Category Archives: 1998

1998, Abduction, Acceptable for teenagers, Action sequences, Amazon Prime, Art Auction, Art forgery, Art Marketing, Bloody scenes, Clever Plot, Complicated Scams, DO NOT MISS, Father-son relations, Forensics, Frame someone for a crime, Fraud, Greed, Happy ending, Love Story, Murder, Physical fighting, Plot twists, Ruthless Killer, Scam Artists, Sensitive treatement of emotions, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Trains, Trial Scenes

Incognito (1998)

From IMDB:

Harry Donovan is an art forger who paints a fake Rembrandt picture for $500,000. Marieke, the woman he meets in Paris and gets into bed with, turns out to be the art expert whom Harry’s clients are using to check the counterfeit picture he painted.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 24 year old complete film that lasts 1 hour and 47 minutes.

About a year after he appeared in “Sleepers” the then 32-year -old Jason Patric starred as Harry Donovan in this cleverly plotted story of financial skullduggery.

If nothing else, just watching the painting details involved in forging a Rembrandt portrait are fascinating.

Moreover the romantic battle between the forger and the art expert Marieke Van Den Broeck (played by Irène Jacobs of “Au revoir, les enfants”), who seems to be the only art expert who knows a forgery when she sees one, is a lot of fun.

Plenty of action sequences only add to the enjoyment. DO NOT MISS.

1998, Abandoned child, Abortion, Acceptable for teenagers, Adultery, Amazon Prime, Cold Cases, Conspiracy, Corruption, Courtroom scenes, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, False Imprisonment, Flashbacks, Frame someone for a crime, Harmful Medicine, Lawyers, Marital Infidelity, Medical Theme, Murder Trial, Mystery Film, Old-Fashioned, Quiet, Romance, Small Town, Small Town Atmosphere, Unjust crime conviction, Vintage Film

Evidence of Blood (1998)

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From Amazon Prime:

An award winning author of stories of real crimes returns to his hometown where he becomes involved in a 40 year old case of a murdered teenager.
From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 49 minute complete film.
In 22 years film making has changed a great deal.  You know you are watching older film techniques when the tool available to distinguish between the film’s present and past is a change in the hue of the picture.  Another clue is that David Strathairn (who plays the author Jackson Kinley) was a young 49 years of age (and is now 78 years old).  Mary McDonnell  (who plays Dora Overton)  played Ruby Goldfarb  in Fargo.
Because his friend Ray dies, Kinley goes back to his home town, driven by a capital punishment case that never felt correct.  Little by little his dogged persistence finally discovers the truth. Along the way he brushes up against an elaborate town wide cover-up and riles up alot of the townsfolk.  Also he falls in love with Dora.
Note that Jackson does his work “by hand” so to speak. He doesn’t have modern tools such as DNA forensics. Dora doesn’t even have a telephone.  All stored data is on paper.  Was 1998 really that long ago?
Watching a vintage film in which Jackson slowly assembles the puzzle pieces  is not a waste of time.   And there is no violence.
1995, 1997, 1998, Acceptable Science, Acorn TV, AIDS, Alcoholism, British Mystery Series, Brother-Brother relations, Detective, DNA, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Extramarital Affair, Family Conflict, Forensics, Medical Theme, Murder Investigation, Prostitutes, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Suicide, Suspense, TV Series, Uncategorized, Various Romances, Well developed plot

McCallum (1995)

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From IMDB:

From deep within the morgue at St. Patrick’s Hospital in London’s East End, Dr. Iain McCallum and Dr. Angela Moloney along with a team of brilliant pathologists and detectives help the dead tell their stories.

Previously I reviewed the Scottish TV series “Rebus” which in its first season starred John Hannah. Subsequently I discovered the TV series “McCallum” also starring John Hannah. Both can be streamed from Acorn TV (currently $4.99 per month).

“McCallum” is at least as good if not better than similar series. Much like “Vera“,  each episode is approximately one and a half hours. Series 1 offers four episodes whereas Series 2 offers five episodes.

Rather than a simple who-done-it, this series similar to the other high quality series has a running theme which features other story threads. Almost without exception, each such series deals with the home life (or home non-life) of the main sleuth.  Of course, you can expect a few romances along the way.

One possibly unique characteristic, is that John Hannah as Dr. Iain McCallum the forensic pathologist must constantly prevent the detective DI Bracken from rushing to false conclusions.

“McCallum” does not seem to be as bloody as other series, nor as violent Still, however, not for children.

