1. "Fargo"(1996)
The quirky sensibilities of Joel and Ethan Coen had never quite clicked with the masses before 1996, despite a handful of critical favorites("Blood Simple", "Raising Arizona", "Barton Fink"). Enter Frances McDormand's pregnant police chief, the unlikely protagonist of this deft, snow-covered tale of a kidnapping gone horribly wrong. Her utterly charming Marge Gunderson is a classic Coen creation(she really was pregnant!) and the polar opposite of just about every fictional law enforcement officer you've ever seen. The Best Actress Oscar was rightly rewarded that year. A jittery William H. Macy came to our attention as a duplicitous used car salesman, and Steve Buscemi just made every '90s movie better in his own unique way. Expertly alternating between warmth and cruelty, "Fargo" sits alongside "The Big Lebowski" and "No Country For Old Men" as one of the essential works of a pair of mavericks that consistently flew in the face of convention.
2. "Sling Blade"(1996)
Billy Bob Thornton jumped on the thriving indie film movement and steered his career all the way from bit part purgatory to significant recognition within the industry. His Southern simpleton is no Forrest Gump, though. At first glance it would be easy to get the two confused, but I don't recall Tom Hanks' beloved shrimping boat captain killing anyone with a primitive weapon. Thornton's oddly endearing yokel had his reasons in this dark and downbeat tale elevated by his Oscar-winning screenplay and masterful performance in the lead. There's a disarming tenderness in Karl Childers' relationship with a distressed local boy that stands in stark contrast to his tragic fate, yet the film ultimately finds hope in it's outwardly bleak surroundings.
3. "The People vs. Larry Flynt"(1996)
Woody Harrelson is definitely one of the most interesting and underappreciated performers in the biz, and his role as controversial smut peddler turned First Amendment champion Larry Flynt was the culmination of his unlikely run as a '90s headliner. Director Milos Forman("One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", "Amadeus") made a most welcome return to filmmaking to chart the many trials and tribulations of the 'Hustler' magazine founder in the '70s and early '80s. Courtney Love briefly had the world convinced that she was a legit actress as Flynt's drug-addled wife and was unfairly denied an Oscar nomination. Thanks to the talents of this wildly varied trio, not too mention Edward Norton as Larry's long-suffering lawyer, there's never a dull moment.
4. "Ransom"(1996)
Mel Gibson followed his "Braveheart" triumph with this highly-suspenseful, top-notch thriller from the equally-hot Ron Howard(they were BOTH nominated for Best Director during filming). His wealthy airline tycoon on a desperate NYC search for his missing son(Brawley Nolte) is another perfect illustration of Gibson's potency as a leading man. Rene Russo is very good as his distraught wife, and the normally-nice Gary Sinise is scary as a stone-cold cop/kidnapper whose plans grow more twisted. So go find one of the remaining DVDs and relive the days when Mad Mel had everyone in his corner as he screamed profanities over the telephone and Hollywood still considered R-rated movies viable at the box office.
5. "The English Patient"(1996)
This tragic romance set against the backdrop of WWII is one of those put-upon Best Picture winners that history tends to downgrade(even a "Seinfeld" episode had a go at it). Director Anthony Minghella made THE most acclaimed film of '96, but like "Out of Africa" and "Dances with Wolves", it's one we rarely feel the need to revisit. I could tell you about the passion, the intrigue, the beautiful cinematography, lush score, and solid performances by Ralph Fiennes, Kirsten Scott Thomas and Best Supporting Actress Juliet Binoche and I know that you'll probably just take my word for it. This is undoubtedly classy and sumptuous film-making, but the ambition and length is like a sandstorm to those looking for mere 'entertainment'.
6. "Jerry Maguire"(1996)
Tom Cruise's approval rating was at an all-time high in 1996. Ten years after "Top Gun", he capped off a decade of dominance in writer-director Cameron Crowe's winning sports comedy. The 33 year old grinning movie god would never be this likable, vulnerable, or human onscreen again(and certainly not off of it). "JM" is more than just three great catchphrases, even though that alone would be enough to earn it's place on this list. Renee Zellweger had me at 'hello' in her breakout role as a sweet single mom, and an Oscar-winning Cuba Gooding Jr added to the all-around enjoyment as an excitable NFL star.
7. "Trainspotting"(1996)
Director Danny Boyle's raw, attention-grabbing indie breakthrough doesn't spare viewers much in it's depiction of the squalid lives of a group of young heroin addicts. Their Edinburgh misadventures were more than a little unpleasant, but Boyle's daring decision to show us the euphoric high as well as the horrifying downside got critics' tongues wagging, and a previously-unknown Ewan McGregor would quickly trade in his needle for a lightsaber. "Trainspotting" illustrates the unique allure of the '90s, because there were almost as many edgy films existing outside the mainstream as there were commercial blockbusters. We just don't get that kind of diversity anymore.
8. "Scream"(1996)
The slasher movie was as dead as one of Freddy or Jason's teen victims before Drew Barrymore answered the phone in the nail-biting opener of director Wes Craven's hip, knowing postmodern horror hit. Kevin Williamson's clever script pays it's respects to everything from "Psycho" to "Halloween" before hacking away at the cliches that laid the genre to waste several years earlier. But Craven still gives his fresh-faced cast the slice 'n' dice treatment, with smart survivor Neve Campbell briefly emerging as a sought-after starlet. The unexpected $100 million box office total led to a full blown resurgence which included three sequels that(sadly) turned "Scream" into exactly what it set out to satirize.
9. "Mission Impossible"(1996)
How was Tom Cruise able to banter with Johnathan Lipnicki AND orchestrate the biggest revival of a popular '60s TV series this side of "The Fugitive"? Maybe there's something to Scientology after all. Brian De Palma's classy touch behind the camera sure didn't hurt. David Koepp and Robert Towne's often-indecipherable plot drew criticism that wasn't unwarranted, but Ethan Hunt's first outing boasts some astounding set-pieces- the CIA wire-room sequence and the bullet train climax definitely rank among the decade's highlights. The resulting franchise has become something of a lifeline for Cruise, with steady ticket sales in 2000, 2006, and 2011 offsetting many iffy projects and tabloid woes.
10. "Independence Day"(1996)
The mammoth success of "ID4" may be more the result of brilliant marketing that actual quality, but the indisputable fact is that NO movie made a bigger splash in 1996. It was more than a movie, it was an event, and the indelible image pictured above built a palpable buzz from the Super Bowl till it's July 3rd debut. Every kid in America just had to see Will Smith's swaggering fighter pilot kick E.T's ass, while Jeff Goldblum did his brainy science-guy routine for everyone else. Critical respect will probably always elude director Roland Emmerich and his producing partner Dean Devlin. No matter- their alien invasion flick changed the business, for better or worse. "4" opened the floodgates, making CGI and excessive hype the new norm(it's 3,000 FX shots set a new record). A grateful George Lucas got to work on his prequels as soon as he wiped the drool off his face.
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