Day 941: Top 25 Movies of 2006

A Prairie Home Companion is a 2006 ensemble comedy elegy directed by Robert Altman, and was his final film, released just five months before his death. It is a fictional representation of behind-the-scenes activities at the long-running public radio show of the same name.

Film Note: This is a very special film, but there seems to be a very fine line between those who love this movie and those who hate this movie.  If you’ve never listened to the REAL ‘A Prairie Home Companion’ radio show, you are not going to understand the movie.  I for one LOVE the radio show and back in the states, Serena and I would listen together on Sunday mornings.  Plus… Robert Altman knows how to make solid films contain large ensemble casts.

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Blood Diamond is a 2006 drama film co-produced and directed by Edward Zwick  starring  Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou. The title refers to blood diamonds, which are diamonds mined inAfrican war zones and sold to finance conflicts, and thereby profit warlords and diamond companies across the world.

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Bobby is a 2006 American drama film written and directed by Emilio Estevez. The screenplay is a fictionalized account of the hours leading up to the June 5, 1968 shooting of United States Senator from New York and former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy in the kitchen of The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles following his win in the California Democratic Party primary for the 1968 Presidential Election.

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Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, often referred to simply as Borat, is a 2006 mockumentary comedy film directed by Larry Charles and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It was written, produced by, and stars the English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen in the title role of a fictitious Kazakh journalist traveling through the United States, recording real-life interactions with Americans. It is the second film built around one of Baron Cohen's characters from Da Ali G Show, following Ali G Indahouse, which also featured a cameo by Borat.

Film Note: Yeah… the movie is VERY wrong.  But there is nothing else like it and for that reason its on my list.

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Casino Royale (2006) is the 21st film in the James Bond film series and the first to star Daniel Craig asMI6 agent James Bond. It was directed by Martin Campbell and written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Paul Haggis. Casino Royale is set at the beginning of Bond's career as Agent 007, just as he is earning his license to kill. After preventing a terrorist attack at Miami International Airport, Bond falls for Vesper Lynd, the treasury agent assigned to provide the money he needs to foil Le Chiffre's plans by beating him in a high-stakes poker game. The story arc continues in the following Bond film, Quantum of Solace (2008).

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Children of Men is a 2006 American dystopian science fiction film co-written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón. The Strike Entertainment production was loosely adapted from P. D. James's 1992 novel The Children of Men by Cuarón and Timothy J. Sexton with help from David Arata, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby. It stars Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Pam Ferris, Claire-Hope Ashitey, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Michael Caine.

Film Note: WOW.  This movie is AMAZING!  One of the best Science Fiction movies I’ve ever seen.

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Curious George is a 2006 traditionally-animated film adaptation of the children's stories by H.A. and Margret Rey. Will Ferrell voices Ted, The Man in The Yellow Hat. Matthew O'Callaghan directed (after replacing Jun Falkenstein). This project had been in development hell at Imagine Entertainment for a long time, dating back at least as long ago as 1992 (and possibly many years before this).

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Flushed Away is a 2006 computer animated British film directed by David Bowers and Sam Fell. It is a partnership between Aardman Animations of Wallace and Gromit fame, and DreamWorks Animation, and is Aardman's first completely computer-animated feature as opposed to the usual stop-motion.

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Half Nelson is a 2006 American drama film directed by Ryan Fleck and written by Anna Boden and Fleck; and stars Ryan Gosling, Shareeka Epps and Anthony Mackie. The film was scored by Juno Award - winning Canadian band Broken Social Scene. Gosling received an Academy Award nomination for lead actor for his role in the film. The story concerns an inner city middle-school teacher who forms a friendship with one of his students after she discovers that he has a drug habit. The film is based on a 19-minute film made by Boden and Fleck in 2004, titled Gowanus, Brooklyn.

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Inside Man is a 2006 crime-drama film directed by Spike Lee. It stars Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Willem Dafoe and Jodie Foster. The film's screenplay was written by Russell Gewirtz and produced by Brian Grazer. It was released in North America and several European markets on March 23 and 24, 2006.

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Little Miss Sunshine is a 2006 American comedy-drama film. The road movie plot follows a family's trip to a children's beauty pageant.

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Night at the Museum is a 2006 fantasy adventure-comedy film based on the 1993 children's book with the same name by Milan Trenc. It follows a divorced father trying to settle down, impress his son, and find his destiny. He applies for a job as a night watchman at New York City's American Museum of Natural History and subsequently discovers that the exhibits, animated by a magical Egyptian artifact, come to life at night.

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Once is a 2006 Irish musical film written and directed by John Carney. Set in Dublin, this naturalistic drama stars musicians Glen Hansard (of popular Irish rock band The Frames) and Markéta Irglová as struggling musicians. Collaborators prior to making the film, Hansard and Irglová composed and performed all of the original songs in the movie.

Film Note: Simply amazing.

