The Wasteland Reviewer

The Wasteland Into the Past: 1998

Welcome to The Wasteland into the Past! Join this journey backwards in time as I take a cinematic look at years past. Each article will focus on a singular year and my Top 5 films from that year. Turn back the clock with me…and let’s get started! 

The Big Lebowski

What is the ultimate cult classic film that has transcended its box office misfortune to become one of the most quotable and beloved movies of all time as well as launching its own religion? That is all to say…The Big Lebowski is great. The Coen Brothers have had such an interesting career with a great variety of films as they modulate comedy, drama, and thrills. The Big Lebowski is certainly one of their most iconic comedies, but they are still able to inject some thrills in there as well. The Coens not only channel their own style but channel some of their strongest influences. A film like The Big Lebowski channels that classic noirish feel from classic Raymond Chandler novels with the famous private investigator Philip Marlowe. More specifically, the Coens channel a lot from Robert Altman’s more modern 70s interpretation of Chandler’s work, The Long Goodbye. You have a Los Angeles set noir tale in The Big Lebowski as an unassuming bum gets caught up in a web of known pornographers, nihilistic German musicians turned ransomers, and a rich man and his missing wife. From a filmmaking standpoint, the Coens deliver a sharp and textured feel to the film that leverages shadows and night to give the film that noir feel. Roger Deakins’ cinematography is pitch perfect as always as he captures this L.A. setting. Outside the nicely waxed lanes of the bowling alley, not much of L.A. is romanticized in the Coens presentation. There is a lived-in feel to much of the film with beat-up cars, worn homes, and sterile wealthy mansions. Yet there is something fantastical in the world the Coens create that makes it feel different from our world. One of the standout elements of the film’s atmosphere is the impressive soundtrack filled with Bob Dylan and Creedence Clearwater Revival tunes. There is an incredibly iconic sequence of drugged out fever dreams with a fake porno sequence “Gutterballs” that mixes the Coens’ imagination, creativity, symbolism, and a killer needle drop with “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Is In)” by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition. The dialogue and humor in this film is endlessly infectious. From rug talk to being out of your element to abiding, you get all the best lines to quote anytime. There are endless laughs throughout the film as well with the humor and characters taking center stage (the plot is not as significant as you might think). Jeff Bridges IS The Dude. He was born to play this character and embodies this relaxed and aloof slacker perfectly. John Goodman creates one of the best supporting characters in comedy with the paranoid Vietnam veteran Walter Sobchak. The Coens are experts at creating memorable supporting and minor characters and plenty of excellent actors were cast to bring them to life. Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, David Huddleston, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Peter Stormare, and John Turturro. The Big Lebowski is a truly unique experience, and it is perfect at being exactly what it is. 

The Truman Show

What would it be like to have your life be the world’s reality television? That might not be too far-fetched today but Peter Weir’s The Truman Show takes this idea to a whole other level. Truman Burbank was adopted by a corporation as a baby, and his life was turned into a reality show. But there is one significant detail to understand…Truman has no idea. A genius storyteller named Cristof has created an isolated society inside a giant dome that would become Truman’s world of Seahaven. This film is known due to its prophetic story and themes as well as Jim Carrey’s dramatic “coming-out-party”. Weir has always brought a dreamlike feel to his films and that is certainly present in The Truman Show. This film feels so close to a retro lifestyle from years ago that it almost feels like it could be real. But there is something strange and artificial about the world that Truman lives in…because it is. Truman doesn’t know any better, but the audience understands that there is something “off” about Seahaven. The cinematography is quite impressive as Peter Biziou delivers a diverse array of camera tricks. The use of intimate camera placement allows for a voyeuristic feel that is both claustrophobic and paranoia-inducing. Truman experiences a sensation of always being watched (because he is) and that allows for plenty of tension and suspense. There are unnerving fish-eye-lens that give the film a distorted and warped feeling that strikes the audience on a deep level. One of the most intriguing elements of the experience is the powerful music provided by Burkhard von Dallwitz. There is plenty of rich music with plenty of music that accentuates a film full of beautiful human moments. The film gives the actors plenty of space to deliver powerfully human moments that look at the rich themes of the film. Weir’s film explores the voyeuristic element of human experience as well as the urge to live through other people’s experiences. There is also another glimpse at the cold nature of humanity to disconnect and watch others’ suffering for their own enjoyment. Truman explores the confines of life and expectations that feel more like shackles than comforting expectations. Truman desperately wants to chase after a dream place (Fiji) and the woman who got away. There is a rebellious nature to the film as Truman clashes against the control that Cristof has painstakingly crafted in the world of Seahaven. Carrey delivers one of the strongest performances of his career. The humor is certainly still there and that impressive charm but there is a richness to humanity and emotion that he brings to Truman (including his tearful final moments). Ed Harris was well praised for his arrogant and strong role as Cristof. But there are a couple of incredible supporting turns from Laura Linney and Noah Emmerich who help make Seahaven come to life. The Truman Show was ahead of its time and delivered a compelling and richly emotional cinematic experience. 

