1996 FILM BALLOT

the point of this exercise isn't merely to stand in contrast to industry awards shows but to shine light on other works/achievements/performances that might've not gotten enough consideration during their initial releases 

Another one of my old "Best in Film" ballots. 

Other year-end ballots posted at The Wandering Image:   1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991,1992,
 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003,
 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

Also, if you wish to view my favorite 30 films of 1996, go here

Note: "Animated Short" and "Animated Feature" categories have been merged into one Animation category, regardless of runtime length. Also "Sound Editing" and "Sound Mixing" have been combined into one "Sound Design" category. Focusing on both overall mix and sound creation.

1996

*CHUNGKING EXPRESS
BOTTLE ROCKET

LONE STAR

BREAKING THE WAVES
TRAINSPOTTING

THE WHITE BALLOON

KIDS RETURN

SECRETS AND LIES
DEAD MAN 
THE FUNERAL

FARGO
THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY

GOODBYE, SOUTH, GOODBYE

LIFE, AND NOTHING MORE

ASHES OF TIME [REDUX]

KANSAS CITY

CYCLO

LA CEREMONIE

CEMETERY MAN

MAHJONG

actual oscar nominees:
THE ENGLISH PATIENT  (won)
FARGO
JERRY MAGUIRE
SECRETS & LIES
SHINE

actual oscar nominees:
A CHEF IN LOVE
KOLYA  (won)
THE OTHER SIDE OF SUNDAY
PRISONER OF THE MOUNTAINS
RIDICULE

1996

*Wong Kar Wai 

      for CHUNGKING EXPRESS

Lars Von Trier  for  BREAKING THE WAVES

John Sayles for LONE STAR
Danny Boyle for TRAINSPOTTING
Jim Jarmusch for DEAD MAN

actual oscar nominees:
Anthony Minghella for THE ENGLISH PATIENT  (won)
Joel Coen for FARGO
Milos Foreman for THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT
Mike Leigh for SECRETS & LIES
Scott Hicks for SHINE

1996

*Emily Watson 

           in BREAKING THE WAVES
Frances McDormand in FARGO

Glenn Close in 101 DALMATIONS
Faye Wong in CHUNGKING EXPRESS
Catherine Keener in WALKING & TALKING

actual oscar nominees:
Brenda Blethyn in SECRETS & LIES
Diane Keaton in MARVIN'S ROOM
Frances McDormand in FARGO  (won)
Kristin Scott Thomas in THE ENGLISH PATIENT
Emily Watson in BREAKING THE WAVES

1996

*Chris Penn in THE FUNERAL
Billy Bob Thornton in SLING BLADE
Ewan McGregor in TRAINSPOTTING
Jeffrey Wright in BASQUIAT
Philip Baker Hall in HARD EIGHT

actual oscar nominees:
Tom Cruise in JERRY MAGUIRE
Ralph Fiennes in THE ENGLISH PATIENT
Woody Harrelson in THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT
Geoffrey Rush in SHINE  (won)
Billy Bob Thornton in SLING BLADE

1996

*Barbara Hershey in 

    THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY
Marianne Jean-Baptiste in SECRETS & LIES
Elizabeth Peña in LONE STAR
Juliette Binoche in THE ENGLISH PATIENT
Miranda Richardson in KANSAS CITY

actual oscar nominees:
Joan Allen in THE CRUCIBLE
Lauren Bacall in THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES
Juliette Binoche in THE ENGLISH PATIENT  (won)
Barbara Hershey in THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY
Marianne Jean-Baptiste in SECRETS & LIES

1996

*Benicio del Toro in BASQUIAT
William H. Macy in FARGO
Owen Wilson in BOTTLE ROCKET

Gary Farmer in DEAD MAN

Jeffrey Combs in THE FRIGHTENERS

actual oscar nominees:
Cuba Gooding, Jr. in JERRY MAGUIRE  (won)
William H. Macy in FARGO
Armin Mueller-Stahl in SHINE
Edward Norton in PRIMAL FEAR
James Woods in GHOSTS OF MISSISSIPPI  

