1996: World Premieres 1996: U.S. Releases 1996: Still Left to See 1996: Cannes Festival Looking Back Moving Ahead Browse Films by Title / Year / Reviews Home / Blog / E-Mail The Movies of 1996: World Premieres  By Title // By Grade, with Top Ten Complete Reviews ★ = Full Review   /   ★ = Capsule Review   /   ★ = Special Feature or Blog Review (new window) ★  Beautiful Thing Dir. Hettie Macdonald. Glen Berry, Linda Henry, Scott Neal B+ ★  Blood and Wine Dir. Bob Rafelson. Jack Nicholson, Stephen Dorff, Michael Caine B+ ★  Crash Dir. David Cronenberg. James Spader, Deborah Kara Unger, Elias Koteas A– ★  Cremaster 1 Dir. Matthew Barney. Marti Domination, Anne Bannert, Juliette Vassilkio B+ ★  The English Patient Dir. Anthony Minghella. Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche B+ ★  Female Perversions Dir. Susan Streitfeld. Tilda Swinton, Amy Madigan, Karen Sillas B+ ★  Hollow Reed Dir. Angela Pope. Martin Donovan, Joely Richardson, Sam Bould B– ★  Irma Vep Dir. Olivier Assayas. Maggie Cheung, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Nathalie Richard A ★  The Long Kiss Goodnight Dir. Renny Harlin. Geena Davis, Samuel L. Jackson C+ ★  The Pillow Book Dir. Peter Greenaway. Vivian Wu, Ken Ogata, Ewan McGregor B+ ★  The Portrait of a Lady Dir. Jane Campion. Nicole Kidman, John Malkovich A ★  The Portrait of a Lady Dir. Jane Campion. Nicole Kidman, John Malkovich A ★  Ransom Dir. Ron Howard. Mel Gibson, René Russo, Gary Sinise, Delroy Lindo B– ★  Schizopolis Dir. Steven Soderbergh. Steven Soderbergh, Betsy Brantley, David Jensen B ★  Surviving Picasso Dir. James Ivory. Anthony Hopkins, Natascha McElhone D+ ★  Trainspotting Dir. Danny Boyle. Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle B ★  Twelfth Night Dir. Trevor Nunn. Imogen Stubbs, Helena Bonham Carter, Ben Kingsley B– Full Listing of Films Screened The Associate Dir. Donald Petrie. Whoopi Goldberg, Dianne Wiest, Tim Daly C+ Basquiat Dir. Julian Schnabel. Jeffrey Wright, Claire Forlani, David Bowie B Bastard Out of Carolina Dir. Anjelica Huston. TV Movie. Jena Malone, Ron Eldard C+ Beautiful Girls Dir. Ted Demme. Timothy Hutton, Matt Dillon, Michael Rapaport B– Beautiful Thing Dir. Hettie Macdonald. Glen Berry, Linda Henry, Scott Neal B+ Beavis and Butt-head Do America Dir. Mike Judge. Animated. Voice of Mike Judge C– Before and After Dir. Barbet Schroeder. Meryl Streep, Liam Neeson, Edward Furlong D– Big Night Dirs. Stanley Tucci, Campbell Scott. Stanley Tucci, Tony Shalhoub A– Black Mask Dir. Daniel Lee. Jet Li, Lau Ching Wan, Karen Mok, Françoise Yip C Blood and Wine Dir. Bob Rafelson. Jack Nicholson, Stephen Dorff, Michael Caine B+ Bottle Rocket Dir. Wes Anderson. Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Robert Musgrave C+ Bound Dirs. Lana and Lilly Wachowski. Gina Gershon, Jennifer Tilly, Joe Pantoliano A– Breaking the Waves Dir. Lars von Trier. Emily Watson, Stellan Skarsgård, Katrin Cartlidge A– Butterflies on the Scaffold Dirs. Margaret Gilpin, Luis Felipe Bernaza. Documentary B A Chef in Love Dir. Nana Dzhordzhadze. Pierre Richard, Nino Kirtadze, Micheline Presle B Children of the Revolution Dir. Peter Duncan. Judy Davis, Geoffrey Rush B– Chronicle of a Disappearance Dir. Elia Suleiman. Elia Suleiman, Ola Tabari B+ Citizen Ruth Dir. Alexander Payne. Laura Dern, Swoosie Kurtz, Mary Kay Place B– A Couch in New York Dir. Chantal Akerman. Juliette Binoche, William Hurt D– Courage Under Fire Dir. Edward Zwick. Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan, Matt Damon C+ Crash Dir. David Cronenberg. James Spader, Deborah Kara Unger, Elias Koteas A– Cremaster 1 Dir. Matthew Barney. Marti Domination, Anne Bannert, Juliette Vassilkio B+ The Crucible Dir. Nicholas Hytner. Daniel Day-Lewis, Winona Ryder, Joan Allen B The Daytrippers Dir. Greg Mottola. Hope Davis, Anne Meara, Liev Schreiber C+ The Delta Dir. Ira Sachs. Shayne Gray, Thang Chan, Rachel Zan Huss, Colonious David B Diabolique Dir. Jeremiah Chechik. Isabelle Adjani, Sharon Stone, Chazz Palminteri C+ Drifting Clouds Dir. Aki Kaurismäki. Kati Outinen, Kari Väänänen, Elina Salo A– Earth Dir. Julio Medem. Carmelo Gómez, Emma Suárez, Silke, Karra Elejalde C East Palace, West Palace Dir. Zhang Yuan. Han Si, Hu Jun, Ye Jing, Zhao Wei B The Eighth Day Dir. Jaco van Dormael. Pascal Duquenne, Daniel Auteuil, Miou-Miou D Elective Affinities Dirs. Paolo and Vittorio Taviani. Isabelle Huppert, Jean-Hugues Anglade B Emma Dir. Douglas McGrath. Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeremy Northam, Toni Collette B– The Empty Mirror Dir. Barry J. Hershey. Norman Rodway, Peter Michael Goetz, Joel Grey D+ The English Patient Dir. Anthony Minghella. Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche B+ Everyone Says I Love You Dir. Woody Allen. Woody Allen, Drew Barrymore, Goldie Hawn B Executive Decision Dir. Stuart Baird. Kurt Russell, Steven Seagal, John Leguizamo D Fargo Dir. Joel Coen. William H. Macy, Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare A Female Perversions Dir. Susan Streitfeld. Tilda Swinton, Amy Madigan, Karen Sillas B Few of Us Dir. Sharunas Bartas. Katerina Golubeva, Piotr Kishteev, Sergei Tulayev B Fire Dir. Deepa Mehta. Nandita Das, Shabana Azmi, Kulbushan Kharbanda, Ranjit Chowdhry B The First Wives Club Dir. Hugh Hudson. Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler B– Flirting with Disaster Dir. David O. Russell. Ben Stiller, Patricia Arquette, Téa Leoni B– Full Speed Dir. Gaël Morel. Pascal Cervo, Meziane Bardadi, Élodie Bouchez C+ Gabbeh Dir. Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Shaghayeh Djodat, Rogheih Moharami B+ Ghosts of Mississippi Dir. Rob Reiner. Alec Baldwin, Whoopi Goldberg, James Woods C– Girl 6 Dir. Spike Lee. Theresa Randle, Spike Lee, Jenifer Lewis, Isaiah Washington B Goodbye, South, Goodbye Dir. Hou Hsaio-hsien. Jack Kao, Lim Giong, Annie Shizuka Inoh A Hamlet Dir. Kenneth Branagh. Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, Kate Winslet, Julie Christie B– Hard Eight Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson. Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow B Hollow Reed Dir. Angela Pope. Martin Donovan, Joely Richardson, Sam Bould B– I Love You, I Love You Not Dir. Billy Hopkins. Claire Danes, Jeanne Moreau, Jude Law D I Shot Andy Warhol Dir. Mary Harron. Lili Taylor, Jared Harris, Stephen Dorff B If These Walls Could Talk Dirs. Nancy Savoca, Cher. TV Movie. Demi Moore C+ Independence Day Dir. Roland Emmerich. Bill Pullman, Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum C– Inside Dir. Arthur Penn. TV Movie. Eric Stoltz, Nigel Hawthorne, Louis Gossett Jr. C– Irma Vep Dir. Olivier Assayas. Maggie Cheung, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Nathalie Richard A Jane Eyre Dir. Franco Zeffirelli. Charlotte Gainsbourg, William Hurt, Anna Paquin C Jerry Maguire Dir. Cameron Crowe. Tom Cruise, Renée Zellweger, Cuba Gooding Jr. A– Jingle All the Way Dir. Brian Levant. