Beloved – American History X – Saving Private Ryan – Happiness – π – Velvet Goldmine – Psycho

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 // Last update: March 24, 2025

Top Ten List

1. The Thin Red Line Dir. Terrence Malick. Jim Caviezel, Sean Penn, Ben Chaplin A+
2. Velvet Goldmine Dir. Todd Haynes. Christian Bale, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers A
3. Saving Private Ryan Dir. Steven Spielberg. Tom Hanks, Edward Burns A
4. After Life Dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda. Arata Iura, Erika Oda, Kei Tani A–
5. Flowers of Shanghai Dir. Hou Hsiao-Hsien. Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Michiko Hada A–
6. The Hole Dir. Tsai Ming-liang. Yang Kuei-mei, Lee Kang-sheng, Miao Tien A–
7. Slam Dir. Marc Levin. Saul Williams, Sonja Sohn, Lawrence Wilson A–
8. The Apple Dir. Samira Makhmalbaf. Massoumeh Naderi, Zahra Naderi A–
9. The Dreamlife of Angels Dir. Erick Zonca. Élodie Bouchez, Natacha Régnier A–
10. Life on Earth Dir. Abderrahmane Sissako. Abderrahmane Sissako, Nana Baby A–


Full Listing of Films Screened
= Full Review   /   = Capsule   /   = Feature or Blog Post   /   = Grain of Salt

 The Thin Red Line Dir. Terrence Malick. Jim Caviezel, Sean Penn, Ben Chaplin A+

 Saving Private Ryan Dir. Steven Spielberg. Tom Hanks, Edward Burns A
 Velvet Goldmine Dir. Todd Haynes. Christian Bale, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers A
 Velvet Goldmine Dir. Todd Haynes. Christian Bale, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers A

After Life Dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda. Arata Iura, Erika Oda, Kei Tani A–
The Apple Dir. Samira Makhmalbaf. Massoumeh Naderi, Zahra Naderi A–
 The Brandon Teena Story Dirs. Susan Muska, Gréta Olafsdóttir. Documentary A–
Claire Dolan Dir. Lodge Kerrigan. Katrin Cartlidge, Colm Meaney A–
The Dreamlife of Angels Dir. Erick Zonca. Élodie Bouchez, Natacha Régnier A–
Flowers of Shanghai Dir. Hou Hsiao-Hsien. Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Michiko Hada A–
The Hole Dir. Tsai Ming-liang. Yang Kuei-mei, Lee Kang-sheng, Miao Tien A–
Life on Earth Dir. Abderrahmane Sissako. Abderrahmane Sissako, Nana Baby A–
My Name Is Joe Dir. Ken Loach. Peter Mullan, Louise Goodall, David McKay A–
 The Opposite of Sex Dir. Don Roos. Christina Ricci, Martin Donovan A–
 Primary Colors Dir. Mike Nichols. Adrian Lester, John Travolta A–
 Slam Dir. Marc Levin. Saul Williams, Sonja Sohn, Lawrence Wilson A–

Besieged Dir. Bernardo Bertolucci. Thandie Newton, David Thewlis B+
The Book of Life Dir. Hal Hartley. Martin Donovan, PJ Harvey, Thomas Jay Ryan B+
A Civil Action Dir. Stephen Zaillian. John Travolta, Robert Duvall B+
Endurance Dir. Leslie Woodhead. Haile Gebrselassie, Yonas Zergaw B+
Eternity and a Day Dir. Theo Angelopoulos. Bruno Ganz, Achileas Skevis B+
Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon Dir. John Maybury B+
Panic Bodies Dir. Mike Hoolboom. Experimental film about bodies and illness B+
π Dir. Darren Aronofsky. Sean Gullette, Mark Margolis, Ben Shenkman B+
The Prince of Egypt Dirs. Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, Simon Wells B+
Regret to Inform Dir. Barbara Sonneborn. Documentary about Vietnam War B+
Return with Honor Dirs. Freida Lee Mock, Terry Sanders. Documentary B+
Run Lola Run Dir. Tom Tykwer. Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu, Herbert Knaup B+
 Shakesepare in Love Dir. John Madden. Joseph Fiennes, Gwyneth Paltrow B+
So Close to Paradise Dir. Wang Xiaoshuai. Shi Yu, Guo Tao, Wang Tong, Wu Tao B+
Stepmom Dir. Chris Columbus. Susan Sarandon, Julia Roberts, Ed Harris B+
 The Truman Show Dir. Peter Weir. Jim Carrey, Ed Harris, Laura Linney B+
Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl Dir. Joan Chen. Li Xiaolu, Lopsang, Qian Zheng B+

