published on July 26, 2024 in Quick Update

BEST OF '96: MOVIES - The Washington Post

It's been an exciting year, what with the Olympics in Atlanta, then the presidential election and now this: Weekend's best movies and music for 1996. Just like Olympic athletes, Weekend critics train for this big moment: listening to every album -- even the ones with cheesy album covers -- in hopes that a Top 10 contender lurks inside. Or sitting through the fifth sequel to some Emilio Estevez movie. Hey, remember when John Travolta was a "Jeopardy" answer? (Speaking of testing your knowledge, try our Guess the Movies Contest on Page 8.) And like voters besieged by big-budget political campaigns, our critics have tried to look beyond the hype to find the true winners. Many of the best movies were small endeavors with big hearts, and most of the best albums don't get played on commercial radio. (And record sales are in a nose dive? Hmmm.) We think these movies and albums deserve gold medals, and we hope they get your vote, too.

As the dust and debris left by such big releases as "Twister," "Independence Day" and "Daylight" settle in the collective moviegoing consciousness, it's time to reflect on the year in movies. As always there were great films that didn't have the benefit of $15 million advertising campaigns to get their points across, but that reached me and many others. The year was no slouch for turkeys -- terrible films that made me yearn for emergency astral projection.

Here is my best 10 list, in descending order. Four of these movies are still playing at area theaters (including one that opened Christmas Day), and the others are either available in video stores (all noted) or are on the way.

Trainspotting. Here's my best movie of the year for its exciting, visual style and its exhilarating balance of pathos -- heroin addiction, socioeconomic depression and cultural occupation in Scotland -- and black seriocomedy. It also introduces us to the screen's four most colorful characters of 1996: Renton (Ewan McGregor), Spud (Ewen Bremner), Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller) and Begbie (Robert Carlyle), who lead us through the netherworld of drug and alcohol dependence with unforgettable wit and irony. Coming to video stores in February.

The English Patient. A very close second, Anthony Minghella's superb adaptation of Michael Ondaatje's cult novel exults in grand movie values: swoony images, a passionate love affair (between Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas) and a compelling story.

Secrets & Lies. English filmmaker Mike Leigh creates a minor-chord masterpiece with this story about an adopted black woman (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) who discovers that her birth mother was white. This won best picture at Cannes, and Brenda Blethyn (as the mother) rightfully earned the actor's prize.

Fargo. Coen brothers Joel and Ethan return to the comic, macabre spirit of their fine early work. And Frances McDormand has the comic role of her life as a sweet-tempered, rural police chief who investigates gruesome murders with the sunny disposition of a crossing guard. Available on video.

Shine. From Australia comes this emotionally piercing story about a child-prodigy pianist (an extraordinary performance by Geoffrey Rush) and his tormented relationship with an overbearing father (Armin Mueller-Stahl).

Cold Comfort Farm. In this exquisitely gothic satire, set in 1930s England, a self-confident society girl (Kate Beckinsale) is obliged to move in with her incredibly gloomy relatives (the Starkadder family) at their dilapidated country farm. As a hell-and-damnation preacher, Sir Ian McKellen steals the movie. Available on video.

Flirting With Disaster. David O. Russell's unconventional, off-the-wall comedy is about a young husband and father (Ben Stiller) who decides it's time to track down his real parents. His hopelessly unsuccessful attempts to find them -- he keeps contacting the wrong parents -- become progressively funnier until the film reaches comic fever pitch. Available on video.

Big Night. In this tasty, seriocomic repast served up by filmmakers Stanley Tucci and Campbell Scott, brothers Primo (Tony Shalhoub) and Secondo (Tucci) try to bring fine Italian cuisine to a New Jersey shore community in the 1950s. But all these Americans seem to want is spaghetti and meatballs.

Bottle Rocket. This charmingly off-center comedy about three shiftless Texans who resort to burglary to cure their existential blues, is a hilarious, inventive and goofy breath of fresh air from first-time filmmakers Wes Anderson (the director and co-writer) and Owen Wilson (co-writer and one of the amusing performers). Available on video.

Trees Lounge. Bug-eyed Steve Buscemi is a scuzzy sensation in this misanthropic comedy about a 31-year-old screwup with drinking and life-management problems. Buscemi's self-penned, self-directed debut -- which doesn't possess an audience-pandering bone in its body -- is the funniest, seediest bar comedy since "Barfly."

Honorable Mention: "Welcome to the Dollhouse," Todd Solondz's bleakly funny comedy about an 11-year-old suffering through her alienated pubescence in the claustrophobic hell of New Jersey suburbia. THE WORST 10

The worst movies of the year seemed to be the result of rampant ego problems, casting disasters or an ill-informed desire to make bad sports movies. For the sake of convenience, the movies have been ranked in descending order of pretentiousness.

The Mirror Has Two Faces. The only restraint Barbra Streisand imposed on her runaway narcissism was the movie's running time.

Stealing Beauty. Mel Brooks couldn't have made a funnier parody of European art films than this "serious," pseudo-sensual effort from Bernardo Bertolucci.

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Up Close & Personal. Robert Redford plays a veteran TV reporter, Michelle Pfeiffer plays his brilliant protege (a partial version of the late Jessica Savitch). And "Ishtar" was a great idea for a movie.

Space Jam. Michael Jordan understands dunking and multimillion-dollar deals, but he has no concept of shame, as this fawning, quasi-"Roger Rabbit" tribute to His Airy Greatness clearly demonstrates.

Kansas City. Robert Altman's one-note tribute to his jazzy youth was a real paean in the art.

Sunset Park. Pint-size coach Rhea Perlman leads a group of inner-city basketballers to championship glory. Enough said.

Dear God. Goofy antics among post office clerks who answer letters addressed to the Almighty. Mark this one, "Return to Sender."

To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday. Mopey hunk Peter Gallagher, unable to shake off his lover's death, has regular beachside conversations with her ghost (Michelle Pfeiffer). Where's a fatal sandstorm when you really need it?

High School High. The makers of "Naked Gun" deserved detention for this F-grade sendup of "The Principal"-style movies.

D3: The Mighty Ducks. This was the third time I seriously contemplated duck hunting. CAPTION: Try This, Win Big

Wanna win a year of free movies?

O course you do.

On the cover of Weekend, we've printed scenes from 10 films that we released in 1996. You may have seen some of them. You may have seen all of them. You may have meant to see some or all of them but never got around to it because, when the weekend rolled around, your wallet was a little empty.

Well, if you're the winner of Weekend's Guess the Movies Contest, you won't have that excuse in 1997.

Just send us a postcard identifying the names of the films on the cover and, if you're the only person who gets all 10 movies right, you win a year's worth of movies for yourself and a friend. If a bunch of people correctly ID the flicks, we'll draw from those. (Here's how it works: We'll buy the tickets for you and a friend to attend 52 movies in 1997 at one theater of your choice. An since our music critics are also sounding off in this issue of Weekend, we'll throw in 10 free CDs of your choice.)

We've cropped a few of the pictures in odd ways that we hope will make it more challenging to identify exactly where they came from. (Use our little numbered guide when you jot down your answers.)

So, sharpen those pencils, search your memory and get cracking. CAPTION: Lovers and other strangers from the year's best films: (from top) "The English Patient," "Welcome to the Dollhouse," "Trainspotting," "Fargo." CAPTION: "Space Jam," with Bill Murray, Bugs Bunny and Michael Jordan, was little more than an ad.

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