Top Movies 1996+, a list by David Loader

88

/87256/

85

/34962/

4.5

/3849185/

94

/341/

94

/173380/

85

/41/

4.0

age 15+

Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as the Joker.

89

9.0

/2135204/

88

/54490/

84

/25842/

4.5

/1926836/

94

/279/

86

/2050091/

94

/41/

3.5

age 11+

As armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the outcome--one member of the Fellowship of the Ring is revealed as the noble heir to the throne of the Kings of Men. Yet, the sole hope for triumph over evil lies with a brave hobbit, Frodo, who, accompanied by his loyal friend Sam and the hideous, wretched Gollum, ventures deep into the very dark heart of Mordor on his seemingly impossible quest to destroy the Ring of Power.

87

IMDb 64

8.9

/2173745/

87

/63890/

84

/26802/

4.4

/2531333/

91

/235/

95

/80557/

92

/34/

3.0

age 11+

Young hobbit Frodo Baggins, after inheriting a mysterious ring from his uncle Bilbo, must leave his home in order to keep it from falling into the hands of its evil creator. Along the way, a fellowship is formed to protect the ringbearer and make sure that the ring arrives at its final destination: Mt. Doom, the only place where it can be destroyed.

87

8.8

/1929021/

87

/53331/

84

/23266/

4.4

/1885599/

95

/258/

95

/72895/

87

/39/

3.0

age 11+

Frodo Baggins and the other members of the Fellowship continue on their sacred quest to destroy the One Ring--but on separate paths. Their destinies lie at two towers--Orthanc Tower in Isengard, where the corrupt wizard Saruman awaits, and Sauron's fortress at Barad-dur, deep within the dark lands of Mordor. Frodo and Sam are trekking to Mordor to destroy the One Ring of Power while Gimli, Legolas and Aragorn search for the orc-captured Merry and Pippin. All along, nefarious wizard Saruman awaits the Fellowship members at the Orthanc Tower in Isengard.

79

8.8

/2558649/

87

/60158/

84

/31221/

4.3

/4703998/

81

/185/

96

/73947/

67

/36/

2.0

age 17+

A ticking-time-bomb insomniac and a slippery soap salesman channel primal male aggression into a shocking new form of therapy. Their concept catches on, with underground "fight clubs" forming in every town, until an eccentric gets in the way and ignites an out-of-control spiral toward oblivion.

86

IMDb 82

8.8

/2773250/

86

/84168/

83

/38473/

4.2

/3561441/

87

/363/

91

/41621/

74

/42/

4.0

age 14+

Cobb, a skilled thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible: "inception", the implantation of another person's idea into a target's subconscious.

82

8.7

/2218798/

87

/72769/

82

/27199/

4.2

/2497747/

83

/209/

85

/1307885/

73

/36/

3.0

age 15+

Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth.

83

IMDb 68

8.7

/2461153/

86

/90597/

84

/38563/

4.4

/4902103/

73

/375/

87

/14174/

74

/46/

3.5

age 11+

The adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.

89

8.6

/1616530/

85

/31989/

82

/16772/

4.2

/1300325/

94

/148/

95

/41367/

91

/38/

4.0

age 16+

As U.S. troops storm the beaches of Normandy, three brothers lie dead on the battlefield, with a fourth trapped behind enemy lines. Ranger captain John Miller and seven men are tasked with penetrating German-held territory and bringing the boy home.

82

8.6

/1538540/

86

/31998/

85

/18705/

4.3

/1132476/

78

/134/

94

/31674/

61

/36/

3.5

age 16+

A supernatural tale set on death row in a Southern prison, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the cell block's head guard, Paul Edgecomb, recognizes Coffey's miraculous gift, he tries desperately to help stave off the condemned man's execution.

83

8.6

/802823/

86

/13315/

84

/13713/

4.4

/670938/

80

/92/

96

/15224/

58

/32/

3.5

age 13+

A touching story of an Italian book seller of Jewish ancestry who lives in his own little fairy tale. His creative and happy life would come to an abrupt halt when his entire family is deported to a concentration camp during World War II. While locked up he tries to convince his son that the whole thing is just a game.

