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Ten Best List for the Year 1996
- Big Night -- Two Italian immigrants in the 1950s -- a perfectionist chef (Tony Shalhoub) and his more pragmatic brother (Stanley Tucci) -- risk bankrupcy by putting on a lavish banquet for celebrity Louis Prima in hopes the resulting publicity will attract business to their restaurant. As co-directed by Tucci and Campbell Scott, the bittersweet story is a warmhearted celebration of family, community and the fragile relationships that give life its flavor. Implied sexual affair, sporadic rough language and minimal profanity. A-III-adults (R) 1996
- Emma -- Bright adaptation of Jane Austen's 1816 novel about a supremely self-confidant young woman (Gwyneth Paltrow) who busily though ineptly sets about matchmaking for those around her but, in the process, nearly overlooks the perfect match for herself. Writer-director Dough McGrath's British production of the romantic classic captures the subtle snobbery of the English class system without losing sight of the charming frailties of the story's many characters. Romantic complications. A-II-adults and adolescents (PG) 1996
- Fly Away Home -- Sweetly charming story of a 13-year-old Ontario girl (Anna Paquin) who rescues a nest of orphaned wild goslings, then gets some help from her estranged dad (Jeff Daniels) in trying to teach them to fly so they can migrate south to survive the winter. Director Carroll Ballard combines captivating nature scenes with a warmly human tale of family bonding and tenacious inventiveness. Implied live-in relationship and mild menace. A-II- adults and adolescents (PG) 1996
- The Grass Harp -- Screen version of Truman Capote's 1951 novel about an orphaned boy (Edward Furlong) growing up in a small Southern town during the Depression, looked after by two spinster sisters (Piper Laurie and Sissy Spacek) whose tranquil home is suddenly shattered in a terrible dispute between the sisters forcing him and the rest of the town to take sides. Directed by Charles Matthau, the result is a lovely little movie re-creating the charms of a past era without sentimentalizing its account of the boy's encounters with the adult world and odd behavior of his quirky elders (including retired judge Walter Matthau, swindler Jack Lemmon, servant Nell Carter and barber Roddy McDowall). Some violence and strong domestic tension. A-II-adults and adolescents (PG) 1996
- Lone Star -- Tangled tale of justice unfolds in the story of a Texas sheriff (Chris Cooper) investigating a 40-year-old murder implicating his former-sheriff father and his dad's corrupt, trigger-happy predecessor (Kris Kristofferson). Writer-director John Sayles slowly juggles the narrative strands and character relationships, eventually pulling them all together in a thoughtful story about prejudice, integrity and healing. Fleeting bedroom encounter, brief violence and occasional rough language. A-III-adults (R) 1996
- Marvin's Room -- Poignant drama in which a middle-aged woman (Diane Keaton), after devoting 20 years to caring for her invalid father (Hume Cronyn) and childlike aunt (Gwen Verdon), turns to her estranged sister (Meryl Streep) and volatile nephew (Leonardo DiCaprio) for help when she needs a life-saving bone-marrow operation. Director Jerry Zaks' testy tale of reluctant reconciliation is beautifully acted, shows delightful spurts of wacky humor and emerges as a moving portrait of a family's enduring bonds of love. Domestic arguments with instances of rough language and profanity. A-II-adults and adolescents (PG-13) 1996
- Once Upon a Time...When We Were Colored -- Growing up in rural Mississippi after World War II, a black youth is nourished by the love and support of an extended family and, despite all the injustices of a segregated society, never loses pride in his race or hope in the American dream of equality. Director Tim Reid gets fine performances from a seasoned cast (headed by Al Freeman, Jr.) in depicting a closely-knit black community taking care of its own in the face of social exclusion and economic exploitation just before the struggle for civil rights becomes a national issue in the 1960s. Racial tensions, some stylized violence and sexual references including a childbirth scene. A-II- adults and adolescents (PG) 1996
- Secrets & Lies -- Powerful British drama in which an adopted black woman learns she was the illegitimate daughter of a white woman who at first denies being her mother, then comes to like her as a person and eventually invites her to a family gathering where one painful truth leads to a number of others. Director Mike Leigh uses the credibly contrived situation to examine the flawed humanity of each of the characters as well as their family relationships, social aspirations and racial attitudes. Sexual situations and references, much domestic tension and occasional rough language. A-III-adults (R) 1996
- Shine -- Remarkable fact-based story of an Australian musical prodigy who suffers a mental collapse as a youth (Noah Taylor) because of his iron-willed father (Armin Mueller-Stahl), then resumes a brilliant career as classical pianist in middle age after he (Geoffrey Rush) weds an understanding woman (Lynn Redgrave). Director Scott Hicks gives a universal dimension to this story of the damage done by a father's possessive, destructive love being undone by a woman's patient, redemptive love. Domestic violence, a fleeting bedroom scene and brief nudity. A-III-adults (PG-13) 1996
- The Spitfire Grill -- Engrossing picture of a troubled young woman (Alison Elliott) coming to a small town in Maine for a fresh start in life which seems possible after she's befriended by a couple of local women (Ellen Burstyn and Marcia Gay Harden) but her growing sense of belonging ends in a tragedy which sobers the community and helps transform it. Written and directed by Lee David Zlotoff, the emotionally involving story is told with realism, the characters are warmly human and, despite some melodramatic turns, the result is heartfelt drama with a genuinely uplifting conclusion. Some menace, a tragic death and a reference to the sexual abuse of a minor resulting in murder. A-II-adults and adolescents (PG-13) 1996
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