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Ten Best List for the Year 1998
- Central Station -- Stark Brazilian drama in which a cynical spinster (Fernanda Montenegro) reluctantly agrees to escort a 9-year-old boy (Vincius De Oliveira) whose mother was killed at the Rio bus station to the disreputable father he’s never met in the remote reaches of the country. Director Walter Salles’s poignant road movie becomes a humanist voyage of discovery as the woman’s tender emotions are rekindled by sacrificing for the child. Subtitles. Fleeting violence, petty thievery, minor profanity and crude expressions as well as a few instances of rough language. A-III- adults (R) 1998
- The Horse Whisperer -- When a 14-year-old girl (Scarlett Johansson) is seriously injured in a gruesome accident which traumatizes her beloved horse, her career-driven mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) enlists the help of a Montana horse healer (Robert Redford) with whom the mother falls in love during the long healing process. Also directed by Redford, the sensitively observed drama makes a moral point while exploring painful adult and parent-child relationships in a rural setting which has a calming effect on the troubled characters. A gory vehicular accident, mild sexual innuendo and a few instances of profanity. A-II-adults and adolescents (PG-13) 1998
- Les Miserables -- Splendid adaptation of Victor Hugo’s classic focuses on reformed convict Jean Valjean (Liam Neeson) and his efforts to elude the implacable Inspector Javert (Geoffrey Rush) while tenderly raising the daughter (Claire Danes) of a deceased prostitute (Uma Thurman). Director Bille August exquisitely brings out the novel’s universal themes, integrating strong performances into vigorous narrative enhanced by striking visuals evoking the tumult of early 19th-century France. Some violence including a suicide and veiled sexual innuendo. A-II-adults and adolescents (PG-13) 1998
- Life Is Beautiful -- Bittersweet comic fable in which an Italian Jewish bookseller (Roberto Benigni) uses his imagination to convince his little son that their grim existence in a Nazi concentration camp is just an elaborate contest and that they are sure to win the grand prize. Also co-written and directed by Benigni, the story starts off as a slapstick comedy with the young man courting his future wife, then midway becomes a touchingly human story of a parent’s irrepressible determination to protect his child from terror and misery. Subtitles. Theme of genocide. A-II-adults and adolescents (PG-13) 1998
- Madeline -- Sweet-natured tale from the children’s books by Ludwig Bemelman in which the adventurous title orphan (Hatty Jones), who lives in a 1956 Parisian boarding school run by a devoted nun (Frances McDormand), sets out to save the school from being closed only to find herself kidnapped by circus performers. Directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer, the story and characters are warmly engaging and some will be charmed by its nostalgic picture of obedient schoolchildren in a simpler era. Mild menace. A-I-general patronage (PG) 1998
- Men with Guns -- Powerful drama of a troubled Latin American country where an idealistic physician (Federico Luppi) sets out to visit the novice doctors he had trained to care for the rural poor, but he despairs after finding they have been killed or driven off by soldiers or guerrillas, though his selfless example comes to inspire others. Writer-director John Sayles explores the spiritual strengths and human weaknesses of people struggling to survive the calamities of civil war. Subtitles. Brief violence and occasional rough language. A-III-adults (R) 1998
- The Prince of Egypt -- The biblical story of Moses (voice of Val Kilmer) is retold in a beautifully crafted animated feature that focuses on the oppression of the Israelites in Egypt and God’s selection of Moses to lead them to the Promised Land, though younger children may find it an overwhelming experience with some harrowing scenes. Directed by Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner and Simon Wells, the result is an impressive animated spectacle re-creating its biblical-era story in compelling fashion, marred only by the artificiality of Stephen Schwartz’s songs. Some emotionally intense scenes. A-II- adults and adolescents (PG) 1998
- Saving Private -- Ryan Riveting war drama set during and immediately after D-Day, 1944 when seven soldiers, led by their captain (Tom Hanks), are ordered to go behind German enemy lines to rescue a G.I. (Matt Damon) whose three brothers had been killed in action the previous week. Director Steven Spielberg brilliantly re-creates the horror and chaos of warfare, never losing sight of the soldiers’ humanity, savagery and patriotism even as they question the justification of their mission. Graphic battlefield violence with gore, some profanity and recurring rough language. A-III-adults (R) 1998
- Smoke Signals -- Engaging story about a pair of 22-year-old Native American men (Adam Beach and Evan Adams) making the journey from the reservation to Phoenix where one is to pick up his estranged father’s ashes from a caring Native woman (Irene Bedard) who explains why the guilt-ridden father left his tribe. Director Chris Eyre explores Indian culture with sly wit and a keen eye for pain and anger, tempered by healing forgiveness. Fleeting violence and an instance of profanity. A-II-adults and adolescrents (PG-13)
1998
- The Thin Red Line (20th Century Fox) -- Eloquent meditation on the insanity of warfare takes place as World War II American soldiers (notably Sean Penn, Ben Chaplin, Nick Nolte and Jim Caviezel) battle the Japanese forces entrenched on Guadalcanal while reflecting on what brought each to this once-peaceful tropical paradise. Based on the James Jones novel, director Terrence Malick’s lengthy philosophical drama views war as a desecration to all living things be they human, animal or vegetable. Graphic battlefield violence, fleeting nudity and recurring rough language and profanity. A-III-adults (R) 1998
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