Top Ten of 1996: U.S. Releases
World Premieres (Updated) // Original List (Jan 98) // My 1996 Oscar Ballot (Updated)
| 1. | Fargo Dir. Joel Coen. With Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi A |
| 2. | The Portrait of a Lady Dir. Jane Campion. With Nicole Kidman, John Malkovich A |
| 3. | Secrets & Lies Dir. Mike Leigh. With Brenda Blethyn, Timothy Spall, Marianne Jean-Baptiste A– |
| 4. | Bound Dirs. Lana and Lilly Wachowski. With Gina Gershon, Jennifer Tilly, Joe Pantoliano A– |
| 5. | Chungking Express Dir. Wong Kar-wai. With Takeshi Kaneshiro, Brigitte Lin, Tony Leung A– |
| 6. | The English Patient Dir. Anthony Minghella. With Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche A– |
| 7. | Breaking the Waves Dir. Lars von Trier. With Emily Watson, Stellan Skarsgård A– |
| 8. | Lone Star Dir. John Sayles. With Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña, Kris Kristofferson A– |
| 9. | Life and Nothing More... Dir. Abbas Kiarostami. With Farhad Kheradmand, Buba Bayour B+ |
| 10. | Big Night Dirs. Stanley Tucci & Campbell Scott. With Stanley Tucci, Tony Shalhoub B+ |
Runners-Up (alpha): Cemetery Man, The Flower of My Secret, The Hunchback of Notre Dame,
Jerry Maguire, Jude, Walking and Talking, Welcome to the Dollhouse
Reviews from 1996: U.S. Releases
★ = Full-Length Review / © = Capsule-Length Review / ★ = Blog/Favorites Review (New Window)
★ Antonia's Line Dir. Marleen Gorris. With Willeke Van Ammelrooy, Els Dottermans F
★ Beautiful Thing Dir. Hettie MacDonald. With Glen Berry, Linda Henry, Scott Neal B+
★ Cemetery Man Dir. Michèle Soavi. With Rupert Everett, Francois Hadji-Lazaro B–
★ Cemetery Man Dir. Michèle Soavi. With Rupert Everett, Francois Hadji-Lazaro B–
★ Citizen Ruth Dir. Alexander Payne. With Laura Dern, Swoosie Kurtz, Kelly Preston C+
★ The English Patient Dir. Anthony Minghella. With Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche A–
★ Flirting with Disaster Dir. David O. Russell. With Ben Stiller, Patricia Arquette B–
★ The Portrait of a Lady Dir. Jane Campion. With Nicole Kidman, John Malkovich A–
★ Ransom Dir. Ron Howard. With Mel Gibson, Gary Sinise, René Russo, Brawley Nolte B–
★ Surviving Picasso Dir. James Ivory. With Anthony Hopkins, Natascha McElhone D+
★ Trainspotting Dir. Danny Boyle. With Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller, Ewen Bremner B
More Grades from 1996
Unreviewed titles I have seen recently enough to grade
Before and After Dir. Barbet Schroeder. With Meryl Streep, Liam Neeson, Edward Furlong D–
Jude Dir. Michael Winterbottom. With Christopher Eccleston, Kate Winslet, Rachel Griffiths B+
Walking and Talking Dir. Nicole Holofcener. With Catherine Keener, Anne Heche B+
William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet Dir. Baz Luhrmann. With Leonardo DiCaprio B
Also from 1996
The memories are fading, but they're somewhere in my brain
Fetching
Angels & Insects Dir. Philip Haas. With Mark Rylance, Kristin Scott Thomas
Basquiat Dir. Julian Schnabel. With Jeffrey Wright, David Bowie, Claire Forlani
The Nutty Professor Dir. Tom Shadyac. With Eddie Murphy, Jada Pinkett, Larry Miller
Welcome to the Dollhouse Dir. Todd Solondz. With Heather Matarazzo
Fair
Beautiful Girls Dir. Ted Demme. With Timothy Hutton, Matt Dillon, Natalie Portman
The Birdcage Dir. Mike Nichols. With Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman
Butterfly Kiss Dir. Michael Winterbottom. With Amanda Plummer, Saskia Reeves
The Celluloid Closet Dirs. Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman. Documentary
