Flashback 1996: My top 10 favorite films from 20 years ago

The year 1996 wasn't exactly a stellar one for the movies.

The Best Picture winner to emerge from the year's crop of films, in my opinion, is an overrated bore (The English Patient) and the year's biggest blockbusters, with some exceptions I'll get to later, seem hopelessly dated now (Twister, Independence Day and Jerry Maguire, to name a few).

Still, I enjoy doing these flashback posts -- partially because I love to revisit the past, they're a challenge, and they help me work through writer's block when I feel like I've been slacking in the blog post department.

So here we are in the year of 1996 -- when it was still a quaint idea to portray the White House being blown to bits, and a whole disaster movie craze was in full swing.

It was also a year where prestige films dominated the awards season, signalling a divide between critical and audience taste that has persisted to this day. Here are the ten films from that year that I liked best.

10) The Nutty Professor - Before Eddie Murphy went to the prosthetic well way too many times, there was this comeback film, which reminded audiences just how great he could be. Sure, the film has a few too many coarse fart jokes and the special effects are dodgy at best. But Murphy is brilliant, playing multiple roles with sincerity and expert comic timing. The film is also surprisingly tender, showing shades of what Murphy can do with more emotionally fulfilling material.

Bill Murray in Kingpin

9) Lone Star - In this lowkey drama director John Sayles does what he does best -- play with genre expectations by presenting a more sophisticated and nuanced story about characters that feel grounded in the real world. His film is not just about a small town sheriff's attempt to solve the murder of one of his predecessors, but an exploration of Texas culture, and the people who often are marginalized within it.

8) Primal Fear - The so-called twist ending has become a played out phenomenon, but this legal thriller has a doozy that sill holds up. Richard Gere is great as a cocky defense attorney who thinks he's one step ahead of everyone, including his client: a shy, altar boy (Edward Norton in an Oscar nominated performance) who has been accused of killing a bishop. What it lacks in plausibility it makes up for in sheer watch-ability.

7) Kingpin - The Farrelly brothers have fallen off in a huge way since their commercial dominance with There's Something About Mary. This bowling farce wasn't as big of a hit, but it's just as funny. Woody Harrelson (who had a great year) plays the grizzled vet who takes an Amish bumpkin (Randy Quaid) under his wing. But the showstopper here is Bill Murray in a rare villainous role that he plays with raucous relish. His hairpiece alone deserves an Academy Award.

6) Waiting for Guffman - This was the film that helped make Christopher Guest a household name and his largely improvised films a mini phenomenon. I still remember the first time I saw it -- and it was in the best way. I was flipping channels on cable and for a few minutes mistook it for a real documentary! It's that good. Its parody of all small town theater production is genius as is Guest's performance as the earnest and effeminate director Corky St. Clair.

5) The People vs. Larry Flynt - Although it could, justly, be criticized for romanticizing the life and legacy of porn magnate Larry Flynt, this is still a powerful film about the need to protect and utilize free speech. It's a funny and illuminating biopic, with a truly revelatory performance from Woody Harrelson as the titular publisher himself. The movie is a great tribute to iconoclasts and provocateurs, and features solid supporting turns from Edward Norton (who was having a breakthrough year) and yes, rocker Courtney Love.

4) Bottle Rocket - Wes Anderson's debut lacks the ornate stylings of his later work -- but that is part of its charm. Some of his trademarks are there, brisk camerawork, a whimsical sense of humor and a delusional but lovable lead character played by Owen Wilson (in a star making performance). The movie is an homage to anyone who has ever dreamed of pulling off a heist (I consider myself one of them) and it's a hilariously funny little character study to boot.

3) Mission Impossible - The first Ethan Hunt adventure has its fair share of detractors, but I loved it then and I still appreciate it now. This is partly because I am an enormous fan of its director -- Brian De Palma -- who concocts several unforgettable signature set pieces, like the legendary Langley vault heist which had a suspended Tom Cruise catching a bead of his own sweat. The subsequent films might have topped this one in terms of stunts, but none have replicated that scene's white-knuckle tension.

2) Swingers - A wonderful little gem, which unfortunately inspired a lot of douchey behavior from men who missed the point of this movie and tried to emulate Vince Vaughn's cocky womanizer for a lifetime. He's fantastic in this, but it's Jon Favreau's film through-and-through and I'd be lying if his nice, dumped-guy-who-gets-the-girl trajectory didn't serve as inspiration for me during my more awkward years. Male driven romantic comedies rarely get male insecurity right  -- this one did, which is why it's still a cult favorite.

1) Fargo - The Coen brothers have so many masterpieces it's hard to single out a particular one as their best, but this film could easily be described as their least polarizing. It combines all the elements of their best work -- a sardonic sense of humor, grisly violence and a perfect ear for a particular time and place. Boasting peerless performances from Frances McDormand, William H. Macy and Steve Buscemi, this crime film should have been the Best Picture winner. But as per usual, the best film was robbed.