Top Ten of 1996: World Premieres
U.S. Releases (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. | Irma Vep Dir. Olivier Assayas. With Maggie Cheung, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Nathalie Richard A |
| 3. | The Portrait of a Lady Dir. Jane Campion. With Nicole Kidman, John Malkovich A |
| 4. | Crash Dir. David Cronenberg. With James Spader, Deborah Kara Unger, Elias Koteas A– |
| 5. | Secrets & Lies Dir. Mike Leigh. With Brenda Blethyn, Timothy Spall, Marianne Jean-Baptiste A– |
| 6. | Bound Dirs. Lana and Lilly Wachowski. With Gina Gershon, Jennifer Tilly, Joe Pantoliano A– |
| 7. | The English Patient Dir. Anthony Minghella. With Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche A– |
| 8. | Breaking the Waves Dir. Lars von Trier. With Emily Watson, Stellan Skarsgård A– |
| 9. | Lone Star Dir. John Sayles. With Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña, Kris Kristofferson A– |
| 10. | A Moment of Innocence Dir. Mohsen Makhmalbaf. With Mirhadi Tayebi A– |
Runners-Up (alpha): Big Night, Gabbeh, Jerry Maguire, Jude, The Pillow Book
Reviews from 1996: World Premieres
★ = Full-Length Review / © = Capsule-Length Review / ★ = Blog/Favorites Review (New Window)
★ Beautiful Thing Dir. Hettie MacDonald. With Glen Berry, Linda Henry, Scott Neal B+
★ Blood and Wine Dir. Bob Rafelson. With Jack Nicholson, Stephen Dorff, Michael Caine 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+
★ Crash Dir. David Cronenberg. With James Spader, Deborah Kara Unger, Elias Koteas A–
★ The English Patient Dir. Anthony Minghella. With Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche A–
★ Female Perversions Dir. Susan Streitfeld. With Tilda Swinton, Amy Madigan B+
★ Flirting with Disaster Dir. David O. Russell. With Ben Stiller, Patricia Arquette B–
★ Hollow Reed Dir. Angela Pope. With Martin Donovan, Joely Richardson, Sam Bould B–
★ The Pillow Book Dir. Peter Greenaway. With Vivian Wu, Yoshi Oida, Ewan McGregor 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–
★ Schizopolis Dir. Steven Soderbergh. With Steven Soderbergh, Betsy Brantley 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–
Big Night Dirs. Campbell Scott & Stanley Tucci. With Stanley Tucci, Tony Shalhoub B+
Butterflies on the Scaffold Dirs. Margaret Gilpin & Luis Felipe Bernaza. Documentary B
A Couch in New York Dir. Chantal Akerman. With Juliette Binoche, William Hurt D–
Fire Dir. Deepa Mehta. With Nandita Das, Shabana Azmi, Kulbushan Kharbanda B–
Gabbeh Dir. Mohsen Makhmalbaf. With Shaghayeh Djodat, Rogheih Moharami B+
Jude Dir. Michael Winterbottom. With Christopher Eccleston, Kate Winslet, Rachel Griffiths B+
Kissed Dir. Lynne Stopkewich. With Molly Parker, Peter Outerbridge, Jay Brazeau B–
The Watermelon Woman Dir. Cheryl Dunye. With Cheryl Dunye, Valarie Walker 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
Basquiat Dir. Julian Schnabel. With Jeffrey Wright, David Bowie, Claire Forlani
The Nutty Professor Dir. Tom Shadyac. With Eddie Murphy, Jada Pinkett, Larry Miller
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
Children of the Revolution Dir. Peter Duncan. With Judy Davis, Geoffrey Rush
Courage Under Fire Dir. Edward Zwick. With Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan
The Crucible Dir. Nicholas Hytner. With Daniel Day-Lewis, Winona Ryder
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
Diabolique Dir. Jeremiah Chechik. With Isabelle Adjani, Sharon Stone, Chazz Palminteri
The Film of Her Dir. Bill Morrison. Experimental documentary collage of found footage
Ghosts of Mississippi Dir. Rob Reiner. With Alec Baldwin, James Woods
Gray's Anatomy Dir. Steven Soderbergh. With Spalding Gray
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
Nenette et Boni Dir. Claire Denis. With Grégoire Colin, Alice Houri, Jacques Nolot
Primal Fear Dir. Gregory Hoblit. With Richard Gere, Edward Norton, Laura Linney