1996

*LONE STAR - John Sayles
FARGO - Joel & Ethan Coen
FLIRTING WITH DISASTER - David O. Russell
SECRETS & LIES - Mike Leigh
THE FUNERAL - Nicholas St. John

actual oscar nominees:
FARGO  (won)
JERRY MAGUIRE
LONE STAR
SECRETS & LIES
SHINE

1996

*TRAINSPOTTING - John Hodge
BOTTLE ROCKET - Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson
NIGHTJOHN - Bill Cain
SLING BLADE - Billy Bob Thornton
THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY - Laura Jones

actual oscar nominees:
THE CRUCIBLE
THE ENGLISH PATIENT
HAMLET
SLING BLADE  (won)
TRAINSPOTTING

1996

*WHEN WE WERE KINGS
FROM THE JOURNALS OF JEAN SEBERG
PARADISE LOST: CHILD MURDERS AT ROBIN HOOD HILLS
MICROCOSMOS
THE CELLULOID CLOSET

actual oscar nominees:
THE LINE KING: THE AL HIRSCHFIELD STORY
MANDELA
SUZANNE FARRELL: ELUSIVE MUSE
TELL THE TRUTH & RUN: GEORGE SELDES & THE AMERICAN PRESS
WHEN WE WERE KINGS  (won)

1996

*JAMES & THE GIANT PEACH
GHOST IN THE SHELL

QUEST
BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD DO AMERICA

DAUGHTER OF THE SUN 

                [SOLDATTEREN aka LÄVRASIID ÄIGI]

WAT'S PIG
NINJA SCROLL

GENRE by Don Hertzfeldt

BJORK: HYPERBALLAD

actual oscar nominees short animated:
CANHEAD
LA SALLA
QUEST  (won)
WAT'S PIG

1996

*SHINE - David Hirschfelder >
JAMES AND THE GIANT FISH - Randy Newman >
THE ENGLISH PATIENT - Gabriel Yared >
SLING BLADE - Daniel Lanois >
FARGO - Carter Burwell >

actual oscar nominees drama score:
THE ENGLISH PATIENT  (won)
HAMLET
MICHAEL COLLINS
SLEEPERS
SHINE

actual oscar nominees comedy score:
EMMA  (won)
THE FIRST WIVE'S CLUB
THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME
JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH
THE PREACHER'S WIFE

1996

*SMALL DEATHS

SMASHING PUMPKINS: TONIGHT, TONIGHT
CIBO MATTO: SUGAR WATER

THE WILD BUNCH: AN ALBUM IN MONTAGE
ALANIS MORISSETTE: IRONIC

SMASHING PUMPKINS: 1979

DAFT PUNK: DA FUNK

RADIOHEAD: STREET SPIRIT

TOOL: STINKFIST 

AUTECHRE: SECOND BAD VILBEL

BUSTA RHYMES: DANGEROUS

THE WALLFLOWERS: 6TH AVE. HEARTACHE

SPECIAL EFFECTS: ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN!

MARILYN MANSON: THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE [director's cut]

actual oscar nominees documentary short:
BREATHING LESSONS  (won)
COSMIC VOYAGE
AN ESSAY ON MATISSE
SPECIAL EFFECTS: ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN
THE WILD BUNCH: AN ALBUM MONTAGE

actual oscar nominees live action short:
DE TRIPAS, CORAZON
DEAR DIARY  (won)
ERNST & LYSET
ESPOSADOS
WORDLESS

categories below this point are

↓for you technical craft lovers↓

1996

*FLY AWAY HOME 

              - Caleb Deschanel, ASC
DEAD MAN - Robby Müller, ASC, BVK
ASHES OF TIME - Christopher Doyle, 杜可風
THE CROW: CITY OF ANGELSc - Jean-Yves Escoffier, AFC

THE ENGLISH PATIENT - John Seale, BSC, ACS
FARGO - Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC

actual oscar nominees:
EVITA  
THE ENGLISH PATIENT  (won)
MICHAEL COLLINS
FARGO
FLY AWAY HOME

1996

*THE ENGLISH PATIENT 

                          - Walter Murch
TRAINSPOTTING - Masahiro Hirakubo
FARGO - Roderick Jaynes aka Coen Bros
ROMEO + JULIET - Jill Bilcock
THE ROCK - Richard Francis-Bruce

actual oscar nominees:
EVITA
THE ENGLISH PATIENT  (won)
FARGO
JERRY MAGUIRE
SHINE