If this is your genre, you cannot go wrong. In fact, if this is your genre, DO NOT MISS!

1998, 1999, Amazon Prime, British, Ethical struggles, Forensics, Irish, Mother-son relations, Murder Investigation, Politicians, Unmarried mother

The Ambassador (1998)

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From Amazon:

The new British Ambassador to the Republic of Ireland, Harriet Smith, arrives in Dublin to discover that the Irish government is accusing the British of sinking one of their ships in the Irish Sea. Smith partners with MI6 agent John Stone to uncover the truth. “The Ambassador” originally aired on the BBC.

From Amazon Prime we could stream 6 episodes from season 1 (1998) and 6 episodes from season 2 (1999). The above description holds true only for episode 1, season 1. Each story is self-contained, although the characters, their problems and romances continue from episode to episode.

Pauline Collins as the British Ambassador to the Republic of Ireland does a believable acting job in portraying a woman in a position that is very political and always calls for careful restraint.

Denis Lawson as her private MI6 sidekick is perfect for the job. He can pull tricks that are not available to so public a figure as the British Ambassador.

As far as I am concerned, Pip Torrens who plays Deputy Ambassador Tyler is a standout as a very formal, correct, repressed, and ambitious man often at odds with his boss. Episode 12 centers on the death of his wife.

If you liked “Doc Martin”, then this adult, non-violent series is for you.

1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, British Mystery Series, Crime, Detective, Mystery Film

Midsomer Murders (1997-2012)

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Beginning in 1997 British TV has offered 91 (by my count) episodes of a detective series called “Midsomer Murders”. As in much British TV of this nature you are immersed in a green, fertile, picturesque, made-for-gullible-Americans locale where everything seems so quaint, friendly, folksy, and what we hope is typically British. But that is precisely why Kathy and I enjoy the series. Yes, you do see blood and you could not very well have a murder mystery without a murder or three. But even the occasional torture scene is downright polite. All of this contrasts completely with another current British TV suspense culture which often goes out of its way to be gory, explicit, pessimistic, and gloomy in the extreme. Examples of the latter are “Waking the Dead” or “MI-5”. Whereas Kathy does NOT leave the room for “Midsomer Murders”, there are scenes from the rough series that send her flying in terror. Somehow the sex and violence does not seem to phase yours truly.

Another attractive feature of the series is the slower pace. Plots can be complicated but often there is discussion between characters that tries to explain what is happening.

Additionally an episode is willing to include some “sideshow attraction” such as fifteen minutes of a cricket match or a town’s tradition of a donkey race. That may sound stupid, but actually these extras only add to the charm of the series.

And again I applaud the intelligent tradition in British drama to use actors who are not handsome or beautiful but just plain interesting.

If you want a complete catalog of the series, go IMDB. In addition to learn all about the fictional county called Midsomer as well as the large cast of characters you can try Wikipedia.

Beginning in 2006 the DVDs offer subtitles which Kathy and I need. Therefore I have listed below only those episodes which offer subtitles.

Season 9

Four Funerals and a Wedding
Country Matters
Death in Chorus
Last Year’s Model

Season 10

Dance with the Dead
The Animal Withing
King’s Crystal
The Axeman Cometh
Death and Dust
Picture of Innocence
They Seek Him Here
Death in a Chocolate Box

Season 11

Shot at Dawn
Blood Wedding
Left for Dead
Midsomer Life
The Magician’s Nephew
Days of Misrule
Talking to the Dead

Season 12

The Dogleg Murders
The Black Book
Secrets and Spies
The Glitch
Small Mercies
The Creeper
The Great and the Good

Season 13

Sword of Guillaume
Made-to-Measure Murders
Blood on the Saddle
Silent Land
Master Class
Noble Art
Not in my Backyard
Fit for Murder

Season 14

Death in the Slow Lane
Dark Secrets
Echos of the Dead
The Oblong Murders
Sleeper Under the Hill
Night of the Stag
Sacred Trust
Rare Bird

Season 15

The Dark Rider
Murder of Innocence

Let me know when you have seen all of them.

1000NYTimes, 1001BeforeDie, 1998, Classic, Could Be Hard To Watch, Drama, Not Feel Good, Violent, War

The Thin Red Line (1998)

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From NetFlix:

Director Terrence Malick’s lyrical retelling of James Jones’s novel about the bloody 1942 battle for Guadalcanal was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. With narration from Pvt. Witt (Sean Penn), fellow soldiers Capt. John Gaff (John Cusack), Sgt. Keck (Woody Harrelson) and the rest of the company become a tight-knit group as they face the horrors of war to hold onto a key-positioned airfield — and their own sanity.