87

8.5

/999318/

84

/15728/

83

/9830/

4.4

/1109428/

95

/186/

96

/10818/

85

/40/

3.5

age 15+

The true story of pianist Władysław Szpilman's experiences in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation. When the Jews of the city find themselves forced into a ghetto, Szpilman finds work playing in a café; and when his family is deported in 1942, he stays behind, works for a while as a laborer, and eventually goes into hiding in the ruins of the war-torn city.

77

8.5

/1821791/

84

/43708/

82

/20383/

4.2

/1872910/

80

/260/

87

/1652336/

67

/46/

2.0

age 16+

After the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, his devious son takes power and demotes Maximus, one of Rome's most capable generals who Marcus preferred. Eventually, Maximus is forced to become a gladiator and battle to the death against other men for the amusement of paying audiences.

91

IMDb 95

8.5

/1133005/

85

/43852/

84

/19932/

4.5

/4795835/

99

/485/

90

/2503/

97

/56/

4.0

age 16+

All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.

88

8.5

/1534408/

83

/31310/

81

/15766/

4.3

/1398605/

91

/285/

94

/58086/

85

/39/

4.0

age 17+

To take down South Boston's Irish Mafia, the police send in one of their own to infiltrate the underworld, not realizing the syndicate has done likewise. While an undercover cop curries favor with the mob kingpin, a career criminal rises through the police ranks. But both sides soon discover there's a mole among them.

89

8.5

/1128739/

84

/31455/

83

/16195/

4.4

/3844987/

94

/304/

94

/5075/

89

/50/

4.0

age 15+

Under the direction of a ruthless instructor, a talented young drummer begins to pursue perfection at any cost, even his humanity.

80

8.5

/1564471/

83

/36070/

82

/17095/

4.3

/1609958/

77

/206/

92

/43661/

66

/36/

3.0

age 14+

A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy -- full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences.

81

8.5

/1260542/

84

/23558/

83

/12240/

4.2

/782053/

84

/88/

96

/34092/

62

/32/

3.0

age 17+

Derek Vineyard is paroled after serving 3 years in prison for killing two African-American men. Through his brother, Danny Vineyard's narration, we learn that before going to prison, Derek was a skinhead and the leader of a violent white supremacist gang that committed acts of racial crime throughout L.A. and his actions greatly influenced Danny. Reformed and fresh out of prison, Derek severs contact with the gang and becomes determined to keep Danny from going down the same violent path as he did.

77

8.5

/1012122/

85

/22414/

82

/18055/

4.2

/775374/

75

/127/

93

/2824/

57

/31/

2.5

age 16+

A true story of two men who should never have met – a quadriplegic aristocrat who was injured in a paragliding accident and a young man from the projects.

85

8.5

/1854353/

84

/52964/

81

/27409/

4.3

/2853703/

87

/295/

92

/16024/

81

/42/

age 18+

With the help of a German bounty hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner.

84

8.4

/1418350/

83

/32045/

81

/15794/

4.2

/1692626/

93

/184/

94

/27540/

83

/34/

3.0

age 17+

Leonard Shelby is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The difficulty of locating his wife's killer, however, is compounded by the fact that he suffers from a rare, untreatable form of short-term memory loss. Although he can recall details of life before his accident, Leonard cannot remember what happened fifteen minutes ago, where he's going, or why.

86

8.4

/707823/

83

/31844/

81

/7380/

4.4

/2928132/

92

/466/

95

/2263/

79

/62/

3.5

age 13+

Follow the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a path of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, Paul endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.

79

8.4

/1345613/

84

/66283/

82

/31324/

4.0

/3161134/

85

/487/

92

/11970/

68

/54/

2.5

age 13+

As the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, a new danger has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos. A despot of intergalactic infamy, his goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts of unimaginable power, and use them to inflict his twisted will on all of reality. Everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment - the fate of Earth and existence itself has never been more uncertain.