1996 - PRODUCTION DESIGN + SET DECOR

*ROMEO + JULIET - Catherine Martin
THE ENGLISH PATIENT - Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan
HAMLET - Tim Harvey
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - Norman Reynolds, Peter Howitt
CEMETERY MAN - M.Antonello Geleng, Roberto Caruso

actual oscar nominees:
THE BIRDCAGE
HAMLET
ROMEO + JULIET
EVITA
THE ENGLISH PATIENT  (won)

1996

*ROMEO + JULIET - Kym Barrett
HAMLET - Alex Byrne
THE ENGLISH PATIENT - Ann Roth
THE PORTRAIT OF LADY - Janet Patterson
DEAD MAN - Marit Allen

ANGELS & INSECTS - Paul Brown

actual oscar nominees:
ANGELS & INSECTS
THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY
THE ENGLISH PATIENT  (won)
EMMA
HAMLET

1996

*THE NUTTY PROFESSOR 

                         - Rick Baker 
STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT - Westmore; Wheeler; Garber

FROM DUSK TILL DAWN - K.N.B

THE ENGLISH PATIENT - Desiato, Antonio Maltempo

ESCAPE FROM L.A. - Rick Baker

DEAD MAN - Tom Irvin, Richard Alonzo, Neal Martz

actual oscar nominees:
GHOSTS OF MISSISSIPPI  
STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT
THE NUTTY PROFESSOR  (won)

1996

*TWISTER
THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS
DAYLIGHT
INDEPENDENCE DAY
SCREAMERS

actual oscar nominees sound editing:
DAYLIGHT
ERASER
THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS  (won)

actual oscar nominees sound mix:
THE ENGLISH PATIENT  (won)
THE ROCK
EVITA
INDEPENDENCE DAY
TWISTER

1996

*INDEPENDENCE DAY
TWISTER
STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT
THE FRIGHTENERS
THE ROCK

GAMERA 2: ATTACK OF THE LEGION

actual oscar nominees:
DRAGONHEART
INDEPENDENCE DAY  (won)
TWISTER

↓The following categories are inspired by The Muriel Awards

1996

*1) "They'll never catch me, man.." Dignan in foot pursuit with P.D. ("2,000 Man" sequence) 

          - BOTTLE ROCKET

2) Faye breaks in and cleans/organizes Cop 663's apartment. Cantonese cover of The Cranberries' "Dreams." 

-------------------------------------------------- CHUNGKING EXPRESS
3) Renton's relapse trip. A Visit to Mother 

Superior's ------------------------------ TRAINSPOTTING

4) Agent Hunt's close call, dangling from wire rig

-------------------------------------- MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE

5) A God's eye view from the bells of Providence 

------------------------------------ BREAKING THE WAVES
6) "What's your favorite scary movie?" Drew Barrymore 

intro -------------------------------------------------------- SCREAM
7) Carl visits his baby brother's burial site - SLING BLADE
8) Martians vaporize the U.S. ambassador on the red carpet, then hundreds of onlookers while repeating "We Come in Peace" ------------------------------- MARS ATTACKS
-tie- An enraged Will Smith crawls to crashed U.F.O. then sucker punches emerging alien. "Welcome to earth!"  

-------------------------------------- INDEPENDENCE DAY
9) Shooting of state trooper + pursuit & executions of 

passersby ------------------------------------------------ FARGO
10) Wuxia battle over clear lake sequence - ASHES OF TIME
11) Subjects recall “Rumble in the Jungle” fight & development of Rope-a-dope. Intercut w/footage witch doctor trance ----------------------------------------- WHEN WE WERE KINGS
12) Biplane crashes in the Sahara - THE ENGLISH PATIENT
13) Steampunk mechanical shark attacks the peach 

--------------------------------------------- JAMES & GIANT PEACH
14) Kusanagi fights the armored spider drone 

------------------------------------ GHOST IN THE SHELL
15) Ferrari, Hummer & trolley car sequence - THE ROCK

also "Why do you wear that tape on your nose?":

1996

*THE FUNERAL
KANSAS CITY
HARD EIGHT
HAMLET
LONE STAR

Other year-end ballots posted at The Wandering Image:   1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991,1992,
 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003,
 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014