| # |
Film Title |
Date |
Rating |
Frogs |
One Word |
 |
| 1 |
Casino |
?-?-1996 |
75% |
 |
Sharp |
Buy! |
| DeNiro and Sharon Stone in a cutting film with a
fairly coherent plot and convincing acting. Some scenes are not
for the faint hearted, but nonetheless, it is not
gratuitously violent. |
| 2 |
Heat |
?-?-1996 |
90% |
 |
Brilliant |
Buy! |
| Classic DeNiro and classic Pacino... all in one film.
What more can I say? |
| 3 |
Get Shorty |
15 March 1996 |
70% |
|
Fun |
Buy! |
| A very funny, light hearted film. A great cast with
John Travolta in the perfect role for his cool personality,
Danny DeVito giving a classic (at least partial-)
performance as the stereotypical actor, and René
Russo very good as the non-bimbo love interest. |
| 4 |
Broken Arrow |
?-?-1996 |
75% |
|
Cool |
Buy! |
| Christian Slater's very good as the good guy
US fighter pilot, and Travolta cool as ice as until
Slater's character ruins his carefully laid plans
showing he can be a bad guy too. |
| 5 |
The Birdcage |
27 April 1996 |
80% |
 |
Hilarious |
Buy! |
| As funny as Gene Hackman in a dress! |
| 6 |
Executive Decision |
?-?-1996 |
70% |
|
Entertaining |
Buy! |
| Kurt Russell, Steven Segal and Hale Berry in an
entertaining thriller with a slightly improbable premise
which, nonetheless, doesn't really impact on the
enjoyability of the film unless you are an insufferable
nitpicker. |
| 7 |
Copycat |
?-?-1996 |
85% |
|
Gripping |
Buy! |
| Sigourney Weaver, Holly Hunter and Harry Connick Jr.
in a chilling thriller that will have you on the edge of your
seat from the first few minutes to the climatic finale. |
| 8 |
12 Monkeys |
?-?-1996 |
75% |
|
Strange |
Buy! |
| Bruce Willis in a rather strange film by Terry
Gilliam. It's worth seeing alright, but be prepared to see a
different Bruce Willis to usual! |
| 9 |
The Juror |
?-?-1996 |
75% |
|
Intriguing |
Buy! |
| A film with a nice fairly clever if not
amazingly inovative plot and good acting from Alec Baldwin
and Demi Moore. An entertaining film. |
| 10 |
The Rock |
?-?-1996 |
85% |
|
Great |
Buy! |
| A film with a clever plot, some wonderful effects,
very good direction, and brilliant acting from Sean
Connery, Nicholas Cage, and Ed Harris! |
| 11 |
Mission: Impossible |
5 July 1996 |
50% |
 |
Disappointing |
Buy! |
| Mission: Impossible was rather a disappointment.
About the only film I've seen this year which didn't live
up to my expectations. The trailers showed the best bits of
the film, and although there were some nice effects,
and it did make me smile a couple of times, it failed
miserably to bring back nostalgia for the TV series.
It seemed an attempt to pass off a fairly second-rate film
on audiences who would go to see it because of the stars
in it, and on the good faith of fans of the series.
|
| 12 |
The Cable Guy |
21 July 1996 |
35% |
 |
Silly |
Buy! |
| The Cable Guy was really just a vehicle for Jim Carey.
It was very silly indeed, with some pretty funny moments almost
lost in the lack of laughs of the rest of the film. If you're bored,
it might bring a few laughs, but don't go in expecting anything
much. |
| 13 |
Twister |
27 July 1996 |
95% |
|
Breathtaking |
Buy! |
| The effects in this film are stunning. The tornados
or twisters seem both so realistic, you could
touch them, and to have a life of their own. "The
director of Speed and the Producers of
Jurassic Park" outdid themselves on this one.
Despite a cast with no major stars, this film
deservedly drew huge audiences. |
| 14 |
Independence Day (ID4) |
12 August 1996 |
97% |
|
Wow... |
Buy! |
| ID4 certainly wasn't overhyped. I went in expecting
a lot and was rewarded with much more. The effects were
very good indeed in ID4, and the plot and acting from
Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, and too many others to mention
were great. For Star Trek fans, spot Brent Spiner! It
was both moving and humourous, shocking and uplifting.
A film for many audiences. So good I went to see it
again in the same week! (15-8-96) It
was at least as enjoyable the second time. I cannot
fault ID4 on any front whatsoever. Well worth
a visit is the ID4 web
site! |
| 15 |
Eraser |
22 August 1996 |
65% |
 |
Fun |
Buy! |
| Eraser was an enjoyable film with some funny
moments, some good action sequences, and a decent enough plot.
If you take things too seriously, you probably won't enjoy
this film, but overall, I think it's definitely worth
seeing. The most silly bit involved Arnie telling Vanessa
Williams that who she was was inside, in her heart, not a
bunch of credit cards, Social Services card, etc. Arnie just
doesn't seem to fit the soothing, sensitive guy role! He was
perfect for the role otherwise, mind you! |
| 16 |
Phenomenon |
30 August 1996 |
85% |
|
Enchanting |
Buy! |
| This is one of the best films this year.