85

8.4

/1750800/

83

/45542/

82

/23577/

4.4

/3114647/

89

/332/

88

/36639/

69

/36/

4.0

age 17+

In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as "The Basterds" are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. The Basterds, lead by Lt. Aldo Raine soon cross paths with a French-Jewish teenage girl who runs a movie theater in Paris which is targeted by the soldiers.

81

8.4

/1968090/

81

/53383/

77

/23865/

3.8

/1842611/

87

/376/

90

/33842/

78

/45/

3.0

age 15+

Following the death of District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman assumes responsibility for Dent's crimes to protect the late attorney's reputation and is subsequently hunted by the Gotham City Police Department. Eight years later, Batman encounters the mysterious Selina Kyle and the villainous Bane, a new terrorist leader who overwhelms Gotham's finest. The Dark Knight resurfaces to protect a city that has branded him an enemy.

81

8.4

/1417586/

84

/58301/

82

/27110/

3.9

/3111168/

94

/552/

90

/20562/

78

/57/

2.5

age 13+

After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War, the universe is in ruins due to the efforts of the Mad Titan, Thanos. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers must assemble once more in order to undo Thanos' actions and restore order to the universe once and for all, no matter what consequences may be in store.

84

8.3

/1190135/

83

/27119/

81

/13389/

4.4

/2692870/

97

/89/

94

/15812/

71

/28/

3.0

age 15+

Headstrong yet aimless, Will Hunting has a genius-level IQ but chooses to work as a janitor at MIT. When he secretly solves highly difficult graduate-level math problems, his talents are discovered by Professor Gerald Lambeau, who decides to help the misguided youth reach his potential. When Will is arrested for attacking a police officer, Professor Lambeau makes a deal to get leniency for him if he gets court-ordered therapy. Eventually, therapist Dr. Sean Maguire helps Will confront the demons that are holding him back.

85

8.3

/1270794/

80

/22498/

80

/12718/

4.0

/1097470/

87

/192/

93

/28996/

84

/34/

4.0

age 17+

Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation with his daughter's attractive friend.

84

8.4

/475079/

83

/5343/

79

/2609/

4.1

/175479/

100

/15/

93

/2218/

67

/4/

age 13+

Rascal. Joker. Dreamer. Genius... You've never met a college student quite like "Rancho." From the moment he arrives at India's most prestigious university, Rancho's outlandish schemes turn the campus upside down—along with the lives of his two newfound best friends. Together, they make life miserable for "Virus," the school’s uptight and heartless dean. But when Rancho catches the eye of the dean's daughter, Virus sets his sights on flunking out the "3 idiots" once and for all.

73

8.3

/1665843/

80

/57736/

81

/27154/

3.8

/4204713/

68

/598/

89

/23597/

59

/60/

2.0

age 16+

During the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.

82

8.3

/962887/

81

/18461/

80

/10662/

4.1

/1460947/

80

/182/

93

/28635/

71

/32/

3.5

age 18+

The drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island residents are shattered when their addictions run deep.

83

8.3

/402741/

81

/8002/

80

/4562/

4.3

/517177/

92

/131/

93

/1068/

77

/30/

3.0

A teacher lives a lonely life, all the while struggling over his son’s custody. His life slowly gets better as he finds love and receives good news from his son, but his new luck is about to be brutally shattered by an innocent little lie.

85

8.3

/243819/

82

/5357/

81

/3107/

4.4

/494346/

91

/124/

92

/1356/

80

/42/

3.5

A mother's last wishes send twins Jeanne and Simon on a journey to Middle East in search of their tangled roots. Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad's acclaimed play, Incendies tells the powerful and moving tale of two young adults' voyage to the core of deep-rooted hatred, never-ending wars and enduring love.

86

8.3

/1167299/

82

/27832/

80

/15923/

4.2

/3080915/

93

/256/

94

/46680/

89

/41/

3.5

age 16+

Joel Barish, heartbroken that his girlfriend underwent a procedure to erase him from her memory, decides to do the same. However, as he watches his memories of her fade away, he realises that he still loves her, and may be too late to correct his mistake.

