January 1, 1996
Caught (1996) *
Virtually a remake of "The Postman Always Rings Twice" with a large dose of "Oedipus Rex" thrown in for good measure.
The Evening Star (1996) *
A pointless sequel to "Terms Of Endearment" (1983). Miranda Richardson steals the movie from Shirley MacLaine.
The Funeral (1996) *
Gangster film about three brothers (Christopher Walken, Chris Penn and Vincent Gallo).
The First Wives Club (1996) *
Three scorned women (Bette Midler, Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn) get even with their ex-husbands. This film manages to be both pro-feminist and misogynist at the same time.
Daylight (1996) *
Pirotechnically impressive, but otherwise extremely mediocre film with Sylvester Stallone rescuing people from a collapsed Holland Tunnel under the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey.
Centerfold (1996) *
Directed by Kelly Cauthen. With Gabriella Hall and Cheryl Bartel. Young women agree to pose nude for men's magazines in order to further their acting careers. Soft-core film with a well developped...script.
The Cable Guy (1996) *
Boring, unpleasant and badly made film starring Jim Carrey as a crazy cable guy who stalks Matthew Broderick.
The Bloody Child (1996) *
Experimental film about a US Marine killing his wife. Horribly boring, very pretentious and completely pointless.
Screwed (1996) *
Documentary film about Al Goldstein, publisher of a porno mag and host of a raunchy TV show.
A Time To Kill (1996) *
Vigilante justice is condoned in this rather irresponsible (though well directed) film.
Walking And Talking (1996) *
Anne Heche and Catherine Keener stars in this slow-moving slice-of-life drama about friendship and love.
The Whole Wide World (1996) *
Renee Zellweger stars as a girlfriend of a comic book author from Texas.
The Portrait Of A Lady (1996) *
An adaptation of Henry James' novel about a rich American woman (Nicole Kidman) who marries an evil European man (John Malkovich).
101 Dalmatians (1996) *
A pointless live-action remake of the 1961 Disney animated classic, directed by Stephen Herek. The story is virtually identical - Cruella DeVil wants a fur coat so badly, she kidnaps a bunch of adorable dalmatian puppies from Anita and Roger. The only interesting aspect is a changed nature of the relationship between Anita and Cruella. As wrote Anthony Lake in "New Yorker", "the new film promotes Cruella from Anita's school friend to her employer: DeVil is now a fashion house, and for a while, as Close smirked at Richardson, crooned admiration for her sketches, and urged her never to forsake the thrills of a career for the sake of a mere man, I caught a definite aroma of sexual power play. Richardson's lowered eyelashes are so redolent of the demure, pre-paranoid Princess of Wales, Close's lipstick is of such an alarming and predatory scarlet, and Roger is so indisputably a wimp that Herek might as well have ditched the whole mutt motif and concentrated on Cruella's master plan to lure Anita into a fur-lined boudoir and put her on a tight leash. Sadly, it was not to be; from here on, sex never raises its muzzle ...". Too bad, lesbian sadomasochistic hanky-panky would have greatly enliven the proceedings.
No Sex Last Night (1996) *
Experimental film about an American man and a French woman who travel across America and get married in Las Vegas.
Mars Attacks ! (1996) *
This film is so incredibly bad, it makes "Independence Day" look like a great masterpiece. It even makes "Plan 9 From Outer Space" look like a classic comedy by comparaison. A terrible waste of great talent, both in front and behind the camera. Boring, stupid and totally forgettable.
Girl 6 (1996) *
Spike Lee is capable of the best ("Do The Right Thing", "Jungle Fever") and the worst ("School Daze", "Clockers"), but "Girl 6" is actually worst than the worst.
The Ghost And The Darkness (1996) *
Two ferocious lions are hunted by two Great White Hunters (Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer).
Big Night (1996) *
After a celebration of the French cuisine in Denmark (1987's "Babette's Feast"), Japanese noodle soups (1988's "Tampopo"), Mexican love potions (1992's "Like Water For Chocolate") and Chinese banquets in Taiwan (1994's "Eat Drink Man Woman"), here we have an Italian feast in United States. But unlike its brilliant predecessors, this film is not very appetizing.
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