As always, in no particular order:

Mars Attacks! (such a fun movie)

Big Night

Cold Comfort Farm

Angels and Insects

Ridicule

Thieves (Les Voleurs)

The White Balloon

La Ceremonie

Chungking Express

A Midwinter's Tale

Jack and Sarah

1. The Rock (Yeah, ok. You call your lawyer, I'll call mine)
2. The People Vs Larry Flynt
3. Trainspotting
4. Mission: Impossibe
5. Scream
6. From Dusk Till Dawn
7. Bound
8. The Long Kiss Goodnight
9. Secrets and Lies
10. Swingers

Ok, you know the drill by now. There's absolutely no way I'm saying The Rock was the best film of the year. But as far as pure entertainment goes, it was a film I watched a hell of a lot at the time (I was a teenager). So it's relentless explosions had a warm place in my heart.

And besides, you need my silly blockbusters to counterpoint your more artier lists :P

1. Mars Attacks!
2. Scream
3. Matilda
4. The Craft
5. Space Jam
6. The Rock
7. Mission: Impossible
8. Trainspotting
9. Jerry Maguite
10. The People Vs Larry Flynt

@mechajutaro said:

@rudely_murray said:

What are your favourite films of 1996?

1. Fargo (Joel Coen)
2. A Moment of Innocence (Mohsen Makhmalbaf)
3. Secrets & Lies (Mike Leigh)
4. Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky)
5. Breaking the Waves (Lars von Trier)
6. A Summer's Tale (Eric Rohmer)
7. La Promesse (Jean-Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne)
8. Star Trek: First Contact (Jonathan Frakes)
9. Jerry Maguire (Cameron Crowe)
10. Hamlet (Kenneth Branagh)

Haven't seen more than a couple of those, I'll admit; you've provided me with fodder ripe for exploration. One can't help but be divided regarding Paradise Lost, a groundbreaking achievement insofar as the nature and production of documentaries go whilst also deserving a special place in hell of it's own after implicating an innocent man themselves, potentially undermining the exoneration of the West Memphis 3 even more Regarding First Contact... do you speak as a Trekkie or admire this one on other grounds, Murray? Not out to disparage your thoughts on the matter; I'm legitimately curious

Paradise Lost is an eye-opener for many reasons. I'm usually pretty hard on this kind of documentary but this one was superbly done and held me riveted for well over two hours. While it was clearly firmly behind the West Memphis Three I don't recall it directly implicating the other party, merely a few suggestions here and there - wasn't this in one of the later films? I may be misremembering and should watch it again and also catch up on the sequels.

I wouldn't call myself a trekkie although I do enjoy the shows and some of the films. First Contact stands tall above them, for me, as a standalone film and one of my favourite sci-fi adventures. I love it for its genuinely fresh and inventive myth-building, its sense of pure fun and the smashing performances of Alfre Woodard, Alice Krige and James Cromwell. It's the only one of the series which would get anywhere near my top ten lists (well the 2009 film, maybe, but that was an underwhelming year to say the least).

Always happy to share recommendations with others - I hope you are able to track down and enjoy some of my favourites. I am paying attention to those movies listed on others' lists which I haven't seen.

@mechajutaro said:

The Long Kiss Goodnight

Seemed to remember this being a '97 movie

IMDB and Wikipedia say 1996. But a lot of my lists are probably inaccurate due to release dates in different countries, etc, etc.

@JustinJackFlash said:

@mechajutaro said:

The Long Kiss Goodnight

Seemed to remember this being a '97 movie

IMDB and Wikipedia say 1996. But a lot of my lists are probably inaccurate due to release dates in different countries, etc, etc.

It was definitely late '96. I worked at the theater when it was released the same week as The Ghost and the Darkness and watched them both back to back.

Box Office Mojo has the release date as October 11, 1996.

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=longkissgoodnight.htm

1. Kolja (Jan Svěrák)
2. Mary Reilly (Stephen Frears)
3. Shine (Scott Hicks)
4. Trainspotting (Danny Boyle)
5. The Portrait of a Lady (Jane Campion)
6. Everyone Says I Love You (Woody Allen)
7. The Fan (Tony Scott)
8. Fargo (Coen)
9. The Crucible (Nicholas Hytner)
10. Marvin's Room (Jerry Zaks)

• From Dusk Till Dawn
• Scream
• The Craft
• The Birdcage