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Pan's Labyrinth (Spanish: El laberinto del fauno, "The Faun's Labyrinth") is a 2006 Mexican Spanish-language fantasy film,^[3][4] written and directed by Mexican film-maker Guillermo del Toro. It was produced and distributed by the Mexican film company Esperanto Films. The film was selected by the Academia Mexicana de Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas (English: Mexican Academy of Film Arts and Sciences) to represent the country in the Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film.

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Perfume: The Story of a Murderer is a 2006 German thriller film directed by Tom Tykwer and written by Andrew Birkin, Bernd Eichinger and Tykwer. It is based on the 1985 novel Perfume by Patrick Süskind. Set in18th century France, the film tells the story of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (Ben Whishaw), an olfactory genius, and his homicidal quest for the perfect scent. The film also stars Dustin Hoffman, Alan Rickman and Rachel Hurd-Wood; John Hurt provides narration.

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Smokin' Aces is a 2006 crime film, written and directed by Joe Carnahan. It stars Jeremy Piven as a Las Vegas magician turned mafia informant and Ryan Reynolds as the FBI agent assigned to protect him Smokin' Aces is the first feature film appearance of R&B artist Alicia Keys and rapper Common. The film is set in Lake Tahoe and was mainly filmed at Mont Bleu Resort Casino & Spa, called the "Nomad Casino" in the film.

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Stranger than Fiction is a 2006 American comedy-drama film. It was directed by Marc Forster, written by Zach Helm, and stars Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah, and Emma Thompson. Columbia Pictures distributed the film.

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The Departed is a 2006 American crime film, fashioned as a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. The film was directed by Martin Scorsese, written by William Monahan, and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga and Alec Baldwin. It won four awards at the 79th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and Best Director for Scorsese.

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The Devil Wears Prada is a 2006 comedy-drama film, a loose screen adaptation of Lauren Weisberger's 2003novel of the same name. It stars Anne Hathaway as Andy Sachs, a recent college graduate who goes to New York City and gets a job as a co-assistant to powerful and demanding fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly, played by Meryl Streep. Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci co-star in support of the two leads, as catty co-assistant Emily Charlton, and critical yet supportive Art Director Nigel, respectively. Adrian Grenier, Simon Baker and Tracie Thoms play key supporting roles. Wendy Finerman produced and David Frankel directed; the film was distributed by 20th Century Fox.

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The Good Shepherd is a 2006 spy film directed by Robert De Niro and starring Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie, with an extensive supporting cast. Although it is a fictional film loosely based on real events, it is advertised as telling the untold story of the birth of counter-intelligence in the Central Intelligence Agency. The film's main character, Edward Wilson (portrayed by Matt Damon), is loosely based on James Jesus Angleton and Richard M. Bissell.

Trailer Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaKGCLTmqTg

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The Holiday is a 2006 American romantic comedy film written, produced and directed by Nancy Meyers. Distributed by Columbia Pictures and Universal Studios, it stars Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet as two lovelorn women from the opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, who temporarily exchange homes to escape heartbreak during the holiday season. Jude Law and Jack Black co-star, with Eli Wallach, Shannyn Sossamon, Edward Burns, and Rufus Sewell playing key supporting roles.

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The Prestige is a 2006 mystery thriller film directed by Christopher Nolan, with a screenplay adapted from Christopher Priest's 1995 novel of the same name. The story follows Robert Angier and Alfred Borden, rival stage magicians in London at the end of the 19th century. Obsessed with creating the best stage illusion, they engage in competitive one-upmanship with tragic results.

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The Pursuit of Happyness is a 2006 American biographical drama film directed by Gabriele Muccino and based on the life of Chris Gardner. The film stars Will Smith as Gardner, an on-and-off-homeless salesman-turned stockbroker.

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The Queen is a 2006 British-French drama film directed by Stephen Frears, written by Peter Morgan, and starring Helen Mirren as the title role, Queen Elizabeth II. Released almost a decade after the event, the film depicts a fictional account of the immediate events following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales on 31 August 1997.

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V for Vendetta is a 2006 dystopian thriller film directed by James McTeigue and produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers, who also wrote the screenplay. It is an adaptation of the comic book seriesof the same name by Alan Moore and David Lloyd. Set in London in a near-future dystopian society, Natalie Portman stars as Evey, a working-class girl who must determine if her hero has become the very menace she is fighting against. Hugo Weaving plays V—a bold, charismatic freedom fighter driven to exact revenge on those who disfigured him. Stephen Rea portrays the detective leading a desperate quest to capture V before he ignites a revolution.

Day 940: Art Direction and Visual Effects

The two categories I’d like to talk about today are Art Direction and Visual Effects… two more categories people tend to have a hard time distinguishing, especially with the increased reliance on CGI and other computer technologies… but they are much easier to explain than Sound Editing and Mixing.

Art Direction

Art Direction is probably the easiest to explain because it has its roots in the Theatre, much like Costume Design.  In the simplest terms, Art Direction is the same thing as Set Design.  Or the environment the characters of the film inhabit.  For the longest time, Art Direction always described the physical environment of the film that actors could actually interact with… but now days, with the use of CGI to create fantastical computerized environments, it’s become hard to distinguish the concepts behind Art Direction and Visual Effects. 

