It was a surprisingly good year for films. True, there were some astounding misfires (Portrait of a Lady and Marvin's Room are the two that come most rapidly to mind), nonetheless, I found I actually had trouble limiting myself to just ten films for the years best. A top 15 or 20 would have been easier. So in all fairness to those films just shy of absolutely stunning, let me first mention briefly (and in no particular order) some very honorable runners-up. Or, without further ado, here is my list of the ten best films of 1996.