 American History X Dir. Tony Kaye. Edward Norton, Edward Furlong B
The Baby Dance Dir. Jane Anderson. TV. Stockard Channing, Laura Dern B
 Beloved Dir. Jonathan Demme. Oprah Winfrey, Kimberly Elise, Thandie Newton B
 Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss Dir. Tommy O'Haver. Sean Hayes, Brad Rowe B
The Cruise Dir. Bennett Miller. Documentary about New York City tour guide B
 Dark City Dir. Alex Proyas. Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, William Hurt B
 Deep Impact Dir. Mimi Leder. Téa Leoni, Robert Duvall, Elijah Wood B
Earth Dir. Deepa Mehta. Maia Sethna, Nandita Das, Aamir Khan, Rahul Khanna B
Edge of Seventeen Dir. David Moreton. Chris Stafford, Tina Holmes B
The Emperor and the Assassin Dir. Chen Kaige. Li Xuejian, Gong Li, Zhang Fengyi B
Following Dir. Christopher Nolan. Jeremy Theobald, Alex Haw, Lucy Russell B
 High Art Dir. Lisa Cholodenko. Radha Mitchell, Ally Sheedy, Patricia Clarkson B
 High Art Dir. Lisa Cholodenko. Radha Mitchell, Ally Sheedy, Patricia Clarkson B
Hope Floats Dir. Forest Whitaker. Sandra Bullock, Gena Rowlands B
 Hurlyburly Dir. Anthony Drazan. Sean Penn, Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright Penn B
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
Jeanne and the Perfect Guy Dirs. Olivier Ducastel, Jacques Martineau B
Just the Ticket Dir. Richard Wenk. Andy Garcia, Andie MacDowell B
Late August, Early September Dir. Olivier Assayas. Mathieu Amalric B
Lovers of the Arctic Circle Dir. Julio Medem. Fele Martínez, Najwa Nimri B
Midnight Dirs. Walter Salles, Daniela Thomas. Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos B
One True Thing Dir. Carl Franklin. Renée Zellweger, Meryl Streep, William Hurt B
 Out of Sight Dir. Steven Soderbergh. George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Ving Rhames B
Pleasantville Dir. Gary Ross. Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, Joan Allen B
 Psycho Dir. Gus Van Sant. Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, Julianne Moore B
 Psycho Dir. Gus Van Sant. Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, Julianne Moore B
The Siege Dir. Edward Zwick. Denzel Washington, Annette Bening, Bruce Willis B
Sitcom Dir. François Ozon. Évelyne Dandry, François Marthouret, Adrien de Van B
Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train Dir. Patrice Chéreau B