Especially when you are trying to differentiate the merits of films like ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘The King’s Speech’.  I will let ‘awardsnazi’ explain:

Visual Effects

Visual Effects, or special effects, is not the same thing as creating a CGI environment (that’s Art Direction).  Visual Effects is how you manipulate the environment. 

For the sake of having an example, let’s talk about James Cameron’s ‘Titanic’.  The boat and its set decoration is an example of Art Direction… however, the sinking of the boat is an example of Visual Effects.  Sound simple enough?

Day 939: Our Valentine’s Day Song

St. Valentine’s Day.  All the curmudgeons out there will try and tell you that St. Valentine’s Day was created by greeting card companies and chocolate retailers.  But February 14^th is the actual the, honest to goodness, Catholic Feast Day for St. Valentine, the patron Saint of happy marriages, love, happiness, and the plague.

Sure, the holiday has become over marketed throughout the years, but not unlike St. Patrick… when a good party is involved everyone wants to be Catholic, at least for the day. ;)

The fact is this… if you remove all the marketing BS, you are still going to be left with the Feast Day of St. Valentine; a day to reflect on a happy marriage, love, happiness… and to a lesser extent… the plague… which is all pretty much the same thing.

 And for my day of happy marriage reflection, so far away, I’m going to keep it simple… yet topical. 

When Serena and I first started dating she was living in Nashville, while I was living in Atlanta… roughly three and a half hours away by car.  This is nothing when you think about the distance between us now… but it sets the stage for an ongoing theme in our relationship: physical distance.

All those years ago, it didn’t take us long to know that we were destine to spend our lives together and just as quickly we picked out ‘our song’.  A song that best articulated the beginning and subsequent growth in our relationship… a song that we would listen to indecently on rainy days… a song that I secretly had the guitar player at our wedding play as we walked back up the aisle as husband and wife… a song that could have been construed as being a bit cheesy at the time that has somehow lasted, only to become more poignant as we pass from year to year together.

I love you honey!  And I’ll see you soon!

Ladies and gentlemen… Jack Johnson:

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seZMOTGCDag)

PS: Happy birthday Dad!

Day 938: The Mysteries of Sound Editing and Mixing

Every year around Oscar time my friends and family ask me the same question: “What the heck is the difference between Sound Editing and Mixing?

Well… it’s not as complicated as you might think.  Sound Editing and Mixing are two very different skills

And in all actuality, Sound Editing has more in common with the Original Score category, because they are both a specific track of sound that will be combined in the Mixing process.

I will try my best to explain.

Sound Editing (Folly Artists):

I find the title ‘Editing’ a bit misleading for people outside the business.  Instead of focusing on the term ‘Editing’, let’s replace it with the term ‘Creation’: Sound Creation… or more specifically, the creation of a specific sound effect or sound effect sequence/track. 

Let’s use one of my favorite examples: the Star Wars Cantina scene (it’s a bit long, but will illustrate the differences between ‘Editing’ and ‘Mixing’).  I want you to focus on the action of the scene and the corresponding sound effects:

When it comes to Sound Editing (or Creation) you need to realize that certain sounds that help add texture to the film are one-hundred percent originally produced.  Like the sound of the speeder driving, the voices of the aliens, beeping of the droids, the activation of Obi-Wan’s lightsaber, the sound of its impact and the sound of it being idle and sheathed… also, the sound of Han Solo’s blaster shooting Gredo. 

‘Sound Editing’ honors the work of Folly artists who create original sound effect tracks.  Make sense?  Here is a rundown of this year’s nominees courtesy of ‘awardsnazi’… notice the absence of dialogue, music… etc.  This category focuses on the raw sequence of sound effects:

Sound Mixing

Okay… now that we have the Sound Effects track, the Original Score, the actors dialogue, and atmosphere sounds (like rain or a running rivers)… it’s time to put it together.

A Sound Mixer’s job sounds simple enough… but it is essential to the success of a film. 

Have you ever seen a movie where the sound of rain was so over powering that it was hard to hear the dialogue?  Or the music swelled at an inopportune time pulling you out of the moment?  These are examples of poor Sound Mixing. 

Now, scroll back up to the Star Wars seen again… but instead of listening for sound effect… I wasn’t you to close your eyes and listen for the full audio profile.  Be aware of the things you may have taken for granted.  Like the subtle fade of the cantina music as dialogue is about to start.  Or the fade of the speeder sound effect as our heroes approach the Storm Trooper checkpoint.  Or the swell of the music as scenes transition from one to another.  With your eyes closed, you should still be able to follow the sequence of event… and that is because of the Sound Mix.  Are you still with me?  Or have you glazed over?

Now, as you listen to the nominations for Sound Mixing, note the difference in what you’re hearing, especially from the movies also profiled in the Sound Editing category above.  Before, from ‘Inception’ you only heard the sound of an explosion… but now you’re getting the balance of the sound effects track with music and dialogue… which is why Editing and Mixing are two different skills: