40 Years of Movies: 1998

 


2021 is the year I turn 40. As part of my celebration, I'm looking back at 40 years of movies, picking my favorite film from each year I've been around! To learn more about the criteria for this process, check this introduction. Each post will feature my pick, plus three runner's up. So check back over the next 40 weeks of this journey!

1998:

Simon Birch
About: There was a time in my life when this was my favorite movie, period. It's loosely based on my favorite John Irving book, A Prayer for Owen Meany, and has a great cast. It's a beautiful and emotional story, though it distills the book down to about its first chapter. I loved the story of friendship and family in this film, and the performances were solid. The supporting cast includes Ashley Judd and Oliver Platt, and both are great here. This wasn't an incredibly popular movie when it came out but it's always been one of my favorites.

Other Considerations:
Saving Private Ryan
About: This classic from Steven Spielberg is set during World War II. I remember the first time I saw it in the theater and the D-Day landing sequence that opens the film. It was tough to watch and unlike anything I'd seen. Tom Hanks is great in this, as are the rest of the cast. This should have won Best Picture the year it was released and remains a classic.

Armageddon
About: This Michael Bay film was one of two about killer asteroids hitting earth that was released in this year. The first was Deep Impact, and this was the second, the better of the films. In this one drilling experts played by Ben Affleck and Bruce Willis have to save the world. Liv Tyler is in it too, and it has an original Aerosmith song that still makes me think of the film when I hear it. This one has good action and an interesting story, it has a good cast and it's one of Bay's better films.

The Truman Show
About: Most people think about Jim Carrey as providing wild characters. He's good at that, but he's even better in more traditional and dramatic roles. This one, from director Peter Weir, has a fascinating story and is driven by an excellent performance from Carrey. I like the story and the craft with this one.

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