2006: Technical Awards

BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS
1. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST
I loved the effects in the first PIRATES. Here, they top themselves many times over. I could just focus on the wonder that is Davy Jones, a digital marvel head-to-toe with a realism matched only by King Kong and Gollum. Add to that Jones’ crew, his ship and his pet Kraken and you have the most complex and detailed effects this year.

2. NIGHTWATCH – Imagination run wild producing the most original effects this year.
3. THE FOUNTAIN – Very little CGI. Great futuristic imagery.
4. PAN’S LABYRINTH – Reality and fantasy seamlessly stitched together.
5. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3 - More effects than you think add danger to the incredible stunts.


BEST EFFECTS MAKE UP
1. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST
Again, a level of detail and imagination that surpassed anything else I saw this year. Loved the layers of ocean life slowly forming on Bootstrap Bill.

2. PAN’S LABYRINTH – Great work on Pan, the Pale Man and a gruesome facial wound.
3. X-MEN: THE LAST STAND – Some new creatures added into the mix.
4. THE DESCENT – Love not only the creature family, but the increasingly bloodied women.
5. HOSTEL – This had my vote for the eye gag alone. Best body parts.


BEST MAKE UP
1. DREAMGIRLS
A period piece covering several cultural moments in black history, which gives the ladies dozens of fabulous looks. I also think they did some work to Eddie Murphy. He looked older, and much less friendly.

2. THE PROPOSITION – A symphony of sweat, dirt and blood.
3. CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER – Theatrical, stylized, and gorgeous.
4. CASINO ROYALE – A man who cries blood, the beauty of Eva Green, and Bond’s many fresh facial cuts.
5. THE FOUNTAIN – 3 time periods. Three distinct looks brought alive.


BEST SOUND
1. V FOR VENDETTA
The film continually edits through multiple story lines and the sounds maintain a crisp balance. Everything is heightened just a little bit, from the knives to the black bags to the sounds in Evey’s prison. Plus music occasionally pipes through hallways and cities with a perfect echo.

2. HARD CANDY – Heightened sound increases tension on events happening just out of view.
3. THE DESCENT – Everything sounds great in the deep, dark cave.
4. CARS – The races sound better than in TALLADEGA NIGHTS. And small touches like the gas tanks during tractor tipping.
5. PIRATES: DEAD MAN’S CHEST – The Kraken smashes ships. Capt. Jack shoots bird and monkey.


BEST SCORE
1. THE FOUNTAIN
The new age score for THE FOUNTAIN divided as many people as the film itself. The music is very moody and often quiet, but a constant presence, especially in the futuristic scenes. It is both relaxing and tension building, pulling you into the film’s heart and tying the three stories together.

2. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3 – The composer of THE INCREDIBLES continues to be the freshest talent around. The first great score to use the main theme.
3. LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE – I found the music to be as offbeat as it is catchy.
4. PIRATES: DEAD MAN’S CHEST – The best bombast. Love the pipe organ during the Kraken attack.
5. PAN’S LABYRINTH – A lullaby fantasy gets a score that matches perfectly.


BEST ART DIRECTION
1. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST
By now you may be wondering how much I loved the bloated PIRATES sequel. I think the first film is a great movie, while this one gets by on its many technical marvels. (I’m not trying to reward what $250 million will buy you, but the best is the best.) Of all the films this year, DEAD MAN’S CHEST was easily one of the best looking. Everything was grand in scale and packed with tiny details.

2. CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER – The year’s prettiest looking film. Only has a couple of sets, but what great sets they are.
3. DREAMGIRLS – A real time and place given the appropriate theatrical adjustment.
4. V FOR VENDETTA – A fantasy world, that’s only a few fascist strokes away from being our own.
5. SILENT HILL – Terrible movie. Great sets, some of which have both a cheerful and sinister side.
Also liked… PAN’S LABYRINTH, CHILDREN OF MEN, THE FOUNTAIN, HARD CANDY and THE PROPOSITION.


BEST COSTUME DESIGN
1. DREAMGIRLS
This goes hand in hand with Best Make Up. You’ve got a period musical with performances in front of a crowd. I also liked the way Effie White became more political and Africanized in her wardrobe while the Dreamgirls and James Early were increasingly homogenized for white audiences.

2. THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND – Unexpectedly spot-on wardrobe for a unique time and place.
3. PIRATES: DEAD MAN’S CHEST – Numerous intricate looks with a thick coat of shabbiness.
4. BRICK – Film-noir goes to high school. The juxtaposition yields inspired solutions.
5. CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER – Flamboyant and surprisingly bosomy.
Also liked… V FOR VENDETTA, THE FOUNTAIN, THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED, THE PRESTIGE and CASINO ROYALE

BEST EDITING
1. V FOR VENDETTA
It was on my 2nd viewing that I discovered what an achievement the editing of V FOR VENDETTA is. Beyond the usual slam-bang of the film’s opening and closing sections, there’s a heavy amount of cross-cutting between events at various locations and places in time. This may be the single greatest technical achievement out of all categories. It stings even more that it all went unnoticed.

2. UNITED 93 – Tension increased and sustained over the entire running time.
3. DREAMGIRLS – Flashy musical sequences, not as cut up as you may have heard.
4. AKEELAH & THE BEE – Great montages and spelling bees that are exciting to watch.
5. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3 – The year’s best adrenaline rush.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
1. THE FOUNTAIN
You could tell from the trailer that even if the film sucked, it would look great. This was visual poetry, plain and simple. The camera smoothly glides along with a frame that’s never busy but hypnotic.

2. CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER – Another awfully pretty film, but helped more by the sets.
3. NIGHTWATCH – Inspired and enhanced by digital effects. Uses everything from neon to blackness.
4. THE PROPOSITION – Ugly images, beautifully shot.
5. PIRATES: DEAD MAN’S CHEST – Just watch the opening images of Keira in the rain. Real nice.
Also liked… DREAMGIRLS, V FOR VENDETTA, THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED, HARD CANDY and BRICK.

I feel I should mention CHILDREN OF MEN, which will most likely win the Cinematography Oscar this year. While I think the camerawork is groundbreaking in its complexity, I couldn’t help but be unimpressed by the lighting. Except for the sunrise escape, most of the film is too natural-looking for me to find it worthy of an Award. I know that this was a choice and Emmanuel Lubezki is one of the very best in the business, but I think my selections represent films that focus as much on the lighting as on the camera moves.