1996 in Film

1996 was a year of many good rewatchable films, but only 3 or 4 that could be considered for even a top 100 list and none that reach a level of “near perfection.” Some of the personal standouts from 1996 include introductions to movie makers that would go on to become favorites: Baz Luhrman, Peter Jackson, and the Coen Brothers had all made movies before, but it wasn’t until their 1996 movies that I went back and found them. It was also the year that the world discovered Gwyneth Paltrow (for those that didn’t notice her in Se7en) and Will Smith began his blockbuster leading man role.

The stand-out movie from 1996, though, might have to be Scream. At first glance it is just another slasher film from the worn out B-movie horror scene, but it was really a Don Quixote style deconstruction of the genre. It was cleverly written, funny and self-aware, and yet scary. Unfortunately, it sparked a revival of slasher films in general that would dominate the nineties.

Top 10 Personal Movies of 1996:
1. Romeo + Juliet
2. Fargo
3. Emma
4. Hamlet
5. Frighteners
6. Star Trek: First Contact
7. Scream
8. Independence Day
9. Mission Impossible
10. The Ghost and the Darkness

Bottom 5 Personal Movies of 1996: (Not the worst, but most disappointing.)
Mars Attacks
Up Close and Personal
Courage Under Fire
Diabolique
The Island of Dr. Moreau

Top Movies I Still Most Want to See:
1. Bottle Rocket
2. Lone Star
3. Secrets and Lies
4. Shine