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad, Phil Hartman F Jude Dir. Michael Winterbottom. Christopher Eccleston, Kate Winslet, Liam Cunningham B+ The Juror Dir. Brian Gibson. Demi Moore, Alec Baldwin, James Gandolfini, Anne Heche C+ Kansas City Dir. Robert Altman. Jennifer Jason Leigh, Miranda Richardson, Harry Belafonte B Kids Return Dir. Takeshi Kitano. Ken Kaneko, Masanobu Andô, Michisuke Kashiwaya B– The King of Masks Dir. Wu Tianming. Zhu Xu, Zhou Renying, Zhao Zhigang, Jia Zhaoji C+ Kissed Dir. Lynne Stopkewich. Molly Parker, Peter Outerbridge, Jay Brazeau, Natasha Morley B Lilies Dir. John Greyson. Danny Gilmore, Jason Cadieux, Matthew Ferguson B– Lone Star Dir. John Sayles. Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña, Kris Kristofferson, Joe Morton A– The Long Kiss Goodnight Dir. Renny Harlin. Geena Davis, Samuel L. Jackson C+ Looking for Richard Dir. Al Pacino. Documentary about a production of Richard III C– Love Serenade Dir. Shirley Barrett. Miranda Otto, Rebecca Frith, George Shevtsov A– Mars Attacks! Dir. Tim Burton. Jack Nicholson, Jim Brown, Annette Bening, Lukas Haas B Marvin's Room Dir. Jerry Zaks. Diane Keaton, Meryl Streep, Leonardo DiCaprio B– A Moment of Innocence Dir. Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Mirhadi Tayebi, Mohsen Makmalbaf A– Microcosmos Dirs. Claude Nuridsany, Marie Pérennou. Documentary about insects B Mimi Dir. Lucile Hadžihalilović. Sandra Sammartino, Denise Aron-Schropfer B The Mirror Has Two Faces Dir. Barbra Streisand. Barbra Streisand, Jeff Bridges C Mother Dir. Albert Brooks. Albert Brooks, Debbie Reynolds, Rob Morrow, Lisa Kudrow B– My Sex Life...or How I Got into an Argument Dir. Arnaud Desplechin B The Nutty Professor Dir. Tom Shadyac. Eddie Murphy, Jada Pinkett, Larry Miller B+ Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills Dirs. Joe Berlinger,       Bruce Sinofsky. Documentary about controversial murder case in Arkansas B+ The People vs. Larry Flynt Dir. Miloš Forman. Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love B Perfect Love! Dir. Catherine Breillat. Isabelle Renauld, Francis Renaud, Laura Saglio B The Pillow Book Dir. Peter Greenaway. Vivian Wu, Ken Ogata, Ewan McGregor B+ Ponette Dir. Jacques Doillon. Victoire Thivisol, Delphine Schlitz, Matiaz Bureau Caton B+ The Portrait of a Lady Dir. Jane Campion. Nicole Kidman, John Malkovich A Prisoner of the Mountains Dir. Sergei Bodrov. Sergei Bodrov Jr., Oleg Menshikov B+ Private Confessions Dir. Liv Ullmann. Pernilla August, Max von Sydow, Thomas Hanzon B+ La Promesse Dirs. Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. Jérémie Renier, Assita Ouedraogo A Pusher Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn. Kim Bodnia, Laura Drasbæk, Zlatko Buric B– The Quiet Room Dir. Rolf de Heer. Chloe Ferguson, Celine O'Leary, Paul Blackwell B Ransom Dir. Ron Howard. Mel Gibson, René Russo, Gary Sinise, Delroy Lindo, Lili Taylor B– Ridicule Dir. Patrice Leconte. Charles Berling, Judith Godrèche, Fanny Ardant B The Rock Dir. Michael Bay. Nicolas Cage, Sean Connery, Ed Harris, Michael Biehn B Schizopolis Dir. Steven Soderbergh. Steven Soderbergh, Betsy Brantley, David Jensen B Scorned 2 Dir. Rodney McDonald. Tane McClure, Myles O'Brien, Wendy Schumacher D+ Scream Dir. Wes Craven. Neve Campbell, Skeet Ulrich, Rose McGowan, Drew Barrymore B Secrets & Lies Dir. Mike Leigh. Brenda Blethyn, Timothy Spall, Marianne Jean-Baptiste A– A Self-Made Hero