Again, Travolta proves himself more than able for another
very different role. He gives a truly brilliant performance
which carries this film much further than it could otherwise
go. Phenomenon is a truly moving film. There are many
moments of humour in a film which provides an emotional journey
through elation, joy, happiness, and sorrow, pathos, sadness.
This is a must-see for anyone who does not believe a film
must involve guns and people being killed. |
| 17 |
A Time to Kill |
16 September 1996 |
75% |
|
Grishamesque |
Buy! |
| A Time To Kill was really a very good film. It
often irritates me to no end when they warp, twist, and
totally ignore the book that a film is supposedly
based upon. On this occasion, I knew beforehand to expect
this, seeing as even the trailers made it perfectly obvious
that there had been some major changes. I decided to accept
the film as an entity in itself, and not worry constantly about
the changes, and it really was very good, and well worth
seeing! It uses a lot of ideas from the book and takes whole
scenes/storylines from it while still making some huge plot
changes, and moving these book-based bits in different ways. |
| 18 |
Last Man Standing |
3 October 1996 |
70% |
|
Conscience |
Buy! |
| A slightly unusual film based in a small texan town
during prohibition, run by and caused to be almost deserted by two
rival gangs. The two gangs have a truce in place... until Bruce
Willis arrives in town. |
| 19 |
Courage Under Fire |
4 October 1996 |
90% |
|
Heroism |
Buy! |
| This was a moving film, full of pathos. A film full
of acts of heroism, unfortunate acts of fate, fear, guilt, and
self depreciation. It follows the investigation of an officer into
the events surrounding the actions of a female rescue chopper pilot
and her crew. She has been nominated for a medal of honour, and it
is his job to determine the validity of the nomination. Nothing is
ever as it seems at first, and the true events turn out to be heart
wrenchingly unfortunate, and disturbingly unjust. This film must be
seen. |
| 20 |
Blood Simple |
12 October 1996 |
70% |
|
Weirdness |
Buy! |
| Although I can't give a top rating to this
film, it's well worth seeing if you can get to see it!
Virgin Cinemas, Dublin, just decided to show it for some
reason unknown to me, although it's a 1984 film, and nobody
else showed it. Blood Simple is... strange. It may only get
70% overall, but it gets a 10/10 for weirdness. The acting
was just ok, the soundtrack was slightly crackly/hissy, and
I have to say, I would probably switch channels if I flicked
past it on TV, however, the attention to the most minute
details in this film was great, and the use of sound effects
was inspired. |
| 21 |
Dragonheart |
18 October 1996 |
75% |
|
Draconic |
Buy! |
| Dragonheart was better than I expected. It was
well worth seeing. The special effects were far above
my expectations; far better than anything in Jurassic Park.
Dennis Quaid and Dina Meyer were very good as the hero and
heroine of the film, and Sean Connery's voice was perfection
for Draco, the dragon. |
| 22 |
Chain Reaction |
1 November 1996 |
55% |
|
Fair |
Buy!
(VHS) |
| The trailers made me say, "That, I have to
see". The movie itself was... worthwhile seeing from my
point of view, but I enjoy going to the cinema anyhow. The
effects were very good in a couple of places, but overall,
it was a little lacking in the plot department. Nothing
dazzling, and so you really shouldn't worry if you miss
this one. |
| 23 |
Michael Collins |
10 November 1996 |
75% |
|
Freedom |
Buy! |
| Michael Collins was a very good film about a
man, funnily enough called Michael Collins, who was
portrayed as the man who gained Ireland its freedom. Not
being a historian, I can't say how historically accurate it
was, however, as a film, it was very enjoyable, with good
acting from such great Irish actors as Liam Neeson and
Stephen Rea, with Alan Rickman putting on a brilliant
performance as always as President Eamon De Valera, and
Julia Roberts doing a surprisingly good Irish accent
(although it did degrade a little in the second half of the
film). |
| 24 |
Star Trek: First Contact |
17 December 1996 |
75% |
|
Borg! |
Buy! |
| First Contact was, by all means, a great Star
Trek movie. It had everything I have come to expect from
Star Trek, plus some interesting new twists. Finally, we
have had a Star Trek: The Next Generation cast film, without
trying to bridge two generations for increased audience.
Where Star Trek: Generations was a huge disappointment, First
Contact was refreshingly good. Why, then, do I not give it
80% or more? If you are a Star Trek fan, it should be 90%,
however, this movie may not be of such interest to non-fans. |
| 25 |
The Preacher's Wife |
31 December 1996 |
80% |
|
Charming |
Buy! |
| This humerous tale casts Denzel Washington as
an angel sent to help a preacher deal with his worries including
a troubled marriage, and to do his job. Whitney Houston plays
the preacher's wife of the title, and provides a great
soundtrack. A definite worth-your-while-seeing, the film is
a charming, upbeat romantic comedy. |
|