Cold Comfort Farm Dir. John Schlesinger. With Kate Beckinsale, Eileen Atkins
Courage Under Fire Dir. Edward Zwick. With Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan
The Crucible Dir. Nicholas Hytner. With Daniel Day-Lewis, Winona Ryder
Dadetown Dir. Russ Hexter. With Bill Garrison, Edith Meeks, David Phelps
Emma Dir. Douglas McGrath. With Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeremy Northam, Toni Collette
Everyone Says I Love You Dir. Woody Allen. With Woody Allen, Goldie Hawn
Evita Dir. Alan Parker. With Madonna, Antonio Banderas, Jonathan Pryce
The First Wives Club Dir. Hugh Wilson. With Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler
Hamlet Dir. Kenneth Branagh. With Kenneth Branagh, Julie Christie, Derek Jacobi
I Shot Andy Warhol Dir. Mary Harron. With Lili Taylor, Jared Harris, Stephen Dorff
Kansas City Dir. Robert Altman. With Jennifer Jason Leigh, Miranda Richardson
Mars Attacks! Dir. Tim Burton. With Jack Nicholson, Jim Brown, Annette Bening
Mary Reilly Dir. Stephen Frears. With Julia Roberts, John Malkovich, Glenn Close
Mission: Impossible Dir. Brian De Palma. With Tom Cruise, Emmanuelle Béart, Jon Voight
Mother Dir. Albert Brooks. With Albert Brooks, Debbie Reynolds, Rob Morrow
Mr. Wrong Dir. Nick Castle. With Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Pullman, Joan Cusack
The Pallbearer Dir. Matt Reeves. With David Schwimmer, Gwyneth Paltrow
Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills Documentary
The Rock Dir. Michael Bay. With Nicolas Cage, Sean Connery, Ed Harris
Scream Dir. Wes Craven. With Neve Campbell, Skeet Ulrich, Rose McGowan
Set It Off Dir. F. Gary Gray. With Jada Pinkett, Vivica A. Fox, Queen Latifah
Shine Dir. Scott Hicks. With Geoffrey Rush, Noah Taylor, Armin Mueller-Stahl
Sling Blade Dir. Billy Bob Thornton. With Billy Bob Thornton, Lucas Black
The Truth About Cats & Dogs Dir. Michael Lehmann. With Janeane Garofalo
Unhook the Stars Dir. Nick Cassavetes. With Gena Rowlands, Marisa Tomei, Jake Lloyd
Les Voleurs Dir. André Téchiné. With Daniel Auteuil, Laurence Cote, Catherine Deneuve
Feh
Beavis and Butt-head Do America Dir. Mike Judge. Animated. Voice of Mike Judge
Dead Man Dir. Jim Jarmusch. With Johnny Depp, Gary Farmer, Lance Henriksen
Diabolique Dir. Jeremiah Chechik. With Isabelle Adjani, Sharon Stone, Chazz Palminteri
Ghosts of Mississippi Dir. Rob Reiner. With Alec Baldwin, James Woods
If These Walls Could Talk TV Movie. Dirs. Nancy Savoca, Cher. With Demi Moore
Jane Eyre Dir. Franco Zeffirelli. With Charlotte Gainsbourg, William Hurt, Joan Plowright
The Mirror Has Two Faces Dir. Barbra Streisand. With Barbra Streisand, Jeff Bridges
Primal Fear Dir. Gregory Hoblit. With Richard Gere, Edward Norton, Laura Linney
Sweet Nothing Dir. Gary Winick. With Michael Imperioli, Mira Sorvino, Paul Calderon
A Time to Kill Dir. Joel Schumacher. With Matthew McConaughey, Samuel L. Jackson
Twister Dir. Jan de Bont. With Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Jami Gertz
The Whole Wide World Dir. Dan Ireland. With Renée Zellweger, Vincent D'Onofrio
Flotsam
Executive Decision Dir. Stuart Baird. With Kurt Russell, Halle Berry, Steven Seagal
Independence Day Dir. Roland Emmerich. With Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum
Jingle All the Way Dir. Brian Levant. With Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad, Phil Hartman
Stealing Beauty Dir. Bernardo Bertolucci. With Liv Tyler, Jeremy Irons, Sinéad Cusack
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