Daily Staff Writer

You have to be a movie fan to do this job. Otherwise, you could not put up with the vast load of boring and shockingly average slag that plays in theaters just to sift out the occasional diamond.

It’s odd, then, that people ask me if I actually like movies. This question usually comes up after I have trashed a movie or a series of movies over the course of a few weeks.

The answer is yes, I do like movies. Take a look at my videotape collection sometime.

But I only like good movies.

Categorizing movies into the good, the bad and the mediocre is a tough business. I don’t rely on any set criteria. If it strikes me as good, it is good. It’s a kind of film review by the Zen.

But for all the mediocrity — and 1996 saw plenty of mediocre product — there were some damn good films this year.

And yes, there were some very ugly flops. And some nifty and very welcome movie developments popped up in 1996.

So, share the film-going Zen with this list of my likes and dislikes from the past year in movies.

1996 FAVORITES

Courage Under Fire : A brilliant and accurate look at what it is like to be in the military combat arms, with gold-plated performances and a smart script.

Fargo : A quirky and outrageously funny black comedy about what happens when really stupid people have money and guns.

Broken Arrow : Over-the-top and outrageous, it recycled a shopworn story about stolen nukes and made it wildly entertaining, thanks to director John Woo.

Independence Day : Not-very-scientific sci-fi and downright jingoistic. But who cares? This remake of every 1950s invasion epic was a blast.

Lone Star : A multi-layered look at America though the eyes of a small Texas border town, set up as a murder mystery. John Sayles’ small epic is probably the best film of the year.

Trainspotting : A stark, in-your-face and unflinching look at heroin addiction and its consequences. It made its point without sentimentality and without preaching to the audience.

THE LAMEST FILMS OF 1996

Bulletproof : I laughed once during this alleged “action-comedy,” which was neither.

The Crow: City of Angels : A crass attempt to make money and nothing else. Utterly devoid of any value.

Escape from L.A. : I waited 15 years for THIS? Bad script, bad plot, bad effects, bad direction. It all adds up to one bad movie.

Rumble in the Bronx : Jackie Chan is a cool guy and he has some serious guts, but this movie was just plain bad.

Twister : I have a theory: the tornadoes in the film sucked up most the script. What was left was a pale ripoff of The Abyss , a festival of great special effects and little else.

TWO WELCOME DEVELOPMENTS

Videotape letterboxing . It’s about time that widescreen editions of VHS movies became commonplace. The release of the widescreen edition of The Abyss: Special Edition was a cause for celebration last August.

The new Ames theaters . The remodeled Varsity and the new Mall Five are top-notch small theaters, with great projection and sound quality. It’s too bad they didn’t come along any earlier in my time up here.