 The Big Lebowski Dir. Joel Coen. Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore B–
Croupier Dir. Mike Hodges. Clive Owen, Gina McKee, Alex Kingston, Kate Hardie B–
Death: A Love Story Dir. Michelle LeBrun. Documentary about dying of cancer B–
The First Night of My Life Dir. Miguel Albaladejo. Leonor Watling B–
Get Real Dir. Simon Shore. Ben Silverstone, Brad Gorton, Charlotte Brittain B–
 The Gingerbread Man Dir. Robert Altman. Kenneth Branagh, Embeth Davidtz B–
Gods and Monsters Dir. Bill Condon. Ian McKellen, Brendan Fraser B–
Happiness Dir. Todd Solondz. Jane Adams, Dylan Baker, Philip Seymour Hoffman B–
Hideous Kinky Dir. Gilles Mackinnon. Kate Winslet, Bella Riza, Carrie Mullan B–
Home Page Dir. Doug Block. Documentary about the early internet B–
 How Stella Got Her Groove Back Dir. Kevin Rodney Sullivan. Angela Bassett B–
In Search of Kundun with Martin Scorsese Dir. Michael Henry Wilson B–
Living Out Loud Dir. Richard LaGravenese. Holly Hunter, Danny DeVito B–
Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels Dir. Guy Ritchie. Nick Moran B–
Mulan Dirs. Barry Cook, Tony Bancroft. Voices of Ming-Na Wen, B.D. Wong B–
 My Son the Fanatic Dir. Udayan Prasad. Om Puri, Akbar Kurtha, Rachel Griffiths B–
Dir. Robert Lepage. Anne-Marie Cadieux, Alexis Martin, Richard Fréchette B–
 Palmetto Dir. Volker Schlöndorff. Woody Harrelson, Elisabeth Shue B–
The Red Violin Dir. François Girard. Samuel L. Jackson, Irene Grazioli B–
Ringu Dir. Hideo Nakata. Nanako Matsushima, Hiroyuki Sanada B–
Rushmore Dir. Wes Anderson. Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Olivia Williams B–
Show Me Love Dir. Lukas Moodysson. Rebecka Liljeberg, Alexandra Dählstrom B–
Siavash Dir. Saman Moghadam. Ali Ghorbanzadeh, Hediyeh Tehrani B–
The Wall Dir. Alain Berliner. Daniel Hanssens, Pascale Bal, Michaël Pas B–
You've Got Mail Dir. Nora Ephron. Meg Ryan, Tom Hanks, Greg Kinnear B–

 Babe: Pig in the City Dir. George Miller. Magda Szubanski, James Cromwell C+
The Barber of Siberia Dir. Nikita Mikhalkov. Julia Ormond, Oleg Menshikov C+
Central Station Dir. Walter Salles. Fernanda Montenegro, Vinicius de Oliveira C+
 Down in the Delta Dir. Maya Angelou. Alfre Woodard, Al Freeman Jr. C+
 Elizabeth Dir. Shekhar Kapur. Cate Blanchett, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush C+
God Said, 'Ha!' Dir. Julia Sweeney. Julia Sweeney. Performance documentary C+
Hilary and Jackie Dir. Anand Tucker. Emily Watson, Rachel Griffiths C+
The Mighty Dir. Peter Chelsom. Elden Henson, Kieran Culkin, Sharon Stone C+
The Object of My Affection Dir. Nicholas Hytner. Paul Rudd, Jennifer Aniston C+
 Practical Magic Dir. Griffin Dunne. Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman C+
The Replacement Killers Dir. Antoine Fuqua. Chow Yun-Fat, Mira Sorvino C+
Safe Men Dir. John Hamburg. Sam Rockwell, Steve Zahn, Paul Giamatti C+
Snake Eyes Dir. Brian De Palma. Nicolas Cage, Gary Sinise, Carla Gugino C+
Waking Ned Devine Dir. Kirk Jones. Ian Bannen, David Kelly, Fionnula Flanagan C+
When Love Comes Dir. Garth Maxwell. Rena Owen, Simon Prast C+

The Adventures of Sebastian Cole Dir. Tod Williams. Adrian Grenier C
Among Giants Dir. Sam Miller. Pete Postlethwaite, Rachel Griffiths C
Bedrooms & Hallways Dir. Rose Troche. Kevin McKidd, James Purefoy C
 Bulworth Dir. Warren Beatty. Warren Beatty, Halle Berry, Oliver Platt C
Desert Blue Dir. Morgan J. Freeman. Brendan Sexton III, Kate Hudson C
The Governess Dir. Sandra Goldbacher. Minnie Driver, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers C
Hard Dir. John Huckert. Noel Palomaria, Malcolm Moorman, Charles Lanyer C
 He Got Game Dir. Spike Lee. Denzel Washington, Ray Allen, Hill Harper C
 The Horse Whisperer Dir. Robert Redford. Kristin Scott Thomas, Robert Redford C
 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
 A Perfect Murder Dir. Andrew Davis. Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow C
 Six Days, Seven Nights Dir. Ivan Reitman. Harrison Ford, Anne Heche C
 Smoke Signals Dir. Chris Eyre. Evan Adams, Adam Beach, Gary Farmer C
The Terrorist Dir. Santosh Sivan. Ayesha Dharkar, Parmeshwaran, Banu Prakash C
 The Wedding Singer Dir. Frank Coraci. Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore C
 What Dreams May Come Dir. Vincent Ward. Robin Williams, Annabella Sciorra C
 Your Friends & Neighbors Dir. Neil LaBute. Jason Patric, Catherine Keener C