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
I Love You, I Love You Not Dir. Billy Hopkins. With Claire Danes, Jeanne Moreau
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
Scorned 2 Dir. Rodney McDonald. With Tane McClure, Myles O'Brien, Wendy Schumacher
Stealing Beauty Dir. Bernardo Bertolucci. With Liv Tyler, Jeremy Irons, Sinéad Cusack
Still to Come from 1996
Ten Most Enticing Prospects:
Bottle Rocket Dir. Wes Anderson. With Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Ned Dowd, Shea Fowler
Hard Eight Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson. With Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow
Michael Collins Dir. Neil Jordan. With Liam Neeson, Aidan Quinn, Julia Roberts, Ian Hart
My Sex Life... or How I Got into an Argument Dir. Arnaud Desplechin. With Mathieu Amalric
Prisoner of the Mountains Dir. Sergei Bodrov. With Sergei Bodrov, Jr., Oleg Menshikov
La Promesse Dirs. Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne. With Jérémie Renier, Olivier Gourmet
Ridicule Dir. Patrice Leconte. With Charles Berling, Jean Rochefort, Fanny Ardant
A Self-Made Hero Dir. Jacques Audiard. With Mathieu Kassovitz, Anouk Grinberg
Swingers Dir. Doug Liman. With Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Ron Livingston, Heather Graham
When We Were Kings Dir. Leon Gast. Documentary about Ali-Foreman title fight in Zaire
Further Research:
Albino Alligator Dir. Kevin Spacey. With Matt Dillon, Gary Sinise, Faye Dunaway, William Fichtner
American Buffalo Dir. Michael Corrente. With Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Franz, Sean Nelson
The Associate Dir. Donald Petrie. With Whoopi Goldberg, Dianne Wiest, Tim Daly, Eli Wallach
Bastard Out of Carolina Dir. Anjelica Huston. TV Movie. With Jena Malone, Jennifer Jason Leigh
Beyond Silence Dir. Caroline Link. With Sylvie Testud, Tatjana Trieb, Emmanuelle Laborit
Bitter Sugar Dir. Leon Ichaso. With René Lavan, Mayte Vilán, Miguel Gutiérrez
Broken English Dir. Gregor Nicholas. With Rade Serbedzija, Aleksandra Vujcic, Julian Arahanga
The Cable Guy Dir. Ben Stiller. With Jim Carrey, Matthew Broderick, Leslie Mann, Jack Black
Carla's Song Dir. Ken Loach. With Robert Carlyle, Oyanka Cabezas, Scott Glenn, Salvador Espinoza
Carried Away Dir. Bruno Barreto. With Amy Irving, Dennis Hopper, Amy Locane, Julie Harris
Caught Dir. Robert M. Young. With Edward James Olmos, Maria Conchita Alonso, Arie Verveen
A Chef in Love Dir. Nana Dzhordzhadze. With Pierre Richard, Micheline Presle, Nino Kirtadze
Chronicle of a Disappearance Dir. Elia Suleiman. With Elia Suleiman, Ola Tabari, Nazira Suleiman
City Hall Dir. Harold Becker. With Al Pacino, John Cusack, Bridget Fonda, Danny Aiello
Conspirators of Pleasure Dir. Jan Svankmajer. With Petr Meissel, Gabriela Wilhelmová
Cosi Dir. Mark Joffe. With Ben Mendelsohn, Toni Collette, Rachel Griffiths, Aden Young
The Daytrippers Dir. Greg Mottola. With Stanley Tucci, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Anne Meara
Drifting Clouds Dir. Aki Kaurismäki. With Kati Outinen, Kari Väänänen, Elina Salo
The Evening Star Dir. Robert Harling. With Shirley MacLaine, Bill Paxton, Juliette Lewis
Fly Away Home Dir. Carroll Ballard. With Anna Paquin, Jeff Daniels, Dana Delany, Terry Kinney
Foxfire Dir. Annette Haywood-Carter. With Hedy Burress, Angelina Jolie, Jenny Shimizu
Freeway Dir. Matthew Bright. With Reese Witherspoon, Kiefer Sutherland, Bokeem Woodbine
The Frighteners Dir. Peter Jackson. With Michael J. Fox, Trini Alvarado, Jeffrey Combs
Full Speed Dir. Gaël Morel. With Stéphane Rideau, Élodie Bouchez, Pascal Cervo
The Funeral Dir. Abel Ferrara. With Christopher Walken, Chris Penn, Annabella Sciorra
Gay Cuba Dir. Sonja de Vries. Documentary about Cuba's gay and lesbian communities
Get on the Bus Dir. Spike Lee. With Andre Braugher, Thomas Jefferson Byrd, Albert Hall
