The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)

The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)

[7] A woman with amnesia begins discovering her past as a deadly assassin in this high-octane action flick from director Renny Harlin. The Long Kiss Goodnight is good hokey fun at a frantic pace. Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson…
Fear (1996)

Fear (1996)

[7] Mark Wahlberg and Reese Witherspoon headline this taut, engaging thriller from screenwriter Christopher Crowe (Last of the Mohicans) and director James Foley (After Dark My Sweet, Glengarry Glen Ross). Witherspoon plays a high schooler who falls head over heels…
Swingers (1996)

Swingers (1996)

[2] Swingers is the reason we cannot let college students with broken hearts have movie cameras. If I had to say something nice about the movie, which somehow launched the careers of director Doug Liman and writer Jon Favreau, it's…
Beautiful Thing (1996)

Beautiful Thing (1996)

[8] This British independent flick is a far better gay 'coming out' movie than most. Glen Berry plays Jamie, a teenager who skips school to avoid harassment during gym class, and Scott Neal plays Ste, Jamie's next door neighbor. When…
Independence Day (1996)

Independence Day (1996)

[7] The Irwin Allen disaster epic is alive and well in this 1996 summer blockbuster in which evil aliens threaten to destroy Earth, leaving it up to a rag-tag team of politicians, soldiers, and scientists (plus a drunken crop-duster and…
The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)

The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)

[7]

I usually appreciate an interesting mess more than a tidy bore. So sue me: Yes, I like one of the most famous bad movies of the last few decades. You wanna fight about it?

The Frighteners (1996)

The Frighteners (1996)

[6]

In this horror comedy from director Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings), Michael J. Fox stars as a charlatan ghostbuster who can communicate with the undead. After many of the local ghost community start disappearing, Fox gets roped into solving the mystery, which involves a 20-year old mass-murder at a nearby mental institution. If it sounds convoluted, it is. The narrative is over-complicated, involving too many characters and flashbacks, but there are enough elements here that you’re likely to find at least some of them interesting.

Fly Away Home (1996)

Fly Away Home (1996)

[9]

Admittedly, I’m a bird fan, but don’t let the marketing fool you. This is not just a kid’s movie — it’s an incredibly moving, gorgeously made film based on an inspirational true story, and I blubber every time I see it. After losing her mother, young Amy (Oscar winner Anna Paquin, The Piano, True Blood) goes to live with her eccentric inventor father (Jeff Daniels). They’re estranged from one another, but they bond over a common cause: a gaggle of orphaned geese. The hatchlings imprint on Anna, believing she is their mother. Since the geese can’t learn their migratory path unless their mother teaches them, Dad builds a pair of ultra-light planes so he and Amy can lead the geese on an amazing journey to their winter grounds.

Scream (1996)

Scream (1996)

[9] Wes Craven's self-referential teen slasher murder mystery soars on the strengths of Kevin Williamson's clever screenplay and its charismatic cast. Anyone who loves slasher movies will revel in the in-jokes and homages, but the film isn't all satire --…
Flirting with Disaster (1996)

Flirting with Disaster (1996)

[9] This ensemble road trip comedy of errors is the sophomore effort from writer/director David O. Russell (Joy, Silver Linings Playbook), and stars an impressive troupe of actors who make the whole film feel wondrously improvised. Ben Stiller plays a…