1996's Oscar Nominees

Portrait of a Lady: best Campion, best Kidman, best James adap since The Innocents

Your advocacy pushed me to rematch it a couple years ago. At the time I thought it a noble failure with a few striking scenes and one magnificent performance.

i've always loved the english patient personally. i remember a lot of debates w/fellow cinema and photo students in '96-'97 over its merits vs the other best pic noms. it was me and my friend (who is currently a horror filmmaker and not the target audience for this one) who were advocating for it over the "pretty good" Fargo. i think we were both disappointed by the latter, at the time it seemed a little dull (unlike their usual work) and removed (like their usual work, but in a way that acted against the story.)

i still think it's maybe just inside their top 10 films, but maybe not. i think a lot of its reputation rested on it being a crime pic being released at the right moment in time and it being exceptionally plotted and acted, which is fine. but for me it just didn't have the energy. it was vv "mature."

Just came to the realization that, True Grit aside, I'm pretty much in agreement with the Academy as to which of the Coen Bros' movies are the best.

The Coens have surpassed Fargo several times.

The mention of Satantango made me check what non-english language films snubbed it that year. This is the list:

Kolya (Czech Republic) in Czech – Jan Svěrák, director
Prisoner of the Mountains (Russia) in Russian – Sergei Bodrov, director
A Chef in Love (Georgia) in French, Georgian, Russian – Nana Djordjadze, director
Ridicule (France) in French – Patrice Leconte, director
The Other Side of Sunday (Norway) in Norwegian – Berit Nesheim, director

I don't even know any of these films?

Kolya is Goodbye Girl in its repulsive cuteness.

The Coens have surpassed Fargo several times

Twice, maybe.

Doesn't hurt to be from the area though.

I agree that the appeal of "Fargo" is magnified multiple times over by being from the upper midwest, particular Minnesota.

Still, "Secrets & Lies" pwns.

If only they could've given the four acting awards to only women that year, and no men.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzX1sPoZVZk

I also liked Allison Anders' Grace of My Heart at the time, but haven't seen it since so I'm not sure if it holds up.

My memory of Secrets and Lies is that after viewing it I actively looked forward to forgetting it. I succeeded. All I retain is the vague impression it was a mediocre melodrama.

Try again!

have you watched any Leigh?

As in Mike, not Janet? Yeah, sure. He's never been a favorite and I've stopped expecting to like his work.

same. I have a similar problem with Almodovar.

like I respect what they do and it sounds good on paper but I'm usually bored to tears

Almodovar has only bored me during his '90s run. At worst he comes up with failed hilarity, which doesn't offend me.

Fargo was my fave then, and is now, though I'll try to rewatch Secrets & Lies before the poll closes.

There's a good two-hour forties studio pic buried somewhere in the bloat of The English Patient, so I'll give it that. Also, it's not quite as much of a chore as reading (any) Ondaatje.

Was always indifferent to Jerry Maguire and never saw Shine.

Secrets and Lies easily

Secrets & Lies would be a pretty awesome winner here.

Rewatched Fargo thanks to this poll, and because I needed a guaranteed refreshment after a month of very little film viewing (we've been travelling and visiting family). I've come around to thinking that Harve Presnell as the father-in-law is the movie's secret weapon; his performance is every bit the equal of Macy, McDormand, and Buscemi. In the kind of world where Cuba Gooding Jr. wasn't the year's Best Supporting Actor winner, three of the years BSA noms would have gone to Fargo.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Three utter shut-outs!

Still don't like that margin.

All this tells me is that people haven't seen Secrets & Lies

(And I say this as someone who liked Fargo a lot.)

lmao