74

8.2

/966961/

82

/21948/

78

/9667/

4.0

/708954/

74

/141/

93

/25439/

55

/31/

2.0

age 17+

Unscrupulous boxing promoters, violent bookies, a Russian gangster, incompetent amateur robbers, and supposedly Jewish jewellers fight to track down a priceless stolen diamond.

80

8.2

/757077/

81

/29572/

79

/13178/

4.1

/1737196/

88

/475/

88

/6014/

78

/57/

2.5

age 16+

At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers.

88

8.2

/653673/

79

/10292/

78

/5339/

4.1

/375785/

99

/165/

94

/6453/

91

/28/

4.0

age 17+

Three detectives in the corrupt and brutal L.A. police force of the 1950s use differing methods to uncover a conspiracy behind the shotgun slayings of the patrons at an all-night diner.

80

8.2

/1751231/

81

/59214/

80

/25356/

4.0

/3508357/

79

/283/

83

/9438/

75

/47/

3.5

age 17+

A New York stockbroker refuses to cooperate in a large securities fraud case involving corruption on Wall Street, corporate banking world and mob infiltration. Based on Jordan Belfort's autobiography.

87

IMDb 87

8.2

/989584/

80

/33246/

80

/11163/

4.2

/3771862/

93

/513/

91

/6024/

90

/69/

4.0

age 15+

The story of J. Robert Oppenheimer's role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II.

87

8.2

/1343416/

82

/37708/

81

/19646/

4.2

/4076738/

94

/160/

89

/19800/

90

/30/

4.0

age 10+

An insurance salesman begins to suspect that his whole life is actually some sort of reality TV show.

79

8.2

/668627/

82

/23152/

82

/12477/

3.8

/1019351/

77

/362/

92

/2235/

69

/52/

3.0

age 13+

Tony Lip, a bouncer in 1962, is hired to drive pianist Don Shirley on a tour through the Deep South in the days when African Americans, forced to find alternate accommodations and services due to segregation laws below the Mason-Dixon Line, relied on a guide called The Negro Motorist Green Book.

78

8.2

/1612570/

81

/41226/

82

/25243/

4.2

/2940920/

69

/263/

77

/26136/

63

/37/

3.5

age 18+

World War II soldier-turned-U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels investigates the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane, but his efforts are compromised by troubling visions and a mysterious doctor.

83

8.2

/1691318/

81

/49554/

77

/22117/

3.8

/1861219/

85

/285/

94

/66667/

70

/41/

4.0

age 13+

Driven by tragedy, billionaire Bruce Wayne dedicates his life to uncovering and defeating the corruption that plagues his home, Gotham City. Unable to work within the system, he instead creates a new identity, a symbol of fear for the criminal underworld - The Batman.

88

8.3

/136263/

83

/5833/

73

/61/

4.3

/612242/

98

/204/

99

/599/

88

/42/

4.0

age 11+

Presenting the tale of American founding father Alexander Hamilton, this filmed version of the original Broadway smash hit is the story of America then, told by America now.

86

8.2

/697596/

80

/13445/

81

/7166/

4.5

/1153051/

91

/244/

86

/36700/

93

/42/

3.5

age 16+

Ruthless silver miner, turned oil prospector, Daniel Plainview, moves to oil-rich California. Using his son to project a trustworthy, family-man image, Plainview cons local landowners into selling him their valuable properties for a pittance. However, local preacher Eli Sunday suspects Plainview's motives and intentions, starting a slow-burning feud that threatens both their lives.

86

8.2

/239886/

81

/7366/

80

/3496/

4.3

/399127/

98

/299/

88

/151/

88

/51/

3.5

age 14+

A man refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages and, as he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality.

79

8.2

/1129965/

81

/26573/

79

/12476/

4.1

/1193362/

86

/167/

90

/39168/

64

/35/

3.0

age 14+

Following an unexpected tragedy, child psychologist Malcolm Crowe meets a nine year old boy named Cole Sear, who is hiding a dark secret.

87

8.2

/1168296/

79

/25746/

79

/12884/

4.3

/1903432/

93

/291/

86

/60251/

92

/39/