The Ghost and the Darkness Dir. Stephen Hopkins. With Michael Douglas, Val Kilmer
Girls Town Dir. Jim McKay. With Lili Taylor, Bruklin Harris, Anna Grace, Aunjanue Ellis
Goodbye, South, Goodbye Dir. Hou Hsiao-hsien. With Hsi Hsiang, Hsu Kuie-Ying
Grace of My Heart Dir. Allison Anders. With Illeana Douglas, Sissy Boyd, Christina Pickles
Hamsun Dir. Jan Troëll. With Max von Sydow, Ghita Nørby, Anette Hoff, Gard B. Eidsvold
Hard Core Logo Dir. Bruce McDonald. With Bruce McDonald, Hugh Dillon, Callum Keith Rennie
Hustler White Dir. Rick Castro & Bruce La Bruce. With Tony Ward, Bruce La Bruce, Alex Austin
It's My Party Dir. Randal Kleiser. With Devon Gummersall, Gregory Harrison, Marlee Matlin
James and the Giant Peach Dir. Henry Selick. Animated. Voices of Paul Terry, Joanna Lumley
Johns Dir. Scott Silver. With Lukas Haas, David Arquette, Tony Epper, John C. McGinley
The Juror Dir. Brian Gibson. With Demi Moore, Alec Baldwin, Anne Heche, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Killer: A Journal of Murder Dir. Tim Metcalfe. With James Woods, Robert Sean Leonard
Kingpin Dir. Peter & Bobby Farrelly. With Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, Bill Murray
Kolya Dir. Jan Sverák. With Zdenek Sverák, Andrei Chalimon, Libuse Safránková
Last Dance Dir. Bruce Beresford. With Sharon Stone, Rob Morrow, Randy Quaid, Peter Gallagher
Last Man Standing Dir. Walter Hill. With Bruce Willis, Bruce Dern, William Sanderson
The Long Kiss Goodnight Dir. Renny Harlin. With Geena Davis, Samuel L. Jackson, Craig Bierko
Love Serenade Dir. Shirley Barrett. With Miranda Otto, Rebecca Frith, George Shevtsov
Microcosmos Dirs. Claude Nuridsany & Marie Pérennou. Documentary about insect life
Moll Flanders Dir. Pen Densham. With Robin Wright Penn, Morgan Freeman, Stockard Channing
Mother Night Dir. Keith Gordon. With Nick Nolte, Sheryl Lee, Alan Arkin, Arye Gross
Normal Life Dir. John McNaughton. With Luke Perry, Ashley Judd, Bruce A. Young, Jim True-Frost
One Fine Day Dir. Michael Hoffman. With Michelle Pfeiffer, George Clooney, Mae Whitman
The Other Side of Sunday Dir. Berit Nesheim. With Marie Theisen, Hildegun Riise, Bjørn Sundquist
Pusher Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn. With Kim Bodnia, Zlatko Buric, Laura Drasbaek, Slavko Labovic
The Quiet Room Dir. Rolf de Heer. With Chloe Ferguson, Phoebe Ferguson, Celine O'Leary
Shall We Dance? Dir. Masayuki Suo. With Kôji Yakusho, Tamiyo Kusakari, Hideko Hara
Sleepers Dir. Barry Levinson. With Brad Pitt, Robert De Niro, Kevin Bacon, Jason Patric
Some Mother's Son Dir. Terry George. With Helen Mirren, Fionnula Flanagan, Aidan Gillen
The Stendhal Syndrome Dir. Dario Argento. With Asia Argento, Thomas Kretschmann
The Substance of Fire Dir. Daniel Sullivan. With Ron Rifkin, Tony Goldwyn, Sarah Jessica Parker
SubUrbia Dir. Richard Linklater. With Giovanni Ribisi, Parker Posey, Steve Zahn, Nicky Katt
Temptress Moon Dir. Chen Kaige. With Leslie Cheung, Gong Li, Kevin Lin, He Saifei, Chang Shih
That Thing You Do! Dir. Tom Hanks. With Tom Everett Scott, Liv Tyler, Johnathon Schaech
Thesis Dir. Alejandro Amenábar. With Ana Torrent, Fele Martínez, Eduardo Noriega
A Thin Line Between Love and Hate Dir. Martin Lawrence. With Martin Lawrence, Lynn Whitfield
Three Lives and Only One Death Dir. Raul Ruiz. With Marcello Mastroianni, Anna Galiena
Tin Cup Dir. Ron Shelton. With Kevin Costner, René Russo, Don Johnson, Cheech Marin
Trees Lounge Dir. Steve Buscemi. With Steve Buscemi, Samuel L. Jackson, Chloë Sevigny
Twelfth Night Dir. Trevor Nunn. With Imogen Stubbs, Helena Bonham Carter, Toby Stephens
The Typewriter, the Rifle, and the Movie Camera Dir. Adam Simon. Documentary
The War at Home Dir. Emilio Estevez. With Emilio Estevez, Kathy Bates, Martin Sheen, Ann Hearn
When the Cat's Away Dir. Cédric Klapisch. With Garance Clavel, Zinedine Soualem, René Le Calm
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