ju s t o u t ▼ d e c e m b e r 2 0 , 1 9 9 0 ▼ 1 9
Willeke van Ammelrooy (left) and Jan Decleir
in Marleen Gorris’ Antonia’s Line
oward the end of each of the
past three years, I’ve
enjoyed summing up the
year in cinema within the
pages of Just Out. As a self-
proclaimed film buff I relish
examining the sexual poli­
tics, racial depictions and
queer content of each year’s bounty of motion
pictures. This was a difficult year for me on many
levels, and I ended up not attending as many
movies as I have in the past, but going over the
ones I did attend, I realize I saw enough to con­
clude (unlike many critics at the end of the year)
that 1996 wasn’t a bad year for good movies.
In past years I have grouped movies into three
categories: the good (my favorites), the bad (I
could hardly believe I sat through them) and the
ugly (good, but disturbing in ways that made it
difficult to wholly recommend them). The point
has been to suggest what may or may not serve as
good movies to rent when they appear on the
shelves of your favorite video rental palace.
However, this year you’re on your own as far as
the bad or the ugly. I don’t feel confident that I’ve
seen enough to go beyond simply exploring my
favorite movies of the year and examining a few
trends and milestones in film for 1996.
I feel that critics who dismiss 1996 as a bad
year for film are ignoring a number of inventive
and sensitive smaller pictures that weren’t huge,
overly promoted “blockbusters.” Even though a
number of those squeaky-clean, huge Hollywood
hits were genuinely entertaining—Independence
Day, Mission: Impossible, First Wives Club, That
Thing You Do! and Twister—none of them would
make my list of favorites.
For my money, 1996’s best moments in film
by Rupert Kinnard
were found in the following titles: Antonia s Line.
Beautiful Thing, Bound, Dead Man Walking,
Fargo, Get on the Bus, Once Upon a Time When
We Were Colored, The Birdcage, The Celluloid
Closet and Welcome to the
I feel that critics who dismiss 1996 Dollhouse.
And the honorable
as a bad year for film are ignoring
mentions: Courage Under
a number of inventive and sensitive Fire, It’s My Party, Lone
Star, Primal Fear, Sense
smaller pictures that weren’t huge, and Sensibility, Stonewall,
The Mirror Has Two Faces
overly promoted “blockbusters. ”
and Trainspotting.
One of the most frustrating facts to come to
grips with is how few people were attracted to
Despite the
inclusion of
lesbians
and gay men
in mainstream
movies,
this year’s
queer-themed
cinema
pales in
comparison
to the
visibility
explosion
of 1995
Continued on page 21