Mars Attacks! – Twister – Bound – The English Patient – Fargo – The Rock – Breaking the Waves

1996: World Premieres
1996: U.S. Releases
1996: Still Left to See
1996: Cannes Festival

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The Movies of 1996: World Premieres
 By Title // By Grade // Last update: September 28, 2024

Full Listing of Films Screened
= Full Review   /   = Capsule   /   = Feature or Blog Post   /   = Grain of Salt

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. 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. Voice of Mike Judge C–
Before and After Dir. Barbet Schroeder. Meryl Streep, Liam Neeson D–
 Big Night Dir. Stanley Tucci, Campbell Scott. Stanley Tucci, Tony Shalhoub B
The Birdcage Dir. Mike Nichols. Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman B–
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+
 Blood and Wine Dir. Bob Rafelson. Jack Nicholson, Stephen Dorff, Michael Caine C+
Bottle Rocket Dir. Wes Anderson. Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Robert Musgrave C+
Bound Dir. Lana & Lilly Wachowski. Gina Gershon, Jennifer Tilly, Joe Pantoliano A–
Breaking the Waves Dir. Lars von Trier. Emily Watson, Stellan Skarsgård A–
Butterflies on the Scaffold Dir. Margaret Gilpin, Luis Felipe Bernaza B

A Chef in Love Dir. Nana Dzhordzhadze. Pierre Richard, Nino Kirtadze B
Children of the Revolution Dir. Peter Duncan. Judy Davis, Geoffrey Rush B–
 Chocolate Babies Dir. Stephen Winter. Jon Kit Lee, Claude E. Sloan 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–
Close-Up Long Shot (1996/–) Dir. Mahmoud Chokrollabi, Moslem Mansouri B
A Couch in New York Dir. Chantal Akerman. Juliette Binoche, William Hurt D–
Courage Under Fire Dir. Edward Zwick. Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan C+
 Crash Dir. David Cronenberg. James Spader, Deborah Kara Unger, Elias Koteas A–
 Crash Dir. David Cronenberg. James Spader, Deborah Kara Unger, Elias Koteas A–
 Cremaster 1 Dir. Matthew Barney. Marti Domination, Anne Bannert 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 B
Diabolique Dir. Jeremiah Chechik. Isabelle Adjani, Sharon Stone 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 D
Elective Affinities Dir. Paolo and Vittorio Taviani. Isabelle Huppert B
Emma Dir. Douglas McGrath. Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeremy Northam, Toni Collette B–
The Empty Mirror Dir. Barry J. Hershey. Norman Rodway, Peter Michael Goetz D+
 The English Patient Dir. Anthony Minghella. Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche B+
 Everyone Says I Love You Dir. Woody Allen. Woody Allen, Drew Barrymore B
Evita Dir. Alan Parker. Madonna, Antonio Banderas, Jonathan Pryce, Jimmy Nail B
Executive Decision Dir. Stuart Baird. Kurt Russell, Steven Seagal, John Leguizamo D

 Fargo Dir. Joel Coen. William H. Macy, Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi A
 Female Perversions Dir. Susan Streitfeld. Tilda Swinton, Amy Madigan B+
 Female Perversions Dir. Susan Streitfeld. Tilda Swinton, Amy Madigan B+
Few of Us Dir. Sharunas Bartas. Katerina Golubeva, Piotr Kishteev, Sergei Tulayev B
Fire Dir. Deepa Mehta. Nandita Das, Shabana Azmi, Kulbushan Kharbanda B
 The First Wives Club Dir. Hugh Wilson. Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn B–
Flirting with Disaster Dir. David O. Russell. Ben Stiller, Patricia Arquette B–
 Fly Away Home Dir. Carrol Ballard. Anna Paquin, Jeff Daniels, Dana Delany B
Full Speed Dir. Gaël Morel. Pascal Cervo, Meziane Bardadi, Élodie Bouchez C+
The Funeral Dir. Abel Ferrara. Christopher Walken, Vincent Gallo B+

Gabbeh Dir. Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Shaghayeh Djodat, Rogheih Moharami B+
Get on the Bus Dir. Spike Lee. Charles S. Dutton, Ossie Davis, Andre Braugher B
 The Ghost and the Darkness Dir. Stephen Hopkins. Val Kilmer, Michael Douglas B–
Ghosts of Mississippi Dir. Rob Reiner. Alec Baldwin, Whoopi Goldberg 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 A
 Gray's Anatomy Dir. Steven Soderbergh. Medical monologue by Spalding Gray B

Hamlet Dir. Kenneth Branagh. Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, Kate Winslet B–
Hard Eight Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson. Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly B
 Hollow Reed Dir. Angela Pope. Martin Donovan, Joely Richardson, Sam Bould B–
 The Hunchback of Notre Dame Dir. Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise B+
Hustler White Dir. Bruce LaBruce. Tony Ward, Bruce LaBruce, Kevin P. Scott C+

I Love You, I Love You Not Dir. Billy Hopkins. Claire Danes, Jeanne Moreau D
I Shot Andy Warhol Dir. Mary Harron. Lili Taylor, Jared Harris, Stephen Dorff B
If These Walls Could Talk Dir. Nancy Savoca, Cher. TV. 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 A
 The Island of Dr. Moreau Dir. John Frankenheimer. David Thewlis D
 It's My Party Dir. Randal Kleiser. Eric Roberts, Gregory Harrison, Lee Grant C+

Jane Eyre Dir. Franco Zeffirelli. Charlotte Gainsbourg, William Hurt, Anna Paquin C
 Jerry Maguire Dir. Cameron Crowe. Tom Cruise, Renée Zellweger A–
Jingle All the Way Dir. Brian Levant. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad F
 Johns Dir. Scott Silver. David Arquette, Lukas Haas, Keith David C–
Jude Dir. Michael Winterbottom. Christopher Eccleston, Kate Winslet B+
The Juror Dir. Brian Gibson. Demi Moore, Alec Baldwin, James Gandolfini C+

