1996 Alternate Oscars

I don't have a lot to say about 1996 other than that I didn't care for the Academy's choice for best picture, The English Patient.

Me, I preferred the Coen Brothers' classic noir comedy Fargo instead. Frances McDormand won an Oscar. Steve Buscemi and William H. Macy gave terrific supporting performances. But, you know, if you like The English Patient, go for it, dude.

Best Picture of 1996

Bound

Breaking the Waves

✔ The English Patient

★ Fargo

Jerry Maguire

Lone Star

Secrets & Lies

Sling Blade

Star Trek: First Contact

Trainspotting

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Best Actor of 1996

Kenneth Branagh (Hamlet)

Tom Cruise (Jerry Maguire and Mission: Impossible)

Ralph Fiennes (The English Patient)

★ Ewan McGregor (Trainspotting)

✔ Geoffrey Rush (Shine)

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Best Actress of 1996

Kate Beckinsale (Cold Comfort Farm)

Brenda Blethyn (Secrets & Lies)

Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly (Bound)

★ ✔ Frances McDormand (Fargo)

Emily Watson (Breaking the Waves)

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Best Director of 1996

Danny Boyle (Trainspotting)

★ The Coen Brothers (Fargo)

Mike Leigh (Secrets & Lies)

✔ Anthony Minghella (The English Patient)

John Sayles (Lone Star)

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Best Supporting Actor of 1996

★ Steve Buscemi (Fargo)

Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting)

✔ Cuba Gooding, Jr. (Jerry Maguire)

William H. Macy (Fargo)

Edward Norton (Primal Fear, The People vs. Larry Flynt and Everyone Says I Love You)

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Best Supporting Actress of 1996

✔ Juliette Binoche (The English Patient)

Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Secrets & Lies)

Vanessa Redgrave (Mission: Impossible)

Alfre Woodard (Star Trek: First Contact)

★ Renée Zellweger (Jerry Maguire)

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Special Award

Ethan Coen and Joel Coen (Fargo) (original screenplay)

John Hodge, based on the novel Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting) (adapted screenplay)

When We Were Kings (documentary feature)

Volker Engel, Clay Pinney, Douglas Smith and Joseph Viskocil (Independence Day) (visual effects)

Alice Krige (Star Trek: First Contact) (sexiest Borg ever)

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My choices are noted with a ★. A tie is indicated with a ✪. Historical Oscar winners are noted with a ✔. Best foreign-language picture winners are noted with an ƒ. A historical winner who won in a different category is noted with a ✱.