I have modified my list of "best personal" films (to use a term used by Tab that implies there is both objectivity and subjectivity in one's esthetic judgements) for the year 1996. I have added MULHOLLAND FALLS
a pure genre film directed by New Zealand director Lee Tamahori, one of those thriller/mysteries where the villains are working for a US government agency. These films are often called "conspiracy thrillers" or "paranoid thrillers". I don't necessarily subscribe to these designations but you get a sense of the film it is. This one in particular is set in 1950s Los Angeles. It has a Raymond Chandler vibe to it. It has a "Chinatown" feel to it too. The DP is Haskell Wexler. Cast includes Nick Nolte, Jennifer Connelly, and John Malkovich.