnson - they blast off with Le Blanc at the helm.
Unknown to them, mad scientist Zachary Smith (a delightfully over- the-top Gary Oldman) has stowed aboard and attempt to wipe out their mission.
Things don't quite go to plan and soon family, pilot and psychopath are quite literally lost in space, tackling killer spiders and always one step away from a grisly death.
A great premise for a film and well executed thanks to director Stephen Hopkins.
One of the few big budget films in recent years that should please adults and kids alike.
If you're over 18 and liked this, try these: Star Wars; Aliens; Event Horizon. 109 mins *****

Good Will Hunting (Dir: Gus Van Sant, 1998 US) Drama
It had to happen.
After making a string of dreadful movies such as Jack and Flubber, Robin Williams finally makes a film well worth a look.
The movie concerns a gifted, troubled young man (Matt Damon) who has a photographic memory and the ability to solve absurdly difficult maths problems.
A bit handy with his fists is our brilliant lad and so ends up at the offices of psychiatrist Sean Maguire (Williams).
Luckily, like his namesake, Sean doesn't start singing but does manage to befriend the genius and attempts to get to the bottom of his social problems.
Witty, touching and blisteringly clever, this movie (written by its stars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck for a cool million dollars), it never travels down the road marked Cliche.
Although there's many a golden-hued moment reminiscent of Dead Poet's Society, it scarcely matters. As with all good movies, its message is simple.
Seize the day, make the most of yourself and your life etc. But it never rams the fact down your throat.
Good support comes from Stellan Skarsgard, top-drawer direction by Gus Van Sant and Danny Elfman's score is suitably unobtrusive.
On the strength of this it looks like Matt Damon could be the hottest new star of the Nineties while co-star Minnie Driver proves that she is still one of the most fascinating actresses working in the movies today.
Don't miss it.
If you liked this try these: Little Man Tate; Rain Man. 126 mins *****

Titanic (Dir: James Cameron, 1998 US) Moist drama
A brief mention to the expensive powerhouse of a movie for several reasons.
The first is you've read far too much on this already and I have nothing new to say on the issue.
However, the scale of the picture is at least worth the price of admission.
The second is Kate Winslet.
The third is the sheer perverse pleasure of watching a movie whose production costs alone could have kept a starving third world town alive for a year (probably). Worth all the Oscars? Not really. But if you like laughing at lines such as: "There are icebergs out there. I can see them in your eyes," Then this is ideal.
If you liked this try these: The Abyss; A Night To Remember. 195mins ***


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    roger crow 1998

    Disclaimer: All of the above is just my opinion. This does not reflect that of my employer or anyone else. So don't sue me. Cheers.