Dir. Jacques Audiard. Mathieu Kassovitz, Jean-Louis Trintignant B Set It Off Dir. F. Gary Gray. Jada Pinkett, Vivica A. Fox, Queen Latifah, Kimberly Elise B– Some Mother's Son Dir. Terry George. Helen Mirren, Fionnula Flanagan, Aidan Gillen C Stealing Beauty Dir. Bernardo Bertolucci. Liv Tyler, Jeremy Irons, Sinéad Cusack B– A Summer's Tale Dir. Éric Rohmer. Melvil Poupaud, Amanda Langlet, Aurelia Nolin B+ The Sunchaser Dir. Michael Cimino. Woody Harrelson, Jon Seda, Alexandra Tydings C Surviving Picasso Dir. James Ivory. Anthony Hopkins, Natascha McElhone D+ Temptress Moon Dir. Chen Kaige. Leslie Cheung, Gong Li, Kevin Lin, He Saifei B– Three Lives and Only One Death Dir. Raul Ruiz. Marcello Mastroianni, Marisa Paredes B+ Too Late Dir. Lucian Pintilie. Razvan Vasilescu, Mircea Rusu, Dorel Visan, Cecilia Bârbora A Trainspotting Dir. Danny Boyle. Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle B Tree of Blood Dir. Flora Gomes. Ramiro Naka, Edna Evora, Dadu Cissé, Adama Kouyaté B+ Trees Lounge Dir. Steve Buscemi. Steve Buscemi, Mark Boone Junior, Chloë Sevigny B– The Truth About Cats & Dogs Dir. Michael Lehmann. Janeane Garofalo, Uma Thurman B Twelfth Night Dir. Trevor Nunn. Imogen Stubbs, Helena Bonham Carter, Ben Kingsley B– Twister Dir. Jan De Bont. Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Jami Gertz, Cary Elwes, Alan Ruck C Unhook the Stars Dir. Nick Cassavetes. Gena Rowlands, Marisa Tomei, Jake Lloyd B The Van Dir. Stephen Frears. Donal O'Kelly, Colm Meaney, Ger Ryan, Caroline Rothwell B Les Voleurs Dir. André Téchiné. Daniel Auteuil, Laurence Cote, Catherine Deneuve B+ Waiting for Guffman Dir. Christopher Guest. Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy, Fred Willard B Walking and Talking Dir. Nicole Holofcener. Catherine Keener, Anne Heche B+ The Watermelon Woman Dir. Cheryl Dunye. Cheryl Dunye, Valarie Walker B+ White Squall Dir. Ridley Scott. Scott Wolf, Jeff Bridges, Ryan Phillippe, Balthazar Getty C– William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet Dir. Baz Luhrmann. Leonardo DiCaprio B You Don't Know Dick Dirs Candace Schermerhorn, Bestor Cram. Documentary B In Need of Reappraisal The memories are fading, but they're somewhere in my brain The Birdcage Dir. Mike Nichols. Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman Evita Dir. Alan Parker. Madonna, Antonio Banderas, Jonathan Pryce, Jimmy Nail Gray's Anatomy Dir. Steven Soderbergh. Spalding Gray's monologue about ocular ailment The Hunchback of Notre Dame Dirs. Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise. Voice of Tom Hulce Mary Reilly Dir. Stephen Frears. Julia Roberts, John Malkovich, George Cole, Glenn Close Mission: Impossible Dir. Brian De Palma. Tom Cruise, Emmanuelle Béart, Jon Voight Mr. Wrong Dir. Nick Castle. Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Pullman, Joan Cusack, John Livingston Nénette et Boni Dir. Claire Danes. Grégoire Colin, Alice Houri, Jacques Nolot, Vincent Gallo The Pallbearer Dir. Matt Reeves. David Schwimmer, Gwyneth Paltrow, Barbara Hershey Primal Fear Dir. Gregory Hoblit. Richard Gere, Edward Norton, Laura Linney, John Mahoney Shine Dir. Scott Hicks. Geoffrey Rush, Noah Taylor, Armin Mueller-Stahl, John Gielgud Sling Blade Dir. Billy Bob Thornton. Billy Bob Thornton, Lucas Black, Natalie Canerday A Time to Kill Dir. Joel Schumacher. Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock The Whole Wide World Dir. Dan Ireland. Renée Zellweger, Vincent D'Onofrio