Movies Came Out In (1998)
Winner:
Shakespeare in Love – I enjoyed this movie, well acted, cute story about a young Shakespeare who’s low on funds and ideas, meets a woman that inspires one of his greatest stories. I did not originally see in theaters, but only saw because of my movie quest. This is a film I think I missed out on, originally.
Elizabeth – Actually enjoyed this movie quite a bit. I never saw this movie or Shakespeare in Love when they originally came out, so it was weird to me to see Joseph Fiennes have starring roles in two nominated movies, just struck me as interesting. This film focuses on Elizabeth I’s early reign as Queen and her struggles and the story is told beautifully.
Life Is Beautiful – Amazing movie, I enjoyed it very much and the portrayal of the human spirit in the worst of circumstances. A Jewish librarian and his son are taken into a concentration camp, and the father uses a mixture of story telling, perseverance, and humor to help his son survive the horrible atrocity.
Saving Private Ryan – Heavy movie, one of my favorites. Makes me cry every time. A group of soldiers in WWII embark on a mission to save the remaining surviving brother in a family. While the story is fiction, the reality of the film is incredibly authentic. Unlike most other WW2 films, the action is dirty/messy/gross/horrifying/cruel and true to what it was really like. I remember seeing this film in the theaters and reading news stories about how WWII veterans couldn’t believe the accurate depiction and hotlines had to be setup for emotional support. This is the perfect film to show anyone who thinks war is to be glorified, like a video game.
The Thin Red Line – Did not enjoy this movie that much. It was ok, but not something that I went crazy over. It’s an autobiographical account of a skirmish that happened in Guadalcanal during WWII. This film has the unfortunate timing of coming out at the same time as Saving Private Ryan and there really is no comparison between the two (directing, story, acting, etc… are far superior in Saving Private Ryan).
Brian’s Winner:
#BrianWatchesOscarMovies
#1998
Ceremony Year (1999) – Movies Came Out In (1998)