31. Fireworks ( Hana-bi )
Year of Release: 1998
Overall Rating: 2.9 out of 4 stars
Language: Japanese
Genre: Crime/Drama
MPAA Rating: NR
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Actors: Takeshi Kitano, Kayoko Kishimoto, Ren Osugi, Susumu Terajima, Tetsu Watanabe, Hakuryu
Plot: Nishi is a police offer struggling to balance his personal and professional life. As his wife succumbs to Leukemia, a former partner becomes suicidal after suffering an accident that leaves him confined to a wheelchair. Nishi eventually leaves the force, but as he falls deeper into despair, makes questionable decisions to help those he loves.
32. Pleasantville
Year of Release: 1998
Overall Rating: 2.8 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Drama/Fantasy
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: Gary Ross
Actors: Reese Witherspoon, William H. Macy, Tobey Maguire, Joan Allen, Jeff Daniels, J.T. Walsh
Plot: Two modern-day teens find themselves in a transported inside a 1950's sitcom where their actions disrupt the idealized lives of the characters and literally brings color and love, along with violence and racism, to the people inhabiting the show.
33. Last Night
Year of Release: 1998
Overall Rating: 3.0 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Drama/Sci-Fi
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Don McKellar
Actors: Don McKellar, Sandra Oh, Roberta Maxwell, Sarah Polley, David Cronenberg, Callum Keith Rennie
34. Shakespeare in Love
Year of Release: 1998
Overall Rating: 2.8 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Drama/Romance
MPAA Rating: R
Director: John Madden
Actors: Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Tom Wilkinson, Geoffrey Rush, Judi Dench
Plot: A young Shakespeare meets an inspiring women who tries out for a role in his newest play, Romeo and Juliette, when women were not allowed to act.
35. Mother and Son ( Mat i syn )
Year of Release: 1998
Overall Rating: 3.2 out of 4 stars
Language: Russian
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: NR
Director: Aleksandr Sokurov
Actors: Aleksei Ananishnov, Gudrun Geyer
Plot: Simple yet poignant - as a son dutifully cares for his dying mother, the film takes on a deeper, spiritual meaning as we visit the cottage and surrounding countryside.
36. Beyond Silence ( Jenseits der Stille )
Year of Release: 1998
Overall Rating: 3.2 out of 4 stars
Language: German
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Caroline Link
Actors: Sylvie Testud, Tatjana Trieb, Howie Seago, Emmanuelle Laborit, Sibylle Canonica, Matthias Habich
37. Fallen Angels ( Duo luo tian shi )
Year of Release: 1998
Overall Rating: 2.9 out of 4 stars
Language: Mandarin
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: NR
Director: Kar Wai Wong
Actors: Leon Lai, Michelle Reis, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Charlie Yeung, Karen Mok, Fai-hung Chan
Plot: A killer out for his last hit finds himself disillusioned and while trying to find a surrogate relationship to keep his mind off an improper relationship with his current partner in crime. Wandering the sordid, surreal streets of Hong Kong - he aids a drifter searching for her mysterious ex-boyfriend and runs across a mute trying to get the world's attention in his own way.
38. Love and Death on Long Island
Year of Release: 1998
Overall Rating: 3.0 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Comedy/Drama
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: Richard Kwietniowski
Actors: John Hurt, Jason Priestley, Fiona Loewi, Sheila Hancock, Harvey Atkin, Gawn Grainger
Plot: A widower with little to like about modern life finds himself at the movies, where he becomes obsessed with actor Ronnie Bostock and does everything he can to learn about the man. Finding he lives in Long Island, he travels there, meeting with him out of respect but truly hoping to fall in love.
39. Men with Guns
Year of Release: 1998
Overall Rating: 3.1 out of 4 stars
Language: Spanish
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: R
Director: John Sayles
Actors: Federico Luppi, Damián Delgado, Dan Rivera González, Tania Cruz, Mandy Patinkin, Kathryn Grody
Plot: A doctor in an unnamed Latin American country leaves his home in search of former medical students who he has trained to work in impoverished villages in the countryside. He begins to discover what is actually happening politically in his country when he is confronted by soldiers, guerillas, and impoverished citizens.
40. Les misérables
Year of Release: 1998
Overall Rating: 2.8 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Crime/Drama
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: Bille August
Actors: Liam Neeson, Geoffrey Rush, Uma Thurman, Claire Danes, Hans Matheson, Reine Brynolfsson
Plot: This version of Victor Hugo's classic novel puts the relationship between Jean Valjean, convicted of a petty crime and released, only to break his parole and Inspector Javert, the man who makes it his life's goal to track him down - to the forefront. The pursuit consumes both men - professionally and personally - leading up to the student revolution in France.