Both the “NY Times Best 1000” and “1001 Films to See Before You Die” rave about Malick’s war film. At 170 minutes, it is a long an harrowing adventure. There are too many known actors to even begin mentioning them. Essentially an anti-war film, it constantly blends exotic filming of an island paradise (scenery, natives, birds, etc) with the horrors of the effort to defeat the Japanese entrenced on the summit of the island. But most of all, it accompanies various soldiers as we hear their thoughts, their meditations on this sanity-threatening experience. Of all the threads, two impressed me the most:

Nick Nolte plays Lt. Col. Toll who is an older man that in peacetime was bypassed for promotion. This war is his big chance to be noticed. Accordingly he is willing to sacrifice his men in order to achieve personal glory. At one point he orders Captain Staros, a soldier and lawyer, to launch a suicidal attack. But Staros refuses to order his men to their death, defies Toll’s order, and finds a better way. After successfully reaching the summit, Toll bribes Staros with a Purple Heart so that Staros will not tell the outside world what an as _ _ _ le comander he, Toll, really is.

Ben Chaplin plays Pvt. Bell who survives the terror by constantly remembering his time with his dearly beloved wife. However, at one point he receives a “Dear John” letter asking him for a divorce. Chapin’s portrayal of the slowing dawning, almost impossible to accept, realization of his loss is devastating.

Critics has questioned the length of the film. But this is a classic war film that you should see before you die.

1998, Acceptable Trash, Car Chase, Suspense, Violent

Desperate Measures (1998)

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From Net

San Francisco police officer Frank Connor (Andy Garcia) desperately searches for a compatible bone-marrow donor for his cancer-stricken son. The only potential donor is convicted homicidal sociopath Peter McCabe (Michael Keaton), who seizes the opportunity of a hospital transfer to donate marrow and escapes custody. Connor must capture McCabe alive, so the hospital becomes the setting for a cat-and-mouse game between the two men.

Do not expect to philosophize, meditate, or even think during this film. Just sit back, relax, and watch the fun: super-smart villain, car chases, violence, and a really clever last few seconds. Still, it is a B film. The action sequences probably are downright impossible. In the real germ-filled world, the boy would have died at many places in the film. Never mind, just suspend disbelief and enjoy what should be termed acceptable trash.

1998, Not Feel Good

Return To Paradise (1998)

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From NetFlix:

Americans Lewis (Joaquin Phoenix), Sheriff (Vince Vaughn) and Tony
(David Conrad) spend a carefree summer together on the beaches of
Malaysia. Two years later, a lawyer (Anne Heche) tells Sheriff and
Tony that Lewis has been sentenced to death for drug trafficking.
If both go back to claim their share of the drugs, each will go to
prison for three years; if only one goes, he’ll be jailed for six
years. If both refuse, Lewis will die.

The best thing about this film for me was to learn that Vince Vaughn can act. All I have seen
him in previously were films of the type “Wedding Crashers”. And as usual, Joaquin Phoenix
comes through with another original idiosyncratic character.

I watched the movie in denial: “This could never happen to me because a) I would never
go to Malaysia, b) I do not smoke pot (especially in Malaysia)”. But the really scary difficult
question is: what would I do in their situation ?

This is NOT a feel-good movie. It is suspenseful: how will this ever turn out ? There are
a few plot twists. The prison is ugly.

Says a lot about human nature.

1998, Violent

Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)

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From NetFlix:

Eddie (Nick Moran) is usually slick with a deck of cards, but
after losing at a fixed table for London high rollers, he’s in
massive debt to a local porn kingpin (P.H. Moriarty). Eddie’s
irate father (Sting) refuses to hand over his bar to save his son’s
fingers, leaving Eddie and his friends few options. To come out
ahead, they craft a heist to steal the money from the criminals
next door — with overblown results.

This older film is still funny. The violence from beginning to end is that kind of exaggerated
nonsense not to be taken seriously. Not everybody appreciates that frame of mind (including
wife Kathy). This is basically many gangs that can’t shoot straight. There are many ironic
turns of events. The dialog sparkles. The British dialects are just plain fun. Ends with one
of the best cliff-hangers I have ever seen.

You also get to see some of today’s stars when they were just starting their careers:
Jason Statham, Stephen Mackintosh. Also Sting has a role. Lenny McLean died of lung
and brain cancer.

No ugly or upsetting sights.