Saving Private Ryan

What is the greatest war film that has ever graced the silver screen? That is a tough call…but it is also tough to bet against something as epic and powerful as Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan. One of the most visceral and brutal depictions of war ever put to film, Spielberg’s film is a powerful and deeply human experience. From the early Normandy sequence, the audience is thrusted into the warfare along with the soldiers who are not prepared for how dangerous it can be. There is something quite unnerving in how the whole film is presented with Janusz Kaminski’s cinematography being drenched in a greyscale that is both striking and powerful. The desaturation and bright lights of Kaminski’s visuals are quite striking and unnerving. The camera shakes with the power of gunfire and artillery. John Williams’ score feels so powerful and emotional in the way it fills the film with a deeply moving feeling. When the warfare kicks into gear, there is an unrelenting might in the filmmaking with the sound design enveloping you in the mayhem, chaos, and danger. The Normandy sequence and the climactic last stand in the rubble of a city are incredible action sequences that transcend the thrills of action by showing the dark places that warfare will take human beings. There are plenty of rich character elements and human emotions injected into these expertly crafted set pieces that make this film feel so special. But the story is quite fascinating as well. The film is centered around an unexpected story about the Ryan family who lost all their sons to fighting for America…except for one. Tom Hanks’ Captain Miller is tasked with leading a crew to find the young Private Ryan and bring him home. This journey throughout a war-torn France is haunting, shocking, brutal, and emotional. Miller must navigate the moral challenges of this mission as his whole platoon must put their lives on the line to protect one privately. There are plenty of set pieces, narrative beats, and challenging scenarios that are filled with blood, guts, and tears. There are plenty of well-written and moving scenes that deepen the experience of the film in a purely human way. The last great element of the film is the power of this cast. Hanks is an incredible anchor to this whole film. You have Tom Sizemore as his tough-as-nails right-hand man who brings a veteran strength. When Matt Damon finally arrives on screen as Private Ryan, he is incredibly charismatic and human as he leaves quite the impression. The platoon is filled with a whole crew of young performers who get an opportunity to shine like Edward Burns, Bary Pepper, Adam Goldberg, Giovanni Ribisi, and Jeremy Davies. Spielberg even got plenty of familiar veteran faces to add depth like Ted Danson, Paul Giamatti, Dennis Farina, Max Martini, Bryan Cranston, and Harve Presnell. Saving Private Ryan is one of the most well-rounded, expertly crafted, and expertly acted war films ever. 

Run Lola Run

What is one of the most creative films of 1998? Over in Germany, a filmmaker named Tom Tykwer crafted one of the most creative and inventive crime thrillers put to film. The story is simple. A young couple gets caught up in a tough spot and desperately need to find 100,000 Deutschmarks with only 20 minutes on the clock. But what makes Tykwer’s film so unique is the storytelling approach. Our young protagonist Lola goes through three different versions of these 20 minutes as she attempts to save her boyfriend, Manni, from stealing the money and putting his life at risk. The film is presented with a unique visual palette with a visceral feel crafted by aggressive editing, sharp camera work, a gritty look (balanced with rich colors), and a mixture of animated sequences with their own unique look and feel. Tykwer’s vision is quite unique, and his filmmaking ability is quite impressive. He crafts a fully engrossing atmosphere that is wrapped with 90s German contemporary music and an urban feel. This 80-minute film is full of energy, personality, and cinematic flair. The screenplay does not just shine from its multiversal structure either. There is plenty of strong character work and relationships dynamics that enrich the experience. Lola and Manni’s relationship is powerful, intense, and fiery. But their rash and youthful lifestyle gets Manni in trouble and leads to an emotional rollercoaster. But Lola has other complicated relationships, including the one with her father. They don’t see eye-to-eye on her punk lifestyle versus his refined banker life. But his judgment does not keep him from having affairs with a woman in his bank. This conflict is complicated and leads to quite the challenging choice for Lola…beg for the money or not from her father. The film is full of thrills and energy that propels this modest runtime forward. The core of the film is Franka Potente’s strong performance as Lola. Potente would go on to shine in The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy, but she gained plenty of attention with Run Lola Run. There is plenty of manic energy and emotion in the performance that shines brightly in this creative outing from Tykwer. 

Pleasantville

Weren’t things so great in the 1950s in America? Well…they certainly appeared to be perfect. But that is exactly what they want you to think. On the surface, every neighborhood was perfect with smiling kids, happy stay-at-home wives, and fathers who run the house. But there were always darker and more challenging elements to every household. Writer/director Gary Ross tackles this seedy underbelly of 50s life through a more cynical 90s lens. The story focuses on two siblings, David (Tobey Maguire) and Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon), who are transported into the lives of a 50s sitcom and the world of Pleasantville. Their presence and influence become quite powerful as they inspire the residents of this 50s town to look at life from a more modern lens. The women who feel trapped in this mundane existence that is controlled and spirit breaking begin to see new ways. Ross’ film is rich with themes that focus on the fracturing of those archaic traditional views that spread inequity amongst Americans. There are some fun 50s television motifs incorporated into the film that capture the feel of the era. Casting Don Knotts as the “repair man” who gets the siblings transported into this place is inspired due to his involvement with The Andy Griffiths Show. The use of black-and-white cinematography captures that classic television “feel” so perfectly (thanks to John Lindley’s strong work behind the camera). The symbolism of characters being colored as they grow and evolve might be on-the-nose, but it does powerfully capture the evolution of this community. The rich colors of this retro world pop off the screen when the time comes as it creates such powerful moments. The story has plenty of layers as David and Jennifer go through plenty of growth in their own journeys and gain appreciation for the time they live in. You find a tradition family with Joan Allen’s Betty feeling completely unsatisfied until she connects with Jeff Daniels’ Mr. Johnson (who brings out a whole new side to her). William H. Macy’s George is an amazing addition to the film as he represents men who became so comfortable with the life they lived with ease and power. Throughout the film, he slowly crashes out as the “perfect” world he lived in becomes to shatter and his wife finds true happiness with another man and a lifestyle where she feels free. This is a clever satire on classic 50s society and sitcoms. The cast is filled with an interesting batch of characters and performances as well. Ross’ film is engaging, entertaining, and visually impressive, making this one of the most underappreciated films of 1998.