 Armageddon Dir. Michael Bay. Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Billy Bob Thornton C–
 Buffalo '66 Dir. Vincent Gallo. Vincent Gallo, Christina Ricci, Anjelica Huston C–
Finding North Dir. Tanya Wexler. Wendy Makkena, John Benjamin Hickey C–
Head On Dir. Ana Kokkinos. Alex Dimitriades, Paul Capsis, Julian Garner C–
The Mask of Zorro Dir. Martin Campbell. Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins C–
Out of Season Dir. Jeanette L. Buck. Carol Monda, Joy Kelly, Dennis Fecteau C–
A Price Above Rubies Dir. Boaz Yakin. Renée Zellweger, Christopher Eccleston C–
 Rear Window Dir. Jeff Bleckner. TV. Christopher Reeve, Daryl Hannah C–
Relax...It's Just Sex Dir. P.J. Castellaneta. Mitchell Anderson, Jennifer Tilly C–
 A Simple Plan Dir. Sam Raimi. Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Bridget Fonda C–
 Still Crazy Dir. Brian Gibson. Stephen Rea, Jimmy Nail, Bill Nighy, Juliet Aubrey C–
The Theory of Flight Dir. Paul Greengrass. Helena Bonham Carter C–
This Is My Father Dir. Paul Quinn. Aidan Quinn, Moya Farrelly, James Caan C–
Under the Sun Dir. Colin Nutley. Rolf Lassgård, Helena Bergström C–
 The X-Files: Fight the Future Dir. Rob Bowman. David Duchovny C–

Frogs for Snakes Dir. Amos Poe. Barbara Hershey, Robbie Coltrane, Lisa Marie D+
Goodbye Lover Dir. Roland Joffé. Patricia Arquette, Dermot Mulroney D+
Just a Little Harmless Sex Dir. Rick Rosenthal. Robert Mailhouse D+
 The Last Days of Disco Dir. Whit Stillman. Chloë Sevigny, Kate Beckinsale D+

54 Dir. Mark Christopher. Ryan Phillippe, Mike Myers, Salma Hayek D
 The Avengers Dir. Jeremiah Chechik. Ralph Fiennes, Uma Thurman D
 Can't Hardly Wait Dir. Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan. Ethan Embry D
 Dancing at Lughnasa Dir. Pat O'Connor. Meryl Streep, Bríd Brennan, Kathy Burke D
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Dir. Terry Gilliam. Johnny Depp D
 Great Expectations Dir. Alfonso Cuarón. Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow D
 The Hi-Lo Country Dir. Stephen Frears. Billy Crudup, Woody Harrelson D
 Hush Dir. Jonathan Darby. Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Lange, Johnathon Schaech D
 Playing by Heart Dir. Willard Carroll. Gena Rowlands, Gillian Anderson D
Soldier Dir. Paul W.S. Anderson. Kurt Russell, Connie Nielsen, Jason Isaacs D
 There's Something About Mary Dirs. Peter and Bobby Farrelly. Ben Stiller D
The Velocity of Gary Dir. Dan Ireland. Vincent D'Onofrio, Thomas Jane D

B. Monkey Dir. Michael Radford. Jared Harris, Asia Argento, Rupert Everett D–
Sphere Dir. Barry Levinson. Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, Samuel L. Jackson D–
 Wild Things Dir. John McNaughton. Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell, Denise Richards D–

The Master's House Dirs. Marianna Kirejewa, Alexander Iskin. Documentary F


In Need of Reappraisal
The memories are fading, but they're somewhere in my brain

The Celebration Dir. Thomas Vinterberg. Ulrich Thomsen, Henning Mortizen
Celebrity Dir. Woody Allen. Kenneth Branagh, Judy Davis, Famke Janssen
City of Angels Dir. Brad Silberling. Nicolas Cage, Meg Ryan, Dennis Franz
Cousin Bette Dir. Des McAnuff. Jessica Lange, Elisabeth Shue, Bob Hoskins