Kansas City Dir. Robert Altman. Jennifer Jason Leigh, Miranda Richardson B
Kids Return Dir. Takeshi Kitano. Ken Kaneko, Masanobu Andô B–
The King of Masks Dir. Wu Tianming. Zhu Xu, Zhou Renying, Zhao Zhigang C+
Kissed Dir. Lynne Stopkewich. Molly Parker, Peter Outerbridge, Jay Brazeau B–

 The Last Angel of History Dir. John Akomfrah. Experimental documentary B–
Last Dance Dir. Bruce Beresford. Rob Morrow, Sharon Stone, Peter Gallagher C–
Lilies Dir. John Greyson. Danny Gilmore, Jason Cadieux, Matthew Ferguson B–
Lone Star Dir. John Sayles. Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña, Kris Kristofferson A–
 The Long Kiss Goodnight Dir. Renny Harlin. Geena Davis, Samuel L. Jackson C+
Looking for Richard Dir. Al Pacino. Documentary about a stage production C–
Love Serenade Dir. Shirley Barrett. Miranda Otto, Rebecca Frith A–

 Mariette in Ecstasy Dir. John Bailey. Geraldine O'Rawe, Mary McDonnell C+
Mars Attacks! Dir. Tim Burton. Jack Nicholson, Jim Brown, Annette Bening B
Marvin's Room Dir. Jerry Zaks. Diane Keaton, Meryl Streep, Leonardo DiCaprio B–
Mary Jane's Not a Virgin Anymore Dir. Sarah Jacobson. Lisa Gerstein C+
Mary Reilly Dir. Stephen Frears. Julia Roberts, John Malkovich, George Cole C+
Michael Collins Dir. Neil Jordan. Liam Neeson, Alan Rickman, Aidan Quinn B
Mission: Impossible Dir. Brian De Palma. Tom Cruise, Emmanuelle Béart B+
Microcosmos Dir. 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
A Moment of Innocence Dir. Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Mirhadi Tayebi A–
Mother Dir. Albert Brooks. Albert Brooks, Debbie Reynolds, Rob Morrow B–
Mr. Wrong Dir. Nick Castle. Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Pullman, Joan Cusack C–
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+

The Pallbearer Dir. Matt Reeves. David Schwimmer, Gwyneth Paltrow C–
Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills Dir. 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 B
 The Pillow Book Dir. Peter Greenaway. Vivian Wu, Ken Ogata, Ewan McGregor B+
Ponette Dir. Jacques Doillon. Victoire Thivisol, Delphine Schlitz 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
 Primal Fear Dir. Gregory Hoblit. Richard Gere, Edward Norton, Laura Linney C+
Prisoner of the Mountains Dir. Sergei Bodrov. Sergei Bodrov Jr., Oleg Menshikov B+
Private Confessions Dir. Liv Ullmann. Pernilla August, Max von Sydow B+
La Promesse Dir. Jean-Pierre & 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 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 B
Scorned 2 Dir. Rodney McDonald. Tane McClure, Myles O'Brien D+
Scream Dir. Wes Craven. Neve Campbell, Skeet Ulrich, Rose McGowan B
Secrets & Lies Dir. Mike Leigh. Brenda Blethyn, Marianne Jean-Baptiste B+
A Self-Made Hero Dir. Jacques Audiard. Mathieu Kassovitz B
Set It Off Dir. F. Gary Gray. Jada Pinkett, Vivica A. Fox, Queen Latifah B–
 Shine Dir. Scott Hicks. Geoffrey Rush, Noah Taylor, Armin Mueller-Stahl B
Skin & Bone Dir. Everett Lewis. B. Wyatt, Alan Boyce, Garrett Scullin C+
 Sling Blade Dir. Billy Bob Thornton. Billy Bob Thornton, Lucas Black C+
Some Mother's Son Dir. Terry George. Helen Mirren, Fionnula Flanagan C
Stealing Beauty Dir. Bernardo Bertolucci. Liv Tyler, Jeremy Irons, Sinéad Cusack B–
A Summer's Tale Dir. Éric Rohmer. Melvil Poupaud, Amanda Langlet B+
The Sunchaser Dir. Michael Cimino. Woody Harrelson, Jon Seda 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 B+
Tin Cup Dir. Ron Shelton. Kevin Costner, René Russo, Cheech Marin C+
Too Late Dir. Lucian Pintilie. Razvan Vasilescu, Mircea Rusu, Dorel Visan 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 B+
Trees Lounge Dir. Steve Buscemi. Steve Buscemi, Mark Boone Junior B–
The Truth About Cats & Dogs Dir. Michael Lehmann. Janeane Garofalo B
 Twelfth Night Dir. Trevor Nunn. Imogen Stubbs, Helena Bonham Carter B–
 Twister Dir. Jan De Bont. Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Jami Gertz, Cary Elwes B–

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 B
Les Voleurs Dir. André Téchiné. Daniel Auteuil, Laurence Cote B+

Waiting for Guffman Dir. Christopher Guest. Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy 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 C–
William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet Dir. Baz Luhrmann. Leonardo DiCaprio B

You Don't Know Dick Dir. Candace Schermerhorn, Bestor Cram. Documentary B


In Need of Reappraisal
The memories are fading, but they're somewhere in my brain

Nénette et Boni Dir. Claire Denis. Grégoire Colin, Alice Houri, Jacques Nolot
A Time to Kill Dir. Joel Schumacher. Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock
The Whole Wide World Dir. Dan Ireland. Renée Zellweger, Vincent D'Onofrio